The European Commission last week unveiled a set of 23 technical, operational and institutional proposals aiming at relieving the current air traffic chaos in Europe. "The situation is very serious and even catastrophic in some cases," said EU Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio. Every third flight in Europe is delayed. The average waiting time for a flight is 20 minutes, but it can rise to several hours at peak time, the EC said. Half of the delays are due to ATC problems.
ONLY FOUR PEOPLE took advantage of the opportunity to make brief presentations before the Fractional Ownership Aviation Rulemaking Committee's only public session Tuesday, somewhat of a surprise given the emotion and acrimony the fractional ownership issue has generated over the past year (BA, Nov. 29/243). The remainder of last week's three days of meetings was apparently well spent.
JET AVIATION WEST PALM BEACH integrated a wide-body interior originally designed for the Gulfstream IV into the fuselage of a G-III. The conversion, designed to reduce noise and provide more thermal insulation, provides a weight savings and creates greater interior space with more headroom and a wider appearance, Jet Aviation said. AAR Corporation produced the all-composite interior Linear Suspension System shell.
Shortly before approving the $81 billion merger, federal regulators last week ordered Exxon and Mobil to sell off Exxon's Jet Turbine Oil business and a refinery in Benecia, Calif. that bid on U.S. Navy aviation fuel services. "Exxon and Mobil dominate the sales of jet turbine oil," the Federal Trade Commission said, adding they accounted for 75 percent of the worldwide market. FTC permitted the combined entity to retain Mobil's turbine oil operation, but barred it from going after Exxon customers.
James E. Turner, Jr. will retire next month as president and chief operating officer of General Dynamics, the corporation announced last week. Turner, 65, joined GD in 1988 as vice president and general manager of Electric Boat, the company's nuclear submarine division. A veteran of 25 years with Newport News Shipbuilding Co. where he served as executive vice president, Turner has headed GD Marine Systems Group since October 1995. He will retire Jan. 15.
ALL 10 PEOPLE aboard a Bell 212 helicopter were killed Dec. 3 when the aircraft crashed during takeoff from Rangali Island, Maldives, according to FAA. The air taxi helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances and sank in the ocean. The occupants included three crewmembers and seven passengers.
Model 222, 222B, and 222U helicopters (Docket No. 98-SW-51-AD; Amdt. 39-11400; AD 99-23-04) - requires verifying the torque on each vertical fin attachment bolt; inspecting the vertical fin and tailboom fittings for cracks, elongation of bolt holes, distortion and corrosion; and re-verifying the torque on the bolts after inspecting the fittings. This amendment is prompted by a report of a loose vertical fin, which was discovered during a post-flight inspection.
Cessna Aircraft last month reached another milestone ahead of schedule -the mating of the wing - in the development of its CitationJet follow-on, the Citation CJ2. Wing-mating on the first production aircraft, serial number 003, occurred as the flight test program approached 400 flight hours with the CJ2 prototype and a pre-production conformal model. The prototype first flew in April and the pre-production aircraft, S/N 001, flew Oct. 15. The pre-production aircraft is dedicated to autopilot certification.
UPS Aviation Technologies last month won FAA approval and began installation of avionics equipment in 21 different aircraft models participating in the Alaska Capstone program. Capstone, which will include 132 air taxi and charter aircraft in the Yukon-Kukokwim Delta area of Alaska, will allow FAA to assess how advanced technologies can improve aircraft safety in remote areas.
It took 12 years and nearly 1,000 pages, but anything you want to know about the birth, development and evolution of small turbine engines since World War II can probably be found in a new book published jointly by the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
GREGORY KYSER was appointed facilities business development representative for Woodland Aviation, where he will help corporate flight departments and aircraft owners maintain, manage and operate their aircraft. He previously was a regional sales manager for Ten Hoeve Brothers in the Northwest.
Models PA-46-310P and PA-46-350P airplanes (Docket No. 98-CE-112-AD) - proposes to revise AD 99-15-04, which currently requires calibrating the turbine inlet temperature system to assure the accuracy of the existing turbine inlet temperature indicator and wiring on all Piper Models PA-46-310P and PA-46-350P airplanes, and repairing or replacing any turbine inlet temperature system that fails the calibration test.
