JOAN ZALESKI was promoted to branch manager of the St. Louis office for NationAir Insurance Agency. Zaleski, a 20-year aviation industry veteran, will be responsible for new business development in an eight-state area, overseeing all operations of the St. Louis branch.
Federal Aviation Administration last week agreed, at the urging of Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), to bring in Mitre Corp. and work with the Transportation Inspector General in an attempt to resolve a bitter dispute with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association that threatens to delay further the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) program. Wolf, chairman of the House transportation appropriations subcommittee, wants FAA to report by Dec. 15 on progress in resolving cost, delay and human factors issues raised by the DOT IG and NATCA.
WOMEN IN AVIATION, INTERNATIONAL is seeking nominations for inductions in the 1998 Pioneer Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held during the 9th Annual International Women in Aviation Conference March 12-14 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Denver, Colo.
PILATUS Models PC-12 and PC-12/45 airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-45-AD) - proposes to require inspecting the aileron tie-rod jam nuts for looseness, tightening any loose jam nuts, and installing a locking sleeve on both ends of the aileron tie-rod in the chain drive of the aileron system. The proposed AD stems from an incident in which the aileron tie-rod jam nuts on the chain-drive of the system became loose. This caused a differential of aileron control between the pilot's control wheel and the co-pilot's control wheel.
MCCAULEY PROPELLER SYSTEMS received FAA approval for 14 new supplemental type certificated Blackmac propeller kits for turbine and reciprocating engines. The kits are available for three Beech 99 series aircraft and for the Cheyenne III as well as for certain Raytheon Beech Debonair/Bonanza models powered by Continental O-470 and IO-470 engines, the Cessna R182, Mooney M20K and Piper PA-23-286.
Flow International Corp., Kent, Wash., signed contracts valued at more than $2.5 million to provide production systems for Aero-structures Corp., Nashville, Tenn., a major producer of wings for a variety of business aircraft. Flow's Robotics Division will provide two systems for the Nashville plant. One combines several functions, including the inspection of precision aluminum structures. The second system will drill and trim high- strength, lightweight composite structures.
Federal Aviation Administration will sponsor a forum Nov. 20 to discuss aviation-related environment issues. The FAA Office of Environment and Energy is developing a research agenda, "Environmental Research Beyond 2000," to identify and address environmental issues related to the industry including, but not limited to, noise and emissions. The office will present its preliminary research agenda at the meeting - scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to noon in Room 3246B at the Department of Transportation - where it also hopes to obtain information from the public.
THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION is holding the first World Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation Authorities on Global Strategy for Safety Oversight Nov. 10-12 at ICAO headquarters in Montreal, Quebec. In addition to the safety oversight program, the conference will focus on the organizational and financial implications of the safety program, including the concept of safety oversight audits. For more information, contact ICAO's information office at (514) 954-8220.
Federal Aviation Administration, which in 1994 established an emergency Special Federal Aviation Regulation to impose more stringent standards on air tour operators in Hawaii (BA, Sept. 26, 1994/127), last week extended SFAR 71 for three more years pending the completion of a rulemaking effort to further regulate all air tour operators.
LADISH CO., Cudahy, Wis., was awarded ISO 9002 certification. Founded in 1905, Ladish manufactures high technology and engineered forgings for jet engine, aerospace, industrial gas turbine and other industrial markets.
TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL E-165, E-185, E-225, O-470 and IO-470 series reciprocating engines (Docket No. 97-ANE-39-AD; Amdt. 39-10155; AD 97-21- 02) - supersedes Priority Letter AD 97-15-01, which requires removal of affected cylinders from service and reassembly with serviceable parts. This action adds the latest revision to applicable Critical Service Bulletin (CSB), corrects references to parts of that CSB and lists a new contact telephone number to obtain the CSB from the manufacturer.
Nav Canada, the entity running the Canadian air traffic control system, reported revenues of C$242 million (U.S. $172.4 million) in the fourth quarter ended Aug. 31, 1997, including C$175 million in transition payments from the government and C$67 million in user charges. The transition payments are derived from the air transportation tax. Higher volumes of overflights and North Atlantic flights generated an increase of C$10 million over the previous quarter, Nav Canada officials said. Operating expenses for the quarter were C$167 million.
