HEXCEL CORP. reached agreement on a new contract with the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union (OCAW) that represents production and maintenance workers at Hexcel's Salt Lake City, Utah facility. The agreement ends a strike that began Nov. 2. Hexcel said it planned to begin recalling some striking workers last month, with the remainder to be placed on a preferential hiring list.
BOB AGNEW, a former Northwest Airlines executive, joined Morten Beyer and Associates, the McLean, Va. aviation consultants. Agnew will concentrate on government relations, planning and computerized programs.
STANDARD&POOR'S assigned its single 'B' plus rating to the $100 million (U.S.) in senior unsecured notes to be issued by Derlan Manufacturing Inc., a subsidiary of Derlan Industries Ltd. Derlan, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, plans to use the $100 million as part of a refinancing program (BA, Jan. 13/18).
WAYFARER AVIATION added a new Hawker 800XP to its management fleet. The White Plains, N.Y. charter and management operator said the 1996 model Hawker was purchased "by a Wayfarer client who sold his aircraft several years ago and chose to repurchase late in 1996."
HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL scheduled open forums on two controversial topics at its HELI-EXPO convention and industry exhibit this week in Anaheim, Calif. A two-hour session today (Feb. 3) on new restrictions on Grand Canyon overflights will feature acting FAA Administrator Barry Valentine, who was FAA's point man in collaborating with Interior Department officials on the new overflight regulations. A Feb. 4 session will discuss the use of surplus military aircraft by public and government agencies.
A "NATIONAL SURVEY" being distributed by the National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) as part of a membership solicitation effort asks for responses to a series of 11 questions dealing with national park policy. Question No. 9 asks: "At national parks like Grand Canyon and Great Smoky Mountains, companies offer low-flying airplane or helicopter sightseeing trips. Some people think these flights should be limited or banned because the noise detracts from some visitors' park experiences.
RICHARD WIGGINS was named PT6A/TPE331 regional engine service manager for Dallas Airmotive. Wiggins, who has 19 years of turbine engine and airframe experience, will be based in Charlotte, N.C. and be responsible for the Southeast territory.
FLS AEROSPACE OA7 Optica series 300 airplanes (Docket No. 96-CE-12-AD ; Amdt. 39-9865; AD 96-26-02) - requires, for Optica series 300 airplanes equipped with a Hoffman fan (Part Number HO-E315/122EZ) and fan shaft extensions, replacement of the fan shaft extension with one that incorporates Modification No. B2/MOD/O47. The AD results from a quality control review that shows that the four counterbores on the fan shaft extension to engine attachment flange have excessive depths.
MAGELLAN AEROSPACE CORP., Toronto, Ontario, said three of its operating companies won contracts totalling $62.5 million (Canadian) from customers in Canada, the U.S. and Venezuela. The orders include $14 million in new business from Rolls-Royce, Pratt&Whitney and AlliedSignal for turbine engine components, $4 million for Orenda Aerospace from the U.S.
BELL Model 214ST helicopters (Docket No. 94-SW-28-AD) - proposes to require creation of a component history card using a Retirement Index Number (RIN) system, would establish a system for tracking increases to the accumulated RIN, and would establish a maximum accumulated RIN for the pillowblock bearing bolts.
MULTI SERVICE, the Overland Park, Kan., distributor of aviation credit cards, published its 1997 North American and International directories, which list the 3,700 domestic and international locations where the Multi Service Card can be used. The company said its credit cards are used by more than 6,000 corporate flight departments.
Bombardier Regional Aircraft Division received orders for 12 Canadair Regional Jet Series 200 ER aircraft from United Express carrier Atlantic Coast Airlines in a deal valued at more than $240 million (U.S.), the companies announced last week. The order, which includes options for up to 36 more CRJs, calls for deliveries to begin in July and continue through September 1998.
