Regional carrier Continental Express ordered 25 Embraer ERJ-135 regional jets, part of the carrier's plan for an all-jet fleet within five years. The transaction, at a list price of $12.6 million per aircraft, is valued at $315 million. Continental Express, which also took options on 50 ERJ-135s, said the deal, added to the 50 orders and 150 options in its earlier acquisition of the 50-seat ERJ-145, brings its total commitment to Embraer regional jets to 75 firm and 200 options over 10 years.
THE 100TH Pilatus PC-12 was delivered last month to R.G. (Bob) Edwards of Unionville, Ontario. The PC-12, built by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland, is the largest single-engine turboprop in current production. The 100th delivery came less than three and one-half years after the delivery of the first PC-12.
ED CHAIRVOLOTTI is rejoining Signature Flight Support's marketing department after a nine-month departure from the company. Chairvolotti, 35, established Signature's point-of-sale customer tracking and information system. He is rejoining the company as manager-marketing research. He will be responsible for developing, maintaining and distributing market trend information, new location analysis and business forecasts. "No one knows Signature's market penetration and growth potential as well as Ed," said Bruce Van Allen, Signature's president and chief executive.
RANDY SHELTON was named regional sales manager for K-C Aviation, covering Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana, as well as Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario. Shelton, who previously held a regional sales manager post with K-C, is rejoining the company.
PRATT&WHITNEY inaugurated a joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Chengdu Aerotech Manufacturing, Ltd., which manufactures sheet metal and other components for the worldwide aerospace market, including P&W. The Chinese company is now operating from a new 100,000-square-foot, air- conditioned plant that will eventually house 200 workers. The joint venture, Chengdu Aerotech, was formed by P&W, the Chengdu Engine Group and Aviation Industries of China.
TOM WYMAN was named regional sales manager for the Northeast, New England and North Eastern Canada for K-C Aviation. Wyman, a five-year K-C veteran, most recently had been Midwest regional sales manager.
SIGNATURE FLIGHT SUPPORT named Eric Hietala operations manager at the fixed-base chain's Washington National Airport facility. Hietala, 31, was an operations supervisor at Signature-San Francisco from 1987 until December 1995 and put himself through law school while working at the SFO base. He subsequently was a consultant to the new AMR Combs FBO facility at SFO. Hietala replaces Wayne Pennell, who became assistant general manager at Signature-BWI last month.
STEVE FUSHELBERGER joined Allison Engine Company in Indianapolis, Ind. as director of public relations, advertising and communications. He had most recently been involved in Part 135/FBO management and operations and before that had been director of marketing services for Agusta Helicopter. Fushelberger has both fixed- and rotary-wing experience.
PAUL W. GAY was appointed regional PT6 sales manager for Airwork in West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina by Fenton Appleby, director of turboprop engines for the company. Gay will be based in Madison, N.C. Before joining Airwork he was with Piedmont Aviation, Stevens Aviation in Nashville, Tenn. and Beech Aircraft in Wichita.
THE HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE will mark up several pieces of legislation Wednesday including the Anti-Duplicative Regulations Act, which would amend the previously adopted Faster Quality Act. Rep. Connie Morella (R-Md.) held hearings last week at which aviation industry representatives complained that rule interpretations by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) would subject aircraft and component manufacturers to an entirely new set of standards in addition to FAA requirements.
AMY B. KORANDA was named to the new position of manager, education and training, for the National Air Transportation Association, Alexandria, Va. She will be responsible for developing the association's educational offerings and coordinating its scholarship activities. Most recently she had been at the National Association of State Aviation Officials Center for Aviation Research and Education in Silver Spring, Md., where she was responsible for planning and implementing various education seminars and designing training curricula for state aviation inspectors.
British Aerospace will acquire a 35 percent stake in Sweden's Saab AB from Investor Group, a move that BAe said is consistent with its stated objective of increasing shareholder value through aerospace industry consolidation. The move envisions a substantial role for British Aerospace Asset Management (BAeAM) in the management of more than 300 Saab 340s and Saab 2000s as they come off their original leases.
