AI(R) APPEARS AS IF ITS HEADED TOWARD A SEPARATION UNDER ITS LATEST RESTRUCTURING AERO INTERNATIONAL (REGIONAL), the European consortium that markets British Aerospace's Avro jet line and ATR's regional turboprops, appears headed toward a separation under its latest restructuring. The final details need to be worked out, but marketing of the Avro program is slated to revert to British Aerospace Regional Aircraft Ltd. and the ATR program will become Aerospatiale-ATR as a company rather than the Aerospatiale/Alenia partnership that previously formed ATR.
AERMACCHI S.205 Series and Models S.208 and S.208A airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-140-AD) - proposes to require inspecting the landing gear rod springs to assure they are made with a wire diameter of 4.5 millimeters and replacing any that have a wire diameter of 4.0 mm. This proposal is prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Italy. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent failure of the landing gear caused by an insufficient wire diameter of the rod springs.
Despite industry objections, Federal Aviation Administration last month issued airworthiness directives on more than one hundred aircraft calling for certain operating restrictions in icing conditions. The ADs, proposed in September (BA, Sept. 22/123), apply to both single- and multi-engine general aviation aircraft ranging from Beech Barons and King Airs to Cessna Citations, Commander and Piper models. In all, general aviation aircraft produced by more than 20 manufacturers are covered.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer received an order from Business Express Airlines for 20 of its ERJ-135 37-seat regional jet. The order follows an announcement that Trans States Airlines increased its agreement for the 50-passenger ERJ-145 to nine firm with options for 18 more.
Bell Helicopter, which agreed to assume The Boeing Company's 49 percent interest in the 609 civil tiltrotor program (BA, Feb. 16/77), also signed an agreement to purchase Boeing's single-engine commercial helicopter business, the companies announced last week. Boeing announced two weeks ago that it would sell its commercial helicopter business, and observers speculated that Textron would be the buyer. Terms of the transaction, subject to due diligence and regulatory approvals, were not disclosed.
LOCKHEED Model 1329-23 and -25 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-93-AD) - proposes to require replacement of a certain tailpipe V-band coupling with a new tailpipe V-band coupling. This proposal 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.
BOMBARDIER HAS GARNERED 75 FIRM ORDERS FOR THE LONG-RANGE BUSINESS JET BOMBARDIER, a few months away from certification for the Global Express, has garnered 75 firm orders for the long-range business jet. The Global Express is expected to win certification in May or June with the flight test program accumulating 1,399 flight hours in 508 flights by January. Bombardier expects to send the second Global Express aircraft to its completion center in Montreal in the near future for custom fitting.
BOB STOUT was appointed corporate director, human resources for FlightSafety International. Stout, most recently vice president of human resources for Sanofi, Inc., will oversee human resources for FlightSafety's international workforce.
AAR COOPER AVIATION was named a worldwide distributor for Ameri-King Corp., the Fountain Valley, Calif. manufacturer of general aviation avionics. Ameri-King produces the AK-450 emergency locator transmitter as well as altitude encoders, GPS/NAV switches and relampable annunciator panels.
Bell boosted its Model 609 orderbook to 61 with sales for three of the Model 609 tiltrotors in Japan. The sale to Mitsui Bussan Aerospace paves the way for Bell to penetrate a key market. "We are hoping to create a new concept in Japan," said MBA president Mosanori Sugaya. Mitsui is Bell's longtime sales agent in Japan. Sugaya said the Model 609 is a natural for the island nation's unique operating conditions. This includes wide stretches of urban area separated by central mountainous regions and large tracts of water.
ADVISORY CIRCULAR LEAVES THE DEFINITION OF UNAPPROVED PARTS AMBIGUOUS FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION late last month issued its Advisory Circular on unapproved parts, but the AC still leaves the definition of unapproved parts ambiguous. National Air Transportation Association noted that the document, "Detecting and Reporting Suspect Unapproved Part," offers guidance on identifying and handling suspected parts, but said the new definition of unapproved parts "is far too complicated.
MONICA KONYAR was appointed regional sales manager for the Great Lakes Region for Textron Lycoming. Konyar, an 11-year Lycoming employee, has served in a number of capacities, including quality assurance, production control and, most recently, customer service.
