ANTHONY BRODERICK, former FAA associate administrator for regulation and certification, agreed with industry leaders that the extended-range, twin- engine operations (ETOPS) threshold should be 180 minutes, rather than the 120 minutes proposed by the Joint Aviation Authorities. In his comments on the JAA proposal, Broderick said U.S. regulators in the past declined to impose ETOPS limitations on small commercial business jet aircraft because they "were not seen to represent a substantial safety improvement" over current regulations.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model BAe 146 and Avro 146-RJ series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-26-AD; Amdt. 39-9969; AD 97-06-12) - supersedes two existing ADs that require inspections for cracking of the upper main fitting of the nose landing gear and replacement or repair of cracked parts, if necessary. Those actions were prompted by reports of cracking in the main fittings of the nose landing gear. This amendment requires that, for certain airplanes, the inspections be accomplished at reduced intervals.
Federal Aviation Administration officials are denying assertions by industry officials that the Wide Area Augmentation System program is more than $100 million over budget and likely to climb even higher. An Air Transport Association official told Congress recently that the cost of WAAS is "rapidly approaching" $700 million. Other industry sources told BA sister publication Aviation Daily the price tag is $760 million and could reach $1.2 billion.
THE 15TH ANNUAL COMMUNICATING FOR SAFETY CONFERENCE will be held May 15-17 at the Sheraton San Marcos in Phoenix, Ariz. Co-sponsored by a number of industry groups, the conference will provide an exchange of ideas on aviation communications between pilots, air traffic controllers, FAA management, product design engineers, manufacturers and industry experts. Registration costs $99. For more information, contact Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Division of Continuing Education at (904) 226-6186.
JET AVIATION BEDFORD was appointed a Raytheon Aircraft authorized service center. The appointment authorizes the Jet Aviation facility to provide service for King Air series aircraft, Beech Model 99 airliners and all reciprocating engine aircraft. Jet Aviation Bedford, located near Boston, Mass., has performed maintenance on corporate jets, private aircraft and helicopters since 1986. It also is an authorized service center for Socata TBM 700 aircraft and McDonnell Douglas helicopters.
WAYFARER AVIATION added a Westwind II to its charter fleet. The aircraft, which will undergo a refurbishment, will be based in Morristown, N.J. and be available for charter in early June.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION proposed special conditions for a continuous power reserve (CPR) system on Jetstream Model 4101 aircraft. FAA said the special conditions will establish a level of safety equivalent to airworthiness standards of Part 25 for the CPR system. For more information, contact William Schroeder in FAA's Standardization Branch at (206) 227-2148.
PILATUS BRITTEN-NORMAN BN-2A and BN-2A Mk 111 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-CE-24-AD) - proposes to supersede AD 75-24-07 R1, which requires repetitive inspections of the left-hand rudder bar for cracks and loose fasteners, and replacement of any cracked part. FAA's policy on aging commuter-class aircraft is to eliminate certain repetitive short-interval inspections when improved parts or modifications are available.
JAMES STOTHARD joined Trimble as director of sales for the Avionics Division. Stothard, who spent more than 21 years with AlliedSignal/King Radio, most recently was director of international sales and marketing for Garmin International.
NEW PILOT RECORD-SHARING requirements are causing increasing problems in the industry and the National Air Transportation Association is encouraging its members to lobby Congress for relief. The association noted that the Federal Aviation Administration still has not provided the much needed guidance on complying with the requirements contained in the Federal Aviation Authorization Act of 1996. In addition, operators continue to complain that the agency is taking too long to respond to requests for pilot records. One operator submitted a request Jan.
CASA Model CN-235 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-126-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection for fatigue cracking around the center wing-to-fuselage attachment fitting and repair, if necessary. The proposal also would require installation of a reinforcing plate in the attachment area of the fitting. The proposal is prompted by a report from the manufacturer indicating that, during full-scale fatigue testing, cracks were found in this area.
Acting Federal Highway Administrator Jane Garvey last week emerged as a possible candidate to fill the administrator's post at the Federal Aviation Administration with George Donohue, FAA associate administrator for research and acquisitions, named as a possibility for deputy. Reports that Garvey and Donohue would be nominated began circulating Thursday, but the Clinton Administration had not made any official move as of Friday afternoon. Gen. Hansford T.
