BN-2A, BN-2B, and BN-2T series airplanes (Docket No. 96-CE-25-AD; Amdt. 39-10170; AD 97-22-01) - requires repetitive inspection of the junction of the torque link lug and upper case of the main landing gear for cracks and replacement with Modification A39 main landing gear torque link assembly, either immediately when cracks are found or after a certain period if cracks are not found. Replacing all main landing gear torque link assemblies with Modification A39 eliminates the need for repetitive inspections.
CESSNA delivered six Skyhawks to Philippine Airlines. The Skyhawks, which will be based at Philippine Airlines Aviation School at Clark International Airport north of Manila, will be used for ab initio training.
OFFICIALS at the Chek Lap Kok Airport being built in Hong Kong said construction has been interrupted by "thefts of coils of electrical wire awaiting installation and from cable ducts and trunking." Replacement wire is being air freighted to the new airport site. "Although the replacement work will take approximately three to four weeks, and resources have been diverted from other areas, this will not delay the opening of the airport in April," officials said.
PHIL BOYER joined Million Air Charter Teterboro as a charter sales representative. Boyer, who has three years of experience as a flight co- ordinator, is a certified flight instructor with more than 2,100 hours of flying.
Calling the tax "bizarre even by Washington standards," general aviation leaders have joined petroleum officials in an effort to have Congress rescind a measure that will require consumers of Jet A fuel to pay an additional 24.4-cent levy and then apply for a refund (BA, Oct. 27/177). The measure, which was included in the Taxpayer Relief Act passed last summer and is slated to take effect July 1, is intended to treat undyed kerosene as transportation fuel and thus make it subject to the 24.4-cent- per-gallon highway transportation tax.
AlliedSignal Aerospace, selected to provide the auxiliary power unit and environmental control system for Raytheon Aircraft's new Hawker Horizon (BA, Sept. 29/136), has reached agreement with the Wichita manufacturer to fully integrate the two systems in a move company officials say will "optimize" both systems and greatly improve reliability and performance.
THIOKOL CORP., Ogden, Utah, will purchase 13 million shares of Howmet International common stock from an affiliate of The Carlyle Group, Washington, D.C., to increase its ownership of Howmet from 49 percent to 62 percent. Previously, Thiokol agreed to buy 11 million shares from Carlyle and was granted an option to buy four million more. The estimated cost of the stock will be between $175 million and $200 million, and will be financed from cash and current bank lines of credit.
CARROLL COUNTY (Westminster, Md.) is seeking letters of interest from firms interested in designing, building and operating a fixed-base facility and corporate hangars on Carroll County Regional Airport. Letters of interest are due Dec. 19. For more information, contact the Bureau of Purchasing at (410) 857-2181.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT received an order for the 100th Premier I entry-level business jet from Fort Worth, Texas oil and gas operator Duer Wagner. Wagner originally placed the order during the National Business Aviation Association's 50th annual meeting in Dallas, but completed the paperwork recently, Raytheon officials said. Wagner first purchased an aircraft from Raytheon and its predecessor Beech more than 30 years ago when he bought a K35 Bonanza. Since then he has owned a Bonanza P35, King Air 90, King Air E90, King Air 350 and Starship 2000.
DUNCAN AVIATION, Lincoln, Neb., won a $15.7 million modification to a firm- fixed-price/cost reimbursable contract from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., for contractor operated and maintained base support for airplanes. Work will be performed at various sites in the continental U.S. and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 1998. The service said 61 bids were solicited and four bids received.
DAVID VITALE was named charter sales representative for Million Air Charter Teterboro. Vitale, a graduate of Florida Institute of Technology and a certified flight instructor, managed his own business for five years.
BOMBARDIER BUSINESS AIRCRAFT awarded type rating training scholarships to two students at the University of North Dakota. Bombardier awarded a Global Express type rating scholarship to Susan Bailey, who is majoring in air transport with a minor in meteorology. Bombardier also is providing a Challenger CL-604 type rating program scholarship to Aleah Longshore, a commercial aviation major.
