BOMBARDIER said its Business JetSolutions fractional ownership program is celebrating its second anniversary with a fleet of 24 aircraft and more than 120 customers. That fleet, which includes Model 31A and Model 60 Learjets and Canadair Challengers, will have nearly 40 aircraft by yearend, the company said.
STEVE MINOR was named contract administrator for BFGoodrich Avionics Systems' Business and General Aviation Sales Group. Minor will support the regional aftermarket and original equipment manufacturer sales representatives as well as handle requests for proposals, requests for quotations and invitations for bids on prospective accounts. Before joining BFGoodrich, Minor was a contract administrator for Smiths Industries for eight years.
National Transportation Safety Board VICE CHAIRMAN Robert Francis said he still is uncomfortable with the board's new statutory role as liaison with families of aircraft accident victims, because it is hard to handle that job while investigating accidents. Unfortunately, "the airlines and the ATA did not pick up the responsibility," Francis said in a speech last week at the American Association of Airport Executives conference in Minneapolis.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION has appealed to Albuquerque, N.M. Mayor Martin Chavez to reopen Runway 17/35 at Albuquerque International Airport, saying that "particularly during the spring and early summer, south winds are sometimes so strong that runway 17/35 is the only safe runway for airliners and general aviation aircraft." AOPA said Chavez sent a memo to the airport director two months ago ordering the runway closed for six months for "maintenance," although no maintenance work has been done.
The chairman and ranking Democrat on the House aviation subcommittee asked acting FAA Administrator Barry Valentine to give Part 135 operators some latitude as the agency implements congressionally mandated rules requiring employers to check work records of pilots before they can be hired.
Executive Jet, Inc., continuing to expand its fleet of fractional share business jets, placed an order for 20 Hawker 800XPs with Raytheon Aircraft last week, took options on 10 additional 800XPs, purchased one additional Hawker 1000 and agreed to continue operating its existing fleet of 22 Hawker 1000s for another five years.
ATLANTIC AVIATION received a renewal of its authorization to perform maintenance, modifications and repairs on corporate aircraft registered in the Republic of Venezuela. The approval also covers the repair of engines, accessories, components, avionics and instruments. Atlantic Aviation is an authorized service center for Raytheon Hawker and Canadair Challenger series aircraft and AlliedSignal TFE731 series engines.
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.
AlliedSignal won a contract from Bombardier to supply its RE220 auxiliary power unit for the 70-passenger Canadair Regional Jet Series 700. The agreement is the second such contract from Bombardier - AlliedSignal also supplies the RE220 for the Global Express long-range business jet - but it the first application of the APU in a commercial airliner. Under the agreement, AlliedSignal is a risk-sharing partner in the CRJ-700 program and will supply the complete APU system, including the air inlet, exhaust system and the mounting system.
REGIONAL AIRLINES are expressing concern that the Massachusetts Port Authority once again is considering peak-hour pricing schemes for Boston Logan International Airport. Massport, which twice before unsuccessfully tried to impose peak-hour fee schedules before being turned back by the courts or legislative pressure (BA, Aug. 21, 1989/57), is said to be in early deliberations on a plan that would impose surcharges of up to $150 for landing or taking off at Logan between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sabreliner Corp., which won a $242 million Undergraduate Flight Officer (UNFO) training program from the Navy in 1990, has agreed to sell the 17 modified Sabreliner aircraft used in the program to the service for $42.5 million.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION, four months from its 50th anniversary convention, will hold a special membership meeting June 26 at its Washington offices to vote on a proposal to change the organization's name to the National Business Aviation Association, Inc. "Our vision is to be the effective force for enhancing safety, efficiency and acceptance of business aviation, and indeed NBAA has made significant strides throughout the last 50 years to fulfill that vision," said President John W. Olcott.
