Boeing and Bell Helicopter Textron, responding to concerns of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, have suspended the sale of Boeing's MD 500 and MD 600 commercial helicopter lines to Bell, the companies said last week. Terry Stinson, president and chief executive of Bell Helicopter Textron, said the businesses are being "shopped around" to other potential buyers.
The Customs Service extended its General Aviation Telephonic Entry (GATE) test program, which allows a telephone report of entry for qualified general aviation aircraft entering the U.S. directly from Canada, through June 1999. Customs said that based on the success of the first year and favorable comments from the GA community, the program will be expanded to include small charter/air taxi aircraft returning with crew members only. The program also is being expanded to include additional airports. GATE is open to U.S.
Cessna Finance Corporation is offering new and improved financial products to attract customers for its single-engine lines. The programs cover Cessna's new piston-engine aircraft including 172R Skyhawks, 172S Skyhawk SPs, 182 Skylanes and 206/T206 Stationairs. "We want to offer new single-engine aircraft customers the kind of financing that puts an end to the myth that new aircraft ownership is 'high cost' ownership," said Cessna Finance Corp. President Leon Metzinger. "Customers today are shopping monthly payments.
WINGLETS installed on a Boeing 737-800 to test their feasibility on the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) would improve the range of the BBJ by approximately four percent based on preliminary flight tests, officials told BA last week. While less than the seven-plus percent range improvement similar winglets provide for the Gulfstream II, the four percent boost for the BBJ would push its range to 6,448 nautical miles - very near the range its competitors in the very long-range business jet market are quoting (BA, June 8/250).
Models PC-12 and PC-12/45 (Docket No. 98-CE-40-AD; Amdt. 39- 10528; AD 98-11-01) - adopts a final rule without a prior notice and comment period. The AD adds requirements to an existing AD, 97-23-04, which requires replacing the fuel tank vent valves. The new requirements include drilling a 4.8 millimeter hole in each fuel filler cap and checking to assure that the fuel filler cap hole is clear of ice and foreign objects.
Federal Aviation Administration this month revised requirements and narrowed the scope of a Priority Letter airworthiness directive calling for repetitive inspections and possible removal from service of Allison 3007A and 3007C engines powering Embraer ERJ-145 and Cessna Citation X aircraft. FAA issued the Priority Letter AD in January after Allison became aware of a problem with the No.
Model ATR-42-300 and -320 and Model ATR-72 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-24-AD; Amdt. 390-10533; AD 98-11-06) - requires modification of the engine fuel drainage system. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by the AD are intended to prevent fuel from overflowing into the engine nacelle and resulting in a fire. FAA estimates the AD will cover 106 ATR-42 and 39 ATR-72 airplanes at a combined cost of $93,561.
Model DHC-8-301, -311, -314 and -315 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-330-AD; Amdt. 39-10539; AD 98-11-12) - requires installation of additional wiring and new electrical connectors for the lights in the forward end of the passenger overhead compartments. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by Canadian airworthiness authority officials.
GALAXY AEROSPACE won Federal Aviation Administration approval for operation of the Astra SPX in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) flight levels. The Astra SPX won similar approval from Israeli aviation authorities in February.
RAYTHEON began fuselage assembly of its Premier I entry-level business jet. Forward and aft fuselages for static test and production aircraft are in various stages of production - including quality assurance, non-destructive test and subassembly - in the company's Plant Three manufacturing facility. The aircraft will enter a year-long flight test program this summer that will include four fully configured production airplanes. The six-passenger aircraft is designed to cruise at Mach .8 with a 1,500-mile range at long-range cruise.
The National Business Aviation Association voted this month to support a decision by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) to reopen a full time (IBAC) office in Montreal to work with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on matters of interest to the business aviation community.
PETE COMPTON was promoted to vice president-sales for AAR Cargo Systems' cargo loading system manufacturing facility in Livonia, Mich. Compton, who has served with AAR Cargo since 1970, will be responsible for the business unit's sales growth.
