IN LITTLE MORE THAN FIVE YEARS since Cessna Aircraft delivered its first entry-level CitationJets, the company has produced 250 of the $3.4 million, seven-place aircraft. The 250th Model 525 rolled out last month with a commemorative paint scheme and a special tail number, N250CJ. It has gone into service as a Cessna demonstrator and will make an extensive U.S. tour. "The popularity of the CitationJet has exceeded our most optimistic expectations," said Roger Whyte, senior vice president-sales and marketing.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-199-AD; Amdt. 39-10513; AD 98-10-02) - requires replacement of certain wheel tie bolts with new bolts and imposes a life limit on the wheel tie bolts. The AD is prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The AD is intended to prevent metal fatigue failure of the wheel tie bolts and possible tire burst or loss of the main wheel/tire assembly. FAA expects the AD to cover 57 aircraft in the U.S.
Several of the Pemco operating subsidiaries of Precision Standard, Inc., Denver, Colo., have relocated and/or combined recently. Pemco's engineering and product support departments have been relocated from the Pemco Aeroplex, Inc. facility in Birmingham, Ala., to a new facility near Denver International Airport and have been spun off into a new, autonomous company. It will now be called First Engineering.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, whose tenure at the agency has been plagued with vacancies in a number of key positions, announced a number of changes in FAA's organizational structure and named several individuals to new positions.
Summary: Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
AIR METHODS CORP., Denver, Colo., won a contract with the Denver Police Department to equip a Bell 407 helicopter with a sophisticated avionics suite and surveillance equipment.
STEVE MASSE was appointed vice president-finance and treasurer of British Aerospace North America. Masse will be responsible for financial management for all British Aerospace operations in the U.S.
RTCA published Version 7.0 of the performance specification for Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System II. The document, DO-185A, The Minimum Operational Performance Standard for Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System II (TCAS II) Airborne Equipment, can be obtained by calling RTCA at (202) 833-9339.
Pratt&Whitney named a former General Motors executive to assume responsibility for much of the engine company's manufacturing operations. Robert H. Harvey, 41, was named to the newly created post of vice president-operations where he "will lead Pratt&Whitney's major product manufacturing centers as well as their support functions such as quality assurance, finance, product integrity and human resources," according to a company statement.
JEPPESEN, Denver, Colo., signed a strategic alliance agreement with Marinvent Corporation for long-term research and development of next- generation cockpit and ground-based electronic chart systems. Marinvent, based in Canada, developed the JeppView software and chart database for Jeppesen. Jeppesen officials, noting Marinvent supplies technical expertise and programming skills, said, "This partnership enhances our ability to achieve our goals for providing electronic charts and a full suite of aviation information services to our customers."
Martin Stieglitz was named vice president and program manager for the Apache (AH-64) and Mesa, Ariz., site manager. The former Hughes Helicopter/McDonnell Douglas Helicopter site is now called the assembly, integration and flight test center. He will be responsible for the day-to- day operations at Mesa, reporting to James Morris, vice president and general manager of Boeing Philadelphia. Stieglitz, who had been vice president, Comanche (RAH-66) program, will replace Dean Borgman, senior vice president at Mesa, who is retiring.
ATLANTIC AVIATION FLIGHT SERVICES added a Falcon 50 and Citation V to its managed fleet. Company officials said the additions "keep our fleet growth expectations on-track for 1998. We will be adding several more charter aircraft soon."
GALAXY AEROSPACE has firm orders for more than 10 Galaxy business jets and more than 20 options, according to Moshe Keret, president and chief executive of Israel Aircraft Industries. IAI, which manufactures both the Galaxy and Astra SPX for Galaxy Aerospace of Ft. Worth, Texas, is attempting to increase the share of non-defense work the company does. Keret said, "I'm very optimstic about" the Galaxy program. See related articles below.
MIKE BELDIN joined Hammonds Companies as fuel quality specialist in its sales division. Beldin will be responsible for new business development, sales and service in the aviation and marine industries.
EVENTIDE appointed Technical Software Services (TSS) of Germany as its exclusive European distributor for Argus Moving Map Displays and related avionics products. TSS has distributed Eventide avionics products in Germany since 1992 and other Eventide products since 1983.
In an effort to reduce communications congestion in European airspace, the International Civil Aviation Organization has mandated that all aircraft operating above flight level (FL) 245 in much of the airspace, and above FL195 in French airspace, modify or replace communications radios to accommodate a reduction in channel spacing from 25 kilohertz (kHz) to 8.33 kHz.
BRENT MOLDOWAN was named manager, customer service for Mayo Aviation. Moldowan will be responsible for charter and management aircraft flight scheduling as well as aeromedical transport. He joined Mayo as a flight dispatcher in 1995.
GPS CAPABILITIES, MILESTONES AND EXPECTATIONS is the theme of RTCA's annual Spring Forum set for June 25 at the Washington Hilton and Towers Hotel. The program will include detailed information on major GPS components and discussion of GPS plans and programs and user expectations. For more information, contact RTCA at (202) 833-9339; fax, (202) 833-9434.
Hexcel Corp., the Stamford, Conn. firm that manufactures advanced structural materials including composites, named H.E. Tad Kinne president and chief operating officer and Stephen C. Forsyth, executive vice president and chief financial officer. Both appointments are effective July 15. Both men will report to John J. Lee, Hexcel's chairman and chief executive. Kinne, 58, spent 33 years with Ciba Specialty Chemicals in various management posts, while Forsyth, 43, joined Hexcel in 1980.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION last week sent a survey to members seeking their feelings about fractional ownership. The association, which has received numerous calls from members wanting to know the association position on fractional ownership programs (BA, May 4/195), said the survey will help NATA determine "how best to respond to proposals" FAA is considering for future regulation. NATA noted FAA is evaluating whether fractional ownership programs should be governed under Part 91 or Part 135.
AL GRASER was named general manager of LaGuardia Airport by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. A 30-year veteran of the Port Authority, Graser most recently was assistant director of operations and security for all Port Authority airports.
AEROSPATIALE Model ATR42 and ATR72 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM- 149-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection of the electromagnetic interference filter capacitors and electronic cards of the cabin air recirculation fans to detect damage. The proposal would require replacement of damaged components with new or serviceable parts. The actions proposed are intended to prevent overheating and consequent failure of the EMI filter capacitors, which could result in the emission of toxic smoke or fumes throughout the airplane.
KAL-AERO received supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for a dual Universal Navigation Corp. UNS-1D flight management system (FMS) using software 603x in a BAe 125 Series 800A business jet. The Kalamazoo, Mich. modification center said the latest software package from Universal offers a number of enhancements, including increased safety messages/provisions for approaches, added provisions for interfacing with external systems and extended features that allow entries of target vertical speed and altitudes in the vertical navigation menu.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION, which has been engaged in a months-long dialogue with FAA over modification of small turbine-powered aircraft used for Part 135 cargo operations, said last week that "the industry and the FAA are in direct disagreement over the FAA's stated view that these aircraft do not conform to the requirements of the regulations that relate to modifying aircraft from passenger to cargo operation. The industry believes that these aircraft are in an airworthy condition and are being operated properly."
An audit of FAA's contract tower program showed that the program provided Level I air traffic control services at a lower cost for 110 towers previously operated by FAA and provided ATC services at 50 towers FAA could not have afforded to staff, according to the DOT Office of Inspector General.