PACIFIC AEROSPACE&ELECTRONICS, INC., Wenatchee, Wash., acquired Balo Precision Parts, a Butler, N.J., designer and maker of hermetic enclosures and modules for aerospace and military uses. "This acquisition is a precise fit with our strategy to vertically integrate and increase our product offerings and should create even stronger synergies among our Electronics Group Companies," Don Wright, Pacific president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement.
AIRMOTIVE, Burbank, Calif., appointed Michael Carroll president and chief operating officer. Carroll has more than 30 years of industry experience, holding key management positions at the Ages Group, AAR, Pan American World Airways and American Airlines.
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL (REGIONAL) delivered an ATR 42-300 regional turboprop to Societe Martinique Aeronautique. The aircraft will be flown between the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Societe Martinique Aeronautique and new parent Air Guadeloupe operate four ATR aircraft - two ATR 72s and two ATR 42s - on their Caribbean routes.
Teledyne Continental Motors named two executives to senior level positions. Robert Jacklin was promoted to vice president and general manager and John Oakley joined the Mobile, Ala. company as director of manufacturing operations. Jacklin, formerly vice president of finance and materials, has served with TCM for four years and with its parent company, Teledyne, for 17. He also has held posts with Teledyne's Brown Engineering, Teledyne CAE and Teledyne Power Systems division.
CESSNA received an order from Singapore Airlines for five Cessna 172 Skyhawks. The aircraft, slated for delivery in April, will be used at the Singapore Flying College near Perth, Australia. Singapore Airlines founded the $2.5 million facility and training program in 1988 to train new pilots outside the restricted airspace over the Republic of Singapore. The program typically trains 660 students over 10 months through multi-engine instrument flight rule standards before the pilots return to Singapore for advanced training.
FLIGHT DYNAMICS' Head-Up Guidance System won Joint Aviation Authorities certification on the Dassault Falcon 2000 for Category IIIa approaches. The Portland, Ore. company said the Falcon 2000 is the first business jet to receive Category IIIa type certification.
DASSAULT Model Mystere Falcon 200 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-189-AD; Amdt. 39-10293; AD 98-03-01) - requires reducing the life limit of the polyurethane foam used in the fuselage fuel tanks. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by this AD are intended to ensure replacement of the polyurethane foam in the fuselage fuel tanks when it has reached its maximum life limit.
The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking comments by April 13 on a petition for rulemaking filed last year by several environmental advocacy and wildlife protection groups to add airports to the list of facilities required to report releases of toxic chemicals listed on the Toxic Release Inventory.
WORKERS ON STRIKE AT TEXTRON LYCOMING'S WILLIAMSPORT, PA. PLANT ARE NOW RETURNING TO WORK WORKERS who have been on strike for the past seven months at Textron Lycoming's Williamsport, Pa. plant are returning to work today, officials from the company confirmed.Nearly 375 production and maintenance United Auto Workers members struck Aug. 5 over what UAW members called unfair labor practices, including the use of "office workers" to assemble engines (BA, Oct. 6/147).
RICK DAVIS was named manager, advanced programs for SimuFlite Training International. Davis, who has 25 years of aviation experience and more than 6,000 hours of flight time, will be responsible for advanced training courses, including international procedures and crew resource management.
UNIVERSAL AVIONICS received supplemental type certification for installation of its UNS-1C flight management system with a UniLink air-to-ground two-way datalink system on the King Air 350. The UNS-1C systems, which use Universal's latest software version SCN 602.2, are interfaced with Collins five-tube EFIS-85B systems coupled with Collins FCS65 autopilots. The UniLink system provides several communications media including VHF, telephone and satcom.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL was named the official training organization for the Galaxy business jet. FlightSafety's Simulation Systems Division in Tulsa, Okla. is designing and building a full flight Galaxy simulator that will meet FAA Level D standards. The simulator will be based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area near Galaxy Aerospace headquarters at Alliance Airport, Fort Worth.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer (R-Texas) attacked revenue provisions in the Clinton administration's fiscal 1999 budget proposal, faulting the President's plan for a series of tax hikes, including those affecting "millions of airline passengers." In opening remarks at his committee's hearing on the budget last week, Archer described $6 billion in new user fees as an "old-fashioned tax hike...and I oppose it." Archer's comments were part of an overall attack on the Clinton budget, supported by a Joint Committee on Taxation analysis released Wednesday
