AVCARD, the provider of credit cards, commercial transaction data and contract fuel to corporate flight departments and fixed-base operators, said its cardholder base has grown to more than 22,000 aircraft, in part as a result of the two-year contract that began in October from the U.S. government. Avcard noted that the number of cardholders should grow by 1,000 in the next few months as it issues the remaining government cards. The contract calls for aircraft operated by all departments of the U.S.
C. Dennis Wright, a veteran technical affairs executive who spent more than a dozen years with the National Business Aircraft Association, joined RTCA, Inc. as vice president and corporate secretary. The Washington-based organization, formerly known as the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, said Wright's new position was created by the RTCA board "to assist in managing the expanding work program of the organization."
FAA EASTERN REGION is requesting letters of interest by Feb. 18 in documenting and disseminating aviation weather observations at various locations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C. Letters should be submitted to FAA, AEA-55B, Attn.: Nadene Fontano, Acquisition Management Branch, Eastern Region, Fitzgerald Federal Bldg. 111, JFK Airport, Jamaica, N.Y. 11430; fax: (718) 995-5685.
DASSAULT FALCON JET has planned a series of one-day regional conferences in February and March for Falcon operators. The conferences will cover latest product and system developments and improvements in customer support program offerings. The conferences also will serve as a forum for Falcon operators to present ideas and concerns to Dassault management representatives. The conferences are scheduled for: Feb. 17 in Detroit; Feb. 18 in Sydney, Australia; Feb. 19 in Chicago; Feb.
BARRY VALENTINE, former FAA executive, joined the board of advisers of The Americas Group consulting firm. The Americas Group, based in Miami, Fla., assists U.S. and European companies develop and implement market entry strategies for the Caribbean and Latin America and provides similar assistance to Latin American companies seeking access to U.S. financial or commercial markets.
BOEING COMMERCIAL AIRPLANE GROUP named Brad Cvetovich vice president and general manager of the company's customer services organization. Cvetovich, 62, is a 30-year veteran of customer service, engineering and manufacturing assignments who worked at North American Rockwell and McDonnell Douglas before joining Boeing in 1990. He will be responsible for more than 4,500 Boeing employees in the Seattle area, in Long Beach, Calif., and worldwide who provide technical and logistics support for more than 10,000 airplanes in the combined Boeing and Douglas fleets.
STATE OF MARYLAND will loan $1 million to the Potomac Highlands Airport Authority in Cumberland, Md., for construction of a 20,000-square-foot maintenance hangar at the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport.
Models MX-7-420 and MXT-7-420 airplanes and Models M-7-235 and M-7-235A airplanes modified in accordance with STC SA2661SO with gas turbine engines, certain amphibious floats and certain propellers (Docket No. 97-CE-40-AD; Amdt. 39-10257; AD 97-26-14) - requires amending the limitations section of the airplane flight manual to prohibit the positioning of the power levers below the flight idle stop while the airplane is in flight. The airplane flight manual amendment will include a statement of the consequences if the limitation is not followed.
ADVANCED AERODYNAMICS&STRUCTURES INC. appointed Arthur Ruff vice president of manufacturing. Ruff is responsible for all manufacturing operations for the single-turboprop Jetcruzer and the long-range twin Stratocruzer aircraft. He has more than 25 years of aerospace manufacturing experience, serving as director of manufacturing for Cessna Aircraft, program manager for Fairchild Corp. and manager of manufacturing systems for Martin Marietta Missile Systems.
FAA ADMINISTRATOR JANE GARVEY continued to impress general aviation leaders last week with her message about the importance of FAA/industry cooperation and partnership. The administrator spent a good portion of the week meeting with GA leaders, first in a strategizing session with the General Aviation Action Plan Coalition - which comprises most of the GA industry associations - and then in Wichita, where she toured the plants of Raytheon, Cessna and Learjet and had individual sessions with senior officials from those companies.
DYNCORP, the Reston, Va.-based provider of high technology services, named Paul T. Graham corporate vice president and treasurer. Graham, an eight- year veteran of DynCorp, has been director of finance for the $1.2 billion company.