South African Express (SAX), based in Johannesburg, South Africa, signed an agreement with Bombardier Regional Aircraft Division to purchase six 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet aircraft. Bombardier valued the contract at about $130 million (U.S.) and will start delivery of the aircraft in August and continue through May 1998. SAX will operate the CRJ Series 200B ER aircraft on its "long, thin nonstop routes which are beyond average turboprop distances," Bombardier said, including Johannesburg-Walvis Bay and Capetown-Walvis Bay.
THE MAKEUP of a special Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee to address the highly contentious issue of restrictions on national park overflights is stirring controversy even before the first meeting of the group, which is tentatively scheduled for this week. See article below.
AlliedSignal Aerospace received FAA certification of its TFE731-20 turbofan engine, the latest iteration of the TFE731 family, that will power the new Model 45 Learjet. The engine manufacturer said the new powerplant will deliver 3,650 pounds of thrust up to 93 degrees Fahrenheit, and provide a 15 percent increase in cruise performance and a nine percent improvement in fuel economy over previous engine models.
IT'S THE VISION THING. The National Business Aircraft Association is considering a name change to reflect the organization's vision that its activities include all aspects of business aviation. See article below.
THE NEW 201-foot air traffic control tower and terminal approach control (TRACON) at Washington National Airport were dedicated Monday in ceremonies featuring Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater and Sen. Chuck Robb (D- Va.). Air traffic controllers began using the new facilities in April, and the new passenger terminal at National is scheduled to open July 27.
AAR Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cooper Aviation Industries, Inc., a private corporation, for an undisclosed purchase price. Cooper, located in Elk Grove Village, Ill., is a major distributor of new aviation parts and accessories to the commercial, regional and general aviation markets. Cooper, which has been in business for nearly 50 years, has six locations throughout the U.S., along with a network of international representatives. In the most recent 12-month period Cooper had sales of approximately $45 million.
GENERAL AVIATION INDUSTRY AWARDS PROGRAM selected James Trusty of Old Hickory, Tenn., as National Certified Flight Instructor of the Year and Leonard Beauchemin of Webster, N.Y. as National Aviation Maintenance Technician of the year. Trusty, who has been a flight instructor for 25 years, has been an FAA aviation safety counselor since 1989. He completed 1,141 hours of flight time with 125 students last year. Trusty also teaches ground school at a local college and speaks about aviation education to local groups and schools.
NEW PILOT RECORD-SHARING REQUIREMENTS continue to be a problem for the regional airlines as well as on-demand operations. Not only has FAA lagged in its response to airline requests for pilot records, but some companies have been reluctant to release pilot information to prospective employers. The issue is particularly troublesome for regionals now, RAA's Walt Coleman said, because some airlines are experiencing up to a 30 percent pilot turnover rate.
FLIGHT SERVICE GROUP, Stratford, Conn., added four business jets to its air carrier certificate: a Citation I based in Norwich; a Lear 35 based in Teterboro, N.J.; a Beechjet 400A in West Palm Beach, Fla.; and, a Gulfstream II based in Stratford. FSG manages 27 aircraft at 10 East Coast bases stretching from Massachusetts to Florida.
Embraer boosted its EMB-145 orderbook to 65 with a sale of 10 of the 50-passenger regional jets to Rio-Sul Servicos Aereos Regionais S/A of Brazil. The contract, which Embraer valued at about $282 million (U.S.), includes 10 firm orders plus five options for the EMB-145 as well as seven firm orders for the 30-passenger EMB-120 Brasilia turboprop. BNDES, the Brazilian National Bank for Social Development, is financing the deal.
Pratt&Whitney, attempting to stake out a significant share of the engine overhaul market in the face of General Electric's plans to acquire two major overhaulers, announced an agreement last week to buy three airfoil refurbishment plants from Howmet Corp.
Hughes Information Technology Systems won a contract valued at up to $100 million to help the agency increase the reliability of its facilities and 30,000-plus pieces of equipment systemwide. The Landover, Md., unit of Hughes Aircraft Co. will provide technical integration of the National Airspace System Infrastructure Management System (NIMS). It is the centralized management system for FAA equipment and facilities, and will consolidate previously separate efforts.
