Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) executives were unsuccessful in their latest attempt to convince Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials to raise aircraft weight limits at Teterboro Airport, N.J. (TEB). "There's no change in status as a result of the meeting," said a Port Authority spokesman.
Canadian investment partnership ONCAP L.P. struck an agreement to buy the outstanding shares of high-technology electronics innovator BAE Systems Canada Inc. for $25.25 (Canadian) per in share in cash in a deal with an expected value of $594 million. Majority shareholder BAE Systems p.l.c., with a 54 percent stake in the former Canadian Marconi company, has signed off on the deal, and if the initial transaction is not completed, then BAE Systems agreed to sell to ONCAP shares that represent 49 percent of the outstanding shares at a price of $25.25 each.
FAA, tackling one of the core airline delay factors, presented four "concepts" last week it will introduce to the public at a year-long series of meetings aimed at relieving airspace congestion and aircraft noise generated by Newark, New York Kennedy and LaGuardia, Philadelphia and several regional and general aviation airports in the New York metropolitan area. Frank Hatfield, Eastern Region air traffic division manager, said a fifth option of "doing nothing" is not under serious consideration. Public meetings begin this month.
Docket No.: 30081 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. 61.133(b)(1) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit KEI to conduct passenger-carrying operations on cross-country flights in excess of 50 nautical miles without holding an instrument rating in the same category and class of aircraft listed on the commercial pilot certificate. Denial, Dec. 18, 2000, Exemption No. 7407
Circumstances surrounding the Jan. 27 crash of a King Air 200 that claimed eight students and officials from Oklahoma State University indicate the aircraft may have encountered icing conditions shortly after takeoff from Denver's Jeffco Airport (BJC). The aircraft, with two pilots, was carrying eight passengers - part of a contingent that included OSU basketball players, university officials, a student manager and broadcasters. Other members of the OSU men's basketball team and officials were traveling on two other aircraft.
LUFTHANSA TECHNIK is offering an adjustable control system for cabin lighting and call system for its corporate aircraft customers. The company said its own engineers developed the new cabin lighting control system (CLCS) because "systems available on the market do not possess the desired features." Lufthansa Technik said the bus-based design significantly reduces cabling costs and thereby lowers installation costs compared with conventional systems that require a separate cable for each switching function.
Docket No.: FAA-2000-8179 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. 91.531(a)(3) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Fairchild to conduct production and experimental test flights in SA227-CC and SA227-DC Metro 23 airplanes without a pilot designated as second-in-command. Grant, Nov. 28, 2000, Exemption No. 5367F
Docket No.: 30052 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. 25.807(f)(4) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit an interior arrangement on an Airbus Model A340-600 that does not provide 60 feet or less between passenger emergency exits in the side of the fuselage. Denial, Dec. 11, 2000, Exemption No. 7404
ADMINISTRATOR GARVEY, FAA's Management Advisory Committee and the Air Traffic Services Subcommittee are wrestling with finding a chief operating officer to head FAA's air traffic operations. AIR-21 set the COO's salary at the same level as the Administrator's, $145,000 plus a possible 30 percent performance bonus. Garvey told the U.S.
BIFS TECHNOLOGIES CORP. of Sarasota, Fla., is acquiring controlling interest in GPS Integrators Inc., which specializes in providing management and operational information systems to airports and military establishments worldwide. The company maintains systems in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Korea and Germany.
Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
JET AVIATION BASEL is completing a Boeing Business Jet for use by Boeing as a customer demonstrator and for travel by company officials. The aircraft, which will be Boeing's second BBJ demonstrator, will incorporate a design concept developed by Donald Thompson Industrial Design of New York in conjunction with a group of leading U.S. interior designers. The cabin will have internet data ports at each seat and a satellite-based telecommunications system consisting of two phased-array antennas housed in a low-profile enclosure mounted on top of the fuselage.
Runways are urgently needed to handle relentless aviation growth, and environmental reviews that slow airport development must be accelerated, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, in his first major policy address since taking office, told an "Aviation Summit" at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last week. Reiterating themes voiced during his confirmation hearing last month (BA, Jan. 29/41), Mineta said Friday afternoon he wants to pursue the idea of having state and federal environmental reviews conducted simultaneously.
Cessna Aircraft last week handed over the 3,000th single-engine aircraft, a 182T Skylane, made at its Independence, Kan. plant to Lincoln Park Aviation, based in New Jersey. Delivery of the aircraft comes four and one-half years after Cessna dedicated the Independence facility to resume production of three of its venerable single-piston aircraft - the 172 Skyhawk, the 182 Skylane and the 206 Stationair.
BOMBARDIER last week unveiled a new diagnostic tool that will be standard equipment on its super mid-size Continental business jet. The SmartFix troubleshooting system will "accelerate fault isolation routines, reduce aircraft downtime and spare parts requirements, thus reducing costs for operators," Bombardier said. Bombardier will incorporate the system in the flight test program, expected to begin this year.
Docket No.: FAA-2000-8180 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. 61.3(a) and (c) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit the establishment of special procedures that enable an operator to issue to its flight crewmembers, on a temporary basis, confirmation of any required crewmember certificate based on information contained in the operator's approved record system for RAA member carriers and similarly situated 14 CFR Part 135 air carriers. Grant, Nov. 28, 2000, Exemption No. 5560C
Miami-Dade County is assembling a list of other possibilities for relieving the increasing strain on its current airport system in the wake of a U.S. Air Force decision last month that barred aeronautical use of 700 acres of surplus land at the former Homestead Air Force Base (BA, Jan. 22/41). Miami-Dade officials last month met with the Board of County Commissioners to assess the Air Force decision and decided to hold an aviation workshop Feb. 8 to formulate alternative plans.
JOHNSON CONTROLS won a contract from the Federal Aviation Administration valued at more than $50 million to provide security system integration for the Facility Security Risk Management Program at 925 sites nationwide. The five-year contract includes design, installation and commissioning of security systems with Salt Lake City, Utah slated for the first commissioning.
Docket No.: FAA-2000-8215 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit PIE to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, Dec. 5, 2000, Exemption No. 7391
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS plan to introduce legislation to streamline the approval process for new airports and runways and limit the time that can be spent debating such infrastructure improvements (BA, Jan. 29/52), but FAA already is working the problem. A provision of AIR-21 requires DOT to study federal environmental requirements related to planning and approving AIP projects to determine if the process can be streamlined. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey told BA Friday that project has been under way at FAA for some time.
Two unions have asked the Federal Aviation Administration to take its Capstone demonstration program off line in Alaska until the agency resolves software glitches that cropped up last month.
AIG Aviation, a member of international insurer American International Group, has tailored an insurance program for fractional aircraft owners. The program, AIG said, "offers aircraft owners a broad coverage package, providing greater risk management flexibility." The customized program allows fractional owners to specify coverage for liability in excess of the primary policy for aircraft liability, non-owned aircraft liability, contingent aircraft physical damages and liability, and diminution of value.
DPI LABS, the La Verne, Calif. designer of aircraft cabin management systems, was recognized for meeting the D1-9000 Advanced Quality Systems quality assurance standards developed by Boeing to assess process monitoring, controlling and variability reduction characteristics.
Docket No.: 30151 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. 25.785(b) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit relief from the general occupant protection requirements for multiple-place, side-facing seats on a Boeing Model 777-2AN airplane, serial number 29953. Grant, Dec. 11, 2000, Exemption No. 7392