National Business Aviation Association scheduled a meeting early next month to address concerns surrounding the release of general aviation flight tracking information. NBAA was among the industry associations that sought release of the aircraft situational display (ASD) data by FAA and has been involved in a marketing agreement with Flyte Comm of Florida for the dissemination of the information. However, since FAA began providing the data in August 1996, concerns have cropped up about potential misuse of the information (BA, Dec. 8/243).
INDUSTRY LEADERS in Wichita conveyed to Garvey the need for good communication between FAA and the industry as well as for timely and consistent answers regarding general aviation issues. Another concern is modernization of the air traffic control system. Garvey, in turn, stressed that improving safety is in everyone's interest and can be accomplished only through coordination between FAA and industry.
Models EMB-110P1 and EMB-110P2 airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-39- AD; Amdt. 39-10256; AD 97-26-13) - requires amending the limitations section of the airplane flight manual to prohibit the positioning of the power levers below the flight idle stop while the airplane is in flight. The airplane flight manual amendment will include a statement of the consequences if the limitation is not followed. This AD results from numerous incidents and five documented accidents involving turboprop airplanes in which the propeller beta was improperly used during flight.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL received Civil Aviation Authority Level 4 certification for its Saab 340 simulator based at Ansett Airlines Training Center near Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, Australia. The simulator will train pilots flying for Australian and New Zealand regional airlines, including Kendell Airlines, Hazelton Airlines and Air Nelson.
FAA proposed a technical standard order to establish the basic requirements for the design and performance of aircraft portable megaphones. The proposed TSO-C137 primarily is geared for transport category air carrier operation, but is suitable for any aircraft application. Comments on the TSO should be sent before April 24 to Technical Programs and Continued Airworthiness Branch, AIR-120, Aircraft Engineering Division, Aircraft Certification Service - File No. TSO-137, FAA, 800 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20591.
Model F28 Mark 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-290-AD) - proposes to require replacement of certain hinges on the forward, center and aft cargo doors with improved hinges. This proposal is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
EQ-THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMPANY, Wayne, Mich., was selected by the Salt Lake City Airport Authority to recycle spent deicing fluids at Salt Lake International Airport. EQ said the $500,000 facility will be the only on-site recycling operation in the U.S. that can manage both propylene glycol and ethylene glycol deicing products. The facility, designed to process 1.25 million gallons a year, is scheduled for operation in December.
CARL WOLF joined Avidyne Corp. as director of aftermarket sales and marketing. Wolf spent 20 years with AlliedSignal Commercial Avionics Systems, most recently as director of worldwide aftermarket sales and marketing.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION'S Air Safety Foundation is accepting applications for the 1998 McAllister and Burnside Memorial Scholarships. The $1,000 scholarships are awarded to a college junior or senior enrolled in an aviation-related program. The McAllister Memorial Scholarship, established in 1979, honors Eugene and Dorothy McAllister, California pilots who spent a good portion of their lives involved in pilot training. The Donald Burnside Memorial Scholarship, founded in 1991, honors the co- founder of the Burnside-Ott Flight School in Florida.
THE BFGOODRICH COMPANY promoted Sandra Selby to vice president - strategic planning. Selby has served with BFGoodrich since 1981, originally as a financial analyst. She has held positions of increasing responsibility, including director of planning and analysis, director of strategic planning and vice president of strategic planning for BFGoodrich Aerospace. Most recently Selby was staff vice president - strategic planning.
BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE last week broke ground for a 123,000-square-foot expansion to its facility in Tucson, Ariz. to support maintenance services for the Global Express and Challenger 604 aircraft and provide space for additional aircraft completions. Bombardier said the additional space will allow Bombardier to increase Challenger completions at Tucson, while its Montreal facility focuses on the Global Express. The new addition is expected to open this summer with employment at the Tucson facility growing from 970 to more than 1,100 over the next 18 to 24 months.
An extended curfew for Stage 2 aircraft departures at Van Nuys, Calif. Airport is scheduled to take effect Feb. 12 following last month's approval by the Los Angeles City Council. City Council adopted a one-hour expansion of the nighttime curfew - from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. - for Stage 2 aircraft departures. The curfew does not apply to Stage 3 aircraft and provides exemptions for medical emergency, law enforcement, fire or rescue flights as well as military aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration, following a briefing to a DOT official this week, appears close to recommending that the government abandon its policy of establishing the Global Positioning System as a sole- means air navigation system.