A low-cost traffic advisory system (TAS) designed for installation in general aviation aircraft is being introduced by BFGoodrich Avionics Systems at this week's Sun 'n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT'S Beechjet 400A received Public Transport Category certification from Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, the German aviation authority. The approval allows the Beechjet to be used in charter service. German operator Augusta Air, based in Augsburg, Germany, will fly the Beechjet in charter service. Augusta Air also operates Beech King Airs for charter.
KAL-AERO, Battle Creek, Mich., was authorized by Gulfstream Aerospace to provide interior and refurbishment services for all Gulfstream aircraft. Kal-Aero, which has serviced aircraft for more than 30 years, has completed interior and exterior refurbishment on all types of Gulstream aircraft, including four G-IIIs and 11 G-IVs, in the past three years. It also has received a supplemental type certificate for installation of single and dual AlliedSignal GNS-XLS flight management systems on Gulfstreams.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE announced another big order from Executive Jet International and said FAA has scheduled a type board certification meeting on the Gulfstream V business jet this Friday. See article below.
DORNIER Model 328-100 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-219-AD) - proposes to require modification of the main landing gear bay areas by installing additional slush protection covers. This proposal is prompted by the identification of a problem during flight test analysis, which indicated that slush can accumulate in the main landing gear bay areas. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent such slush accumulation, which could freeze and interfere with the landing gear or render it inoperative.
EMBRAER Models EMB-110P1 and EMB-110P2 airplanes (Docket No. 96-CE-66- AD) - proposes to supersede AD 87-03-10, which requires repetitive inspections of the fillet area of both the left and right main landing gear wheel axle/piston tube support junction area for cracks and replacement of any main landing gear wheel axle/piston tube assembly found cracked. AD 87-03-10 also provides the option of reworking this area when no cracks are found as a terminating action for the repetitive inspections.
PROFESSIONAL AVIATION ASSOCIATES purchased the assets of Air Marine Sales and Air Marine Accessories and reopened the facilities as Professional Aircraft Accessories. Located in Titusville, Fla., the facility has repair capabilities in pressurization, aircraft accessories and airframe components and will specialize in Beech King Air, 99 and 1900, Gulfstream, Lockheed C130/L100, Douglas and Boeing Aircraft. Professional Aviation Associates, a Banner Aerospace subsidiary, also announced that it appointed Aeropartes Ind. Aeron, Ltda.
Reacting to the still-unexplained midair explosion of TWA Flight 800 last July, the Federal Aviation Administration Thursday asked the industry to comment on a series of National Transportation Safety Board recommendations aimed at reducing the likelihood of airplane fuel tank ignition.
SAAB 340B and 2000 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-177-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection to determine if switches are installed on the fire handle panel of the fire handle assembly, and replacement of the fire handle panel, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by a report indicating that during manufacture a batch of defective switches was installed on certain fire handle panels. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to ensure the proper switches are installed in the fire handle assembly.
BARBARA BAUER joined the Fort Lauderdale Jet Center as customer service supervisor. Bauer, who has 17 years of aviation experience, spent the past six years with Banyan Air Service, where she was hired as a customer service representative and later became customer service supervisor.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD Chairman Jim Hall said his agency is concerned about aircraft accident rates derived from aircraft activity statistics collected by FAA. Addressing last week's National Air Transportation Association convention in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Hall said NTSB staffers have been told to work more closely with FAA to scrutinize the accuracy of the information. He added that the board plans to discuss the issue with aircraft insurance companies, which develop their own accident rate data.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model Avro 146-RJ series airplanes (Docket No. 97- NM-05-AD) - proposes to require modification of the electrical system in the equipment bay area by replacing certain cables, clamps and fairleads.
ALLAN JIRON was named director of marketing for Menasco Aviation Services, Ltd. Jiron joined the landing gear overhaul unit in 1979 as plating supervisor and has held positions of increasing responsibility . Most recently, he was technical marketing manager.
