President Clinton last week ordered the Federal Aviation Administration to form a new air traffic organization (ATO) within the agency that would be funded through "cost-based charges on commercial users" and called for other market-based reforms, including peak-hour pricing at high-density airports.
LAKELAND, FLA. LINDER REGIONAL AIRPORT last week broke ground for the construction of a new $6.7 million terminal that will replace the 41-year-old existing terminal. The new 27,000-square-foot terminal will be built on a 13-acre tract about 600 feet north of the existing terminal.
CITY OF CINCINNATI General Aviation Division of the General Services Department is seeking proposals until 5 p.m. Jan. 5 for a professional aviation consulting firm to design, install and provide data from an automated aircraft identification system for use at Cincinnati Lunken Airport. The system will be used to track daily aircraft arrivals and departures, identify aircraft for noise abatement, audit aircraft by N-number, type and ownership and offer real-time data acquisition by the user.
Docket No.: 29182 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. 121.434(c)(1)(ii) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Chautauqua to substitute a qualified and authorized check airman in place of an FAA inspector to observe a qualifying PIC who is completing initial or upgrade training specified in Sec. 121.424 during at least one flight leg that includes a takeoff and a landing. Grant, Sept. 22, 2000, Exemption No. 7353
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION is planning a 13-day advertising campaign, beginning Dec. 22, to promote the value of local airports. The commercials were adapted from AOPA's Local Airports-Access to America video, which it uses for the Airport Support Network. The campaign will involve 161 commercials on the Weather Channel. The association said it chose the Weather Channel because it hopes to capture the attention of people frequently checking weather as they travel during the holiday season.
Cirrus Design Corp., Duluth, Minn., won FAA approval for its new SR22 single-engine aircraft. The SR22 is powered by a 310-horsepower Teledyne Continental IO-550-N engine and cruises at 180 knots at 75 percent power.
Federal Aviation Administration partnered with the Brazil Directorate of Electronics and Fire Protection in a demonstration program late last month that the agencies hope will help encourage widespread use of satellite navigation in the Caribbean and South America. The program demonstrated civil applications of the Global Positioning System in a series of exercises with civil aircraft, search and rescue maritime vessels and emergency vehicles.
Bell/Agusta Aerospace Co. marked a milestone in civil tiltrotor technology as it mated the wing and fuselage for the first prototype of its BA609 aircraft this month at Bell's Flight Research Center, Arlington, Tex. The company is a joint venture of Bell Helicopter Textron and Agusta, a Finmeccanica company, to design, develop and manufacture the BA609 civil tiltrotor and the AB139, a conventional twin-engine helicopter. The company plans to build four prototype tiltrotor aircraft for flight testing and certification.
Bombardier, Inc., announced a major reshuffling of its top executive ranks Wednesday, part of a program of "aggressively moving people between divisions" to help grow the Canadian conglomerate's management depth, according to Robert Brown, president and chief executive officer. Pierre Beaudoin, president and chief operating officer of Bombardier Recreational Products, will become president of Bombardier Aerospace, Business Aircraft, effective Feb. 1. He will report to Michael Graff, president and chief operating officer of Bombardier Aerospace.
PETER LOEB was appointed chief operating officer of BIZJET International. Loeb formerly was managing director of the Howard Company, a Germany-based international manufacturing concern. Loeb also has served with AlliedSignal Aerospace.
John Rahilly, who joined Signature Flight Support 15 months ago to oversee aircraft maintenance activities for the company, is departing to pursue his own business endeavors. Rahilly, the former president of K-C Aviation, joined Signature after Gulfstream acquired the K-C modification and completion facilities in Appleton, Wis. and Dallas, Texas (BA, Sept.
Model 188A and 188C series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-265-AD; Amendment 39-11980; AD 2000-23-10) - requires a revision of the Airplane Flight Manual to add procedures for donning the flightcrew oxygen masks when the cabin altitude warning horn is activated. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent incapacitation of the flightcrew as a result of lack of oxygen and consequent loss of control of the airplane due to absence of AFM procedures for donning the flightcrew oxygen masks when the cabin altitude warning horn is activated.
Model 1121, 1121A, 1121B, 1123, 1124, and 1124A series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-364-AD; Amendment 39-11985; AD 2000-23-13) - requires a one-time inspection, and corrective action if necessary, to ensure the proper installation of the tie rod through the dust shield and both jackscrew assemblies on the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator. This action is necessary to prevent jamming or disconnection of the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator, which could reduce pitch control of the airplane. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.
