BELL Model 206L, L-1, L-3 and L-4 helicopters (Docket No. 95-SW-36-AD; Amdt. 39-9981; AD 97-07-07) - requires creation of a component history card using a Retirement Index Number (RIN) system, establishing a system for tracking increases to the accumulated RIN, and a maximum accumulated RIN for certain main rotor masts and main rotor trunnions.
While the White House has not made it official, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) last week indicated he would move quickly on a nomination of acting Federal Highway Administrator Jane Garvey for the top post at the Federal Aviation Administration. Garvey has been widely reported as the White House choice for FAA Administrator and the nomination is said to be held up only by the standard background check (BA, April 28/187). Speaking to reporters last week in Washington, D.C., McCain said, "I hope that [the nomination] comes over soon.
CESSNA FINANCE CORPORATION named Gregory Renna regional sales manager of its Wichita, Kan. branch office. Renna, who was a flight instructor at the University of North Dakota and operated an airport shuttle business, will be responsible for sales activity throughout Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
RAYTHEON Model BAe 125-1000A and Hawker 1000 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-180-AD; Amdt. 39-1001; AD 97-09-05) - requires various modifications to increase the size of certain existing pressure venting areas and to add additional venting areas. This amendment is prompted by results of a design review of the requirements for certification of the cabin pressurization system.
JETSTREAM Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-131-AD; Amdt. 39-9982; AD 97-07-08) - requires the replacement of weight limitation placards in the aft main baggage bay and in the aft right stowage compartment with new placards indicating lower maximum weight limits. It also requires a revision of the airplane flight manual to delete references to the current higher weight limits for these areas.
CITY OF LOS ANGELES finally agreed to return more than $30.3 million to Los Angeles International Airport that had been diverted to the city's general funds at the end of September. FAA's Office of Airport Safety and Standards issued a determination in March concluding that all but $786,628 of the $31.1 transfer was diverted illegally. The city had been under strong pressure from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, to return the disputed funds to the airport.
ATLANTIC AVIATION FLIGHT SERVICES added a Hawker 700 to its managed fleet. The aircraft, based in Teterboro, N.J., will be available for charter in early August.
Citing "a total disregard for the rulemaking process," the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and National Air Transportation Association last week reiterated demands for the Federal Aviation Administration to withdraw a proposal calling for the replacement of 10,000 crankshafts in Teledyne Continental engines.
PERFORMANCE REVIEW INSTITUTE, an affiliate of the Society of Automotive Engineers, named Rose Koronkiewicz as ISO Registrar program manager. Koronkiewicz will manage all Quality Registrar Programs, including ISO 9000, QS-9000 and ISO 14000. She previously was a business unit manager for FMC Corporation, where SAE officials said "she was recognized for exceptional performance as champion of the ISO 9001 certification process."
DAVID HINSON, former FAA Administrator, was named chairman of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation Board of Visitors. He succeeds Najeeb Halaby, the second FAA Administrator. The board of visitors comprises distinguished aviators or aviation professionals who volunteer their knowledge and experience to enhance the mission and funding of the non-profit foundation.
K-C AVIATION completed the first reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) certification for a Canadair Challenger 604. "We now have the proper guidance to complete the certification of RVSM equipped aircraft," said Chuck Swartz, director of avionics sales for K-C. "This should help speed up the process as we look to complete future RVSM certification for factory-new aircraft, as well as older aircraft which need to be modified in order to meet RVSM requirements."
PARKS COLLEGE of Saint Louis University is incorporating flight instruction fees in its standard tuition costs. Beginning in August, the college will offer qualified aviation science/professional pilot students flight instruction at no additional cost.
A series of acquisitions and strong performance by existing business units pushed revenues at Precision Castparts Corp. to nearly $1 billion in the fiscal year ended March 30, 1997.
BALLISTIC RECOVERY SYSTEMS (BRS), which is developing a parachute as standard equipment for the Cirrus SR20, successfully deployed the parachute canopy. BRS engineers dropped four 55-gallon drums filled with 3,600 pounds of wet sand, 700 pounds above the SR20's gross weight, from a C-123 cargo plane. The canopy deployed as designed with a descent rate of 31 feet per second. The tests were designed to prove the strength of the canopy construction.