ASSOCIATED AIR CENTER opened an additional maintenance hangar at its Dallas Love Field facility. The 72,000-square-foot hangar will provide space for shipping and receiving, parts storage, non-destructive testing and inspection activities. In addition, the hangar bays can accommodate two transport category-size aircraft.
BARRY VALENTINE, who has served as acting administrator or deputy administrator at FAA since David Hinson stepped down last November, plans to leave the agency around the end of the year whether or not George Donohue has been confirmed as deputy administrator (BA, Oct. 27/177). Valentine, who joined FAA in March 1994 as assistant administrator for policy, planning and international aviation, took over as deputy administrator after Hinson left and served as acting administrator from Feb. 1 until Jane Garvey took office (BA, Jan.
AMERICAN HELICOPTER SOCIETY elected George Singley, acting director for Defense Research and Engineering, as chairman. Also elected were S. Michael Hudson, president and chief executive of Rolls-Royce Allison Engine Company, as president, and Dean Borgman, senior vice president and general manager of Boeing Mesa, as secretary-treasurer.
BRETT GRAVES joined Western Aircraft as parts sales representative. Graves, who previously spent nine years with Western as a parts sales supervisor, rejoins the company from Helicopter Maintenance Corp., where he was parts manager.
FAA has been working with engine manufacturers to develop improved inspection techniques for high-energy turbine components in an attempt to find problems before they cause engine failures. Inspections using the new techniques are expected to begin in the first quarter. See article below.
BOMBARDIER REGIONAL AIRCRAFT DIVISION delivered Canadair Regional Jet Serial Number 200 in late October to Lufthansa CityLine, the airline that introduced the aircraft into service on Nov. 2, 1992. Lufthansa CityLine is the largest operator of the RJ in Europe, with 32 of the regional aircraft on order or in service.
The National Association of State Aviation Officials told the Federal Communications Commission last week it is "vehemently opposed" to an FCC proposal that would make it easier to build television broadcast towers, warning that the proposed rule "would significantly threaten the states' efforts to preserve the safety of the flying public."
Jules Rondepierre, former senior director of sales for Airbus North America, was named senior vice president for commercial sales by Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. Rondepierre will be based at the company's Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Embraer Aircraft Corp. subsidiary. Reporting to Rondepierre are Jim Beard, vice president-Europe, the Middle East and Africa, based in Paris; Mark Hale, vice president-the Americas; and, Peter Obeysekere, vice president-Asia and Australia. Beard recently joined Embraer from Saab, where he handled the American and Northwest accounts.
The Federal Aviation Administration said improved inspections of critical engine components such as turbine disks will begin on a "priority basis" in the first quarter of next year as part of an effort to significantly reduce the failure of high-energy components.
Federal Aviation Administration last week issued a final rule that allows it to collect fees for certification activities performed by FAA employees outside the U.S. The rule, proposed last summer (BA, July 21/29), calls for FAA to recover the "full costs" associated with certification-related services, including personnel compensation and benefits, travel and transportation costs as well as all direct costs. FAA said the fees will be estimated and agreed upon between FAA and the manufacturer before FAA provides services.
WORLD FUEL SERVICES CORP. board of directors approved a three-for-two stock split of the company's common stock. The company will issue one additional common share for every two common shares held by shareholders. The stock split will become effective Dec. 1 to shareholders of record Nov. 17. "This is the second three-for-two stock split of our common stock in the past two and a half years and represents a further attempt to create greater liquidity for our company's shares and make it more affordable to investors," said Chairman Ralph R. Weiser.
HOPING to capitalize on the successful fractional business jet ownership programs offered by Executive Jet and Business JetSolutions, ExcelAire Service, Inc. is offering to "fractionalize any size preowned business jet for its customers." ExcelAire, based at MacArthur Airport on Long Island, N.Y., operates five Gulfstreams, plus some smaller aircraft.
SIKORSKY Model S-61A, D, E, L, N, NM, R and V helicopters (Docket No. 96-SW-29-AD) - proposes to require a nondestructive inspection for cracks in the main rotor shaft, removal of any shaft with a crack and replacement with an airworthy shaft. This proposal also would require appropriate marking of shafts and log book entries by the operator to determine the shaft retirement life, and would establish a new retirement life for the shaft. This proposal is prompted by four reports of cracks occurring in helicopters that were used in repetitive external lift operations.
