Model 407 helicopters (Docket No. 98- SW-10-AD) - proposes to require shimming the tail rotor drive system bearing supports. This proposal is prompted by reports of cracked bearing hanger support arms in the area of the fillet radius. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent failure of the bearing supports, which could result in excessive tail rotor drive system vibration, loss of tail rotor drive, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
DOUGLAS B. (DOUG) CARR will join the National Business Aviation Association next week as manager of domestic operations. Carr has been a government and industry affairs specialist with the National Air Transportation Association for the past two years. At NBAA, he will support Jay Evans, manager of airmen and operations services, who handles Part 135 issues for the association.
VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE, who has been trying to portray himself as an aviation and technology expert, won't get there without an editor. Gore was the principal speaker at an elaborately planned media event at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Tuesday where FAA's new safety initiatives were announced.
Bruce Van Allen, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Signature Flight Support, announced a series of promotions and organizational changes as part of a restructuring designed to accommodate the company's growth.
STEPHEN MUNRO, group publisher, newsletters at Hart Publications Inc., Rockville, Md., will become publisher of Aviation Week Newsletters on April 27, reporting to Kenneth Gazzola, executive vice president of McGraw-Hill Aviation Week Group. Munro, an editor at McGraw-Hill energy newsletters from 1981 to 1989, has been in editorial and publishing positions at Thompson Publishing Group Inc. and Hart Publications since then. He succeeds Edmund Pinto, who left McGraw-Hill in February to become a managing director at GKMG Consulting Services Inc.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, which has struggled financially while transitioning from government control to new ownership and management, and simultaneously developing two new regional aircraft models, posted record revenues in 1997 and said it is poised to show profits in 1998.
Model AS 332C, L, and L1 helicopters (Docket No. 97-SW-39-AD) - proposes to require initial and repetitive inspections of the tail rotor shaft flapping hinge retainers for cracks. This proposal is prompted by a report of high vibrations occurring on a helicopter due to a cracked retainer. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to detect cracks on the retainers that could lead to high tail rotor vibrations, loss of tail rotor control, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION changed the address to which fingerprint cards must be sent under the regulations governing the authorization of individuals to have access to security identification display areas of U.S. airports. The agency has determined that the cards can be processed more efficiently at the FAA field office in St. Louis. The new address is FAA, Room 4597E, 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63132.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., in the midst of boosting production of its two business jet models, reported record first-quarter revenues and earnings Thursday. The company had net income of $40.5 million, up 54 percent from the 1997 first quarter, while revenues jumped 34 percent - from $375.6 million last year to $503.4 million in the first three months of 1998. The company delivered 13 aircraft (six Gulfstream IV-SPs and seven Gulfstream Vs), compared with 11 (five G-IV-SPs and six G-Vs) in the first quarter of 1997.
LITTON'S PRC SUBSIDIARY, Woodland Hills, Calif., won a $150 million contract from the Training and Simulation Division of the U.S. Navy's Naval Air Warfare Center, Orlando, Fla., for the General Aviation Instruction Systems Development program. The company said the contract calls for training course maintenance, instructional systems development and modification enhancement of training devices. Litton said the five-year effort should produce more than $50 million in revenues.
S.p.A. Model AB 412 helicopters (Docket No. 97-SW-63-AD) - requires an inspection of the tail rotor blades for debond voids and replacement, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by the loss of a tail rotor blade tip while the helicopter was in service. This condition, if not corrected, could result in increased vibration levels, damage to the tail rotor drive system or tail rotor assembly, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
KEITH GRAHAM was named assistant vice president of aircraft finance at Summit Bank. Graham was previously with First Essex Bancorp,Inc., where he began work in 1995. In his new position, he will develop and maintain relationships with aircraft finance customers.
ANOTHER AIRPORT BATTLE, at Orlando's Sanford International Airport (SFB), has attracted the attention of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. SFB is home to the Comair Aviation Academy, which trains pilots for regional airlines. AOPA said the Sanford Airport Authority is considering limiting certain general aviation flight activities - including flight training - during "peak density periods" between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays.
CHRYSLER PENTASTAR added a Westwind I to its charter fleet, part of the effort to meet increasing demand for more lift. The company said it logged 6,620 flight hours in 1997, resulting in 8.2 million passenger miles flown by its Part 91 and 135 aircraft. This year Chrysler Pentastar expects to fly more than 7,600 hours and account for 9.5 million passenger miles.
EMBRAER began cutting metal last month for the first prototype of the ERJ- 135, a 37-seat version of the 50-passenger ERJ-145. The Brazilian manufacturer said that because of the commonality between the two models, it is modifying one of its four ERJ-145 prototypes, S/N 145801, to build the first ERJ-135. The wing and fuselage for the first ERJ-135 will be mated this month and rollout is set for May 13. The first flight of the ERJ-135 is expected in July.
THE EFFORT TO INCREASE the number of student pilots, a matter of concern primarily within the general aviation community for the past several years, is attracting the attention of some "big iron" interests. GA Team 2000 officials say the Air Transport Association, which represents the nation's large, scheduled airlines, recently signed on as a "founding member" of the learn-to-fly program with a $5,000 contribution.
JIM BISBEE was named service manager at the Little Rock branch of Raytheon Aircraft Services. Bisbee has 13 years of experience with Raytheon Aircraft Services and has been involved in the maintenance of the Hawker line. In his new assignment, he is responsible for all maintenance, sheet metal, and interior functions.
STEVE MANGO was appointed product development manager for aerial systems at Kodak. Mango has worked at Kodak since 1973 as a photo application technician, as well as a systems engineer. He will help provide aerial films and processing systems to a worldwide market.
A COALITION of nine aviation trade groups, unions and educational institutions is sponsoring the 16th annual Communicating for Safety Conference May 19-21 at the Clarion Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The conference is designed as an "open forum for discussion and free interchange of ideas among pilots, air traffic controllers, FAA management, product design engineers, manufacturers and industry experts" regarding air traffic control and related topics.
DENVER'S CENTENNIAL AIRPORT, a major business aircraft facility and the second-busiest general aviation airport in the nation, is under siege by anti-airport forces who won a court victory last week. Supporters of the airport are concerned that last week's decision, and possible legal action by FAA against the airport authority, could have serious ramifications for the long-term viability of Centennial. See article below.
WALTER DESROSIER was named manager of maintenance and engineering for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Desrosier was a presidential fellow at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as well as a fellow at the FAA reciprocating engine Repair Station. He previously worked for Tradewinds International Airlines and as an operations supervisor at Airfreight Services, Inc. His duties at GAMA include working on technical issues related to continued airworthiness and certification with William H. Schultz, vice president, engineering and maintenance.
