AAR CORP. has staffed a 24-hour AOG desk in an effort to boost customer support. The AOG desk, located at the company's Wood Dale, Ill. facility, previously had been staffed during regular business hours. Customer service representatives now will be available 24 hours a day, every day. The desk supports a range of AAR products, including airframe rotables and expendables, engines and engine components. The AOG number is (888) 227- 2647.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100) airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-271-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection of the direct current power distribution system for reliability, and correction or repair of any fuse holders and associated electrical wiring, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by a report indicating that a loose fuse holder caused the DC power distribution system to short circuit on one of the affected airplanes, which resulted in a burnt wire between circuit breaker panel CBP-2 and junction box JB7.
BOMBARDIER CL-44 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-37-AD) - proposes to require revising the airplane flight manual to modify the limitation that prohibits the positioning of the power levers below the flight idle stop during flight, and to provide a statement of the consequences of positioning the power levers below the flight idle stop during flight. This proposal is prompted by incidents and accidents involving turboprop airplanes in which the propeller ground beta range was used improperly during flight.
JET AVIATION'S facilities in Dusseldorf, Germany, Zurich, Switzerland and Singapore were approved as authorized Citation service centers. Jet Aviation Dusseldorf and Jet Aviation Zurich previously were Citation service centers for certain models but have been approved for additional Citation models. Jet Maintenance in Singapore, receiving Citation service center authorization for the first time, has been approved for the entire Citation line.
DB AVIATION, INC., Waukegan, Ill., added a Falcon 20 with a Garrett 731 engine conversion to its charter fleet. The Falcon, which has been refurbished and repainted, is configured with six individual passenger seats and a three-place couch.
UNIVERSAL AVIONICS received FAA authorization for its latest software version, SCN 602, for its UNS-1B, -1C, -Csp, -1D, and -1K flight management systems. The new software supports Honeywell Primus 1000 and Collins Pro Line 4 electronic flight instrument systems as well as the AlliedSignal enhanced ground proximity warning system. The SCN 602 systems are certified for GPS operation in en route, terminal and approach phases of flight and can be approved under FAA notice 8110.60 for primary means of navigation in remote/oceanic airspace using GPS alone.
EUROPEAN ATC FEES have led Bombardier to offer a Challenger 604 with an optional lower maximum takeoff weight of 38,000 pounds, which the manufacturer said would "significantly reduce the navigation and landing costs in Europe." Transport Canada has confirmed the project's feasibility and Bombardier plans to issue a service bulletin this summer allowing operators to fly the aircraft under the current 47,600-pound MTOW for long- range missions and use the lower MTOW for intra-Europe trips.
Having watched its arch-rival Boeing make inroads in the very-long- range corporate jet market for the past year, European manufacturer Airbus joined the fray last week, announcing it would have a corporate version of its twin turbofan A319 airliner "available in early 1999." There was no immediate announcement of orders or customers for the new model and a price was not announced.
PIEDMONT AVIATION SERVICES, INC. was awarded a long-term lease by the Charlottesville-Albemarle, Va. Airport Authority to provide a full range of fixed-base services, including fueling, charter, maintenance, aircraft sales and airline services. The Charlottesville facility is Piedmont's seventh general aviation facility in the mid-Atlantic region.
SOME 8,190 ROTORCRAFT valued at $51.7 billion will be built worldwide in the 1997-2006 period, according to the Teal Group's first world rotorcraft forecast conference report, released at last week's Paris Air Show. The forecast predicts delivery of 4,635 aircraft valued at $10.9 billion to civil operators and 3,555 military rotorcraft valued at $40.8 billion to military operators. Continuing consolidation in the helicopter industry also is anticipated.
FOKKER F28 Mark 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-174-AD) - proposes to require a one-time visual inspection of the rear cargo door and luggage auxiliary structure for corrosion, repetitive boresope inspections of the rear cargo door and removal and repair of any corrosion found during the inspection. This proposal also would require drilling drain holes, applying a corrosion preventive and sealing compound inside the rear cargo door, and modifying the rear cargo door to aid in future routine borescope inspections.
