FAIRCHILD DORNIER plans to seek regulatory approval to operate the 328JET at London City Airport. The manufacturer said it has demonstrated the aircraft's capability to operate in and out of close-in London City with a full passenger load. The 328 turboprop has been operating at London City Airport and officials said customer requests for the 328JET prompted Fairchild Dornier to pursue certification for the jet model.
Model CL-600-2B19 series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-312-AD; Amendment 39-11914; AD 2000-20-03) - requires installation of shields for the aileron quadrants in the wheel bay of the main landing gear. This action is necessary to prevent the accumulation of water, ice, or slush on the aileron quadrants and control cable pulleys in the wheel bay of the MLG, which could freeze and result in reduced controllability of the airplane. The AD is effective Oct. 2, but FAA will accept comments in the docket until Oct. 27.
THOMSON-CSF SEXTANT IN-FLIGHT SYSTEMS was recognized as International Standards Organization (ISO) 9001-compliant. Thomson-CSF Sextant In-Flight Systems, based in Irvine, Calif., manufactures, tests and certifies in-flight entertainment products, including interactive and multi-channel distributed individual passenger video systems, single-aisle overhead and bag-bin mounted distributed video and audio systems, WorldView and cabin video systems and passenger control units.
Models PZL M18, PZL M18A, and PZL M18B airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-84-AD; Amdt. 39-11897; AD 2000-18-12) - requires repetitive inspections of the centerwing-to-outboard wing attach joints for cracks in the lugs, corrosion in the main holes, and ovalization of the main holes; repair of corrosion and application of anti-corrosion protection; replacement of the wing attach joints, as necessary; and elimination of any ovalization of the wing main joint holes.
Congress last week approved a measure that prevents federal land managers from closing backcountry airstrips without due process. The measure, strongly supported by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, was included in the fiscal 2001 Interior appropriations bill, H.R.4578. The measure, sponsored by Sens.
SIMUFLITE TRAINING INTERNATIONAL'S QuickTurn Division added Turbo Commander pilot training to its Commander Models 690, 690A, 690B, 690C and 690D programs. The FTD, made by Frasca International, includes Collins avionics with IFR-certified GPS, Collins FD 112V flight director and Collins AP-106 autopilot. QuickTurn, based in Grapevine, Texas, is geared toward providing small business aircraft training. In addition to the Turbo Commander, QuickTurn provides pilot training on Citation I/II, Cessna 400, King Air C90/100 and King Air C90B aircraft.
FLIGHTCRAFT, Portland, Ore., expanded its fleet of management and charter aircraft to more than 30. Since June, the company has added a King Air C90, King Air 300, Citation SII, CitationJet, Citation Bravo and Citation Excel to its fleet.
PAUL LINDSETH was named assistant dean for academics at the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota. Lindseth will oversee development of both undergraduate and graduate programs in the Odegard School. He joined UND Aerospace in 1985 and was named assistant chair of aviation and interim assistant dean for academics for the Odegard School in 1999.
EC PUSHES NEW PROPOSAL FOR EUROPEAN AVIATION SAFETY AGENCY -- After more than four years of preparatory work and one failed attempt, the European Commission last week unveiled a proposal to create a European Aviation Safety Agency. The agency will "enable us to continue to guarantee our citizens a level of safety that is among the highest in the world while giving our industry the means to compete on an equal footing outside the European Union," said Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio.
HEICO CORP. completed the sale of its Palmetto, Fla.-based Trilectron Industries, Inc., to Hobart Brothers Co., a subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works, Inc. Trilectron is a major provider of ground support equipment for civil and military aircraft. Its products include truck- and trailer-mounted ground power units, air start units, mobile and fixed air conditioners, aircraft tugs and related equipment. Hobart, based in Troy, Ohio, has been in business since 1946 and supplies a variety of aircraft ground power systems.
ROBERT HORNBURG was promoted to vice president and chief information officer for Mesa Air Group. Hornburg joined the company in 1998 as director of information services and previously held information technology positions with Western Pacific Airlines and America West Airlines.
WHEN ASKED at Thursday's hearing on delays about growth of general aviation, FAA Administrator Jane Garvey agreed that GA operations have increased. But Garvey noted that the recently passed FAA reauthorization legislation, AIR-21, should provide the necessary resources to make sure the infrastructure is in place to accommodate growth in GA.
