AERO INTERNATIONAL (REGIONAL) sold two ATR 42-500 aircraft to Aeromar based in Mexico City, Mexico. Aeromar, which also placed options for up to four more of ATR 42-500s, operates the largest ATR fleet in Latin America with two ATR 42-500s, four ATR 42-320s and two ATR 42-300s. Aeromar operates 84 daily flights to 20 national and two international destinations.
BRITISH AEROSPACE HS 748 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-225-AD; Amdt. 39-10191; AD 97-23-03) - requires a one-time visual inspection of the retraction jack mounting brackets in the nose landing gear bay to determine the type of attachment bolts installed on the bracket bearing caps, and replacement of any incorrect bolt with a serviceable bolt of the correct type. This amendment is prompted by the issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
SOCATA Models TB-9, TB-10, TB-20, TB-21 and TB-200 airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-77-AD) - proposes to require inspecting the bolts and spacers of the upper attachments of the front belts for cracks, dents and other damage ; replacing any damaged bolts or spacers; incorporating a front belts' upper attachment reinforcement kit; and, reconditioning the belts. The proposed AD stems from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for France.
LEARJET postponed the first delivery ceremony for the Model 45 Learjet that had been set for Dec. 19. The company said holiday scheduling conflicts and "less than ideal weather conditions for flight testing" in the Wichita area "made it apparent that proceeding with the event would not be practical." Delivery of the first Model 45 to businessman Bruce McCaw is still expected before yearend.
AVIALL elected Eric Anderson chairman succeeding Robert Lambert, who will continue as a director on Aviall's board. In addition to his new role, Anderson will retain his responsibilities as president and chief executive officer. He joined Aviall subsidiary ILS in 1988 as director of marketing and has since been promoted into positions of increasing responsibility. Before joining ILS, Anderson served with Land O'Lakes, AAR Corp. and Tiger International.
DORNIER Model 328-100 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-115-AD; Amdt. 39-10198; AD 97-23-10) - requires modification of the cable tenison regulator on both the left and right elevators by installing certain parts on the lever arm of the regulator. This amendment is prompted by a report indicating that design testing and analysis have shown applied loads could cause the regulator's lever arm to break. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent failure of the regulator and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane.
DORNIER Model 328-100 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-113-AD) - proposes to require replacement of certain electrical terminals with new electrical terminals. This proposal is prompted by the issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent loose electrical connections from causing an increase in electrical resistance, which could result in overheating at the electrical terminals and consequent smoke/fire in the airplane passenger cabin.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT, in what is becoming an annual December tradition, announced new titles for several top executives, including the appointment of a new president. See article below.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is seeking volunteers to monitor local airport affairs and alert the organization to problems that may threaten the viability of hundreds of the nation's most important general aviation facilities.
CHC Helicopter Corp., St. John's, Newfoundland, reported slightly lower earnings and revenues for the three- and six-month periods ended Oct. 31. The company earned $4.9 million on revenues of $96.9 million, compared with $5.5 million on revenues of $98.4 million in the same period a year ago. For the six month period, earnings fell from $12 million a year ago to $11.1 million in the most recent period, while revenues slipped less than one percent to $195.9 million. All figures are in Canadian dollars.
ROY NORRIS, veteran business jet executive who has held senior level posts at Cessna, Gulfstream and most recently Raytheon, accepted a seat on the executive board of Century Jet. Norris, who left Raytheon Aircraft as president in August to form his own consulting company (BA, Aug. 18/70), will assist Century Aerospace in business planning, engineering development and market strategy for the single-engine Century Jet business aircraft.
MIDCOAST AVIATION was named an authorized service center for Galaxy Aircraft. The authorization allows Midcoast to perform maintenance, modification, inspection and repair for Westwind and Astra aircraft.
Wingspan, the first 24-hour global cable TV channel devoted exclusively to air and space news and features, plans to begin broadcasting on April 2, 1998. President and Chief Executive Philip Osborne formally announced Wingspan, the Air and Space Channel, last week at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Wingspan will be carried in the Washington D.C. area and has a deal with Loral's Orion satellite division for worldwide distribution.
