KELLSTROM INDUSTRIES purchased commercial aircraft and jet engines under operating lease for $20.3 million from Aerocar Aviation Corp. "Our plans call for merging this business into our wholly owned subsidiary KELLCAD (Kellstrom Commercial Aircraft Division), the mission of which is to grow our lucrative short-term aircraft and whole engine leasing business," said Zivi Nedivi, Kellstrom president and chief executive.
SWITCHING SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, which designs and manufactures mid-range switch mode power supplies, will relocate to a new 36,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility at 1590 Sinclair St., Anaheim, Calif. 92806-5933; telephone: (714) 712-4500; fax: (714) 712-4520.
AYRES CORP. is expected to make a final decision next month on the location of a production facility for the company's new Loadmaster cargo aircraft (BA, June 23/278).
CT58 series turboshaft engines (Docket No. 97-ANE-15; Amdt. 39-10137; AD 97-19-17) - requires removal from service of certain compressor rear shafts, initial and repetitive inspections of specific critical rotating parts and replacement if found cracked until those parts are all removed and replaced. This amendment is prompted by a Stage 2 turbine wheel incident in 1993 that resulted in an increased awareness of small features on critical rotating parts that could affect part life.
Continental Express will have the industry's first all-jet regional fleet within five years, Continental Chief Executive Gordon Bethune said last week. Continental has a firm commitment to lease 50 Embraer aircraft, and leasing rates are "locked in" for up to 150 more, Bethune told securities analysts in New York City. The plans grew out of Continental's original Embraer deal in September 1996 - an order for 25 EMB-145 regional jets valued at $375 million and options for 175 more over the next 12 years (BA, Sept. 9, 1996/112).
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION fears that a "little noticed provision" in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 could increase the tax on jet fuel by as much as 24.4 cents per gallon. The Taxpayer Relief Act, enacted last summer, contains provisions that allow aviation fuel to be taxed as kerosene unless it is received at an "approved" fuel terminal, defined as one that offers both dyed kerosene and dyed diesel, NATA said.
Production reductions and completed extra internal and external work will result in approximately 450 lost jobs at the Toronto-based de Havilland division of Bombardier between October and January. "De Havilland has required a higher-than-normal work force to accomplish a changeover to an entirely new interior for a new supplier for the Dash 8Q regional airliner and to incorporate all changes for a new noise- and vibration-suppression system. This work is nearing completion," the company said.
PATS Inc., best known for its auxiliary fuel systems programs, is developing an auxiliary power unit based on a rotary engine modified to operate on jet fuel. PATS President Jack Frost said, "We saw a niche for a lightweight, simple and reliable APU installation...for engine starting, environmental systems operation and inertial navigation system initialization prior to engine start."
SUSAN COUGHLIN, former vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and current president of Air Safety Management Associates, has joined the board of directors for Atlantic Coast Airlines. Coughlin served two terms as vice chairman of NTSB in 1990 and 1992 and became acting chairman in 1992. In 1994, she joined BDM Federal Inc. and became president and chief operating officer of BDM Air Safety Management Corp., which designs and develops air traffic control systems.
SCOTT CLEMENTS was promoted to director of investor relations for Honeywell. Clements will provide communications and guidance for current and prospective Honeywell investors. He joined Honeywell in 1992 in financial planning and reporting and most recently was controller and director of finance information systems and logistics for Honeywell's China operations in Hong Kong.
The Department of Transportation endorsed many of the findings in the National Civil Aviation Review Commission financial report issued in early September but expressed concern over some of the details of the proposals for future funding of the Federal Aviation Administration (BA, Sept. 1/89). In an Oct. 17 letter to NCARC Chairman Norman Mineta, Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater called the report "very thoughtful and thorough....I believe the direction you outlined for the FAA is a very positive one."
Gulfstream Aerospace revenues swelled to $464 million in the third quarter of 1997, a 63 percent increase from the $284 million in revenues in third quarter 1996, the company reported last week. Net income for the third quarter of 1997, excluding a one-time, non-cash benefit from the release of a tax valuation allowance reserve, increased to $54.3 million, or $0.70 earnings per share, compared with $17.2 million, or $0.22 earnings per share, in third quarter 1996, the company said.
