BELL HELICOPTER received "39 commitments" for the Bell Boeing 609, according to Bell parent Textron, which said the planned commercial tiltrotor attracted orders from 26 customers in Australia, Poland, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S.
GULFSTREAM Model G-159 airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-17-AD; Amdt. 39- 10066; AD 97-14-08) - supersedes an existing AD that requires repetitive inspections for cracks and loose rivets in the forward brackets for the main landing gear uplock beam assembly and replacement of the brackets, if necessary. This amendment requires installation of redesigned brackets that preclude the potential for cracking and loose rivets. When accomplished, this installation constitiutes terminating action for the currently required inspections.
PIAGGIO P-180 airplanes (Docket No. 96-CE-62-AD; Amdt. 39-10072; AD 97-14-14) - requires, for P-180 aircraft equipped with a certain freon air conditioning system, inspection of the baggage compartment for stringer or air cycle machine bypass duct damage, repair of any damage found, and modification of the freon air inlet duct and electrical wiring. The AD results from trim system malfunction on one of the affected airplanes, resulting from contact between the freon air inlet duct and the electrical wiring.
K-C Aviation, the Dallas, Texas-based maintenance and overhaul provider, realigned its North American sales organization by creating nine regional sales territories. The following were named regional sales managers for the areas indicated: Charlie Emering, New England/Canada; Marty Owens, Northeast; Earl Palmer, Mid-Atlantic; John Lee, Deep South; Tom Wyman, Midwest; Randy Shelton, Great Plains; Doug Wendt, Southwest; Pete Mendez, Jr., South Texas/Mexico; and, Mike Grout, West Coast. 28
K-C AVIATION named Keith Goodrum project manager for the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) completion program at K-C. An aeronautical engineer with 31 years of engineering and commercial airline business experience, Goodrum is responsible for leading and coordinating project activities associated with FAA regulations as well as quality, cost and profit objectives.
Sino Swearingen Aircraft plans to begin flight tests in mid-August with the SJ30-2 prototype, following installation of 2,300-pound-thrust Williams-Rolls FJ44-2A engines this month. The more powerful engines, developed and manufactured by Williams International, won FAA type certification July 7.
THE ORGANIZATION known as the Corporation Aircraft Owners Association when it was founded in 1947, and renamed the National Business Aircraft Association in 1953, has officially changed its name to the National Business Aviation Association (BA, June 30/287). "NBAA's scope and activities have changed significantly since it was originally incorporated in 1947," said President Jack Olcott.
Federal Aviation Administration last week proposed to impose fees for services it provides for certification of products manufactured or assembled outside the U.S. Under the proposal, FAA would enter into a voluntary agreement with production approval holders (PAHs) for compensation of services provided for certification activity outside the U.S. The agreement "would allow the FAA to provide services upon request in a more responsive and timely manner," the agency said.
MATTHEW J. BOSCO was named an aircraft sales manager at Woodland Aviation, in Woodland, Calif. He will oversee new and used aircraft sales for the Raytheon Aircraft Corporate Aviation Center. Bosco has been selling piston and turboprop aircraft for four years.
The Federal Aviation Administration would have to follow certain procedures and demonstrate just cause existed for issuing emergency certificate revocations under companion bills introduced in the House and Senate that have received widespread industry support. Sen.
MIDCOAST AVIATION completed conversion of a Hawker 700 from a "B" (British) designation to "A" (American) designation. The modification included installation of a cockpit voice recorder, new radio call sign on the instrument panel, exit lighting on the cabin door and various exterior and interior written instructions such as fuel and oil quantities converted from metric to U.S. gallons. For more information on "B" to "A" conversions, contact Bob Baumhoegger, Midcoast's Hawker program manager, at (800) 222-0422.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in St. Louis dismissed for lack of standing Wilcox's protest against the FAA award of the then-$500 million Wide Area Augmentation System contract to Hughes, saying Wilcox "demonstrated no injury." FAA said it "believed all along" that canceling the Wilcox contract "was best for the agency and best for the taxpayer." The agency told Congress last week, however, that the contract cost has ballooned to $957 million since it was taken from Wilcox and awarded to Hughes.
THE COMMERCE COMMITTEE still has not cleared the Garvey nomination for full Senate consideration, but one staff member said the committee wants to move on the nomination before the Senate recesses for the August break. A vote could come this week. The staff member denied speculation that the committee has delayed action in order to send the nominations of both Garvey and George Donohue - tapped as deputy administrator - to the Senate floor together. No date for Donohue's confirmation hearing has been set.
