Model C-212 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-120-AD; Amdt. 39- 10167; AD 97-21-14) - requires an initial inspection of the restrictor pistons on the shock absorbers of the left and right main landing gear to determine the number and condition of threaded screw pins that are installed; replacement of any discrepant pin; and repetitive inspections of certain pistons. Modification of certain pistons by the installation of two additional pins terminates these inspections.
GEORGE SIMMONS was appointed director of Seattle operations for Teledyne Controls. Simmons, who has been with Teledyne Controls for 19 years, will oversee the strategic direction of the business and commuter avionics product line. He formerly has served as director of the ACARS product line, director of systems engineering, regional director-Pacific and director of sales and marketing-aircraft systems.
HOWMET CORPORATION promoted John Ritter to senior vice president and chief financial officer and B. Dennis Albrechtsen to vice president of manufacturing and general manager of Whitehall Casting. Ritter will oversee corporate development, marketing, planning and contract management in addition to his current responsibilities for finance, information systems and audit. Albrechtson will be responsible for manufacturing of Whitehall Casting and Titanium Casting in Whitehall, Mich. as well as Structural Casting in Hampton, Va.
FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY William Perry was appointed to Boeing's board of directors. Perry, who served as secretary of defense from February 1994 to January 1997, also serves on the boards of United Technologies Corp., Hambrecht&Quist and other technology companies. His term at Boeing will expire in 2000.
Dassault Falcon Jet named aviation industry veteran Roy Pickens senior vice president and general manager of its expanding facility in Little Rock, Ark. Pickens succeeds William Bracas, who resigned to pursue new opportunities. "Our Little Rock facility will deliver some 40 Falcons in 1997, a record number. This dramatic improvement in capacity would not have been possible without Bill Bracas' devotion and leadership during a time of busy growth," said John Rosanvallon, president of Dassault Falcon Jet.
Metal component manufacturer Precision Castparts Corp. reported record sales, gross margins, earnings before interest and taxes, and income in the second quarter of fiscal 1998. The Portland, Ore. company reported sales of $318.1 million for the second quarter ended Sept. 28, 1997, a 30 percent increase over sales of $244.9 million in second quarter of fiscal 1997. Precision said acquisitions completed during fiscal 1997 contributed nearly 45 percent of the increased sales.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL received Level D certification from Transport Canada for the Canadair Challenger 601-3A/34 flight simulator located at the Bombardier Business Aircraft learning center in Tucson, Ariz. Designed and built by FlightSafety Simulation in Tulsa, Okla., the simulator previously received FAA Level D certification. FlightSafety expects to add a Challenger 604 full flight simulator to the Tucson center in the first quarter of 1998.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT appointed Peter Herr vice president-international sales. In his new position, Herr assumes the additional duties of sales in the Far East along with his sales responsibilities in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Herr will coordinate activities with regional sales managers and international dealers in Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan to further develop sales in the Far East. He joined Raytheon in 1978 as a research and development engineer.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model 4101 (Jetstream) airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM- 164-AD; Amdt. 39-10122; AD 97-19-02) - requires repetitive functional testing of the main entrance door, cleaning and lubrication of the "speed" lock and "G" lock systems, and repair, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by reports of flight crews and ground crews being unable to open the main entrance door.
EMBRAER Model EMB-145 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-221-AD; Amdt. 39-10124; AD 97-19-04) - requires repetitive visual inspections to detect cracks in the firewall of the auxiliary power unit and repair, if necessary. This AD also requires installation of a visco-elastic damper blanket on the firewall, which constitutes terminating action for the repetitive inspection requirements. This amendment is prompted by reports indicating that cracks were found in the firewall of the APU due to vibration of the fire-wall.
DeCrane Aircraft Holdings and the Collins Division of Rockwell reached separate agreements last week to acquire major players in the in-flight entertainment market. DeCrane said Monday it signed a definitive agreement to purchase Audio International, Inc., described as "the nation's largest and leading independent provider of premium, customized aircraft entertainment and cabin management products and systems for the high-end corporate jet market."
