Federal Aviation Administration proposed requiring removing possibly defective Superior Air Parts piston pins installed on 19,000 Textron Lycoming reciprocating engines at a potential cost of $10.6 million. FAA said the proposal stems from reports of piston pin fractures. An investigation revealed that Superior shipped pins between Aug. 24, 1993 through April 22, 1996 that "may contain subsurface manufacturing imperfections, such as higher impurity levels, retained austenite and grind burns," FAA said.
U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND, facing problems retaining transport pilots despite improved bonuses, is developing with the airlines a career transition program intended to entice its pilots to stay in the service longer. Air Force Gen. Walter Kross told the Aero Club of Washington last week that 20-year USAF pilots will get help toward the end of their military careers in applying for airline jobs.
AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION Friday filed suit against FAA in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, charging that FAA improperly approved the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's application to use funds from three New York-area airports to build a $1.25 billion light rail system. FAA granted the Port Authority's application to use passenger facility charges collected from Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark airports to build a train system that connects Kennedy to the New York City subway.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT incorporated the UltraQuiet active noise control system as standard equipment on 1998 Model Beech King Air 350s. Developed by Elliott Aviation of Moline, Ill. for the King Air, the system reduces in- flight cabin decibel levels to less than 80 dB(A) on average. Ultra Electronics Ltd. of Cambridge, England manufactures the system, which comprises 12 loudspeakers, 24 microphones and a high-speed digital processor.
MICHAEL R. BROWN, 57, was elected chief executive officer of Litton Industries, Inc. by the company's board of directors. Brown, who retains the title of president, succeeds John M. Leonis, 64, who remains as board chairman. Brown joined Litton in 1968 as a marketing manager for its Amecom Division and spent a large portion of his career in various executive posts within Litton's Electronic Warfare Systems Group. He was named president and chief operating officer and a board member in 1995.
DORNIER Model 328-100 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-23-AD; Amdt. 39-10319; AD 98-04-06) - requires repetitive visual inspections for signs of fuel leakage of the outer wing beginning with Rib 21 and continuing outward, and corrective action, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent fuel leakage on the outboard wing, which could result in a fuel explosion and fire.
CHC HELICOPTER CORP., St. John's, Newfoundland, said its United Kingdom subsidiary, Brintel Helicopters, Ltd., was unsuccessful in efforts to renew a contract to supply helicopter services to Shell UK Exploration and Production (Shell Expro). The existing contract, expected to produce revenues of 22.5 million British pounds in fiscal 1998 - representing 48 percent of Brintel's total revenues - expires June 30. Craig L.
PAUL MEYERS and Jeff Kohlman, former employees of Aviation Resource Group International, formed Aviation Management Consulting Group (AMCG) in Englewood, Colo. The new firm will provide services for a variety of general aviation clients, including fixed-base operators, aviation service operators and airports. AMCG will perform business evaluations, appraisals, divestitures and acquisitions, site planning, lease and use agreements and provide related services.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL'S Falcon 900EX simulator at Teterboro, N.J. won FAA Level D certification. FSI said there are 12 FAA-certified Falcon simulator at three company training centers with another four simulators under construction.
JONATHAN ORNSTEIN, a veteran regional airline executive, was elected chief executive officer of Mesa Air Group Thursday. Ornstein, general partner of Barlow Management, Inc., which recently acquired a 5.3 percent stake in Mesa, is currently president and chief executive officer of Virgin Express, a low-cost carrier based in Brussels, Belgium. Ornstein will take over as CEO of Mesa on May 1, succeeding Larry L. Risley, Mesa Air Group's founder. Risley will become chairman emeritus and will remain on the board of directors.
House aviation and industry leaders last week wrote to Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) protesting the House Appropriations Committee's vote to cut $275 million from the fiscal 1998 Airport Improvement Program budget as part of a package of budget offsets to fund disaster assistance relief to Bosnia.
