B/E Aerospace, Inc., Wellington, Fla., completed the $118 million cash acquisition of Aircraft Modular Products of Miami, Fla., last month, a major provider of cabin interior products for both new and used business jets (BA, April 20/176).
BMW Rolls-Royce GmbH of Germany signed a partnership agreement with Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Ltd. of the United Kingdom for the RTM 322 helicopter engine program. The partnership includes development, production, marketing and customer support. BMW Rolls-Royce is taking a 23.2 percent share in the NH90 engine program. The engines for the NH90 helicopters to be purchased by the German government will be assembled and complete final testing at the company's Oberursel headquarters.
LINE SERVICE TRAINING SEMINARS have been scheduled in four locations this year, the National Air Transportation Association announced. The series kicks off May 4-5 at The Air Museum in Hartford, Conn., with other sessions set for June 1-2 at Million Air Cleveland, in Cleveland, Ohio; Aug. 10-11 at Galvin Flying Service in Seattle, Wash., and Dec. 7-8, at Cutter Aviation in Phoenix, Ariz. Call (703) 845-9000 for details.
The U.S. Air Force accepted the first of two C-38A (Astra SPX) business jets April 17 that it will use to replace C-21s (Model 35A Learjets). The first C-38A will be based at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland for use by the D.C. Air National Guard.
Christine Baird, executive vice president of Canadian Helicopters International (CHI), was named acting president of CHI this month. Baird steps in to replace Sylvain Allard, who was recently named acting president of Canadian Helicopters Corp., the parent company of CHI (BA, April 6, 153). Baird joined CHC in 1982 and has been executive vice president of the international division for the past five years.
AL JACKSON, a veteran aviation lobbyist in Washington, D.C., was named director of legislative affairs for The Boeing Company. Jackson, a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, began his career with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association where he was a key member of the legislative team that successfully lobbied Congress for passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act that reformed product liability laws.
SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) scheduled a hearing this Thursday (April 30) on Airport Improvement Program reauthorization legislation and National Civil Aviation Review Commission legislation. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey will testify at the 2 p.m. hearing, which will be chaired by Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.).
ATLAS AIR became the first cargo carrier to sign up with MedAire, Inc. for provision of medical help and advice to crew members around the world. Under the agreement, in the event of any medical-related emergency or concern, crew members can directly contact emergency physicians at MedAire's MedLink Emergency Tele-medicine Center in Phoenix, Ariz. by radio or telephone.
ERA AVIATION, which operates Alaska's largest regional airline, has joined the list of carriers requiring passengers to wear their seat belts at all times while seated on the company's flights. "Our primary concern is for passenger safety," said James Vande Voorde, Era's senior vice president, noting that "incidences of passenger injury during clear air turbulence have been on the rise lately." Era operates 50-passenger Convair 580s, 37- passenger de Havilland Dash 8s and 18-passenger de Havilland Twin Otters.
The Clinton Administration, whose attempts to impose new fees on aviation users have been repeatedly rebuffed by Congress and the courts, launched another attempt last week, unveiling proposed legislation designed to restructure FAA's air traffic system and impose billions of dollars in new, unspecified fees.
BOEING named Richard L. (Dick) James president of Boeing Europe. He will serve as the company's top executive in Europe for commercial, military and space business. James, who will be based in Brussels, Belgium, had been vice president-Commercial Business Development for the past two years. He joined Boeing in 1992 after 23 years with Piedmont Airlines.
Model CL-215-1A10 and CL-215-6B11 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-05-AD) - requires repetitive inspections to detect cracking on certain wing-to-fuselage frame-angles, and repair, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified in this amendment are intended to detect and correct cracking in the wing-to-fuselage frame-angles, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airframe.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an 18-million-share offering of the company's common stock. "All of the shares are being offered by affiliates of Forstmann Little&Co." and current and former officers, directors, employees and advisers of the company. The announcement said Forstmann Little affiliates "will continue to own 25.4 percent of the company after the offering on a fully diluted basis. Goldman Sachs&Co., Merrill Lynch&Co. and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter&Co.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT mated the forward and aft fuselage sections of the first Premier I entry-level jet, and said it expects to begin flight tests this summer. FAA certification and first customer deliveries are planned for the summer of 1999. Raytheon said the production of the Premier I "is different than any modern business aircraft." Each fuselage section is produced in one piece using the company's fiber placement system, which is programmed to automatically lay epoxy-impregnated carbon fibers on a mandrel according to a sophisticated software program.
