CESSNA AIRCRAFT said it is developing a computer based instruction (CBI) program for instrument training in conjunction with King Schools. The development effort began early this year and Cessna said it expects to release the instrument course to Cessna Pilot Centers in the spring. King Schools previously developed Cessna's private pilot CBI program.
DUOCOMMUN INC. acquired the assets of Parsons Precision Products, Inc. (PPPI), a subsidiary of Jordan Industries. Located in Parsons, Kan., PPPI manufactures complex titanium hot formed sub-assemblies and components for commercial and military aerospace applications. Sales for the 12 months ended Sept. 30 exceeded $13 million. Duocommun said PPPI President Phil Stephens and the management team will remain with the company.
Model DHC-8-102, -103, -106, -201, -202, -301, -311, and -315 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-321-AD; Amdt. 39-11352; AD 99-21-09) - supersedes an existing AD that requires a one-time inspection to detect chafing of electrical wires in the cable trough below the cabin floor; repair, if necessary; installation of additional tie-mounts and tie-wraps; and application of sealant to rivet heads. This amendment requires the accomplishment of these same actions on additional airplanes.
Steve Bassett, who has served as president of the United States Air Tour Association for nearly three years, will step down from that post at the end of the year. Bassett told BA he hopes to remain involved in the air tour business on behalf of individual air tour operators, but he said time constraints associated with administering USATA's Washington, D.C.-area office were interfering with his other business interests.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION promoted Warren Morningstar to vice president for communications. Morningstar has served as director of media relations since early 1995, responsible for media inquiries with a specialty in legislative and regulatory issues. Before joining AOPA, he served as senior producer for KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City, Utah. He also has worked for the U.S. Information Agency and the Utah Department of Transportation.
President Clinton will nominate Carol Carmody, the former U.S. representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization, for a seat on the National Transportation Safety Board. She is expected to succeed Robert Francis, who has served on the board since January 1995. Francis is vice chairman of NTSB and his term is due to expire at the end of the year.
ELIAS COTTI, a 20-year veteran of the aviation maintenance industry, has joined the National Business Aviation Association. Cotti, previously was director of maintenance for the Hewlett-Packard flight department in San Jose, Calif., was named senior manager-technical operations at NBAA. He begins his new duties Nov. 22 and will report to Bob Blouin, senior vice president-operations. Cotti replaces Fred Kirby, who left NBAA earlier this year to join Executive Jet.
Community outreach and involvement are essential for airport success, according to panelists at a recent George Washington University Global Summit on International Aviation Infrastructure in Washington.
Triumph Group, Inc. added two new firms to its stable of aerospace component manufacturers. Triumph bought Construction Brevitees d'Alfortville (CBA), located near Paris, France, a manufacturer of mechanical ball bearing control assemblies for the aerospace, ground transportation and marine industries. The company, which also has assembly facilities in Spain, has annual revenues of approximately $8 million. CBA will become part of Triumph's newly formed Control Systems Group, which includes Frisby Aerospace, Clemmons, N.C.
National Transportation Safety Board, investigating the May 8, 1999 inflight separation of the propeller from Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-Okla.) Grumman Tiger, is focusing on a propeller installation problem, which, by one account, also could be responsible for loose propellers on up to 40 percent of Grumman American AA-5B single-engine aircraft.
Model SF340A and 340B series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-244-AD; Amdt. 39-11377; AD 99-21-31) - requires removing the control quadrant, securing the power lever cam screws with Loctite, and reinstalling the control quadrant. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
Model BAe.125 Series 1000A and 1000B airplanes and Model Hawker 1000 Series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-80-AD) - proposes to require an inspection to determine the integrity of the duct connection on both ends of the turbine air discharge duct in the air conditioning system; an inspection to measure the bead height on the ends of the turbine air discharge duct; and corrective actions, if necessary.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association board of directors elected UPS Aviation Technologies and DeCrane Aircraft Holdings, Inc. to the association during GAMA's fall board meeting.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) this month will begin upgrading the engines in its fleet of Cessna 172R single-engine aircraft at the school's Daytona Beach, Fla. campus from 160 horsepower to 180 horsepower. The decision to upgrade follows incorporation of new operating procedures by ERAU officials aimed at reducing an engine "hesitation" problem that led to the periodic grounding of the 172Rs in Daytona Beach.
The Senate last week passed legislation to authorize the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program through March after House and Senate negotiators reached a stalemate on the long-term comprehensive aviation package, H.R.1000. Ongoing negotiations on how to fund FAA caved Wednesday after House and Senate leaders realized that neither side was willing to budge.
Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-296-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection of the bottom aft roller of the main baggage-bay door structure for cracking or damage to the sub-frame; repetitive operational tests to determine if the counter-balance motor functions properly; and corrective actions, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
Model ATP airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-345-AD; Amdt. 39-11361; AD 99-21-16) - requires repetitive replacements of the weight-on-wheels microswitch harness subassembly with a new microswitch harness subassembly. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent a nose wheel shimmy, which could result in the collapse of the nose landing gear during takeoff or landing and possible injury to the flightcrew and passengers.
TALKS between House and Senate negotiators on long-term FAA reauthorization legislation collapsed last week.It was not immediately clear whether the two bodies will be able to reach agreement on a short-term reauthorization measure that will carry over until Congress returns next year. See article below.
TRW Friday named a senior General Electric executive to be president of the Cleveland, Ohio-based company. David M. Cote, 47, a 25-year veteran of GE, was named president and chief operating officer of TRW and given a seat on the board of directors. Cote will report to Joseph T. Gorman, chairman and chief executive officer. In his new post Cote will initially focus on TRW's $13 billion global automotive supply business. Along with Gorman and Ronald D.
NASA and Honeywell are testing a new system designed to permit simultaneous operations on more closely spaced runways. Called Airborne Information for Lateral Spacing (AILS) and Closely Spaced Parallel Approaches (CASPER), the systems expand on existing communication and navigation technology to allow planes to land safely in bad weather on parallel runways spaced as closely as 2,500 feet apart.
DALE KRUPLA was named general manager of flight support for Atlantic Aviation's Wilmington, Del. facility. Krupla previously was general manager for Mercury Air in Nashville, Tenn. He also has served with Stevens Aviation, Million Air, Aero Services, Scottsdale Aviation and Beckett Enterprises.
Model CN-235 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-117-AD; Amdt. 39-11384; AD 99-22-06) - supersedes an existing AD that currently requires repetitive eddy current inspections to detect fatigue cracks in the nose landing gear (NLG) turning tube, and replacement of cracked tubes. This amendment adds a requirement for the replacement of the existing NLG turning tube constructed of aluminum alloy with a new NLG turning tube made of steel; such replacement terminates the repetitive inspections.
PRECISION CASTPARTS CORP. said some 27.8 million shares of stock in Wyman-Gordon (nearly 78 percent of the company's outstanding shares) had been tendered to it by last week. PCC also said the Federal Trade Commission has accepted for public comment the agreement and consent orders worked out between agency staffers and company officials. "We are pleased with the FTC's action," said William C. McCormick, chairman and chief executive officer of Precision Castparts Corp.
Teledyne Continental Motors, on the verge itself of being spun off from Allegheny Teledyne as part of a new corporation, completed the acquisition of Mattituck Aviation Corp., a major independent overhauler and supplier of parts for piston engines.
TROY ADAMS was named avionics manager for Elliott Aviation's facility in Minneapolis, Minn. Adams formerly was a lead avionics flight test technician for Dassault Falcon Jet. He also has served as an avionics technician for the U.S. Marine Corps.
