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.
Spar Aerospace of Toronto will acquire CAE Inc.'s wholly-owned subsidiary, CAE Aviation of Edmonton, Alberta for $62 million (Canadian), the companies announced. The cash transaction, which includes substantially all of CAE Aviation's assets and operations, is expected to close by the end of December.
SAAB Model SF340A and 340B series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-236-AD) - proposes to require inspections to detect discrepancies of the support straps of the flaps and adjacent areas and corrective action, if necessary. The proposal also would require replacement of the support straps with new, steel straps. This proposal is prompted by the issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
A General Accounting Office report criticizing the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of repair stations has raised concerns about the direction new regulations governing repair stations may take. The GAO report, released late last month, states FAA's oversight of maintenance facilities is "relatively limited" and calls for speeding up efforts to update regulations governing repair stations. FAA has been rewriting Part 145 - which regulates repair stations - for a number of years, but that project had been on a back burner.
UNISON INDUSTRIES won certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China to repair and overhaul ignition system components. The approval covers Unison-manufactured ignition exciters and leaders for a number of engine models.
GA TEAM 2000 officials last week reported that student pilot starts continue to head upward at an 8.1 percent improvement through October. Top level contributors to the learn-to-fly campaign in 1997 all have committed donations for the upcoming year at the same level or higher. Meanwhile, organizers plan to intensify fund-raising efforts in an effort to broaden industry support.
Fairchild Dornier Dec. 6 unofficially rolled out its new 32- to 34- seat 328JET near Munich with a projection that the company's business will double through 1999. The aircraft - a turbofan derivative of the 328 high- speed turboprop - is scheduled to make its first flight Jan. 20. Marketplace for the aircraft is "as good or better than we said in March" when the airplane was first detailed, said Jim Robinson, president of parent company Fairchild Aerospace.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION will hold its Corporate Aviation Management Conference Jan. 15-16 at the Sheraton Astrodome in Houston, Texas. In conjunction with the conference, NBAA will hold a Communicating with Your Corporation seminar and an Operation REACHBAC briefing and reception with NBAA Board members Jan. 14 also at the Sheraton Astrodome. For more information, contact Sandy Wirtz at (202) 783-9366.
FOKKER F28 Mark 0100 and 0070 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-165- AD; Amdt. 39-10200; AD 97-23-12) - requires replacement of the fusible torque pin in the upper torque link of the main landing gear with an improved pin. 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 prevent reduced structural integrity and potential collapse of the main landing gear.
AlliedSignal Aerospace reached agreement to acquire the Hardware Group and PacAero unit of Banner Aerospace. AlliedSignal said the operations to be acquired from Banner will have sales of approximately $250 million, principally to commercial air transport and general aviation customers. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 1998 following regulatory approval.
DON FUQUA, the former congressman who led the Aerospace Industries Association through the industry's post-Cold War downsizing and restructuring, intends to retire next year, AIA said last week. Fuqua became president of AIA in 1987 when he left Congress, where he represented Florida's Second District for 12 terms and became chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee. He plans to return to Florida, AIA said. A search committee of AIA Board of Governors members will seek a successor.
