NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION will hold its Air Charter Leadership Conference Dec. 3-5 at the Marriott Sawgrass Resort, Ponte Vedra, Fla. The conference, which will focus on strategic future issues, will discuss marketing operations, aircraft maintenance, the economy, personnel, technological and airline competition, and government regulation. Registration costs $495. For information, contact Cindy Aloise at (800) 808-6282.
A proposed bill restricting the use of foreign repair stations is unnecessary because remaining issues will be addressed in a rulemaking, Guy Gardner, Federal Aviation Administration associate administrator for regulation and certification, told the House Transportation aviation subcommittee last week. The bill, H.R.145, would limit work on U.S.
GEORGE DONOHUE'S NOMINATION as deputy FAA administrator, already firmly mired in limbo, received another setback last week when Sen. Bill Frist (R- Tenn.) put a hold on the nomination.Frist, a member of the Commerce Committee and its aviation subcommittee, is angry that Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater has not replied to his request for slots at two high-density airports by two carriers that want to serve them from Tennessee points.
VERTICAL AVIATION TECHNOLOGIES, Sanford, Fla., delivered a Sikorsky S-55T helicopter modified with a Garrett TSE-331 powerplant derated to 650 shaft horsepower to Lockheed Martin. The helicopter, which was flown from Sanford to Fairbanks, Alaska, was modified to provide hot day/high altitude performance with a 3,400-pound payload and 340-nautical mile range.
The House aviation leadership last week introduced legislation that would provide relief for on-demand air charter operators from provisions of the Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996. House aviation subcommittee Chairman John Duncan (R-Tenn.) authored H.R.2626, which allows on-demand carriers to hire a pilot for up to 90 days on an interim basis while collecting the background information required under the Pilot Records Improvement Act.
EMBRAER was busy making news at last week's European Regions Airline Association 1997 General Assembly in Baveno, Italy. The Brazilian manufacturer announced Flandre Air as the launch customer for the 37- passenger EMB-135, a derivative of the 50-passenger EMB-145 regional jet. Flandre Air, an affiliate of Air Liberte, placed firm orders for eight aircraft plus 12 options. Wexford Management LLC of Greenwich, Conn., ordered 20 the the 45-passenger EMB-145s, with options for an additional 20.
NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT reached an agreement to sell 15 Archer III aircraft to Airline Training Center Arizona (ATCA) for its ab initio training program. Deliveries of the Archer IIIs are slated to begin in January. The order follows the sale of three Piper Seneca Vs in June to ATCA, a Lufthansa German Airlines company based in Phoenix, Ariz.
AFRICAN OPERATOR Midroc Aviation reached agreement with Bombardier Regional Aircraft Division for the acquisition of two de Havilland Dash 8Q Series 200 aircraft and took an option on a third plane. Value of the firm aircraft is approximately $26 million (U.S.), with deliveries scheduled for December and January. The aircraft will be convertible to all-passenger, cargo/passenger, medevac and VIP configurations. Midroc also has purchased containerized/palletized systems for their aircraft in the cargo holds.
The House and Senate Thursday cleared the fiscal 1998 transportation appropriations bill, which provides $9.08 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration, requires the agency to certify it is processing requests for pilot records within 30 days, but drops earlier provisions to allow closure of Richards-Gebaur Airport in Kansas City, Mo. and Bader Field in Atlantic City, N.J.
BOMBARDIER BUSINESS AIRCRAFT DIVISION has begun delivery of five Canadair Corporate JetLiners to the People's Republic of China. The aircraft, the corporate variant of the 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jet, will be operated by China United Airlines. Bombardier valued the deal, signed in January, at about $116 million U.S., including interior completion, aircraft painting, pilot and maintenance training and spares.
WYMAN-GORDON CO., North Grafton, Mass., earned $11.9 million on revenues of $180 million in its fiscal 1998 first quarter, up from $7.8 million on sales of $134.2 million in the same period a year ago.
BRIT AIR purchased two additional Canadair Regional Jet Series 100 aircraft from Bombardier, a transaction that represents the conversion of two existing options to firm orders. Deliveries of the airline's 12th and 13th CRJ aircraft are scheduled for January and March. The Morlaix, France-based carrier currently operates nine of the 50-passenger CRJs and is scheduled to receive aircraft Nos. 10 and 11 in November and January.
