TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Rodney Slater last week reiterated warnings that President Clinton would veto any bill that takes the Airport and Airway Trust Fund off budget or increases aviation spending without offsetting those increases with reductions in other parts of the budget. "Such proposals would weaken fiscal discipline and could spend Social Security Trust Fund surpluses at a time we should be working to extend the long-term solvency of Social Security and Medicare," Slater told Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) in a Nov. 2 letter.
RICHARD N. AARONS, Editor-at-Large of Business&Commercial Aviation magazine, will be honored this week with the Cecil A. Brownlow Publication Award, which is being presented by the Flight Safety Foundation at its 52nd Annual International Air Safety Seminar in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. FSF said Aarons was selected "For sustained excellence in communicating practical lessons from aircraft accident/incident investigations through his Cause&Circumstance safety columns" in B/CA. "Mr.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL won certification for its second Learjet 60 full flight simulator. The simulator, certified to Level D, is installed at FlightSafety's Tucson, Ariz. learning center.
Aerospce Products International, the Memphis, Tenn.-based supplier of aerospace products and services, said it was appointed the sole, worldwide aerospace key service provider for FedEx Integrated Solutions Group, a part of FedEx Global Logistics. API said the types of service the two companies offer are designed to appeal to aerospace manufacturers who are trying to lower costs by outsourcing logistics management.
MONICA KONYAR was appointed manager of customer service for Textron Lycoming. Konyar has held several positions during her 12 years with the company, working with quality assurance, production control and customer service. Most recently she was regional sales manager for the Great Lakes Region.
U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE and Air Routing International (ARI) launched a joint initiative to improve communication between Customs and the business aviation community. The Aviation Service Initiative is aimed at soliciting comments from corporate operators concerning how Customs exams of aircraft were conducted upon arrival and departure from the U.S. ARI is supporting the project by compiling the survey and reporting the results to Customs. The survey is available from fixed-base operators or at Air Routing's Web site at (www.ar-group.com).
CHRISTAN O'CONNOR was appointed western regional marketing manager for Qualimetrics Inc. O'Connor will be responsible for domestic automated weather observing system sales in the western half of the U.S.
CONTINENTAL EXPRESS named James B. Ream president, succeeding David Siegel, who had held the post for several years. Ream, who previously held several positions within the finance department of American Airlines, joined Continental in 1994. Most recently he was senior vice president-Asia. Siegel left the regional carrier to become president and chief operating officer of Budget Group, Inc.
Model ATP airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-19-AD; Amdt. 39-11381; AD 99-22-03) - requires repetitive inspections to detect chafing on the fuel manifold drain hose and the adjacent access panel; and corrective actions, if necessary; and installation of a protective spiral wrap on the fuel manifold drain hose. This amendment also provides for an optional terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This amendment is prompted by reports of chafing between the fuel manifold drain hose and the access panel due to contact between the two components over time.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT appointed Duane Manning vice president-spares sales and Eric Jensen vice president-operations for its Raytheon Aircraft Parts Inventory&Distribution (RAPID) company. Manning formerly was director of marketing and new business development at Raytheon Aircraft Montek and, before that, was director of marketing of Parker Aerospace's Control System Division. Jensen formerly was director of continuous improvement at Raytheon Aircraft Montek. He also has held positions as manager of customer support for Vickers Inc.
Model DHC-8-311 and -315 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-324-AD; Amdt. 39-11373; AD 99-21-27) - supersedes an existing AD that requires replacement of the nitrogen cylinder assemblies that inflate the airplane's ditching dams with improved nitrogen cylinder assemblies. This amendment expands the applicability of the existing AD. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100) series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-385-AD; Amdt. 39-11355; AD 99-21-11) - requires a one-time inspection to detect damage of the input connectors and wiring of the main and auxiliary power unit (APU) battery chargers, and corrective action, if necessary. This amendment also requires installation of secure connectors for the battery charger input connections.
The Global Positioning System is a supplemental navigation system because it cannot stand alone as can VOR/DME, ILS, MLS and some other ground-based systems according to former FAA Administrator Langhorne Bond addressing the Avionics 99 conference last month in Bellevue, Wash. GPS "can only be used when teamed with a dissimilar system for all phases of flight - en route, terminal maneuvering and precision approach," he said. "GPS, therefore, is a supplemental navigation system." GPS as a "sole means navigation is a dead issue," he said.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD officials said repairs to the cockpit voice recorder from the Model 35 Learjet that crashed Oct. 25 have made it possible for investigators to listen to the CVR tape. The CVR was damaged in the crash and had to be sent to the manufacturer for repairs before investigators could hear the tape (BA, Nov. 1/200). As expected, there are no voices heard on the tape, an NTSB spokesman said, but there are sounds and noises audible and investigators are hopeful those sounds will provide some useful information.
