GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION is trying to drum up support for a European extended twin-engine operations (ETOPS) threshold of 180 minutes for business jets used in commercial operations. The Joint Aviation Authorities in March 1995 included European commercial business jets in its ETOPS limitations of 60 minutes and is considering extending that to 120 minutes for commercial turbine aircraft with fewer than 19 seats and weighing less than 100,000 pounds.
Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines plans to purchase 30 Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) aircraft and place options for up to 60 more in an order that would mark the largest CRJ sale to date, Bombardier said last week. The Canadian manufacturer valued the firm orders, which pend a definitive agreement expected to be signed shortly, at $600 million (U.S.). If all options were exercised, the value of the contract could reach $1.8 billion, a spokesman said. Deliveries are expected to begin in August and continue at a rate of one per month.
RAYTHEON Model 400A, 400T (Military T-1A), and 400T (Military TX) series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-158-AD; Amdt. 39-9845; AD 96-25-03) - supersedes an existing AD that requires an inspection of certain flap roller retention components for discrepant or missing parts, replacement of those parts, and installation of new washers on the roller attach bolts. This amendment requires the replacement of certain previously-installed washers with new and stronger washers. This amendment also expands the applicability of the rule to include additional airplanes.
TED LAWRENCE was appointed to the technical sales team for Stevens Aviation in Atlanta, Ga. Lawrence, who has over 30 years in sales and marketing of corporate aircraft and technical services, previously served with Midcoast Aviation, Falcon Jet Corp. and Jet Aviation. In his new position, Lawrence will primarily focus on Falcon and Hawker aircraft.
ISRAEL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES Model 1123, 1124 and 1124A series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-173-AD; Amdt. 39-9835; AD 96-24-11) - requires repetitive inspections of the aileron push-pull tubes for excessive wear and the guide rollers for smooth rotation; and repair or replacement of the worn parts with serviceable parts. This amendment is prompted by reports of excessive wear on the aileron push-pull tub in the area of the guide rollers.
RICHARD MANNELLO was appointed vice president and general manager of Holometrix. Mannello most recently served as director of marketing, sales and engineering at Holometrix. He also has served as manager of marketing at Loral Infrared&Imaging Systems and Honeywell Electro-Optics Division.
CHC HELICOPTER CORP., St. John's, Newfoundland, said its United Kingdom unit, British International, won a contract from Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd., to provide helicopter services, in support of Talisman's North Sea operations at the Beatrice, Buchan and Clyde fields. The multi-million dollar contract is for two years, with an option thereafter. British International's main North Sea base at Aberdeen, Scotland will support Talisman's operations with a variety of helicopters including the AS332L Super Puma, Sikorsky S61N and Sikorsky S76A.
The National Transportation Safety Board, having found that rescuers were unable to open the door of a Beech 1900C that was involved in a collision, issued an urgent recommendation to operators of those aircraft to paint more conspicuous door-opening instructions on the exterior of the planes. The board's action resulted from its continuing investigation of Nov. 19 fatal runway collision between a Beech 1900C that had just landed at Quincy, Ill., and a King Air A90 that was on its takeoff roll (BA, Nov.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, noting recent government actions to restrict airspace around national parks, said the actions are part of a "disturbing shift of responsibility for airspace management," that could have serious consequences for general aviation.
RAYTHEON'S Engineers&Constructors unit reached an agreement to acquire the assets of Denver, Colo.-based Isbill Associates, an airport design firm that has worked for customers including Denver International Airport and Stapleton Airport, Indianapolis Airport, and St. Louis's Lambert Field. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Raytheon said Isbill will augment its Raytheon Airport Services unit's design and con-struction capabilities.
Federal Aviation Administration this month revised an airworthiness directive to require inspection and possible replacement of the crankshaft on thousands of Textron Lycoming engines in a move that the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said will save piston aircraft owners millions of dollars. In a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking issued Jan. 3, FAA reduced the scope of the proposal to certain Lycoming O-320 and O-360 series engines, eliminating about 36,000 aircraft from the applicability of the AD.
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE last week confirmed that Reps. John Duncan (R-Tenn.) and William Lipinski (D-Ill.) will continue as chairman and ranking Democrat, respectively, on the House aviation subcommittee. Full committee leadership also remains unchanged with Rep.
CRAIG SIMTH was promoted to senior vice president of Wyle Laboratories. Smith joined Wyle in August 1995 as vice president of finance/chief financial officer. Before that, he served as vice president of planning and control for The Disney Channel.
The Federal Aviation Administration notified operators of Cessna Model 560 aircraft - Citation V and Ultras - to incorporate certain operating limitations and procedures during approach and landing in icing conditions to avoid the possibility of an uncommanded roll.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION this month issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring operators of 737 aircraft to adopt procedures it said will enable flightcrews to maintain control in an uncom- manded yaw or roll. The agency said the probability of either event is "remote" and termed the AD a precautionary measure, but it requires new procedures to be in place within 30 days to address a jammed or restricted flight control. FAA said "no anomalies" have been detected following its Nov.
SAAB 2000 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-236-AD) - proposes to require a visual inspection to determine if rudder disconnection has occurred, and replacement of the disconnect unit with a new disconnect unit, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by reports that, due to the existing design, the disconnect unit of the rudder disconnect system inadvertently opened on some airplanes.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD was engaged in wreckage recovery operations Friday at the site of Thursday afternoon's crash of an Embraer EMB-120 turboprop operated by Delta Connection carrier Comair. The aircraft had been en route to Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Cincinnati when it crashed near Ida, Mich., southwest of Detroit. All three crew members and 26 passengers were killed.
LYNSTAR AVIATION CHARTERS, INC., Morristown, N.J., added a five-passenger, twin-engine Bell 230 turbine helicopter to its charter certificate, which also includes an Agusta 109A Mk II.
National Business Aircraft Association criticized a proposal by the White House Office of Management and Budget that calls for eliminating all general fund contributions to the FAA beginning in 1999, at which time FAA funding would be entirely dependent on user fees.
Former FAA Administrators Najeeb Halaby and Langhorne Bond wrote to President Clinton last week asking him to name former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Carl Vogt as FAA Administrator.
BILL BLOUGH was named director of materials quality assurance for materials management for AlliedSignal Aerospace. Blough will oversee supplier quality and capability and performance.
UNIVERSAL AVIONICS SYSTEMS received FAA technical standard order approval for its latest software version, SCN 23, for the UNS-1M navigation management system. The version also received initial FAA supplemental type certification on a Beech King Air C90 aircraft. The software enhancements include the ability to fly holding patterns, build flight plans using airways, access references for navaids and airports, and display range and bearing to the closest airports.
