SIKORSKY Model S-64F helicopters (Docket No. 95-SW-34-AD; Amdt. 39- 10028; AD 97-10-15) - requires inspections and replacement, if necessary, of the main gearbox second stage lower planetary plate. This amendment is prompted by two incidents in which the plate was found cracked. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent failure of the plate due to fatigue cracking, which could lead to failure of the main gearbox and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
PATRICK HARRIS was appointed senior vice president of marketing and sales for Barfield. Harris has more than 20 years experience in the aviation industry, serving with both original equipment manufacturers and repair and overhaul companies. Most recently, he was vice president of international marketing and sales at Crane/Hydro-Aire. In his new position, Harris will be responsible for increasing Barfield's repair and overhaul business.
TERRY FLYNN was named regional sales manager for Jet Support Services, Inc. Based in Nashville, Tenn., he will be responsible for marketing and servicing JSSI products to clients in the Northeast U.S. He was most recently president of Crump Financial Services.
WAYNE R. OEDEWALDT, who recently served as president of Astra Jet Corporation, was named regional vice president for western regional sales for Galaxy Aerospace Corp., which took over responsibility for marketing and supporting the Astra and Galaxy line of aircraft last year (BA, Nov.
BUSINESS AVIATION interests are cautiously optimistic an amendment by Rep. Mac Collins (R-Ga.) to an aviation tax package will be retained in the final bill. The Collins amendment, attached to Rep. Bill Archer's (R- Texas) aviation tax overhaul package, would eliminate the requirement that non-business travel by company employees on a business flight be taxed as imputed income. Supporters of the amendment say it will have a negligible effect on government revenue, but will remove an administrative burden from aircraft operators. See article below.
HOUSE and Senate negotiators last week removed language from an emergency relief supplemental appropriations bill that would have directed the Federal Aviation Administration to exclude most of general aviation from fees the agency is charging for services provided for flights that transit through U.S. airspace, but neither take off nor land in the U.S. The conference committee agreed to delete the measure after House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer (R-Texas) objected to it for procedural reasons (BA, May 26/236).
Signature Flight Support, the nation's largest chain of fixed-base operations, took a significant step toward increasing its market share at Chicago's Midway Airport with the purchase last week of rival FBO Monarch Air Service. Matthew J. Lynch, president of Monarch for 25 years, sold his fueling operation to Signature following a series of discussions that began nearly two years ago. The Signature and Monarch facilities are adjacent to one another in the area between the approach ends of Runway 13R and 4L.
FRASCA INTERNATIONAL received an order from the Colombian Police for a Model 342 helicopter flight training device. The FTD, slated for delivery in August, will be installed at the Colombian National Police training base in Mariquita, Colombia. Frasca also received a contract to provide three cockpit procedures trainers for the United Kingdom Defense Helicopter Flying School. Two of the trainers will provide cockpit familiarization, engine start and ground emergency training for the Eurocopter AS350BB Squirrel. The third trainer will be used for the Bell 412EP.
ROBINSON Model R22 helicopters with Lycoming O-360-J2A engines (Docket No. 97-SW-04-AD) - proposes to require replacing the carburetor and carburetor air temperature gauge with an improved carburetor that does not require manual leaning of the fuel/air mixture during flight, and a remarked carburetor air temperature gauge. The proposal also would require a revision to the rotorcraft flight manual to remove the reference to leaning the engine.
After 14 months of study, Raytheon Aircraft Corp. (RAC) launched its own fractional aircraft ownership program last week, offering shares in new Beech King Air B200s, Beechjets and Hawker 800XPs and predicting that growth of the already strong fractional-share market will accelerate with the addition of a third major aircraft provider.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT tapped one of the strongest niche markets, the world of professional golf, to find the first customer for its new fractional aircraft ownership program.Golfer Fred Couples bought a one-eighth interest in a Beechjet 400A, according to Raytheon officials. Executive Jet Aviation has some 25 Professional Golf Association members in its NetJets fractional ownership program, including Tiger Woods, who recently purchased a share in a Citation X.
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS began final assembly of the first MD-95-30 airliner late last month in Long Beach, Calif. Production workers at Douglas Aircraft Co. lowered the first center fuselage barrel onto the wing May 24, marking the start of final assembly. First flight of the MD-95 is planned in the second quarter 1998, with joint U.S. and European JAA certification expected in 1999. ValuJet Airlines is the only announced customer for the MD-95 (BA, Oct. 23, 1995/177). The aircraft will be powered by BMW Rolls- Royce BR715 turbofans.