H. JAY SETTER, 75, former director of the Mid-Continent Airport Authority in Wichita, Kan., died Oct. 31. During his tenure at the Wichita airport, Setter also served a term as president of the Airport Operators Council International. He retired from the airport post in 1984.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommended that FAA require inspections of all Textron Lycoming IO-320-B1A engines that use a particular propeller mounting flange after the aircraft in which they are installed perform certain high-stress maneuvers. The board's action stems from its continuing investigation of the fatal crash of a Lancair 320 near Fond du Lac, Wis., on Aug. 8, 1996. The board said the propeller separated from the aircraft and the aircraft went into a flat spin from which the commercially rated pilot could not recover.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION rescheduled its Air Charter Leadership Conference from early December to Jan. 22-23 at Marriott's Sawgrass Resort in Ponte Vedra, Fla. The leadership conference will provide a forum for senior managers of Part 135 air taxi and aircraft management companies to look at the future of the business over the next 10 years with speakers on marketing, finance, human resources, maintenance and government regulation. For more information, contact NATA at (703) 845- 9000.
WAYNE GRANT was named C-21A program manager for SimuFlite Training International. Grant, previously a coordinator of the program, is responsible for all C-21A training operations. He is a 30-year aviation professional with nearly 5,000 hours total flight time.
CLINT SMART was promoted to software development manager for Miller Information Technologies. Smart joined Miller Aviation as a service writer and moved into the Information Technologies division in 1994 as a junior programmer.
Louis R. Comeau, a former power company executive, and John W. Crichton, who heads the Air Transport Association of Canada, were named chairman and president/chief executive officer, respectively, of Nav Canada, that country's provider of civil air navigation services.
NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT, which has seen production increase each year since the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (BA, Aug. 7, 1995/55), expects that trend to continue with nearly a 25 percent jump in production next year. Piper is on target for 217 airplanes this year and has plans to build 265 in 1998. Employment, at one point down to about 40, also has swelled to 800, a number that should accommodate next year's goal of 265 airplanes, said Larry Bardon, director of marketing and sales.
STEVE LOFGREN, former National Air Transportation Association staffer who recently joined Sporty's Catalogs as vice president of government and industry affairs, is moving to Signature Flight Support in Orlando, Fla. as manager of communications (BA, July 14/20).
The House aviation and national parks and public lands subcommittees have scheduled a joint hearing next week in St. George, Utah to consider issues involving air tours over national parkland. The hearing, to be held at 10 a.m. Nov. 17 in the Gardiner Center Ballroom at Dixie College in St. George, will be used to gather recommendations on a national policy to govern air tours, a subcommittee aide said.
GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION named Walter Desrosier manager- maintenance and engineering. Desrosier spent the past two years as a presidential fellow at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University while he worked toward a master's of business administration degree in aviation. Previously, he served as a powerplant mechanic and laboratory instructor with the university and has served with Tradewinds International Airlines and Airfreight Services, Inc.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100) airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-271-AD; Amdt. 39-10120; AD 97-18-10) - requires a one- time inspection of the direct current power distribution system for reliability, and correction or repair of fuse holders and associated electrical wiring, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by a report indicating that a loose fuse holder caused the DC power distribution system to short circuit on one of the affected airplanes, which resulted in a burnt wire between circuit breaker panel CBP-2 and junction box JB7.
EXECUTIVE JET SERVICES, INC. renewed its contract with Air Routing International and Air Security International for worldwide flight support, weather and security services for domestic and international flights. The one-year contract calls for Air Routing to provide flight planning, overflight and landing permits, ground handling and weather services to Executive Jet's NetJets program. Air Security will provide transportation, security briefings, aircraft security and executive protection for Executive Jet's crews.
GENERAL ELECTRIC named Frank Klaus general manager of the Small Commercial Turbofan Department at GE Aircraft Engines in Lynn, Mass. Klaus replaces Lloyd Thompson, who has been promoted to general manager of gas turbines at GE affiliate Nuovo Pignone in Florence, Italy. Klaus served as CF34 growth program manager since the program's inception in 1994 and prior to that was a director in GEAE's military marketing division where he managed programs in Turkey and Israel.