BOEING has boosted the price of its 737-700 Boeing Business Jet derivative to $33.75 million in 1997 dollars. A year ago the company was quoting a price of $30.5 million in 1995 dollars (BA, Dec. 2/251). Both prices are for "green" aircraft; completed versions are expected to go for about $40 million.
TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTORS named Gil Hensien program director for the NASA General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program. The GAP program is aimed at developing technology for the next generation of piston aircraft engines. Hensien has more than 30 years of experience in the design, development, production and service of gasoline and diesel reciprocating engines, including more than 20 years with Ford Motor Company in the field of advanced powertrain product engineering. He will report to TCM President Bryan Lewis.
TAD SEGAL was appointed director of public relations for United Parcel Service's Washington, D.C. public affairs office. Segal, previously communications director for retired Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), will provide strategic public communications planning for legislative and regulatory issues in his new role. In addition, he will be the primary contact for media in Washington.
A delay in the opening of the rail link between the new Chek Lap Kok airport and the Hong Kong business district may lead the Airport Authority of Hong Kong to postpone the airport's opening until June, rather than April as previously planned. Officials of the Mass Transit Railway Corp. have said that the 34-kilometer railway will not be operational by April, so airport authority officials now are considering a delay in the airport's opening to make for a smoother transition from the existing Kai Tak Airport.
CARL PLUMLEY was named director of process improvement for BFGoordich Aerospace's Component Services Division. Plumley most recently was senior project manager for operations improvement for Precor.
DESPITE A DEADLINE of December 1998 to meet new Environmental Protection Agency fuel tank upgrade requirements, more than one-third of U.S. fuel tanks are not in compliance with the stricter standards, a Phillips 66 aviation executive estimates. See article on Page 231.
The Federal Aviation Administration selected Lockheed Martin for its 10-year, $1 billion National Airspace System Implementation Support Contract (NISC II). The contract, which has a four-year base period valued at $350 million and three two-year options, contains a maximum 22.5 million hours of technical and professional services, making it one of the agency's largest support programs.
Ray Fitzgerald, a veteran of the AMR Combs chain of fixed-base operations, was named president and chief executive officer of Atlantic Aviation, replacing Ben E. Waide, III. The announcement of Waide's departure comes two years after he was named to run Atlantic (BA, Nov. 20, 1995/221) and three months after the du Pont family agreed to sell its 70- year stake in the FBO chain to Legg Mason Merchant Banking Inc. (LMMB) (BA, Aug. 18/71).
MILLION AIR CHARTER TETERBORO added a Gulfstream IISP and Citation II to its charter fleet. The Gulf-stream is configured for 11 passengers plus a flight attendant and has a range of 2,800 nautical miles. The Citation can accommodate seven passengers.
THE EIGHTH ANNUAL FAA GENERAL AVIATION FORECAST CONFERENCE is scheduled March 23-25 at the DoubleTree Hotel-Post Oak in Houston, Texas. This year's event is co-sponsored by the National Business Aviation Association. For more information, contact Helen Kish at FAA at (202) 267-9943 or Amy Carter at NBAA at (202) 783-9369. Also during the same week at the DoubleTree Hotel-Post Oak, the Transportation Research Board and the Texas Department of Transportation will co-host the Fourth National Aviation Symposium. The planning symposium is scheduled March 25-27.
NORTHSTAR AVIONICS was selected to provide its global positioning system receivers as recommended equipment in the list of avionics options for Aviat aircraft. Aviat is offering the Northstar M3 GPS Approach, a 12- channel IFR GPS receiver.
HEATHER LUSH joined Million Air Charter Teterboro as charter sales/marketing assistant. Lush, who received a master's of business administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has six years of experience in marketing and quality assurance.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, who previously told the Aero Club of Washington, D.C. that an improving safety record would require industry cooperation (BA, Nov. 3/187), last month continued her outreach to the aviation community, saying the agency needs to find the balance between that of a partner and an enforcer. Garvey, the keynote luncheon speaker during the Regional Airline Association's Fall Meeting, said finding the balance between partner and enforcer is "one of the most challenging issues" facing the agency.
