Cessna Aircraft Monday began production of the Model 206 Stationair, entering the final stage of its re-entrance into the single-engine market. The company also announced the largest fleet orders to date for its modern single-engine line, a contract from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for nearly 300 aircraft over a 12-year period, and another from the Civil Air Patrol for 20 Skyhawks, to be delivered this year.
AMERICAN EAGLE pilots rejected, by a 642-505 margin, a contract proposal their Air Line Pilots Association's Master Executive Council approved in June. The proposal would have combined seniority lists covering all 1,900 pilots for the four Eagle carriers - Simmons Airlines, Flagship Airlines, Executive Airlines and Wings West - but the carriers would have remained separate. An Eagle spokesman said the rejection of the contract will not affect the airline's aircraft acquisition plan, and no strike is anticipated.
FEDERAL and state product liability statute of repose laws continue to be tested in court and, for the most part, appear to be upheld.Latest case involved a decision last week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which found that the state of Nebraska's 10-year statute of repose should be applied to a case involving a 1989 crash of a Beech aircraft that had been purchased in 1978. The plaintiff argued, among other things, that Beech republished the pilot operating handbook in 1984, renewing the 10- year statute-of-repose period.
PACIFIC SCIENTIFIC COMPANY promoted Richard Knoblock to president of its new Safety and Aviation Group and appointed Jefferson Amacker president of the HTL/Kin-Tech Division of the group. Knoblock, formerly president of HTL/Kin-Tech Division, will be responsible for the strategic direction of HTL/Kin-Tech and Electro Kinetics Divisions in the safety and aviation markets. He joined Pacific Scientific in 1988 as president of the Electro Kinetics Division.
Air Virginia, which received approval in early June to operate public charters, is threatening legal action against FAA after it was told it could not operate because it was flying scheduled service when that was never the case. FAA told the airline Aug.1 it had no authority to operate public charters. But the FAA Flight Standards District Office in Farmingdale, N.Y., obtained Air Virginia's certification and allowed it to resume service Aug. 5 without reprimand.
The Environmental Protection Agency should assist industry and the Federal Aviation Administration in developing alternative fuels rather than further regulating the use of aviation gasoline, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and National Air Transportation Association told the agency. "Separate offices of EPA are working on different issues concerning lead in aviation fuel," said Douglas Macnair, AOPA director of aviation standards.
Hollywood, Fla.-based Heico Corp. agreed to buy aircraft engine and airframe accessories service specialist Northwings Accessories for $10.5 million, and expects to close the deal by the end of next month. The agreement calls for Heico to pay $7 million in cash and $3.5 million of its stock for Northwings, which earned $2 million on $5 million in sales through the first half of 1997. Heico nearly tripled its operating profits over the same period.
LANCAIR, Redmond, Ore., received provisional type certificate for its new Columbia 300 single-engine aircraft. The four-place composite, which has a cruise speed of 196 knots, is expected to be delivered to customers in the second half of 1998.
CAROL COMER was promoted to marketing manager for BFGoodrich Avionics Systems, Inc. Comer spent the past year as marketing services representative for the Sales and Marketing Department. In her new position, she will oversee corporate communications, trade show management, advertising, collateral and new product development.
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.
AIR TRACTOR Models AT-301, AT-302, AT-400, AT-400A, AT-401, AT-402, AT-501 and AT-502 airplanes (Docket No. 96-CE-47-AD; Amdt. 39-10063; AD 97- 14-05) - supersedes AD 95-20-06, which requires repetitive inspections of the front spar attachment lugs and the rear spar for fatigue cracks, and modification of the vertical fin if cracks are found. The modification terminates the repetitive inspection requirement of AD 95-20-06 and may be incorporated at any time, if cracks are not found.
ROXANNE AUSTIN was appointed chief financial officer of Hughes Electronics Corp. Austin previously served as corporate senior vice president, treasurer and controller for Hughes. She will remain a senior vice president and report to C. Michael Armstrong, chief executive officer and chairman.