PARSONS AVIATION moved its offices from Washington, D.C. to Miami, Fla. Parsons said the move will better position the company to pursue aviation opportunities in Latin America. Parsons Aviation, a division of Parsons Infrastructure&Technology Group, provides a range of aviation services for airports including airport feasibility studies, business plans, master plans, design and engineering, design management, construction management and program management. The new office is located at 6303 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 320, Miami, Fla.
Elliott Aviation President Wynn Elliott promoted two employees to new executive positions. Warren Tanner, who was vice president-operations, was promoted to a new position, director of special projects. He will be responsible for new business development and assist with implementation of the company's five-year strategic business plan. Tanner joined Elliott as a service technician and later became vice president/general manager of the Des Moines, Iowa base.
AMETEK AEROSPACE PRODUCTS was selected to design and build the nacelle interface unit (NIU) for the Bell Boeing 609 tiltrotor aircraft. Two NIUs are required per aircraft, one mounted in the aft section of each nacelle. The NIU is a dual-channel signal conditioning unit designed to process aircraft engine sensor and nacelle sensor signals and transmit the results to other aircraft subsystems.
The National Civil Aviation Review Commission, charged with recommending a funding system for the Federal Aviation Administration, last week informally agreed general aviation should continue to contribute to the national aviation system through fuel excise taxes and that commercial air taxis should pay the jet fuel tax instead of the passenger ticket tax. But the commission failed to reach agreement on what the level of fuel tax should be.
SPEAKING OF GOLF, Boeing Business Jets promises "a major announcement" today in Bethesda, Md., located about 15 minutes from Congressional Country Club where this week's U.S. Open Golf tournament is being played. The timing and site have led to speculation a golfer has placed an order for the new 737 derivative.
JET AVIATION is adding another hangar to its operation at Zurich, Switzerland. Effective July 1, Jet Aviation will take over the hangar of REGA, the Swiss air ambulance, which is moving to a new facility. The addition of a third building will boost the amount of space under roof at Jet Aviation's facility to nearly 14,000 square feet. The new hangar, directly opposite the current Jet Aviation facilities near the General Aviation Center, will permit the company to perform maintenance work on larger business jets, such as the Citation X and Hawker 1000.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION will hold a Flight Operations Manual Workshop June 23-24 and a Management Program for Small Flight Departments June 25-26, both in Seattle, Wash. The Flight Operations Manual Workshop will assist flight departments in tailoring manuals to their specific operations. The Management Program will provide information on a variety of aspects of running a small flight department. For more information, contact NBAA at (202) 783-9000.
RAYTHEON 90, 100, 200, and 300 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-05- AD) - proposes to require inspecting gray, blue or clear Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) tubing near the co-pilot's foot warmer for collapse or deformity. If the tubing is collapsed or deformed, the proposal would require replacing and re-routing the tubing. The EVA tubing is used on the pneumatic de-ice indicator lines and the pressurization control system pneumatic lines that provide vacuum to the outflow safety valves that depressurize the airplane.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT appointed Tamara Christen vice president-international special mission sales. Christen will oversee all sales and marketing activities of the company's special mission products to international customers. She will report to Dick Klass, vice president-government marketing. Before joining Raytheon, Christen previously worked for McDonnell Douglas Corp., most recently as area director - Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION has reiterated that there will be a rule permitting commercial flights of single-engine aircraft under IFR flight plans, but the timing is still unclear.
SOUTHERN AVIATION TECHNOLOGIES was awarded certified repair station approval from the FAA. The certification covers Pratt&Whitney JT15 hot section repair. Southern Aviation Technologies, based at Orlando Executive Airport in Orlando, Fla., also has Venezuela certification status covering aircraft types from single-engine piston through Gulfstream IV aircraft.
RAYTHEON Model 1900D airplanes (Docket No. 96-CE-27-AD; Amdt. 39- 10026; AD 97-10-14) - requires inspection of the stabilon attachment angles for the correct thickness, repetitive inspection for cracks, and replacement of the attachment angles that do not have the correct thickness. This action is prompted by recent reports of the affected airplanes with the incorrect size stabilon attachment angles. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent separation of the stabilon from the airplane, which could cause loss of airplane stability during flight.