AIR TOUR OPERATORS in Hawaii will continue operating under the provisions of Special Federal Air Regulation 71 (SFAR 71) for the next three years, FAA said Friday, while the agency continues work on national rules that would apply to all air tour operators. SFAR 71 was adopted in 1994 as an emergency rule in response to an increase in the number of fatal accidents involving air tour aircraft in the preceding few years. SFAR 71 mandated additional operating procedures. * * *
Model CL-600-1A11 (CL-600) and CL-600-2A12 (CL-601) series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-26-AD; Amdt. 39-11902; AD 2000-19-01) -- requires modification of the main landing gear (MLG) brake units and inboard MLG wheels; and a revision to the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to include the increased cooling times for the modified brakes.
FAIRCHILD HIRES RAYTHEON'S KOERBEL TO HEAD 928 PROGRAM; CUTS METAL FOR 728 -- Fairchild Dornier, spooling up to begin producing a family of jets for regional airlines and corporate operators, named a Raytheon Aircraft veteran to head its 928JET program, began cutting metal for the 728JET and named an industry veteran to head advertising for the company.
CHUCK GALLAGHER was promoted to assistant manager at FlightSafety International's San Antonio, Texas learning center. Gallagher formerly was assistant director of standards and assistant program manager for Metro aircraft at the center.
GERRY MCRAE was named manager of FlightSafety International's training center in Toronto, Canada. McRae, previously assistant director of standards at the Toronto center, joined the company in 1996.
THREE MAJOR PLAYERS in the regional aircraft business have demonstrated three different strategies in recent months for addressing the 40-seat aircraft market. Bombardier decided to avoid the expense of developing a new aircraft and instead told carriers it would remove seats from its existing 50-passenger CRJ fuselage. That approach won an order from Delta for up to 500 regional jets with 40- 44- or 50 seats (BA, April 3/154).
LUFTHANSA TECHNIK EXTENDS U.S. MARKET SHARE WITH HAWKER PACIFIC ACQUISITION -- Lufthansa Technik has acquired a significant stake in Hawker Pacific Aerospace, a major provider of overhaul services for aircraft landing gear. Hawker Pacific, headquartered in Sun Valley, Calif. with facilities in London and Amsterdam, has nearly 500 employees and a 20 percent share of the overhaul market for large commercial jet landing gears, making it the second largest provider of such services in the world.
EASTMAN KODAK'S Commercial&Government Systems unit acquired Research Systems, Inc. (RSI), a designer of software used by scientists, engineers and others to extract information from images captured by sources such as satellites, aircraft and meteorological devices. RSI is based in Boulder, Colo. and employs 140 people worldwide. Eastman Kodak said RSI's software allows customers to "visualize" and interpret complex data collected from remote sensing platforms such as earth observation satellites and diagnostic instruments in a variety of applications.
THE SENATE Thursday began debate on legislation to make permanent the visa waiver program, which allows carriers to bring citizens of 29 countries into the U.S. without a visa. The pilot visa waiver program expired April 30 and the legislation to extend it has languished in the Senate since then. The bill under consideration includes language that would open the visa waiver program to business jet operations, previously excluded. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the legislation Tuesday. * * *
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON signed an agreement with KLM Cargo under which the airline will distribute spare parts for Bell-manufactured helicopters in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. KLM Cargo will carry shipments from Bell's main U.S. plant in Fort Worth, Texas to a bonded Bell warehouse near Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands.
AMERICAN EAGLE IS LAUNCH CUSTOMER FOR EMBRAER'S 44-SEATER; PILOTS NOT HAPPY --American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, became the launch customer for Embraer's 44-seat ERJ-140 regional jet, a move that delighted officials at Embraer but which drew grumbles from the American Eagle pilots union.
Model 1125 Westwind Astra series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-287-AD; Amdt. 39-11896; AD 2000-18-11) - requires revising the Airplane Flight Manual to provide the flight crew with operational guidance under certain failure conditions and a limitation not to engage the long-range navigation system during takeoff, approach or landing. This action is necessary to prevent the loss of primary attitude and directional gyros, which relate position information to the flight crew. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition. Effective date is Sept.
