ATLANTIC AVIATION was named an authorized service center for Galaxy Aerospace. Atlantic marketed the line of Westwind and Astra business jets built by Israel Aircraft Industries for many years and continues to service those aircraft. Galaxy is partially owned by IAI, which now manufactures the Astra XP and Galaxy business jets. Galaxy Aerospace is expected to decide this month between Dallas, Texas and Jacksonville, Fla., as the site of its new headquarters, final assembly and service center (BA, May 5/199).
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT launched a 30-city tour with a mockup of its Premier I business jet last month that will include stops in Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, Birmingham and Atlanta during the next 10 days.
McDonnell Douglas issued a service bulletin warning all MD 900 Explorer helicopter operators to ground their aircraft while the manufacturer attempts to find a fix for a problem with the rotor system.
RAYTHEON Model BAe 125-800A and Hawker 800 and Hawker 800XP series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-228-AD) - proposes to require modification of the rudder. This proposal is prompted by a report indicating that, due to the existing design of the rudder, overbias or overbalance of the rudder occurs during single-engine handling. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent rudder overbias or overbalance, which could reduce controllability of the airplane.
The general aviation community last week restated its adamant opposition to aviation user fees and urged the National Civil Aviation Review Commission to look at cost savings by the Federal Aviation Administration or modification of the current excise tax system before drafting a fee-based funding system.
THE TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE late last month abandoned proposals to impose an aviation jet fuel tax and lift the commercial aviation exemption from state sales taxes on aircraft parts and labor (BA, May 5/199). The legislature was deadlocked over provisions of a comprehensive tax bill, which would raise up to $2 billion in new taxes over a two-year budget cycle, and ended negotiations. The last version of the bill considered would have imposed a two-cent-per-gallon fuel tax.
TERRY JONES was named president of Professional Aircraft Accessories, a subsidiary of Professional Aviation Associates of Atlanta, where he was director of marketing and program development. Professional Aircraft Accessories is a newly formed Florida corporation that was created after Professional Aviation Associates purchased the assets of Air Marine Sales and Air Marine Accessories. Banner Aerospace is the parent company of Professional Aircraft Associates.
AOPA'S AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION said FAA has agreed to permit the use of personal computer-based aviation training devices in instrument flight training. See article below.
Comair, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based regional airline that's already the world's largest operator of the Canadair Regional Jet with a fleet of 50 RJs, placed another order for up to 75 additional RJs from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, the company announced Friday.
A FORMER FOKKER EXECUTIVE, Gert C. Reitsma, was appointed head of purchasing at BMW Rolls-Royce. Reitsma previously was vice president of procurement at Fokker Aircraft, B.V., and before that spent 20 years in the Royal Netherlands Navy. He holds a master's degree in aircraft propulsion from the Cranfield Institute of Technology in the United Kingdom.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE delivered the first Gulfstream IV-SP with a Honeywell- GEC-Marconi HUD 2020 Head-Up Display. The HUD 2020 received FAA certification for Category 2 operations in the G-IV-SP and is expected to eventually receive similar approval for Category 3. Gulfstream plans to install 12 HUD 2020 units in G-IV-SP and G-V aircraft this year. Honeywell and Gulfstream jointly tested the system in a G-IV-SP for 18 months before certification.
The National Business Aircraft Association is soliciting participation from fixed-base operations in its professional development program for corporate operators. The association sent a letter to its FBO member companies last month asking them to become involved in the program by providing a venue for "distance learning" at FBO facilities. NBAA said distance learning is a term used to describe courses that are taught away from college campuses via technologies such as the Internet on television.
ALLEN OLIVER, vice president-aerospace at The CIT Group/Capital Finance, was elected to a two-year term as president of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading. Oliver has served with CIT/Capital Finance since 1989 and, before that, was general manager at Airlift International.
FAIRCHILD Model FH-227 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-34-AD) - proposes to require revising the airplane flight manual to prohibit positioning power levers below the flight idle stop during flight, and to provide a statement of the consequences of such positioning. The proposal is prompted by incidents and accidents involving turboprop airplanes in which the propeller ground beta range was used improperly during flight.
UNITED STATES AIR TOUR ASSOCIATION, which met with Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater last week to air frustrations over proposals to restrict air tour operations, said it was encouraged that Slater was "receptive and seemed genuinely interested in understanding our issues and concerns." USATA was particularly concerned by the National Parks Overflight Working Group DOT and the Interior Department jointly formed to "define a process for reducing or preventing adverse effects of commercial air tour operations" over national parks (BA, May 19/222).
KAMAN AEROSPACE delivered a K-Max "aerial truck" helicopter to Grizzly Mountain Aviation of Prineville, Ore. for its logging operations. The K- Max was designed specifically for repetitive medium to heavy external lifting applications and can carry a maximum load of 6,000 pounds, Kaman officials said. The Bloomfield, Conn. manufacturer said the helicopter, which has counter-rotating main rotors and no tail rotor, recently lifted 2.2 tons to an altitude of 12,600 feet in Europe. Certified in 1994, the K-Max fleet has logged more than 26,000 hours of operation.
ISRAEL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES Model 1125 Westwind Astra series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-96-AD; Amdt. 39-10018; AD 97-10-06) - requires repetitive inspections for loose or damaged rivets that fasten a certain support beam to the frame of the fuselage and modification of the attachment between the support beam and fuselage by installation of additional fasteners, if necessary. This amendment also will require the eventual accomplishment of this modification on all airplanes, which will terminate the repetitive inspections.
KAL-AERO received FAA supplemental type certificate approval for installation of a custom corporate interior in a Dornier 328-100 for Corning, Inc. The refurbished turboprop will be used as a corporate shuttle and for executive transport.
THE SENATE Friday approved 78 to 22 its version of the five-year budget resolution, including a measure expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should consider legislation to exclude aviation trust fund receipts and disbursements from U.S. budget totals. The measure was offered by Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.). Earlier last week, the House cleared its version of the budget resolution 333 to 99.
DAVID CAPWELL joined Unison Industries' Exciter Division as a senior engineer. Capwell, formerly a mechanical design engineer and project leader for a manufacturer of custom switch-mode power supplies, will be involved in the development of exciters for turbine engine ignition systems.
RAYTHEON Model BAe 125-800A and Hawker 800 and Hawker 800XP series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-228-AD) - proposes to require modification of the rudder. This proposal is prompted by a report indicating that, due to the existing design of the rudder, overbias or overbalance of the rudder occurs during single-engine handling. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent rudder overbias or overbalance, which could reduce controllability of the airplane.
BILL MARION was promoted to aerospace specialist for Cadillac Plastic. Marion, who joined Cadillac in 1968 as an inside sales representative, will be responsible for Cadillac Plastic's customer base in the Central U.S., including Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas.
Vaughn Sink, who became chairman and chief executive officer of Sullivan Higdon&Sink after co-founder Al Higdon retired Jan. 1 (BA, July 22/37), will retire at the end of June following a 25-year career with the agency, the company announced last week. Joe Norris, president and creative director of the Wichita, Kan. firm, will succeed Sink as chairman and CEO and Rand Mikulecky will be promoted to president.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week implemented its fees on aircraft that transit through U.S. airspace without taking off or landing in the U.S., but controversy on the fee plan continued to mount. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association threatened to sue FAA unless it exempted general aviation aircraft from the international overflight fee schedule (BA, May 12/211). AOPA last week said it was watching the outcome of a Senate provision in an emergency supplemental appropriations bill that directs FAA to exempt most GA from the fees (BA, May 5/199).