THE BMW ROLLS-ROYCE BR715 engine completed its 150-hour endurance run on a test platform in Dahlewitz, Germany, the latest milestone in development of the engine selected to power the Boeing 717, known as the MD-95 before Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas. First flight of a BR715-powered 717 is planned for late this year, with entry into service with AirTran Airlines scheduled for 1999.
ROLLS-ROYCE plc Viper series turbojet engines (Docket No. 98-ANE-06- AD) - proposes a one-time visual inspection of the barometric flow control unit (BFCU) augmentor and bypass valve joint washer for joint washer integrity, and replacement, if necessary, with serviceable parts. This proposal is prompted by a report of a high-pressure fuel leak at the BFCU augmentor and bypass valve assembly joint, washer interface. The actions proposed are intended to prevent such high-pressure fuel leaks, which could result in an engine nacelle fire and damage to the aircraft.
HARTZELL PROPELLER INC., Piqua, Ohio, increased its overhaul interval for the four-bladed Hartzell/Raisbeck Quiet turbofan propellers from 3,000 hours/five years to 4,000 hours/six years. The increase applies to all propellers produced since 1991 and to units produced earlier that have been overhauled to Hartzell specifications. The propellers are installed on more than 1,000 King Airs and Super King Airs, as well as de Havilland DHC- 6 Twin Otters.
WILLIAM S. (BILL) KOCH, who had been vice president-marketing and development for AMR Combs, was named senior vice president and general manager with responsibility for six of the company's fixed-base operations. Koch, now based at Love Field in Dallas, also has oversight for AMR Combs bases in Ft.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION will hold two courses in Teterboro, N.J., a Flight Operations Manual Workshop and a Small Flight Department Management Program. The flight operations manual session, priced at $600 for NBAA members, $675 for non-members, will be held June 22-23, while the small flight department program, $400 for members, $475 for non-members, will run June 24-25. Both will be taught by John Sheehan, president of Professional Aviation Inc. and will be held at the Newark Airport Hilton in Elizabeth, N.J.
ROBERT C. CONLON was named vice president and corporate counsel for Emery Worldwide, with responsibility for all corporate legal matters, labor relations and employment matters. Conlon, who will be based at Emery headquarters in Redwood City, Calif., succeeds William F. McDonald, who retired after 18 years with the company.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY Model 1900D airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-68- AD) - adopts a new AD applicable to Raytheon (Beech) 1900Ds requiring inspection and repair of the radio switching panel relay printed circuit board (PCB) and the nose avionics wire harnesses, and replacing the existing A017 component PCB with a new A017 component PCB that has internal over-current protection fuses. Several reported incidents of lost use of the pilot/co-pilot intercom system, VHF communication system and public address system while in flight prompted FAA to issue the AD.
Ayres Corporation, the Albany, Ga. company that is designing the Loadmaster LM200 freighter aircraft, has agreed to buy LET of the Czech Republic, the firm that was already under contract to build the wings and the empennage for the Loadmaster.
Air Alaska, a Fort Worth-based leasing firm, signed a letter of intent to purchase all the outstanding stock of Paradise Island Airlines from PIA Holdings of Boca Raton, Fla. The acquisition includes four de Havilland Dash 7 aircraft and the airline's Fort Lauderdale, Fla. maintenance facility.
SAAB Model SF340A and SAAB 340B series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM- 135-AD) - adopts a new AD requiring an inspection to determine the serviceability of the fire extinguisher of the forward lavatory waste bin, and corrective actions, if necessary. The AD also requires installation of a placard adjacent to the fire extinguisher in the forward lavatory waste bin. The actions specified are intended to prevent leakage of the fire extinguishing agent, which could prevent proper distribution of the agent within the lavatory waste bin in the event of a fire.
The directors of CHC Helicopter Corp., St. John's, Newfoundland, approved plans to create a new subsidiary that will own all of CHC's repair and overhaul businesses, the company announced. Shares of Vector Aerospace Corp. will be sold through an initial public offering in Canada. Vector will be 100 percent publicly owned. Currently, CHC's repair businesses are conducted primarily through Atlantic Turbines Inc., CHC Airmotive Ltd. and the ACRO Aerospace Division of Canada Helicopters Ltd.