SIMUFLITE TRAINING INTERNATIONAL upgraded its Challenger 601-3A/3R and Hawker 800/1000 simulators with the installation of Honeywell NZ-2000 navigation computers. The computer contains more memory and a faster processor that the NZ-920 computer previously installed in the simulators, SimuFlite said, adding that more operators are installing the NZ-2000 units in their aircraft. SimuFlite also plans to install the NZ-2000 in its Challenger avionics trainer this summer.
Buoyed by EMB-145 regional jet orders from Continental Express and now AMR Eagle, Embraer is continuing development of a long-range version of the aircraft.
BOMBARDIER now has "in excess of 60 orders" for the Global Express business jet and, because of market demand, plans to produce four more aircraft in 1998 than originally scheduled.
PHILIPPE DEBRUN was selected as chairman of the board of French aircraft manufacturer Socata, replacing Jean-Marc de Raffin Dourny, who held the top post since April 1993. Debrun joined Groupe Aerospatiale in 1985 and held a number of senior management positions including president of Barfield, the subsidiary of Sogerma-Socea in the U.S.
Fairchild Dornier, which decided earlier this year to go ahead with development of a jet version of its Do 328 regional turboprop, last week announced agreements with launch customers for the 328JET both in North America and Europe. Dallas-based Aspen Mountain Air placed four firm orders plus four options for the 328JET in a deal that also calls for eight Do 328 turboprops. French regional Proteus Airlines signed a purchase contract for six of the jet aircraft.
Seeking a mix of 50- and 70-passenger regional jets, American Eagle executives decided that the economic and logistical benefits of fleet commonality were outweighed by the significantly lower acquisition price offered by one manufacturer, and opted for a mixed fleet of regional jets manufactured by Embraer of Brazil and Bombardier of Canada.
KRISTI TOLLEFSON was appointed public relations account manager for The Avion Group. Tollefson most recently was with KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Mo. and, before that, served as communications director for the Minnesota Bankers Association. She also has served as treasurer of the Minnesota Aviation Trade Association and as a loan officer in the Aircraft Finance Department at American Bank in St. Paul, Minn.
The Senate Finance Committee last week agreed to an aviation tax package that calls for an extension of the current general aviation fuel and airline passenger ticket taxes for 10 years. The Senate tax package, however, became contentious last week among air charter operators and airlines because early versions would have replaced the $6 per-passenger international departure tax with a 10 percent tax on the portion of international flights flown through domestic airspace.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners authorized payment of $3 million to the Linden Economic Development Corp. if Linden Airport takes certain steps to curtail airspace conflicts that cause airline flight delays at Newark Airport during inclement weather.
TRONAIR introduced a multi-head towbar designed for business jets with gross weights up to 125,000 pounds. The towbar is priced at $1,559, while attachment heads for the Gulfstream V and Global Express aircraft are priced at $2,094, and $2,075, respectively. For more information, contact Tronair at (419) 866-6301; fax (419) 867-0634 in Toledo, Ohio.
House and Senate leaders are being urged by companies and associations to extend the research and development tax credit, which expired May 31. The Electronic Industries Association (EIA), which is pressing the move, said it support the credit "because it provides the economic incentive for U.S. companies to increase their investments in research and development in order to maintain their competitive edge worldwide."
In a move lauded by the National Air Transportation Association, the Federal Aviation Administration reversed its decision to require calibration of tools used for troubleshooting. FAA earlier this year changed a long-standing policy of exempting certain test equipment from calibration requirements (BA, April 28/189).
EXECUTIVE JET added a Cessna Citation VII midsized business jet to its European fractional ownership program. The program, NetJets Europe, was launched in June 1996 through a collaboration with Zimex Aviation in Switzerland and Air Luxor in Portugal. Executive Jet also offers the Cessna Citation S/II in the European program.
