In a move that drew opposition from the general aviation industry, the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security last week called for a user fee system to replace the current excise tax system to fund the Federal Aviation Administration. The recommendation was one of several that the commission made in its final report addressing aviation safety, security and air traffic control standards. President Clinton Wednesday called the commission's final report a "clear plan of action" for raising those standards.
MARK J. MATTHES was named vice president of corporate services for Duncan Aviation, Lincoln, Neb. Matthes, who had been vice president for First Data Resources in Omaha, Neb., will be responsible for the production support areas of Duncan, including facility management, human resources management, information systems, flight department and line services.
THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY has gone on record opposing FAA's new restrictions on air tour flights over the Grand Canyon National Park. The Travel and Tourism Government Affairs Council, an affiliate of the Travel Industry Association of America, told FAA its new Grand Canyon rule "seems to be an extreme reaction to a minor problem. We are extremely disappointed with the fact that this rule has been adopted." The council said its concern stems "from the fact that the decision to impose a rule was made despite a very small number of complaints received from consumers.
JETSTREAM Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-97-AD) - requires a one-time inspection for damage caused by arcing and overheating of the electrical ground posts ("earth posts") and ground cables for the direct current (DC) power generation and propeller de-icing systems of the left and right engines; and repair and replacement, if necessary. The AD also requires the eventual replacement of earth posts with new posts.
AVIATION CHARTER SERVICES won approval from the Indianapolis, Ind. Airport Authority to buuild an additional storage hangar for its aircraft management and charter operation at the Indianapolis International Airport. The new hangar will more than double ACS's space and permit storage of aircraft as large as Gulfstream Vs.
BOMBARDIER, a 51-percent stakeholder in de Havilland, purchased the remaining 49 percent owned by the Province of Ontario for $49 million. Bombardier and the Government of Ontario in January 1992 originally purchased the Downsview, Ontario regional manufacturer from Boeing, but Bombardier obtained the right to buy the Province of Ontario's interest between Feb. 1, 1996 and Jan. 31, 1997. Bombardier issued the Province of Ontario a 15-year promissory note bearing seven percent interest.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 070 and 0100 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM- 29-AD) - revises an earlier proposed AD that would have required a one-time operational test of the pitot heating system, and repair or replacement of failed elements. That action also proposed to require the replacement of the pitot heating system with a new improved system. The new AD would revise the proposal by adding a requirement to install power supply wiring with increased gauge thickness and a circuit breaker with an increased amperage rating.
ALLIEDSIGNAL AEROSPACE won FAA certification for McDonnell Douglas' MD Explorer helicopters to fly under instrument flight rules (IFR) when equipped with an IFR package developed by AlliedSignal. The avionics package includes a flight control system, electronic flight instrument system (EFIS), global positioning system, transponder, automatic direction finder, distance measuring equipment and dual navigation and communication radios.
ENVIROVAC, INC., Rockford, Ill., is providing a vacuum toilet system as a customer option for the Gulfstream V very long-range business jet. "Passenger comfort issues such as the elimination of odors, coupled with a toilet's reliability and service convenience, increase in importance as aircraft fly longer distances," said Walt Peters, director of airframe programs at Envirovac. "On a longer flight, a toilet is used more often. Problems that people will put up with for three hours can become intolerable on an eight-hour flight."
WAYFARER AVIATION contracted with Aviation Research Group/U.S., Inc., (ARG/US) of Cincinnati, Ohio to provide benchmarking analysis services for the White Plains, N.Y. charter and aircraft management firm. ARG/US specializes in providing information and market research services to companies that operate, finance, charter, support and manufacture corporate aircraft and also provides a variety of advisory services including fleet planning cost analysis and financial/operational benchmarking.
Several legislators this month indicated a desire to change the current funding system for the Federal Aviation Administration, but were undecided on what form that change would take. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer (R-Texas) said he believes the aviation community "needs a new [tax] formula" that he would like to take effect Oct. 1 and challenged the aviation industry to agree on a new tax formula. "I want to send word to the airline industry to come up with a consensus replacement formula for these taxes," Archer said.
SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), who said late last year that product liability reform is at the top of his legislative agenda, plans to hold hearings to discuss the effectiveness of the General Aviation Revitalization Act. The hearings are expected to be held later this month and early next month.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION appointed Anne Harlan director of the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, N.J. Harlan, who was deputy director of the Technical Center, joined FAA in 1982 as a human relations specialist and has held positions of increasing responsibility, including special assistant to the New England regional administrator and acting assistant manager for the New England Flight Standards Division. Before joining the agency, she was a senior management consultant at McBer and Co.