TOP AIRLINE EXECUTIVES, who are enjoying systemwide passenger load factors of more than 70 percent, got a taste of their own medicine this month during an appearance before the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee.
SOCATA Model TBM 700 airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-42-AD) - proposes to require modifying the airplane's left-hand front side lower panel. The proposed AD is the result of continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for France. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent interference between the side trim of the left-hand front side lower panel and the roll control compass on the left-hand wheel assembly, which could result in loss of directional control of the airplane.
FRED FARRAR, 68, a former Chicago Tribune reporter who spent nearly 20 years as a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, died March 22 of emphysema at his home in Falls Church, Va. Farrar, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Korea, graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 1956. He joined the Chicago Tribune in 1957 and moved to the paper's Washington, D.C. bureau in 1965 to cover the space program. He wrote about Neil Armstrong's landing on the moon and six other U.S. space flights before joining FAA in 1972.
SUPERIOR AIR PARTS was named distributor for Air Support International, the Marshfield, Mo., manufacturer of replacement camshafts for Continental and Lycoming engines. Superior will distribute the camshafts through its domestic regional distribution centers and 19 international distributor locations.
SHORT BROTHERS Model SD-3-60 SHERPA and SD-3 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-118-AD; Amdt. 39-10305; AD 98-03-13) - requires removing the aluminum alloy oxygen pipe assembly and replacing it with a stainless steel assembly. This amendment is prompted by the issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
After nearly a decade of hand-wringing by aircraft and engine industry executives over whether regional jets would overtake turboprops, it appears the market is beginning to vote substantially in favor of the jets, says a new investment report by Merrill Lynch Vice President Byron Callan.
Sino Swearingen Aircraft Company (SSAC) won an exemption from FAA last week to pursue certification of its SJ30-2 entry-level business jet under the Commuter Category of Part 23 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, an approval that permits the manufacturer to exceed the standard Part 23 12,500-pound gross weight limit. The approval also could establish a precedent permitting Sino Swearingen or other manufacturers to seek certification of other Part 23 aircraft with gross weights up to 19,000 pounds.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model ATP airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-226-AD) - proposes to require repetitive inspections for corrosion of the brake hydraulic accumulators in the area of the mounting straps and corrective actions, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by the issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
BRENT CATTANACH was promoted to avionics manager at Elliott Aviation's Omaha, Neb. facility. Cattanach joined Elliott in 1997 as an installation technician in the Des Moines, Iowa facility.
Toronto-based Orenda Recip, Inc., won Transport Canada certification for its OE-600A high-output V-8 aviation engine, clearing the way for rapid action on a host of Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) modifications built around the new powerplant within the next six months. Certification had slipped twice before, to solve early teething problems - including troubles with the crankshaft - as well as to add features requested by potential customers.
HONEYWELL is upgrading its Auckland, New Zealand repair facility. The Auckland base is expected to be commissioned to perform Level III maintenance on Honeywell's traffic alert and collision avoidance system TCAS 2000 and Level IV data link Mode S transponders.
VISIONAIRE CORP., St. Louis, Mo., named Angelo V. Fiataruolo executive vice president. Fiataruolo formerly served as senior vice president-finance and administration for Canadair and began his career with Cessna Aircraft in the corporate finance department. Most recently he had been operating his own business that included aircraft brokerage, aircraft management and charter. Visionaire, which is developing the all-composite Vantage business jet, said Fiataruolo's responsibilities will include sales, marketing, service and support and administration.
JIM PHILPITT was named assistant airport manager of Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Fla. Philpitt, former senior supervisor of airport operations at Orlando International Airport, will assist in overseeing the day-to-day operations of Lakeland.
JOE MCSHULKIS, a 42-year veteran with Atlantic Aviation, retired from the fixed-base operation chain as senior vice president, Line Service Division. Atlantic officials called McShulkis "an icon in the FBO industry and...a guiding force for Atlantic leadership for over four decades.
