HARTZELL PROPELLER won a supplemental type certificate for installation of a two-bladed prop on the Piper PA24-180 (Comanche 180). The new prop is designed to replace McCauley threaded models as well as Hartzell steel hub systems, and Hartzell said it offers the same performance, but substantially improved service and maintenance benefits, including a 2,000- hour time between overhauls. List price is $5,595.
NATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION REVIEW COMMISSION will hold its first public hearing May 28 at the U.S. Department of Commerce Building Auditorium at 9 :30 a.m.
Days before the first meeting of a special Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee that is supposed to address the issue of commercial air tours operating over national parks, the United States Air Tour Association accused the Interior Department of "regulatory manipulation" for the way the process is being handled.
While acknowledging the continuing downturn in demand for the 19- passenger airliner in the U.S., regional industry executives last week maintained that the market niche is healthy and predicted it will not disappear anytime in the near future. "I'm a little surprised by all the negative media" surrounding the 19- seat market, said Mike Scheidt, vice president-airline sales for Raytheon Aircraft. Market niches below and above 19-seats remain strong, Scheidt said, and questioned why some believe 19-seat aircraft will not flourish as well.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION issued a contract worth up to $250 million to the Department of Agriculture's National Information Technology Center in Kansas City, Mo. for the Integrated Computing Environment-Mainframe and Networking (ICE-MAN) system. NITC will establish a system to support FAA's administrative information systems. ICE-MAN is a follow-on to the Computer Resources Nucleus (CORN) contract.
GULFSTREAM dedicated a new 64,000-square-foot aircraft paint facility last week at the Long Beach, Calif. Airport, where Gulfstream operates a major service center. The manufacturer said the expansion is part of plans to double 1996 production to a combined total of 60 Gulfstream V and Gulfstream IV-SP aircraft by 1999 (BA, Nov. 25/242). Painting operations in the new facility are to begin in the fourth quarter of this year.
National Air Transportation Association's board of directors drafted a position statement supporting the elimination of the 10-percent ticket tax for charter operations and, instead, advocating an increase in the jet fuel tax to 24 cents per gallon for all turbine aircraft operators. NATA mailed the draft position as well as a user-fee questionnaire to its members seeking feedback.
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.