Close Investment Management Ltd., a unit of merchant banker Close Brothers Group, has joined forces with the existing management team at CSE Group to purchase the Oxford, United Kingdom-based aircraft support and training company, including CSE Aviation and the Oxford Air Training School. Close Investment Management and the management team formed a new company, CSE Holdings, to purchase the shared capital of CSE from Probo AB and the Industri Kapital 1989 Fund. CSE management also owned a stake in the company under the previous structure.
DAYTONA BEACH JET CENTER added a 10,000-square-foot aircraft storage hangar. The facility can accommodate a Gulfstream IV aircraft. The addition follows the renovation of the Jet Center's general aviation terminal and expansion of the aircraft ramp and automobile parking lots. The Daytona Beach Jet Center, a partner with the Fort Lauderdale Jet Center, is a full service FBO offering 24-hour fuel, aircraft maintenance, avionics sales and services, aircraft parts and airline ground handling.
Warning that Congress is establishing "a damaging national precedent," the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association late last month urged Senate leaders to drop a measure that would allow the sponsors of Bader Field in Atlantic City and Richards-Gebaur Airport in Kansas City to close those airports regardless of grant assurance obligations (BA, Aug. 4/56).
Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Wendell Ford (D-Ky.) late last month jointly introduced legislation that would strengthen requirements for foreign repair stations. The Aircraft Repair Station Safety Act of 1997, S.1089, would require foreign repair stations to meet the same standards as U.S. domestic repair stations and calls on FAA to revoke repair station certificates if any member of the facility knowingly uses uncertified or substandard airframes, engines, propellers or other parts. Specter said the bill "represents a sensible approach to increasing safety.
ROBERT KANASKIE was named manager of Coltec Industries' Walbar Metals unit in Hodges, S.C. Kanaskie joined Walbar Metals in 1989 as a sales coordinator at the Peabody, Mass. facility and since has held positions of increasing responsibility. Most recently, he was operations manager at the Peabody facility.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 0100 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-149-AD; Amdt. 39-10100; AD 97-16-08) - requires a one-time inspection to detect fatigue cracking of the hinges of the cargo doors, and repair, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by reports indicating that, during inspections of the cargo door area, fatigue cracking of the hinges of the cargo doors was detected.
UNITED PARCEL SERVICE CANADA will build a $17.2 million, 47,800-square-foot expansion of its operating facility at Hamilton International Airport in Hamilton, Ontario.
SEN. JOHN McCAIN's (R-Ariz.) bill to curb national park overflights continues to draw concern of his colleagues. Sens. Frank Murkowski (R- Alaska) and Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.), who hold senior posts on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, wrote McCain that the legislation, S.268, "while meritorious, could have major ramifications on the past and future actions taken by this committee." They said their committee has passed hundreds of park proposals, but with the exception of one military issue, it has never addressed airspace. In the House, Rep.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which Wednesday issued a final rule allowing Part 135 commercial operation of single-engine aircraft under instrument flight rules, won high marks from industry leaders, who called the action a "real victory" for safety (BA, Aug. 4/47).
PHIL BOTANA, a 23-year veteran of the aviation services industry, has joined Business JetSolutions as vice president-flight operations for the FlexJet program. Botana succeeds Gary Hart, who left to become president of Raytheon's new Raytheon Travel Air fractional aircraft ownership program (BA, June 9/253). Botana, who has been privately consulting - including work with Business JetSolutions - for the past couple of years, has held a number of senior posts for companies including Signature Flight Support, its predecessor Butler Aviation and Executive Jet Aviation.
Standard Aero purchased the assets of Marysville, Tenn.-based Alliance Engines, giving the Canadian gas turbine engine and accessory overhaul specialist a home for its AE3007 repair work and an opportunity to expand into other engine and auxiliary power unit markets. Terms of the transaction, completed July 31 after an initial agreement earlier in the month, were undisclosed.
RAYTHEON Model 400, 400A, 400T, MU-300 and MU-300-10 airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-68-AD) - proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires replacement of outflow/safety valves with serviceable valves. That AD was prompted by a report of cracking and consequent failure of outflow/safety valves in the pressurization system. The actions specified by that AD are intended to prevent such cracking and consequent failure of the outflow/safety valves, which could result in rapid decompression of the airplane.