UNIVERSAL ALLOY CORP. said "the nation's first new major aircraft aluminum extrusion mill in almost three decades" will become operational in September at the company's Canton, Ga. division. The 112,500-square-foot aircraft extrusion mill will be integrated with four high-tech extrusion presses with capacities ranging from 900 tons to 2,750 tons. Universal Alloy, founded in 1959, is a member of the Menziken Aerospace Group. Universal Alloy operates a 230,000-square-foot aircraft extrusion mill in Anaheim, Calif.
INTERNATIONAL AVIATION SERVICES completed a "C" check and various service bulletin and airworthiness directive maintenance on the Trump Flight, Inc. B727-100. The Fort Worth, Texas, company specializes in custom completions for the VIP/head-of-state market and provides maintenance, modifications, avionics upgrades, paint and other support services.
The Department of Justice asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to call a 150-day timeout in litigation over new air tour overflight restrictions at the Grand Canyon National Park so FAA can address a "potential discrepancy" in its Dec. 31 rulemaking.
AYRES S2R series airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-44-AD; Amdt. 39-10071; AD 97-13-11) - publishes an AD previously sent to all known U.S. owners and operators of the airplane. The AD requires inspecting the one-quarter-inch and five-sixteenths-inch bolt hole areas on three lower spar caps for fatigue cracking and replacing any lower spar cap if fatigue cracking is found. This AD results from an accident in which the wing separated from the airplane in flight.
Textron said revenues and income for the second quarter increased 20 percent and 21 percent respectively. Cessna Aircraft's sales and income increased primarily due to higher sales of business jets, "especially the Citation X and Bravo," Textron reported. Cessna's backlog increased to a record $2.8 billion from $1.6 billion at year-end 1996, reflecting strong orders for the Citation line, including the Excel and the Citation X.
PAT MURPHY, who began working for K-C Aviation in Dallas in 1990 as the Challenger program supervisor, was named director of sales support. Murphy, who spent a number of years with Canadair as service supervisor for the Bradley Service Center and chief of maintenance for the used aircraft sales department, most recently was a regional sales manager for K-C Aviation.
Raytheon Aircraft reported "substantially" increased sales and operating income of $620 million and $60 million for the second quarter, crediting increased general aviation shipments as well as increased military program activity. Sales were up 14 percent over the $544 million in second quarter 1996. Raytheon Aircraft's second quarter operating income jumped 25 percent over 1996 second quarter income of $48 million.
AGUSTA signed an agreement with Magnaghi, an Italian hydraulic equipment manufacturer, to establish a Magnaghi service center network for the repair and overhaul of Agusta A109 helicopter hydraulic components. Kennco- Magnaghi Logistics Corp. in Yorba Linda, Calif. is the first facility in the service center network. Plans call for facilities worldwide to participate and offer a range of services, including an exchange unit program, fast repair cycle and spares shelf stock.
Production and maintenance workers at AlliedSignal Engines in Phoenix, Ariz., overwhelmingly rejected an attempt this month by the Teamsters Union to win approval as the employees' bargaining representative. The union had been attempting to organize some 1,800 non-union workers at one of AlliedSignal's plants in Phoenix, but of 1,608 workers who cast ballots, 1,176, or 73 percent, voted against the union. In a statement to workers after the balloting, AlliedSignal Engines President Greg Summe thanked employees "for your vote of confidence.
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION agreed to pursue and promote mutual interests with the Federation Aeronautiqe Internationale and Europe Airsports. In a meeting of the three organizations last month in Brussels, the groups agreed on the need to explain to public and gov-ernment sectors the benefits of a flourishing general aviation industry and also agreed on the need to dispel misconceptions about the industry.
The Senate transportation appropriations subcommittee last week agreed to a $9.18 billion budget for the Federal Aviation Administration and, like its House counterparts, denied the Clinton Administration's request for any of the $300 million in new user fees (BA, July 14/14). The budget recommended by the Senate subcommittee is $20 million more than the House proposal and $719 million more than the Administration request. The subcommittee recommended $1.7 billion for the Airport Improvement Program, which matches the House level.
MARK JOHNSON, the veteran travel manager for Cessna Aircraft, was elected president of the National Business Travel Association, based in Alexandria, Va. Johnson, who has been active in both NBTA and the local Wichita chapter for many years, was elected to a two-year term at NBTA's 29th annual convention in St. Louis, Mo., last week. NBTA represents corporate travel managers and travel industry suppliers.
