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.
Model PC-12 airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-08-AD) - proposes to require replacing and re-routing the power return cables on the starter generator and generator 2, inserting a temporary revision to the pilot operating handbook, and installing a placard near the standby magnetic compass. The proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Switzerland.
DEBORAH ROCHE LEE was named vice president-international operations and marketing for United Technologies Corp. Lee, 39, joins UTC's Washington, D.C. office from the Department of Defense, where she served as assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs. She previously was a member of the staff of the House Armed Services Committee from 1983 to 1993. She will report to Ruth Harkin, UTC's senior vice president for international affairs and government relations.
THE BOYD GROUP/ASRC named Brian W. Simpson vice president-strategic consulting for the Evergreen, Colo. aviation consulting firm. Simpson will direct the Airport Programs department at The Boyd Group. Before joining the consulting firm, Simpson had held posts in strategic planning, international route development and operation reliability control at Delta Air Lines.
FAA isn't alone when it comes to dealing with Year 2000 computer problems (BA, April 6/155). The General Accounting Office told a House Government Reform and Oversight subcommittee that the Defense Department lacks key management and oversight controls to enforce good management practices, direct resources and establish a picture of overall progress in fixing the Y2K problem.
IN RESPONSE, Transportation Department officials said regional differences in FAA's enforcement actions "were broadly attributable to variations in workload, the entities overseen, and community standards and laws.
Model 1329-23 and -25 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-93- AD) - adopts a new airworthiness directive applicable to certain Lockheed Model 1329-23 and -25 airplanes, including the JetStar II and 731 Jetstar, which requires replacement of a certain tailpipe V-band coupling with a new tailpipe V-band coupling. This amendment is prompted by reports indicating that the flight crew received a fire/overheat warning as a result of displacement of engine tailpipes, which allowed hot exhaust gases into the engine bypass duct.
THREE NEW MEMBERS were elected to the board of the National Air Transportation Association at the group's convention this month in Kansas City. New board members are Linda Barker, vice president of Business Aviation, the fixed-base operator at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Charles Johnson, president of Era Aviation, an FBO at the Anchorage, Alaska International Airport; and, John C. Willis, president of Raytheon Aircraft Services, a nationwide chain of 14 domestic FBOs, plus another in Chester, England.
VANCE&ENGLES, the Annapolis, Md. aircraft brokerage business, opened a Canadian office in Ottawa, Ontario headed by Barney McGale, former head of Irving Oil's flight department. The Canadian business will be known as V&E Canadian Aircraft Sales. "This move into the Canadian market is very significant and will substantially expand our market base," said Jim Vance, one of the principals in the brokerage business. McGale flew for Irving Oil for 25 years, the last decade as flight department manager.
Model SA 330F, G, and J, and AS 332C, L, L1, and L2 helicopters (Docket No. 9-SW-27-AD) - requires daily inspections of the root of each tail rotor head pitch change spider arm for cracks, and an inspection of the tail rotor head pitch change spider for cracks and fretting corrosion. A terminating action for the requirements of this AD is the installation of an airworthy modified spider, an airworthy replacement spider, or an airworthy repaired spider. This amendment is prompted by one in-service report of fatigue cracking on a Model AS 332 helicopter.
