A business fare hike of as much as 10 percent initiated by United Airlines was adopted by other carriers last week. Airline analyst Samuel Buttrick of UBS Warburg in New York said the latest hike "represents the sixth increase in business type fares in 2000 with typical year-to-date increases in the 20-22 percent range." He cited the one-way fare from Minneapolis to Orange County, Calif., which has gone up from $856 to $1,031, a gain of more than 20 percent.
Raytheon Aircraft now hopes to win FAA certification of the Premier I business jet by the end or March or early April, after developing fixes to two more technical concerns raised by certification officials. This schedule slip (from yearend 2000 to spring 2001) was disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing by parent Raytheon Company last week (BA, Nov. 20/231).
Docket No.: 29491 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 21.325(b)(3) Description of Releif Sought/Disposition: To permit Am-Safe to issue export airworthiness approvals for Class II and III products manufactured by Am-Safe, Ltd., in England under Am-Safe's technical standard order authorization (TSOA). Grant, Sept. 8, 2000, Exemption No. 7354
Docket No.: 29986 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 25.562 and 25.785(b) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit certification of medical stretchers for transport of persons whose medical condition dictates such accommodation. The exemption is for an installation on a Cessna Model 560XL airplane. Grant, Aug. 16, 2000, Exemption No. 7318
Bombardier Aerospace mated the wing to the fuselage on its new super midsize Continental business jet, a "key milestone" toward first flight expected in mid-2001, company officials said. The wing mating "is right on schedule and represents another important achievement in the Continental program," said John Holding, executive vice president of engineering and product development. "The program continues to proceed as planned."
HONEYWELL has scheduled a special shareholder meeting Jan. 10 to seek approval of its proposed merger with General Electric Company. The meeting will be held at the company's headquarters in Morris Township, N.J., beginning at 10 a.m. The record date for determining who is entitled to vote on the merger is Dec. 1. Proxy materials will be mailed to shareholders on Dec. 8.
GROEN BROTHERS AVIATION, INC., Salt Lake City, Utah, received a $5 million investment from an institutional investor, which "continues a significant trend involving investments by professional fund managers," said David Groen, president and chief executive officer of the gyroplane design and manufacturing company. Groen said the company will "continue to accept appropriate direct investment from all sources until our business plan goals are met."
BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE named Kontinental Aviation of Istanbul, Turkey as its exclusive sales agent for Learjet business aircraft in the region. Kontinental will be responsible for selling Learjet Model 31A, 45 and 60 business jets. "We are delighted to reach this important agreement with Kontinental Aviation," said Mike Cappuccitti, regional vice president-sales for Middle East/Africa for Bombardier.
U.S. SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS released a series of new Summaries of Airworthiness Directives. The summaries are published in three volumes covering large aircraft (over 12,500 pounds maximum certificated weight) and three volumes for small aircraft, rotorcraft, gliders, balloons and airships. Volumes range in price from $57 to $138.75. For more information, call (202) 512-1800, fax (202) 512-2250 or visit the Superintendent of Documents Online bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.
Docket No.: 25245 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 91.215(b) and (c) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit USAF to conduct certain military flight training operations in designated airspace above 10,000 feet mean sea level without being required to operate the aircraft transponders. Grant, Sept. 27, 2000, Exemption No. 4633H
Docket No.: 30178 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 25.857(e)(4) Description of Relief Sought: To permit Sabreliner Model 40 and 60 series airplanes to be modified for the carriage of cargo as Class E compartments (an STC project), without fully meeting the requirements to exclude hazardous quantities of smoke, flames or noxious gases from the flight crew compartment.
B/E AEROSPACE won contracts potentially valued at up to $63 million to supply cabin interior products for two business jet programs. The Nordam Group, which will supply interior kits for Embraer's Legacy business jet, selected B/E Aerospace to provide passenger seats. B/E said it also expects to provide interior lighting and WEMAC air valve products for the Legacy. The second contract, from an undisclosed customer, calls for seats and divans for 10 business jets as well as possible options.