THE TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES late last month approved a comprehensive tax bill, including the four-cents-per-gallon tax on jet fuel (BA, April 14). The legislation adopted, however, excluded earlier proposals to lift the commercial aviation exemptions from the state sales taxes on aircraft, parts and labor. The tax legislation now heads to the Texas Senate, where some sources expect the new fuel tax will be dropped altogether.
Shareholders of Sino Swearingen, Inc. elected company President and Chief Executive Jack Braly to the firm's board of directors, along with George Liu, president of Taiwan Aerospace. In addition, the board subsequently elected Jack Sun, chairman of Sino Aerospace Investment Corp., to serve as chairman of Sino Swearingen for a two-year term that began April 22. Ed Swearingen, who had been chairman of Sino Swearingen, was re-elected to the board of directors and will serve as vice chairman for the next two years.
The U.S. Air Force awarded a $69.9 million firm fixed-price contract to Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. last week for two Gulfstream V business jets, and took options on four more of the $35 million, 6,500-nautical-mile aircraft, as part of its C-137 replacement program. The service has been operating a fleet of seven C-137s (Boeing 707s) as long-range VIP transports. Two of those aircraft were taken out of service as being uneconomical to maintain and operate and the service is replacing the rest with a mixed fleet of four C-132s (Boeing 757s) and the two Gulfstream Vs.
HOP-A-JET, INC., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Executive Airport, acquired five Challenger 601 business jets from Bombardier, Inc., the charter operator said, adding that Avpro, Inc., an Annapolis, Md. brokerage firm assisted in the transaction. Hop-A-Jet said the aircraft were previously owned by the People's Republic of China and were traded in on new aircraft. The acquisition boosts the Ft. Lauderdale firm's Challenger fleet to eight aircraft.
Attorneys representing the parties in litigation over FAA regulations restricting commercial air tour overflights at Grand Canyon National Park presented the U.S. Court of Appeals with a briefing schedule last week that suggests oral arguments in the case will not be held until this fall.
An aircraft instrument repair and overhaul firm, J.D. Chapdelaine Company, with facilities in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and Austin, Texas, was acquired by Triumph Group, Inc., for an undisclosed amount of cash and notes. Chapdelaine services flight instruments such as attitude director indicators, horizontal situation indicators, altimeters, airspeed indicators, vertical speed indicators, case-contained and remote gyroscopes and piston and turbine engine instruments.
JAY FELTS was appointed avionics manager for Woodland Aviation. Felts previously served with American Eagle/Wings West Airlines since 1983, most recently as avionics engineer.
BRENDON DOCHERTY was appointed avionics sales manager for Garrett Aviation Springfield. Docherty formerly was director of sales and marketing and flight operations for Flight Visions.
The Justice Department's Antitrust Division requested additional information from General Electric, Greenwich Air Services and UNC in connection with the division's review of GE's proposed acquisition of Greenwich and UNC. Greenwich was in the process of acquiring UNC for $330 million and assuming about $600 million in debt when it agreed to be acquired itself by GE for $530 million (BA, March 17/118). GE also plans to complete the UNC acquisition.
SENATE COMMERCE CHAIRMAN John McCain (R-Ariz.) last week promised to pursue legislation that would establish a national policy for regulating air tour operations over national parks. McCain, who in February introduced a bill that calls for the Secretary of Interior to develop and the Federal Aviation Administration to implement a national parks overflights policy (BA, Feb. 10/58), said he plans to "push it and hard.
Pentagon acquisition chief Paul Kaminski gave the Marine Corps permission to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Bell/Boeing V-22 tiltrotor aircraft. In an April 25 acquisition decision memorandum, Kaminski authorized the Marines to buy 25 LRIP MV-22s and to spend long- lead funding for the second LRIP lot. The Marines plan to buy a total of 425 Ospreys. As a result of Kaminski's action, the Pentagon last week awarded the Bell/Boeing team a $49.8 million contract for long-lead items for five MV-22s to be bought in fiscal 1998.
