PATRICK CORVAL was appointed senior vice president/purchasing for Jet Aviation in West Palm Beach, Fla. Corval has more than 11 years of aviation industry experience. Most recently he was a senior consultant for Veritec Solutions, where he developed business solutions, inventory management and cost analyses for companies.
The National Transportation Safety Board is examining an oil line and fitting from a Beech BE-76 Duchess aircraft that crashed last month while the flight instructor and pilot on board tried to deal with an inflight fire in the right engine.
Scott Kalister, a veteran of more than two decades with Beech Aircraft and Raytheon Aircraft, is leaving the Wichita manufacturer to become chief operating officer of Kellstrom Industries, Inc., a supplier of components and services for large airline-type aircraft.
Model Galaxy airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-201-AD) - proposes to require replacement of certain existing fasteners in the aft pickup fittings of the horizontal stabilizer. This action is necessary to prevent fatigue failure of those fasteners, which could reduce structural integrity of the empennage. FAA estimates that 10 Galaxy airplanes on the U.S. Registry would be affected by this proposed AD at a cost of $12,100, or $1,210 per airplane. Send comments by Nov. 29 to FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, ANM-114, Attention: Rules Docket No. 2000-NM-201-AD, 1601 Lind Ave.
SOUTHWEST AVIATION restructured its senior management, naming Jeff Schlueter president and promoting Rich Dawson to executive vice president. Schlueter formerly was vice president of sales and service for the company. Dawson, previously vice president of flight services, will continue as director of operations. "Jeff and Rich have demonstrated the management capabilities to extend Southwest Jet Aviation's business strategy for aviation service growth in the future," said Southwest Jet Aviation Chairman Jim Houtz.
SHOWALTER FLYING SERVICE this month officially opened its new $1.8 million facility at Orlando Executive Airport. The FBO reflects the design of the original terminal and control tower with an 11,000-square-foot V-shaped terminal that looks like a flying-wing bomber from the air. Showalter, a Phillips 66 Aviation Performance Center, has 180 tenant aircraft and pumps between 110,000 to 140,000 gallons of aviation gasoline and jet fuel monthly, depending on the season.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT said it won an order for three new Caravan utility aircraft from Shandong Airlines in the Peoples Republic of China - plus an option for an additional 37 aircraft. Shandong will be the first company to commercially operate Caravans in China. Deliveries of one Grand Caravan and two Caravan 675s on amphibious floats are scheduled for the first quarter of 2001.
General Dynamics, the parent company of Gulfstream Aerospace, signed a definitive agreement to acquire Primex Technologies, a St. Petersburg, Fla. defense contractor.
SKIP FEHER was promoted to vice president of marketing and business development for Airshow. Feher is a 25-year veteran of the aviation communication services fields. Feher joined Airshow in 1996 as manager of airline sales and most recently he was general manager of the Communications Services unit. He also has served with Global Systems and Sundstrand Data Control.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION created a flap for the scheduled airlines last week, announcing plans for a slot lottery at New York's LaGuardia Airport beginning in January. FAA said the lottery system is designed to limit overall operations at the airport to 75 per hour between 0700 and 2200 daily. The airlines in recent months have filed requests for more than 600 new flights each day at LGA. Scheduled operations, which now total more than 1,350 per day at LGA, would be cut to 1,200, meaning some carriers would have to drop some flights.
Model BAe ATP airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-249-AD) - proposes to require revising the airworthiness limitations section of the instructions for continued airworthiness to incorporate life limits for certain items and inspections for fatigue cracking in certain structures. This proposal is prompted by issuance of a revision to the airworthiness limitations of the British Aerospace ATP Aircraft Maintenance Manual, which specifies new inspections and compliance times for inspection and replacement action.
Shawn Vick, a 16-year veteran of the corporate aviation business who had been vice president of North American sales for Gulfstream Aerospace for the past several years, has joined Bombardier Aerospace, Business Aircraft as senior vice president of international sales. The Canadian manufacturer said Vick, who will be based in Montreal, "will be responsible for all international sales activities involving Bombardier's growing family of business jet aircraft, led by the flagship Global Express," which competes directly against the Gulfstream V.
TAG AVIATION opened an aircraft acquisition and sales office in Seattle, Wash. Gene Clow, who joined the company as regional vice president, aircraft acquisition, will manage the Seattle office, providing acquisition and sales services for both managed and outside clients.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association warned the Federal Communications Commission that the GPS navigation system could be threatened by new low-power devices using Ultra-Wideband Transmission Systems (UWB) technology. In comments to the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking FCC 00-163, AOPA asked the commission to allow "adequate time for testing and analysis of new devices using UWB," and said such devices should be licensed or controlled to minimize interference with GPS signals.
BRAZILIAN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER Embraer now bills itself as "the world's fourth largest airliner manufacturer and Brazil's largest exporter, with $23.3 billion in logged sales, of which $11 billion are firm orders and $12.3 billion are options." The company said last week that development work on the ERJ 170 regional airliner "is strictly adhering to schedule and the first flight should occur during the second half of 2001." Delivery of the first production ERJ 170 is expected at the end of 2002.
Docket No.: 29213 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Elliott to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S)transponder installed on those aircraft. Grant, Sept. 12, 2000, Exemption No. 7347
Federal Aviation Administration recently proposed new guidance for its inspectors that would provide temporary relief to Part 135 operators flying converted business jets to carry cargo. The proposed guidance, called "a step forward" by National Air Transportation Association Vice President Andrew Cebula, would set aside certain operating specifications the agency drafted for operators of Part 25 transport category aircraft that previously were modified via field approval for cargo use.
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.
Docket No.: 30151 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 25.785(b) Description of Relief Sought: To permit side-facing divans to be installed for "private, not-for-hire" use on a Boeing Model 777-200 airplane.
Docket No.: 28361 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 91.203(a) and (b) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit AirTran to operate temporarily its aircraft following incidental loss or mutilation of an aircraft's airworthiness or registration certificate. Grant, Sept. 11, 2000, Exemption No. 7348
REGARDLESS OF the outcome of the presidential election, Jane Garvey continues her resolve to fulfill her five-year term as FAA Administrator. Garvey reassured industry groups at various events recently - including the agency's demonstration of Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) late last month in Memphis - that she plans to serve out the final two years of her term. She reiterated those statements during an FAA staff meeting last week and asked those attending to maintain focus on their agency work despite the impending transition.
TRIUMPH GROUP recently increased its borrowing capacity by expanding a revolving credit facility from $250 million to $350 million. The credit package will continue to be led by PNC Bank, N.A. The additional credit line "gives us the resources to continue to execute our strategy of adding products and services, expanding operating capacity and acquiring aggressively while maintaining our commitment to a strong balance sheet," a Triumph official said.
Docket No.: 30132 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 61.109(d)(2)(i) and 61.109(d)(3) Description of Relief Sought: To permit Daniel to obtain a private pilot certificate with gyroplane class rating without meeting the cross-country night flight training requirements.
INDIGO, the Chicago-based carrier that is offering regular service between Chicago and New York on Falcon 20 business jets, has begun accepting online bookings through its website www.flyindigo.com. Indigo has priced a one-way ticket between Chicago Midway Airport and Teterboro at $629 plus taxes of up to $5.50. Indigo expects to launch service soon to White Plains, N.Y. and Minneapolis, Minn. and plans later to expand the Atlanta, Boston and Washington, D.C. markets.