UNIVERSAL AVIONICS SYSTEMS CORPORATION won FAA technical standard order approval for its MFD-640, the first instrument approved in its new line of flat panel integrated displays. Universal is marketing the MFD-640 for both new and retrofit applications with installations on a Gulfstream II and Citation II. Cessna also will offer the displays on the Citation Excel. Universal said terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) is the primary application for the new display.
Docket No.: 30097 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 61.3(a) and (c) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit FAA AVN pilot crewmembers to be issued facsimiles of their pilot and medical certificates when those certificates are lost or destroyed. Grant, Oct. 3, 2000, Exemption No. 74363
Honeywell officials successfully ran a test rig of their new Multi Purpose Core technology demonstrator engine. In a telephone briefing Wednesday with reporters, Victor Valente, director of Business Development-Honeywell Engines&Systems, said the engine met all expectations, including stability, vibration and rotor dynamics. The test rig was subjected to 15 starts during the initial test phase and operated over a broad thrust range from idle up to 92 percent. Engineers now are tearing down the test rig engine to check its internal condition.
Docket No.: 28639 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 121.574(a)(1) and (3) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit the carriage and operation of oxygen storage and dispensing equipment for medical use by patients requiring emergency or continuing medical attention while on board aircraft operated by PenAir when the equipment is furnished and maintained by a hospital treating the patient. Grant, Sept. 28, 2000, Exemption No. 6523B
Going beyond previous fire-safety improvement themes that targeted specific system or design flaws, Canadian safety investigators probing the crash of a Swissair MD-11 last week called for fundamental changes to how inflight fire emergencies are handled. A probe of more than a dozen cabin-area fires since 1967 that led to crashes, ditchings or forced landings - including the 1998 Swissair Flight 111 crash - convinced Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) that inflight firefighting systems and procedures are "inadequate."
Model 60 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-52-AD; Amendment 39-11991; AD 2000-23-18) - requires inspecting the routing of oxygen tubing to ensure that there is adequate clamping of the tubing and adequate clearance between the tubing and electrical wiring or electrical contacts, and taking corrective action, if necessary. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent electrical arcing between the oxygen tubing and an electrical source, which could result in an oxygen fire. FAA estimates that 40 airplanes on the U.S.
LEE BALDWIN was promoted to manager of technical operations for SimuFlite Training International. Baldwin joined SimuFlite in 1997, serving as supervisor-technical support. He has more than 21 years of experience in maintaining flight simulator devices.
DUNCAN AVIATION'S facility in Battle Creek, Mich. was designated an authorized service center for the Cessna Citation 650 series (Citation VII). Duncan Aviation's Lincoln, Neb. center already had received such authorization, and both facilities are authorized by Cessna to work on 500-series Citations.
Docket No.: 30141 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.299(a) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Deniston pilots to accomplish a line operational evaluation in a Level C or Level D flight simulator in lieu of a line check in an aircraft. Denial, Oct. 3, 2000, Exemption No. 7362
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT is preparing to mate the fuselage and wing of its new Hawker Horizon business jet with first flight slated for next year. The company moved the 69-foot-long composite-fuselage and tail section from the Fuselage Automated Splicing Tool to the next assembly station where it will be prepared for mating with the wing. Fuji Heavy Industries delivered the completed wings for the first two aircraft and static test article and Pratt&Whitney Canada has delivered the first shipset of PW308A engines.
Model DH.125, Model HS.125, Model BH.125, Model BAe.125 Series 800A (including major variants C-29A and U1-25), Model Hawker 800, Model Hawker 800XP, and Model Hawker 1000 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-376-AD; Amendment 39-11949; AD 2000-22-03) - requires leak checks and inspections for corrosion of the pitot/static and stall vent drain valves, and replacement of certain components, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by reports of plugged or taped drain valves as well as consequent corrosion of certain drain valves.
Industry and congressional leaders Thursday voiced support for the White House effort to make a more efficient air traffic control system, but appeared doubtful that announced reform plans - including user fees and peak-hour pricing - would result in significant changes. Congressional and industry observers agreed that with a little more than a month left in its tenure, the Clinton Administration does not have enough time to pursue much of what it announced.