Top DOT and FAA officials criticized efforts by air courier companies to comply with hazardous materials regulations and promised further crackdowns. Recent inspections and surveillance of commercial air courier shipments show increased compliance with rules by the airlines in keeping hazardous materials off passenger transport aircraft, said DOT Secretary Rodney Slater, but he still is disappointed with compliance efforts by air courier companies.
WOMEN IN AVIATION, INTERNATIONAL will hold its first regional conference Oct. 2-3 in Oshkosh, Wis. The Experimental Aircraft Association is co- hosting the conference, an outgrowth of WAI's annual conference in March. National Transportation Safety Board Member John Goglia and FAA Regional Administrator Cecelia Hunziker are scheduled speakers. The conference also will cover a number of aviation topics including airline pilots, aviation law, financial planning, kit airplane building and career opportunities in general and corporate aviation.
Model TBM 700 airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-76-AD; Amdt. 39- 10559; AD 98-12-02) - requires inspecting the elevator trim tab fittings for cracks and replacing any elevator trim tab found to have cracks. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority of France. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent elevator trim tab fitting cracking, which could lead to separation of the elevator trim tab and loss of control of the airplane. FAA estimates that the AD will affect seven planes in the U.S.
The Federal Aviation Administration adopted new design standards for newly certificated, Part 25 aircraft requiring that the airplane be designed to withstand main landing gear maximum braking forces during ground operations.
Wyman-Gordon Co., the castings and forgings manufacturer, reached an agreement in principle with Titanium Metals Corp. covering several initiatives that will link their respective businesses more closely. The agreement relates to: the acquisition by Titanium Metals Corp. (TIMET) of certain assets of Wyman-Gordon's Millbury vacuum arc remelting facility; the combination of their respective titanium castings businesses into a jointly owned venture; and, a long-term agreement under which TIMET will meet much of Wyman-Gordon's requirement for titanium products.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association this month urged FAA Administrator Jane Garvey to cancel the agency's "ticket program," which would allow inspectors to issue administrative actions on-the-spot rather than through the normal enforcement process (BA, June 8/247). The ticket program, which FAA said is on hold, initially was outlined through a compliance/enforcement bulletin in February.
STEPHEN KASPER was named vice president-operations for Superior Air Parts. Kasper most recently served as president of Electro-systems, which manufactures and overhauls piston-engine electrical accessories. In his new position, he will oversee quality assurance, purchasing, warehouse, inventory control, production, engineering and product development.
WOODLAND AVIATION added a King Air C90B to its charter fleet. Woodland will offer the six-passenger turboprop for $670 per hour with a single pilot and $710 per hour with two pilots. Woodland is an authorized Raytheon Aircraft Corporate Aviation Center for Northern California and Northern Nevada.
MAERSK AIR of Birmingham, England placed a follow-on order with Bombardier Aerospace for one Canadair Regional Jet Series 200LR to increase its firm orders for the CRJ to six aircraft. The new order is valued at $21.3 million (U.S.) and that aircraft is scheduled to enter service in August 1999. The British Airways franchise carrier retains options on an additional nine CRJs.
Federal Aviation Administration this month proposed requiring a modification of certain Honeywell IC-600 integrated avionics computers found on Learjet 45 and Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft. The proposal stems from a report that during a number of test flights of a Cessna Model Excel, the electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) screen went blank, FAA said. An investigation revealed that the Honeywell IC-600 computer used on the Excel, Model 45 Learjet and ERJ-145 failed, resulting in a "random reset" of the EFIS.
Several senior Aerospatiale executives were named to new positions with the French manufacturer, effective this month. Chairman Yves Michot said Jean-Francois Bigay was named chief operating officer-aircraft sector. Bigay will continue to exercise his operational responsibilities at Eurocopter until a successor is named. Francois Auque was named corporate executive vice president-finance and strategy, and Denis Verret is corporate executive vice president-international and commercial affairs.
THE NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT, which has been steadily increasing production levels since emerging from bankruptcy protection in 1995, is now scheduled to build 300 new aircraft this year, a 39 percent jump from last year's total of 215. President Chuck Suma has changed the company's production schedule nine times since September to accommodate increasing customer demand. Piper delivered 65 aircraft in the first quarter, compared with 49 in the first quarter last year (BA, May 18/222).