TEXTRON named Jack W. Sights chairman, president and chief executive of the company's $2.2 billion Fastening Systems Group, effective immediately. He also became a member of Textron's Executive Leadership Team, a 13-member body of the company's senior corporate and operations executives responsible for Textron's overall strategic management. Sights, who will report to John A. Janitz, Textron president and chief operating officer, replaces Randy P. Smith, who left Textron for personal reasons.
Fairchild Aerospace has delivered 12 328JETs since shipments began in August and the company already is planning a series of enhancements to future units in response to customer requests. Customers to date and the number of 328JETs delivered are: Skyway Airlines, five, with options for 10 more; Ozark, two, with options for three; Shell Petroleum Development Corp.
Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 93.123 Description of Relief Sought: To allow America West to continue operating four flights (two arrivals and two departures) at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The slots for these flights were previously granted to Braniff Airlines, Inc., under Exemption No. 3927.
Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 43.9 and 121.709(b)(3) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Empire to use electronic signatures in lieu of physical signatures to satisfy airworthiness release or aircraft log entry signature requirements of Sec. 43.9 for operation conducted under 14 CFR Part 135 and Sec. 121.709(b)(3) for operations conducted under Part 121. Grant, Aug. 31, 1999, Exemption No. 6668A
Model SD3-60 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-52-AD; Amdt. 39-11383; AD 99-22-05) - requires repetitive inspections of the elevator trim control cables for signs of wear damage or broken wires; replacement of damaged or broken cables with certain new cables; and replacement of all 7 x 7 cables with 7 x 19 cables. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
MICHAEL BRASIER was appointed general manager of Signature Flight Support's facility in Palm Springs, Calif. He will oversee both flight support operations and commercial airline support operations at the Palm Springs facilities. He has held several positions with Signature in training, safety, and human resources. He also served as general manager of Signature's Chicago O'Hare base and most recently coordinated the rollout, installation and training for the company's new point-of-sale system.
Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 121.344(b)(3) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Skywest to operate seven EMB-120 airplanes subject to heavy maintenance checks before parts are available, without installing in each airplane, the required DFDR until the next heavy maintenance check after January 15, 2000. Partial Grant, Aug. 18, 1999, Exemption No. 6941
C. DON CARY was named vice president-customer relations at Raytheon Aircraft. Cary oversees customer support functions, including newsletters, authorized service centers, development of customer satisfaction metrics, operator conferences/seminars, customer appreciation breakfasts, the Delivery Center and other customer issues. He has served with Raytheon Aircraft for 33 years, most recently as director-customer relations.
Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management completed installation of the Display System Replacement, a new air traffic control system, at 20 Federal Aviation Administration facilities, the company said. The Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center, the final site to receive the system, completed the acceptance milestone Nov. 9, more than seven weeks ahead of schedule. All ARTCCs have accepted the new DSR at least 30 days before deadline, Lockheed Martin said. The next step at Indianapolis is to transition daily operations to the new system.
Gen. John R. Dailey (USMC, Ret.) Wednesday was named as director of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum by Smithsonian Secretary I. Michael Heyman. Dailey, who spent 36 years in the Marine Corps including serving as assistant commandant, is currently the associate deputy administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He joined NASA in 1992 after leaving the Marines.
Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 121.344(b)(3) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Delta to continue to operate its Lockheed L-1011 and Boeing 727 airplanes scheduled to be retired from service before the Aug. 20, 2001 compliance deadline for installation of digital flight data recorders (DFDRs), without installing the required, approved DFDRs at the next heavy maintenance check after August 18, 1999. Partial Grant, Aug. 18, 1999, Exemption No. 6945.
GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, which has been increasingly involved in the international rulemaking environment in recent years, is applying more resources to that effort. Barry Valentine, the former FAA executive, will join GAMA as senior vice president-international affairs next month. Valentine was FAA assistant administrator for policy, planning and international aviation from 1994-1997 and later served as acting administrator of the agency. A captain and pilot in the U.S. Air Force from 1967-1972, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Model 425 and 441 airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-53-AD) - proposes to require revising the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to include requirements for activation of the airframe pneumatic deicing boots. The proposed AD is the result of in-flight incidents and an accident that occurred in icing conditions in which the airframe pneumatic deicing boots were not activated. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to assure that flightcrews activate the pneumatic wing and tail deicing boots at the first signs of ice accumulation.