Docket No.: 26048 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 91.319(a) (1) and (2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit NTPS to operate aircraft that have experimental certificates to train flight test students who are pilots and flight engineers through the demonstration and practice of flight test techniques, and to teach these students flight test data acquisition methods for compensation. Grant, Aug. 18, 2000, Exemption No. 5778E
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.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION last week appointed Lt. Gen. Michael Canavan as associate administrator for the Office of Civil Aviation Security. Canavan, who will assume his new role Dec. 4, succeeds Cathal (Irish) Flynn, who retired last month after heading the agency's security office since the end of 1993. Canavan, who leaves the U.S. Army after a 34-year career, most recently served as chief of staff for the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, where he was responsible for operations in Europe and most of Africa.
UNCERTAINTY over the outcome of the presidential election and the unsettled state of the stock market are seen as negatives for business aircraft sales, but the airlines appear to be doing their best to make travel by private aircraft even more desirable. In addition to the widespread cancellation of flights due to labor strife with their unions, the major U.S. carriers adopted business fare increases of up to 10 percent last week. The latest fare hike is the continuation of a trend that has seen business fares escalate sharply throughout the year.
Docket No.: 29335 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 21.325(b)(3) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit AlliedSignal Aerospace Equipment Systems (AES Tempe) to issue export airworthiness approval tags for Class II and Class III products manufactured in Singapore by its AlliedSignal Singapore facility as an approved supplier to AES Tempe under AES Tempe's PMA No. PQ1222NM. Grant, Sept. 13, 2000, Exemption No. 7075A
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD will hold a public hearing Nov. 28 to consider a final report on the Oct. 25, 1999 Model 35 Learjet accident that claimed golfer Payne Stewart and five others.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT named Corporate Aircraft S.A. of Geneva, France, as its exclusive dealer and sales representative in France beginning in January. Corporate Aircraft, already a Raytheon dealer in Switzerland and Italy, will represent the Wichita manufacturer's Beech, Hawker and Premier product lines in France. Corporate Aircraft will add an office at Paris Le Bourget Airport to its offices in Geneva, Switzerland and Milan, Italy. Raytheon also signed an exclusive sales representative deal with SOGEREP in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
THE BFGOODRICH COMPANY named David W. Shaw, 50, president of its Aviation Services Division. Shaw, who joined BFGoodrich when it acquired Rohr, Inc., most recently was vice president and general manager of in-production business for the company's Aerostructures Group in Chula Vista, Calif. He will relocate to Aviation Services headquarters in Everett, Wash., which BFGoodrich said is North America's largest independent aircraft maintenance and modification provider with 2,600 employees who service more than 400 aircraft annually.
BUSINESS AVIATION INTERESTS won a major victory last week when the European Joint Aviation Authorities voted to adopt an ETOPS rule permitting turbojet powered airplanes under 100,000 pounds operating for commercial purposes to use routes that will take the aircraft up to 180 minutes from a suitable airport, under certain conditions.Specifically, JAA said business jets with 19 or fewer passenger seats can extend the standard 120-minute Extended-range Twin Engine Operations limit to 180 minutes if the operator is using best industry practices.
Ogden Corp. closed the sale of its Aviation Ground Services business to the British firm John Menzies last week, receiving a cash payment of approximately $105 million. Ogden announced the deal with Menzies this summer, with an initial price of $117.8 million (BA, July 31/54). The final price reflects adjustments relating to capital expenditures, cash balances and net changes in Ogden's customer base. Ogden's ground services unit includes ramp, passenger and cargo handling operations at 61 airports worldwide.
KISSIMMEE, FLA. AIRPORT named Terry Lloyd director of aviation. Lloyd has served as the airport's interim director of aviation since July. "Since his arrival, [Lloyd] has created a great working relationship with our Advisory Board and has started the ball rolling on some key projects that are necessary for the long-term success of the airport," said Mark Durbin, city manager. Lloyd will focus on developing more than 100 acres in and around the airport, including a business airpark and industrial park.
Model PC-6 airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-77-AD) - proposes to require an inspection of the lower lug of the actuator for cracks, damage, or distortion; verification that the staked bearing is correctly installed in the bore of the lug; and repair of any cracked, damaged, or distorted parts and reassembly of any incorrectly installed staked bearing, as necessary. The proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Switzerland.