Summary: Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
ANNETTE ROGERS joined Keeton&Rich, Inc. as director of public relations for all accounts. Rogers, who previously was public relations manager for Hyatt Hotels, will be responsible for expanding the agency's capabilities in public relations, including strategic planning, media relations, crisis communications, events coordination and employee relations.
SIMUFLITE said American Airlines is now offering "significantly discounted airfares to pilots and maintenance technicians" flying into Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for training at SimuFlite. The discount applies to flights on American Airlines, American Eagle and Canadian Airlines 6000 series flights. The discount must be arranged by SimuFlite. For further information, contact SimuFlite at (800) 527-2463.
ALLIEDSIGNAL AEROSPACE began shipments of the new CDU-XLS upgrade for the approximately 1,700 Global-Wulfsberg GNS-X flight management systems in service today. The upgrade involves replacing the control display unit (CDU) in the cockpit and adding circuitry in the GNS-X's remotely-mounted navigation management unit. For aircraft with dual GNS-X systems, AlliedSignal said the CDU-XLS upgrades "can provide a low-cost way to replace Omega as the primary means of oceanic and remote area navigation," noting that Omega stations went off the air Sept. 30.
AEROSPATIALE Model ATR-42-200, -300, and -320 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-140-AD) - proposes to require an inspection to detect corrosion of the rear spars of the wings and corrective actions, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to detect and correct possible corrosion on the rear spars of the wings, which could reduce the structural integrity of the wings.
AERO INTERNATIONAL (REGIONAL) announced that the major airframe inspection intervals for ATR 72 aircraft have been increased from 24,000 cycles to 36,000 cycles, which the regional manufacturer said will lead to a "significant decrease in the aircraft maintenance costs." The increase in inspection intervals follows a Maintenance Review Board Process involving French and U.S. aviation authorities, AI(R) and ATR operators. The new intervals may allow operators to defer the structural checks by up to five years over the current intervals, AI(R) officials said.
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY will host the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) Workshop on Control Technologies for Aviation Safety April 22-24 at its Prescott, Ariz. campus. Embry-Riddle and IFAC issued a call for papers on topics pertaining to control technologies for all categories of users including business and general aviation as well as airlines and commuters.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE named Joseph K. Walker senior vice president of international sales and Shawn W. Vick senior vice president of North American sales and administration. Both will report to Bill Boisture, president and chief operating officer of Gulfstream Aircraft Inc. Gulfstream Vice Chairman Bryan Moss and Executive Vice President Gene Rainville will continue to head Gulfstream's international sales efforts, "developing new and existing sales prospects and concentrating on strategic opportunities for growth," the company said.
Fairchild Corp. will focus on the aerospace industry and spin off certain non-core assets, the company said last week. After the selloff, expected to be completed in 1998, the company will consist of Fairchild Fasteners Division and its 65-percent-owned subsidiary, Banner Aerospace Inc. The aerospace units constitute about 92 percent of Fairchild's revenue in fiscal 1997.
THE GENERAL AVIATION ACTION PLAN COALITION, which comprises most of the major associations representing general aviation, Monday told FAA Administrator Jane Garvey that it would write a letter to Senate leaders endorsing the nomination of George Donohue as deputy FAA administrator.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-146-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection of the tailplane (horizontal stabilizer) leading edges and surrounding area for discrepancies and corrective action, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by the issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent separation of the horizontal stabilizer from the fin, which could reduce controllability of the airplane.
Organizers of GA Team 2000 acknowledge they have a long way to go to reverse the long downward trend in the number of annual new student pilot starts, but program officials said they are pleased with a 6.6 percent increase in student starts through the first seven months of 1997. The seven-month figures for the current year contrast with declines of 7.4 percent, and 6.7 percent, respectively, in 1996 and 1995, according to Ed Stimpson, chairman of the industry-sponsored, learn-to-fly promotional and marketing program.
PHILIP WOLFE was appointed vice president and general manager for Downtown Airpark, Inc., Oklahoma City, Okla. Wolfe previously managed Unocal Corporation's aviation department in Los Angeles for the past 10 years.