AVIONS PIERRE Robin Model R3000 airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-87-AD; Amdt. 39-10193; AD 97-23-05) - requires replacing the attachment bolt between the pitch control cables and control column lever with an improved bolt. This AD is the result of mandatory continued airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for France. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent the pitch control cables on the control column from becoming jammed due to failure of the attachment bolt and causing control problems.
EMBRAER AND FAIRCHILD DORNIER are the two remaining contenders to battle Bombardier Regional Air-craft's CRJ-700 for market share, although Embraer would appear to have a full plate with development of its 37-seat RJ135 stablemate for the 50-seat RJ145. That leaves Fairchild Dornier, which says it will make a decision in April on a 70-seat jet. The company says it can have the airplane on the tarmac in 39 months at a cost of $500 million. Favored is a low-wing design with under-slung engines and an interior configuration of five-abreast seating.
THE ACQUISITION FEVER that has been roaring through the U.S. aviation industry in recent years appears to be spreading north to Canada. At least one analyst points to the planned acquisition of CAE's aircraft maintenance unit by Spar Aerospace as one of the most significant deals in the continuing consolidation of aerospace assets in that nation. See article below.
Litton Industries signed a definitive agreement to acquire TASC from Primark Corp. for approximately $432 million in cash. Based in Reading, Mass., TASC provides information technology and services to the national intelligence sector, the Department of Defense and to non-defense government and commercial customers. TASC expects revenues of $433 million for the current calendar year and had a firm backlog of $535 million as of Sept. 30. Litton plans to operates TASC as a stand-alone unit within its Information Systems Group. TASC has 2,600 employees in 29 locations.
AERO INTERNATIONAL (REGIONAL) partners have abandoned the proposed AI(R)JET project, citing the need for a "more global European approach" to the 70- to 120-seat market segment, which apparently defers to Airbus Industrie. Consortium members Aerospatiale of France and Alenia of Italy backed the program, but it was no secret that British Aerospace - flush with recent success with its Avro RJ85/100 line - balked at the $1.2 billion development costs to build a new 70-seater. Recent efforts to lure CASA of Spain into the AI(R)JET program also apparently failed.
MILLION AIR increased its network of fixed-base operations to 26 with the latest facility to join based on Snohomish County Airport/Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Designated Million Air Northwest, the FBO formerly was the GTE corporate aircraft facility at Paine Field. The FBO includes a passenger terminal and two hangars.
The National Civil Aviation Review Commission completed its eight- month review of the U.S. aviation system Thursday, issuing a final report very similar to the commission's preliminary drafts and stimulating the same sort of mixed reaction from the industry that met the earlier versions (BA, Sept. 15/107).
Cessna Aircraft last week promoted company veteran Charles Johnson to president and chief operating officer, positions that have remained open since David Assard moved on to head Textron Lycoming in spring 1997. The company also promoted Milton Sills to senior vice president, product engineering, and Steven Morrissey to vice president and controller. The three executive changes were effective Dec. 9.
A recently released report from the President's Commission On Critical Infrastructure Protection casts doubt on the DOT policy of using the Global Positioning System (GPS) as the sole source of navigation. While vulnerabilities of the information and communications infrastructure affect every aspect of the transportation industry, the "most significant projected vulnerabilities are those associated with the modernization of the National Airspace System (NAS) and the plan to adopt the GPS as the sole basis for radionavigation in the U.S. by 2010," the report says.
J. MESINGER CORPORATION is hosting an Aviation Leadership Round Table Internet chat at 8 p.m. Dec. 17. The session, the second of an ongoing series that began last month, will cover aircraft management versus in- house operations. Jay Mesinger, president of J. Mesinger Corporate Jet Sales, and Jim Christiansen of Wayfarer Aviation will participate in the event. Several major flight department representatives also have been invited to co-host the event. The Aviation Leadership Round Table can be accessed at www.jetsales.com
SOCATA TBM 700 airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-43-AD) - proposes to require replacing the starter generator mounting adapter with an improved part. The proposal is prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for France. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent loss of the starter generator caused by failure of the starter generator mounting adapter. This condition could result in loss of electrical power. Comments on the proposal must be sent in triplicate by Dec.
