FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION officials at the agency's Small Airplane Directorate in Kansas City expect to make a determination by the end of the week about whether they will support Sino-Swearingen Aircraft's request to certify the SJ30-2 under the commuter category of Part 23. Even if such action is recommended by the Kansas City office, both the Transport Airplane Directorate in Seattle and FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C. will review the issue before final approval can be granted.
DOUGLAS BLALOCK joined International Airline Support Group, Inc. as vice president-business development, parts. Blalock has 20 years of aviation industry experience, most recently serving as vice president and chief financial officer of Rovair. He also served in various capacities, including vice president of marketing, for Solair, Inc., and as Eastern regional manager of aviation sales for Marathon Battery Co.
JET AVIATION in West Palm Beach, Fla., received a supplemental type certificate to install dual AlliedSignal GNS-XIs FMS systems in Falcon 50 aircraft with Collins electronic flight instrument systems. The STC allows the use of the GPS sensor for sole sensor operation over water, remote areas and in minimum navigation per-formance specification airspace without other sensor input.
ROBERT F. TARDIO, former chairman of the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, joined GKMG Consulting Services in Washington, D.C. as a managing director. Before serving as chairman of MWAA during the construction of a new terminal at Washington National and expansion of the passenger terminal at Dulles International, Tardio was chairman of Sovran Bank in Washington.
PRICE of Gulfstream Aerospace shares rose more than three percent to $30 after the company on Monday announced establishment of a program to repurchase up to $200 million of its common stock from time to time in the open market or through negotiated transactions. "This action reflects our strong confidence in Gulfstream's current performance and future growth prospects," said Chairman Ted Forstmann.
Valley Oil continued to increase its supply terminals through the acquisition of Seymour, Texas-based Remco Fuels. Terms of the acquisition, which closed last month, were not disclosed. Remco Fuels provides Phillips 66 aviation fuel and auto gas in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma through 31 supply terminals. The addition follows Valley's expansion of 14 new supply terminals in the Midwest in September. "The purchase of Remco Fuels Inc.
TORONTO CITY AVIATION, a unit of National Helicopters, opened as a full service fixed-base operation at Toronto City Centre Airport. The FBO, which has joined the Esso Aviation associate group in Canada, is operating from short-term facilities with plans under way to open a new facility this summer.
Model Mystere-Falcon 50 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM- 190-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection of the clearances around the wiring harnesses of the right-hand electrical cabinet and readjustment of the clearances, if necessary. This proposal also would require installation of protective strips on the wiring harnesses and equipment supports. This proposal is prompted by issuance of mandatory continued airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
Lynton Group, Inc. said its United Kingdom subsidiary, Lynton Group Ltd., completed the acquisition of Magec Aviation Ltd. located at London's Luton Airport from a subsidiary of General Electric Company (BA, Dec. 22/270). The Luton FBO is a full-service, 65,000-square-foot facility that provides charter and maintenance and handles a substantial portion of corporate jet traffic in an out of the London metropolitan area.
BANNER AEROSPACE sold BAI, Inc., a $10 million specialty aerospace brokerage company in San Francisco, Calif., to a consortium headed by two former employees in a cash transaction.
GREG FAIRES was appointed supervisor, avionics pricing and installation, for Midcoast Aviation's St. Louis Downtown-Parks Airport facility. Faires previously was maintenance and avionics sales and marketing representative for Priester Aviation.
Model DHC-8-100, -200, and -300 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-120-AD; Amdt. 39-10238; AD 97-25-14) - requires repetitive inspections of certain refuel/defuel tube assemblies in the engine nacelles for fuel leakage, and corrective action, if necessary. This amendment also will require eventual modification of all tube assemblies, which will terminate the repetitive inspections. This amendment is prompted by issuance of continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
FEDERAL EXPRESS stockholders are scheduled to vote today on the company's proposed acquisition of Caliber System, Inc., a provider of transportation, logistics and related information services. Caliber has 33,500 employees and contractors and 500 facilities worldwide. Its operating companies include RPS, Inc., Viking Freight, Inc., Roberts Express and Caliber Logistics and Caliber Technology. If the transaction is completed, Caliber shareholders will receive 0.8 shares of stock for each Caliber common share.