U.S. GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS posted record billings in the first nine months of the year and manufacturers worldwide reported more than a 50 percent increase in deliveries in the third quarter of 1997. See this article and BA chart of worldwide unit shipments below.
CHRYSLER PENTASTAR AVIATION added a third Gulfstream IV to its charter fleet. The G-IV will be based at Dallas Love Field and operated by a newly formed company, Platinum Air Carters, Inc., on Pentastar's charter certificate. Ron DeSerrano, former aviation manager for Dresser Industries, will be president and chief pilot for Platinum Air Charters. The new company hopes to add more charter aircraft, aircraft management and aviation consulting services in the future.
BMW Rolls-Royce successfully completed a 150-hour endurance test of its BR715 turbofan engine, the latest milestone in a program that is expected to achieve certification next September. The manufacturer, which conducted the test at its Development and Assembly Center in Dahlewitz,Germany, said the BR715 is capable of a maximum thrust of 22,000 pounds. Thrust reverser cyclic tests are being conducted before the engine is torn down and inspected. The BR715 also was selected to power the Boeing MD-95 100-seat airliner.
DUNCAN AVIATION formed a partnership with Audio International of Little Rock, Ark. to offer three entertainment system packages for mid-size business jets. The packages - the Executive Level, the Premium Level and the Presidential Level - will reduce both installation cost and turntime, Duncan officials said. "Duncan Aviation has been installing customized entertainment systems in business aircraft of all types for many years," said John Slieter, vice president of completions and modifications for Duncan.
LITTLE ROCK, ARK., MUNICIPAL AIRPORT COMMISSION requests proposals until 2 p.m. Nov. 14 for the lease of two corporate hangars and adjoining ramp space totaling 226,638 square feet at Little Rock National Airport. The space is available for aircraft maintenance, modification, renovation, painting, interiors and avionics, but not fixed-base operations. To obtain RFP documents, contact Deborah Ledwell, airport manager, at (501) 372-3439.
8GCBC airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-37-AD) - proposes to supersede AD 87-18-09, which requires an inspection of the sides of the front and rear wood spars for compression cracks and repair or replacement of any wood spar found with compression cracks. This proposal would require installing inspection holes on the top and bottom wing surfaces, repetitively inspecting the front and rear wood spars for damage, repairing or replacing any damaged wood spar, and installing inspection covers.
AAR CORPORATION'S aircraft maintenance facility in Oklahoma City, Okla., won a contract valued at $12 million to provide logistics support for 11 aircraft operated by the U.S. Marshals Service. The one-year contract calls for AAR to provide line maintenance, scheduled heavy maintenance and parts inventory supply and management. The USMS aircraft are operated out of Oklahoma City, El Paso, Texas and Alexandria, Va.
FRANK (SKIP) DUNKER was named service operations manager for Ronson Aviation. Dunker joined Ronson in 1995 as manager, technical support and most recently has served as building and ramp manager. He also has service with American Beechcraft Company, Janelle Aviation, Atlantic Aviation and the flight department of Asplundh Tree Expert Company.
MIDCOAST AVIATION placed a bulk order for Honeywell's new 880 Radar System, the upgraded version of the 870 Radar System. The purchase also included 10 NZ2000 flight management systems. Midcoast plans to take delivery of the units through the end of June.
INVENTORY LOCATOR SERVICE, LP is offering a package of services designed for repair stations and overhaul facilities operating under Part 145 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The services will allow customers to advertise repair and overhaul capabilities on-line to other ILS customers, access more than 30 million line items of parts availability information, list parts for sale on the ILS availability data base, send and receive e- mail and transmit faxes, and buy and sell items by equipment type and location.
BRITISH AEROSPACE ASSET MANAGEMENT-TURBOPROPS received an agreement to lease three Jetstream 32EPs to AeroVIP, a new Argentine carrier. AeroVIP will operate the aircraft out of its hubs in Cordoba and Buenos Aires.
FLIGHT DYNAMICS has begun a development program for certifying its head-up guidance system on the Challenger 604 business jet. The Category II HGS system for the Challenger 604 is a derivative of the system used on Canadair Regional Jet aircraft.