The continued strong financial performance of Cessna Aircraft, along with similar results from the company's other manufacturing segments, helped Textron, Inc. boost revenues and earnings in the first quarter.
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP. completed new manufacturing facilities in Duluth, Minn., and Grand Forks, N.D. to support production of the Cirrus SR20 aircraft, which is expected to receive FAA certification later this year. Construction of a new 111,000-square-foot manufacturing facility adjoining corporate headquarters in Duluth is the first of a multi-phase expansion plan. The 67,500-square-foot Grand Forks plant will produce the wing and horizontal stabilizer from composite materials, which will then be transported to Duluth for final assembly.
GEORGE W. ELLIS, who has a background in the engine business, was named manager of PPG Industries aircraft products plant in Huntsville, Ala. Since 1995, Ellis was a consultant with Deltapoint Corp., Bellvue, Wash. Before joining Deltapoint, the Cincinnati native was manager of engine assembly for Pratt&Whitney in Middletown, Conn., and GE Aircraft Engines in Cincinnati.
A pilot who had been flying the line for AirNet Systems, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio for just one week was killed when the Beech Baron he was piloting crashed on the runway at Port Columbus International Airport Thursday night. A spokeswoman said the pilot, Mark Mulgrew, had completed a "five- or six-week training program" and was attempting to complete a flight from Indianapolis, Ind. when the twin-engine Baron crashed. The accident occurred at 11:30 p.m. and weather conditions were reported as clear.
Electric Hoists (Docket No. 98-SW-04-AD) - proposes to require visually inspecting the cable for damage before the next hoist operation, blanking the electronic control box upper vent, and performing an end-of-travel procedure during each hoist event. This proposal is prompted by several incidents of cable failures caused by dynamic overload on the winding-up limit due to uncontrolled excessive speed of the cable, which is normally regulated by the automatic speed- reducing mechanism or the operator.
Model ATR42-500 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-107- AD) - requires a one-time inspection to verify the installation of certain stringer clips at the junction of Frame 34 and Stringer 6, and installation of stringer clips, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by the issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent fatigue cracking in the skin of the fuselage, which could result in loss of pressure inside the airplane.
FLORIDA OFFICIALS approved land-use amendments proposed by Miami-Dade County to allow the county to proceed with the development of a new commercial airport at the decommissioned Homestead Air Force Base, subject to federal clearances. The decision would permit the county to develop 623 acres at the former air base and build 530,000 square feet of buildings to support passenger and cargo flights, after storm water, wildlife/habitat and noise management studies are completed.
A recent General Accounting Office report on FAA's enforcement activities (BA, April 6/151) confirms what many people in the aviation industry have long suspected - big carriers get a better deal than small operators in FAA enforcement proceedings.
Model Otter DHC-3 airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-120- AD) - proposes to require modifying the airplane's electrical system. Transport Canada reports that the deficiencies that exist with the current installations of this STC are: that the voltage regulator for the starter/generator does not have "over-voltage" protection, the ammeter does not indicate the actual electrical system loads after the new engine installation, and the electrical distribution bus for the new engine instrumentation and operational loads is improperly protected.
S.p.A. Models F.260, F.260B, F.260C, and F.260D airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-143-AD) - proposes to require marking the airspeed indicator to indicate the correct flap operation range and stall speed of the airplane. The proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Italy. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent the airplane from stalling at an airspeed higher than designed, which could result in loss of control of the airplane.
HARTZELL PROPELLER, Piqua, Ohio, plans to deliver more than 50 shipsets of its new three-bladed composite propeller system this year to The New Piper Aircraft, Inc. for installation on 1998 models of the PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage. Hartzell said the Kevlar propeller system offers lower weight and longer life than conventional aluminum propellers and was designed to meet Piper's goals of improving acceleration, shortening takeoff rolls and reducing cabin and flyover noise levels without a weight or center-of- gravity problem.
