American Eagle ordered 12 ATR 72-210 aircraft in a deal that Aero International (Regional) valued at more than $200 million. AI(R), the consortium of Aerospatiale, Alenia and British Aerospace, will ship the first ATR 72-210A to American Eagle in July and continue deliveries through May 1998. The contract will bring the total number of ATRs ordered by American Eagle to 45 ATR 72s and 46 ATR 42s. The ATR 72-210A is part of the new generation of ATR models.
ROTEX HELICOPTER AG of Balzer, Liechtenstein, took delivery of a Kaman Aerospace K-Max "aerial truck" helicopter. Rotex will use the helicopter for its logging and construction operations in France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and other European countries.
LOCKHEED MARTIN Chairman and Chief Executive Norman Augustine will step down as CEO Aug. 1, but continue as chairman of the board of directors, the company announced Friday. Augustine has headed Lockheed Martin as chairman and CEO since January 1996 and previously was vice chairman and president. Before the Lockheed and Martin Marietta merger in March 1995, he was CEO and chairman of Martin Marietta. Augustine joined Martin Marietta in 1977 as vice president of aerospace technical operations.
TERRY HIBLER was named director-regional airline marketing for FlightSafety International. Hibler is a former airline captain with 16,000 hours of flight time and 10 type ratings.
ROBERT RIETH joined Wyle Laboratories as chief executive officer. Rieth formerly served as vice president, business/corporate development for Teledyne, Inc. and earlier served as group executive for the company's Aerospace Group.
Raytheon Aircraft received an order from Smithers, British Columbia operator Central Mountain Air for 10 Beech 1900Ds and options for up to 10 more of the regional aircraft. The Wichita, Kan. manufacturer valued the initial contract, including aircraft, training, spares and technical publications, at about $50 million. Delivery of the first two aircraft is scheduled this month with the remaining eight to be delivered through November. Central Mountain Air, which already operates five Beech 1900s in scheduled service, will fly the aircraft in Air Canada colors.
Echoing the sentiments of his counterpart in the House, Senate transportation appropriations subcommittee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) last week suggested that the Federal Aviation Administration has not shown itself capable of collecting the $300 million in new user fees the Clinton administration proposed for fiscal 1998 (BA, Feb. 10/60). At a hearing on aviation safety and security, Shelby noted that the overflight fees signed into law on Sept.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT MONTEK COMPANY in Salt Lake City, Utah, signed a contract with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to provide an aircraft precision landing system for Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. Developed by Montek and ARINC, the Model DIAS-3100 Local Area Augmentation System works with global positioning system satellites to provide precision landing guidance signals to aircraft 20 to 30 miles from the airport.
Robert H. Jenkins, president and chief executive officer of Sundstrand Corp., was elected to the additional position of chairman of the board, the company announced last week following its annual meeting. Jenkins succeeds Don R. O'Hare, 74, who had come out of retirement to replace Harry Stonecipher, who went to McDonnell Douglas. O'Hare retired Tuesday after 46 years with the Rockford, Ill., company. He assumed the post of chairman while it searched for a permanent successor.
The National Business Aircraft Association, reacting quickly to a front page article in Friday's Wall Street Journal, charged that the newspaper mischaracterized the safety record of business aviation. The article said "the reality of corporate aviation is far less reassuring than its image." Citing statistics prepared by independent safety consultant Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla., the article said the fatal accident rate for corporate jets was nearly twice that of scheduled major airlines for the six-year period 1991-1996.
Officials of Mooney Aircraft Corp., the Kerrville, Texas manufacturer of single-engine aircraft, hope to conclude a recapitalization of the company this summer that will result in increasing the number of shareholders and providing the financial support necessary to meet the company's expansion needs.
DHC-6 series airplanes (Docket No. 91-CE-87-AD) - proposes to revise an earlier proposal to supersede AD 80-13-11 R2. That AD requires repetitive inspection of the elevator, flap, aileron and rudder control rods for cracks, replacement of any cracked rod and installation of rod sleeves. The previous proposal would have required replacing the elevator trim and elevator/flap interconnect rods, the aileron control rods, the elevator control rods and the rudder control rods and repetitively inspecting the rods at certain intervals.
