NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION will hold a REACHBAC (Regional Effort to Advise Communicate with and Help the Business Aviation Community) meeting and reception April 20 near Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colo. The session will include a 90-minute air traffic services users dialogue featuring FAA ATC managers from local facilities, followed by briefings and discussions on additional operational, technical and legislative issues.
SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS named Douglas Read manager of the Washington, D.C. office. He previously was program manager, engine oil licensing and certification system coordinator, transportation standards, at the American Petroleum Institute.
ARINC launched a new high-frequency data link service known as GLOBALink/HF. The first ground station became operational in January in San Francisco and the second station was deployed in early March in Hawaii. The two stations provide coverage of the North, Central and South Pacific regions, ARINC said. The planned network of 10 stations will provide coverage of most of the world, including the North Polar Region.
AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL unanimously approved issuance of a charter of affiliation to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents the 15,000 federal and private air traffic controllers and 1,200 FAA engineers. "NATCA's acceptance into the House of Labor is symbolic of labor's resurgence in the United States," said NATCA President Michael McNally. "The 1981 strike of 11,800 air traffic controllers and their subsequent termination by President Ronald Reagan represented the beginning of a downturn for organized labor," McNally said.
PETE WHITAKER was named branch manager of AAR Cooper Aviation's sales and distribution facility in Dallas, Texas. Whitaker has more than 20 years of aircraft parts distribution experience, managing distribution facilities in Long Beach, Calif. and Dallas.
JIM CLOUGH, who has more than 20 years experience designing corporate aircraft interiors, was named manager-styling and design at Bombardier Aviation Services in Tucson, Ariz. where he will report to Rick Zimmerman, general manager. Clough will be responsible for designing interiors for Learjet 31A and 60 aircraft and Model 604 Challengers.
LABOR UNIONS are pushing legislators to get FAA to implement small airport certification. Air Line Pilots Association President J. Randolph Babbitt noted the Nov. 19, 1996 collision of a Beech King Air and United Express Beech 1900 aircraft at the Quincy, Ill. Municipal Airport in which 14 people died in an ensuing fire. He said the airport did not have aircraft rescue and firefighting response capability at the time and was not required to.
BMW ROLLS-ROYCE delivered the 100th BR710 production engine to Gulfstream Aerospace this month for installation on the 42nd Gulfstream V production aircraft. The German manufacturer has produced 120 of the 15,000-pound thrust engines, of which 20 have been used in aircraft flight test and certification programs.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION warned members that another Handbook Bulletin FAA issued this year could "perpetuate the exorbitantly slow process of receiving field approvals from the local FAA office." The bulletin calls for field approval applicants to develop instructions for continued airworthiness for all major alterations and document those instructions on FAA Form 336. NATA, saying that the language in the bulletin is vague, said it has received reports of an FAA field office delaying the processing of field approvals based on the bulletin.
SAAB Model SF340A and 340B series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-291-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection for discrepancies of the flight idle stop override mechanism, and corrective action, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by the issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association and National Air Transportation Association last week warned that if Congress adopts legislation to restrict foreign repair station use, retaliation would be likely from European nations. Labor unions, meanwhile, urged passage of the legislation, H.R.145, saying current regulation "allows unneeded and possibly unsafe" stations to receive FAA certification. H.R.145, introduced last year by Reps.
HOAC AUSTRIA Model DV 20 Katana airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-84-AD; Amdt. 39-10315; AD 98-04-02) - requires replacing the nose wheel leg of the nose landing gear with an improved part. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Austria.
Aviation industry leaders uniformly opposed user fee proposals by the Administration and National Civil Aviation Review Commission (NCARC) last week, urging congressional leaders to keep the current system intact while Congress prepares legislation to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration airport programs.
FLIGHT SERVICES GROUP, the Stratford, Conn.-based provider of corporate aircraft management, executive charter and aircraft sales and acquisition services, added six jet aircraft to its air carrier certificate. The aircraft include a Challenger 601-1AER and Falcon 20, based in West Palm Beach, Fla.; a Challenger 600 based in Cleveland, Ohio; a Pilatus PC-12 based in White Plains, N.Y.; a Citation 501-SP based in Norwich, N.Y.; and a King Air C90 based in West Palm Beach and Stratford, Conn. FSG manages more than 30 aircraft at 13 bases.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 0070 and Mark 0100 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-264-AD; Amdt. 39-10322; AD 98-04-09) - requires a one-time visual inspection for cracking of the brake torque tube lever and corrective action, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by the issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
RON WRIGHT joined Lancair International as vice president of operations. Wright, who will oversee production of the Columbia 300, previously was a vice president for Mooney Aircraft Corporation.
EMBRAER Model EMB-120 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-231-AD; Amdt. 39-10311; AD 98-03-19) - requires deactivation of certain circuit breakers and a revision to the airplane flight manual to provide operational procedures to prevent loss of electrical power following an engine flameout. This AD also requires modifications of the electrical system, which terminate the requirement for the flight manual revision and allow reactivation of the circuit breakers.
JERRY ATKIN, chairman and chief executive of SkyWest Airlines, is recovering from the March 12 motorcycle accident that threatened his life (BA, March 16/117). Atkin sustained multiple fractures of his left leg and arm and also has internal injuries. He will remain in Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, Calif. until at least the end of the month.
BRENDON MEE was appointed mechanical engineer for Unison Industries. Mee, formerly with Johnson&Johnson unit Cordis, will be involved in the mechanical design and support of Unison's existing and prototype exciters.
A FIRST DRAFT of a rulemaking proposal based on recommendations of the National Parks Overflights Working Group was sent to NPOWG members by FAA last week, and the eight working group members are scheduled to meet April 14-15 in Denver to discuss the document.The NPOWG, with members representing both the aviation and environmental communities, was an attempt to find common ground for regulation of commercial air tour flights over national parks (BA, Dec. 8/239).
TOYOTA MOTORS will cease operation of Japan Flying Service, a general aviation operator and a wholly owned subsidiary, before the end of June. JFS has recorded losses for more than seven years, a situation that was exacerbated by the fatal accident involving an AS365 helicopter near Nagoya in January 1996. JSF will remain intact until negotiations with the families of victims are concluded.
BOEING won FAA certification to repair the Litton Carousel IV family of inertial navigation systems (INS) at its Heath, Ohio Guidance Repair Center (the former Newark Air Force Base). Boeing is already doing depot level repairs of missile inertial guidance and aircraft navigation systems there for the Department of Defense. "This certification by the FAA opens the door to the consideration of other possible commercial airline repair business," said Dwayne Weir, director of the Guidance Repair Center.
DAVID FLOWERS was named team leader in Unison Industries' Ignition Lead and Igniter Plug Department. Flowers, previously with Virtual Listening Systems, Inc. of Gainesville, Fla., will oversee production goals for ignition leads and igniter plugs.
STANDARD AERO ALLIANCE named three men to new positions. Gordon Pettigrew is director of the Allison AE 3007 program in Maryville, Tenn. He previously was involved with Pratt&Whitney engine programs for the company. Steve Brozina was named Northeast regional sales manager. A 16-year veteran of the turbine engine overhaul business, Brozina will be based in Millville, N.J. and will represent Alliance Engines services on the TFE731, TPE331 and APU engine lines.
Responding to what it says is strong customer demand, Cessna Aircraft is offering a new Skyhawk model with a higher horsepower engine and slightly more useful load. The new 172, designated the Skyhawk SP, will be powered by the same Textron Lycoming IO-360-L2A engine, but it will produce 180 horsepower at 2,700 rpm, versus 160 horsepower in the standard aircraft.