American Eurocopter Corp. (AEC), pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va. last week to fraud and making false statements to government officials in connection with a helicopter sale to Israel, and the company agreed to pay nearly $25 million in fines and penalties to resolve the matter.
GEORGE NELSON was appointed acting executive director of the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS), Jackson, Mich. His appointment follows the departure of Robert F. (Rick) Nadeau, who served as ICAS executive director and then president for 11 years, before leaving last month to pursue other interests. Nelson retired in December from the U.S. Air Force where his most recent assignment was with the Air Combat Command at Langley AFB, where he served as chief of aerial events.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION last week reached its 50th anniversary since incorporation in New York City in 1947. The association is planning to kick off its official anniversary celebration during the 50th Annual Meeting&Convention Sept. 23-25 in Dallas, Texas. In addition, it will release 50th anniversary editions of its Directory of Member Companies, Aircraft&Personnel and Business Aviation Fact Book.
At the insistence of Justice Department officials concerned about a possible reduction in the number of fixed-base operations at the West Palm Beach, Fla. International Airport (PBI), Signature Flight Support agreed to sell its base there in order to complete the acquisition of International Aviation Services, with bases at Teterboro, N.J. (TEB), White Plains, N.Y. (HPN) and PBI.
PILATUS BRITTEN-NORMAN LTD. BN-2, BN-2A and BN-2B series airplanes (Docket No. 96-CE-33-AD) - applies to BN-2, BN-2A and BN-2B airplanes that do not have generator terminal diodes installed with Modification NB/M/1571. This action requires removing the terminal diodes that have a 70 amp direct current (DC) generation system, which is referred to in Modification NB/M/1148, and installing Modification NB/M/1571, which consists of new terminal diodes with a higher amp rating. Reports from operators that one or both diodes were failing prompted the action.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION had not responded, as of Friday, to a request by air tour operators for a stay of new restrictions on commercial overflights at Grand Canyon National Park. The attorney representing the air tour operators had asked FAA to respond by Feb. 14 to the request for a stay of the new restrictions (BA, Feb. 3/45), citing the potential economic impact and safety implications of the new rules.
Sextant Avionique and SFIM are debuting a new generation of IFR helicopter avionics that feature active matrix LCD flat-panel displays. Four 4-by 5-inch display screens split between the right and left sides of the instrument panel provide electronic attitude director indicator (EADI) and electronic horizontal situation indicator (EHSI) functions. An optional fifth display screen, mounted in the center of the panel, operates as a multifunction display and provides a back-up to the EADI and EHSI screens.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) last week introduced legislation that calls for the Secretary of Interior to develop, and the Federal Aviation Administration to implement, a national parks overflight policy. The bill would direct the Secretary of Interior to submit to FAA recommendations "to protect public health and safety," to protect national park resources, to preserve natural quiet and prevent resource impairment from aircraft overflights at national parks.
American Eurocopter's David Smith stepped down as president and chief executive officer to take administrative leave in order to prepare his defense against a recent government indictment (BA, Feb. 3/50). Francois Guisolphe, vice president of Eurocopter participations, will take over as interim president.
BELL Model 214B, 214B-1 and 214ST helicopters (Docket No.94-SW-26-AD) - proposes to supersede an existing AD that establishes a mandatory retirement life of 60,000 high-power events for the main transmission upper planetary carrier. This action would require changing the method of calculating retirement life for the carrier from high-power events to a maximum accumulated Retirement Index Number of 120,000.
BUSINESS AIRCRAFT ACCESS to Japan will increase if that nation's Ministry of Transport goes ahead with plans to permit business aircraft operators to use a new 3,000-meter runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The close-in airport has been limited to domestic flights by Japanese carriers and government aircraft, but the new runway - set to open March 27 - is expected to be available for both international charter flights and business jets.
A commercial operator would be able to display its operating certificate number, rather than the name of the certificate holder, on the outside of its aircraft, under an FAA proposal published last week. The proposal, published in the Feb. 3 Federal Register, is part of several changes FAA plans to make to its new Part 119 regulation (BA, Jan. 20/23).