DHC-6 series airplanes that do not have wing strut Modification 6/1581 incorporated (Docket No. 93-CE-45-AD; Amdt. 39-9984; AD 97-07-10) - requires inspection of the wing strut for cracks or damage, replacement of cracked or damaged wing struts and incorporation of Modification 6/1581 to prevent future chafing damage. This AD results from several reports of wing strut damage caused by the upper fairing rubbing against the wing strut.
The Jet Aviation Group announced what it termed "excellent results" for 1996, with consolidated net sales of 387.3 million Swiss francs ($313 million in U.S. dollars), an increase of 13.1 percent over the previous year. Consolidated net income was up 11.5 percent to 10.4 million Swiss francs, or $8.45 million.
A BILL introduced in Congress last week calls for the implementation of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's Linked Financing concept, which would tie the aviation excise taxes to FAA's funding needs. AOPA developed the concept last year as an alternate to proposed user fees. AOPA President Phil Boyer said Linked Financing is "a better alternative. It keeps the current aviation funding mechanism...which has proven to be fair and efficient for almost three decades." The linked financing concept was first introduced in Congress by former Rep. Jim Lightfoot (R-Iowa).
HP137 Mk1, Series 200 and Models 3101 and 3201 airplanes (Docket No. 95-CE-10-AD; Amdt. 39-9985; AD 97-07-11) - supersedes AD 81-20- 01, which requires repetitive inspections of the nose landing gear actuator support structure and the front pressure bulkhead for cracks on HP137 Mk1 and Series 200 airplanes, and replacement of any cracked part.
JAMES HILL was appointed training center manager for Simcom International's Scottsdale, Ariz. facility. Hill, who has more than 12,000 hours of total flight time and 4,000 hours as a flight instructor, has served as a chief pilot and aviation manager for a corporate flight department and charter operation.
DASSAULT AVIATION received approval from the French airworthiness authority (DGAC) for the Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum data packages for the Falcon 900 and 900EX models. Federal Aviation Administration and European Joint Aviation Authorities approval was granted as well, Dassault said, because both agencies empowered the DGAC to provide the data package approvals. Dassault already has approval for the Falcon 2000.
KRISTINE ESTES, former manager-government and industry affairs for the National Air Transportation Association, last week joined the General Aviation Manufacturers Association as manager-technical affairs and operations. Estes replaces Molly Martin Pearce, who left the association earlier this month to become manager-marketing programs for the New Piper Aircraft. Estes previously was an aviation analyst with Washington, D.C.- based consulting firm and FAA contractor Phaneuf Associates.
The BFGoodrich Company reported sharply higher earnings for the first quarter, primarily as a result of the disposition of its Tremco, Inc. coatings and sealants business. Net income totaled $85 million - which included an after-tax gain of $59.5 million from the Tremco sale - compared with net income of $19.9 million in the first quarter last year. Income from continuing operations in the first quarter was $25.5 million, compared with $24.1 million a year ago. Sales for the quarter totaled $589.9 million, compared with $531.2 million a year earlier.
LINDA SHOAF was promoted to sales representative for BFGoodrich Avionics Systems' Military and Government Sales Group. Shoaf, who has been with the company since 1989, previously was a senior contract administrator for the Military and Government Sales Group.
ROLLS-ROYCE, which last summer decided to withdraw from the large steam power generation market, reached agreement to sell its Parsons Power Generation Systems business based in Newcastle, United Kingdom to Siemens for 30 million pounds. The sale, which includes Parsons' current aftermarket business and about 880 employees, is subject to regulatory approval. Rolls-Royce also said it continues to make progress toward the sale of its other large steam power generation business, International Combustion.
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT this month introduced a new version of its Katana aircraft, the DA20 C1, that will cruise at 134 knots with a sea level rate of climb of 1,050 feet per minute. The aircraft will be powered by the Continental IO240B engine and will have design improvements that Diamond officials said will increase maintainability, reduce service costs and provide greater cabin comfort.
CT58 series turboshaft engines (Docket No. 97-ANE-15) - proposes to require removal from service of compressor rear shafts, initial and repetitive inspections of 10 rotating parts until those parts are removed from service and replaced with improved parts. This proposal is prompted by a Stage 2 turbine wheel incident in 1993, which resulted in an increased awareness of small features on critical rotating parts that could affect part life.
JIM MCDONOUGH was appointed Southwest regional sales manager for Bombardier Aviation Services. McDonough, formerly a regional sales manager for the AR Group of companies, will be responsible for selling maintenance and modification services in Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana.