PILATUS BRITTEN-NORMAN delivered a BN2T Islander turboprop to Aviazur, a commuter operator in New Caledonia. The new Islander will replace Aviazur's BN2A piston-powered aircraft. Powered by Allison 250-B17C turboprops, the BN2T has a range of 250 nautical miles with a full payload of nine passengers under high ambient temperatures. Aviazur will use the aircraft for commuter and air taxi service within New Caledonia as well as for service to nearby Ile des Pins and Loyalty Islands in the South Pacific.
WHITE HOUSE COMMISSION on Aviation Safety and Security is expected to review this week a draft of its recommendations and release them in mid- February. The draft recommendations are expected to be fairly general and address aviation safety, security, air traffic control modernization and FAA reform. The commission report is expected to support a user fee system, federal responsibility for civil aviation security and government- industry partnerships. See related article below.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT Jan. 18 handed over the first 172 Skyhawk built at its new Independence, Kan. factory to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, marking the first such delivery in more than a decade. AOPA also will take delivery of the first new 182 Skylane.
DE HAVILLAND Model DHC-7 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-257-AD; Amdt. 39-9859; AD 96-25-16) - requires modification of the power control relay installation of the emergency lights. This amendment also requires revising the FAA-approved airplane flight manual to include procedures for turning off and on the emergency lights switch in certain conditions.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 0070 and 0100 series airplanes (Docket No. 96- NM-273-AD; Amdt. 39-9866; AD 96-26-03) - supersedes an existing AD that requires a revision to the airplane flight manual that will enable the flightcrew to determine if the thrust reversers are properly stowed and locked before takeoff. In addition, the existing AD requires a revision to the maintenance program to incorporate instructions to perform checks of the thrust reverser system and correct thrust reverser malfunctions.
ALONG WITH the April 9 deadline for filing survivor assistance plans, Part 135 scheduled carriers operating 10- to 19-seat aircraft also are confronted with a March 20 deadline to transition to Part 121 and all air carriers must begin collecting records of applicants seeking new pilot jobs after Feb. 6 - another congressional mandate. RAA President Walt Coleman said one of his top priorities for 1997 is raising the consciousness of federal regulators about the cumulative burden regulations impose.
TRANSPORT CANADA has proposed prohibiting sightseeing flights within the Quebec City control zone or from Lac St-Augustin beginning Jan. 1, 1998, unless operators receive prior permission from the agency. The restriction covers a 13-kilometer radius from Jean Lesage International Airport that could be extended to 18 kilometers in the Levis area to encompass most of the urban Quebec City area. Transport Canada plans to consult with the Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council and hopes to adopt the regulation by the end of 1997.
Rowan Companies, Inc., a major provider of offshore aviation services to oil and gas producers, reported substantial improvements in earnings for the quarter and 12-month periods ended Dec. 31. Earnings for the quarter were $23.6 million on revenues of $152.5 million, compared with net income of $6.3 million on revenues of $126.7 million a year earlier. The results are even more striking for the full year.
DE HAVILLAND Model DHC-7 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-265-AD; Amdt. 39-9851; AD 96-25-08) - requires a review of the airplane maintenance records to determine if any insulation blankets have been repaired or changed during service, and various follow-on actions, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by reports of corrosion forming on areas of the airplane structure where black film thermal insulation blankets are used.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD, directed by Congress last fall under the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act to take the lead in assisting families of victims of airline accidents, last week met with industry and other government officials to discuss its interim plans for complying with the congressional mandate.A safety board official maintained that the family assistance requirements should not be a problem to implement, but he added that it would probably require the addition of "several" new staff members.Scheduled airlines face an April 9 deadline to submit
COOPER AVIATION INDUSTRIES moved its California office and warehouse into expanded facilities. The new address and phone numbers are: Cooper Aviation Supply Co., 1250 Aviation Ave., Suite 100, San Jose, Calif. 95110 ; telephone: (408) 938-9165; fax: (408) 938-9166; order line: (800) 934-2200.