FRANK C. CARLUCCI, chairman of The Carlyle Group, a Washington, D.C.-based merchant bank, was named chairman of the US-ROC (Taiwan) Business Council. Carlucci reiterated the organization's support for acceptance of Taiwan as a member of the World Trade Organization. The Carlyle Group's holdings include the Piedmont Hawthorne chain of fixed-base operations.
BRIAN WRIGHT was named vice president, integrated architecture for Rockwell Collins. Wright will lead efforts to develop avionics platforms and architecture systems for the company's air transport, business and regional and government customers. He also will be director of engineering for Business and Regional Systems. Wright, who joined the company in 1992, previously was vice president, engineering and technology.
ATLANTIC COAST HOLDINGS, INC. signed a contract with Bombardier Aerospace for three additional CRJ200 regional jets valued at US$65 million. The order brings Atlantic Coast's CRJ commitment to 66 firm orders, including 26 placed during this calendar year. The carrier has taken delivery of 21 of the 50-seat airliners.
THE PILOT of a Gardner VariEze was killed Oct. 18 during a forced landing after encountering engine problems. NTSB said the owner had recently purchased the aircraft in California and was ferrying it back to his home town of McKinney, Texas. After taking off from St. John's, Ariz., the pilot contacted air traffic controllers to report he was at 13,500 feel MSL and was experiencing a rough-running engine. Investigators said the aircraft nosed over during a forced landing after the aircraft lost engine power near Quemado, N.M.
John L. Enticknap takes over today (Nov. 1) as president and chief operating officer of Mercury Air Centers, the chain of 17 fixed-base operations owned by Mercury Air Group of Los Angeles. Enticknap has been with Mercury since 1995, and most recently he served as Eastern regional manager, director of business development and general manager of the company's FBO at Dekalb Peachtree Airport (PDK). He has been engaged in the FBO industry since 1968. He is the former vice president of marketing for DynAir Fueling, Inc. and former regional manager of Beckett Aviation.
(Docket No. 99-NM-131-AD) - withdraws a proposal that would have required replacement of the existing pneumatic de-icing boot pressure indicator switch with a newly designed switch. Since the issuance of the proposal, FAA has received new data that demonstrates that the unsafe condition cannot occur. Accordingly, the proposed rule is withdrawn.
FAA proposed to ban ignition sources from the fuel tanks on existing aircraft and to require mandatory maintenance instructions for the fuel systems on new aircraft. The proposal also will mandate design reviews and mandatory maintenance on existing aircraft. The actions stem from the July 17, 1996, crash of a TWA 747-100 shortly after takeoff from Kennedy Airport, and subsequent pressure from the National Transportation Safety Board to eliminate fuel tank ignition sources.
Model Falcon 2000 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-377-AD; Amdt. 39-11365; AD 99-21-20) - requires a detailed inspection for interference between the safety-lock hooks and upper cowls, and corrective action, if necessary. This amendment also requires modification of the attachment supports of the inner locking hooks; and a detailed inspection of the safety-lock hooks on the lower engine cowl for proper operation and for clearance between the outer edges of the upper and lower cowls; and corrective actions, if necessary.
Model AS332C, L, and L1 helicopters (Docket No. 98-SW-59-AD; Amdt. 39-11390; AD 99-22-12) - requires replacing certain electrical modules with airworthy electrical modules. This amendment is prompted by the discovery of several defective electrical modules. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent loss of electrical continuity, which could cause loss of critical systems and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that the AD will cover three helicopters on the U.S. Registry at a cost of $57,600.
AIRNET SYSTEMS, Columbus, Ohio, revised downward its third quarter earnings estimates. The company said it expects to report earnings of eight to 10 cents per share for the three months ended Sept. 30, compared with analysts' consensus earnings of 23 cents per share. Third quarter revenues are expected to total about $33.5 million, a 13 percent increase over last year. Operating expenses were affected by several factors including $650,000 in higher fuel costs and $1.1 million in one-time expenses related to management changes and professional fees.
Model 204B, 205A, and 205A-1 helicopters (Docket No. 98-SW-73-AD; Amendment 39-11252; AD 99-17-03) - supersedes an existing AD that requires modifying and inspecting the vertical fin spar for cracks. This amendment requires modification and visual and dye-penetrant inspections of the fin spar for cracks, and if a crack is discovered, replacing the fin spar. A tapping test for disbonding and replacing certain fin spars within 12 calendar months also is required.