SPS TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Jenkintown, Pa., said its Arnold Engineering Company (AEC) subsidiary acquired the assets of Premier Microwave Corporation's solenoid business in Port Chester, N.Y. The product line, which accounted for 1997 sales of approximately $800,000, will be relocated and combined with AEC's solenoid business in Ogallala, Neb. AEC manufactures magnetic materials and components. SPS Technologies manufactures and markets aerospace and industrial fasteners, precision components, superalloys and magnetic materials.
PRICES of used business jets are generally strong across the board, but one veteran aircraft broker says used Falcons, in particular, are commanding a premium these days. He attributes part of the strong demand to Dassault Falcon's aggressive stance in developing data packages that make it easier for operators to win approval for North Atlantic operations under the stricter Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum requirements.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL received a five-year contract from FAA to develop and conduct training programs on emergency evacuation and survival equipment for the agency's safety inspectors. The course is intended to prepare inspectors for conducting cabin inspections and determining compliance with emergency evacuation and survival equipment requirements. The course, which will be conducted through FlightSafety's Atlanta, Ga. center, also will cover evaluation of operators' facilities and programs for emergency evacuation and survival equipment compliance.
MESA AIR GROUP named Robert Dynan president of the company's Mesa Airlines subsidiary. Dynan has been with Mesa since the company's acquisition of Air Midwest Airlines in 1991 and most recently was president of the US Airways Express Division. In addition to Mesa Airlines, Mesa Air Group operates two other airline subsidiaries: Air Midwest and WestAir Commuter Airlines.
SCOTT LIVINGSTON was appointed vice president, Allison 250 customer support for Extex. Livingston, who joined Extex in August, has 20 years of sales and marketing experience.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD, concerned about the number and type of accidents involving banner-towing aircraft, plans to consider several recommendations to FAA on those sorts of operations at this week's meeting. The recommendations under consideration address both training and operational issues.
GARY CLOWARD was named regional manager, customer support for Extex. Cloward has 25 years of aviation experience, most recently serving as regional sales representative for National Airmotive Corp.
WAYFARER AVIATION President Jim Christiansen said the company's charter sales were up 70 percent over 1996 and the White Plains, N.Y. firm just added another Gulfstream III and an S-76 helicopter, bringing the total fleet to 22 aircraft. The two additions will be based in Farmingdale, N.Y., Wayfarer's ninth base of operations for managed and charter aircraft.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey last month asked the Federal Communications Commission to alter a proposed rulemaking aimed at facilitating rapid construction of new television broadcast towers by pre- empting state or local zoning laws. Citing concerns that the proposal could harm aviation safety (BA, Oct. 6/145), Garvey told the FCC, "This proposed rule may result in the construction of structures that could adversely affect both the safety and efficiency of our air transportation system."
More than four years after ordering operators of some 100,000 Precision Airmotive (formerly Facet Aerospace Products and Marvel-Schebler) model carburetors to replace all two-piece venturis with a one-piece venturi, the agency last week said it is eliminating the requirement for the one-piece venturis.
Federal Aviation Administration last month issued an airworthiness directive calling for replacing certain AlliedSignal Aerospace outflow/safety valves in the pressurization system on nearly 2,400 Raytheon aircraft (BA, Aug. 25/83). The AD applies to Raytheon 58, 60, 90, 100, 200, 300 series and Model 2000 airplanes at a total estimated cost to U.S. operators of $1.7 million. The requirements stems from reports of cracking and failure of the outflow/safety valves in the pressurization system.
AIRPORT SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, Overland Park, Kan., recently was awarded contracts valued at $3.7 million to supply navigational aids for airport projects in South America, North Africa, the Middle East and the U.S.
