ANN HODGES, of the Washington, D.C. law firm Shaw Pittman Potts&Trowbridge and a former lobbyist with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, was named counsel for the Senate aviation subcommittee. Hodges, who will assume her new position after Congress reconvenes in January, was senior director of congressional affairs for AOPA before joining Shaw Pittman in late 1993.
AlliedSignal, Inc. purchased the zirconium products business of Cabot Corp., a line of business involved in the manufacture of aluminum for aircraft. AlliedSignal said the acquisition involves Cabot's potassium zirconium fluoride ("salt" or potassium hexafluorozirconate) and hydrofluorozirconic acid ("acid" or hexafluorozirconic acid) products that Cabot now produces at a Boyertown, Pa., plant.
The National Transportation Safety Board, under congressional mandate, has proposed an accident severity classification system for airline accidents. Congress required NTSB to develop an improved classification system to measure the level of safety of airline transportation under the Federal Aviation Authorization Act of 1996. The NTSB proposal, which specifically deals with airline operations under Part 121, defines four categories:
The European Commission (EC) wants to establish a new European organization responsible for civil aviation safety that would have sufficient clout to counterbalance the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, officials said Tuesday during a meeting in Strasbourg, Austria.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model BAe 146-100A, -200A and -300A series airplanes and Model Avro 146-RJ70A, -RJ85A and RJ100A airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM- 251-AD; Amdt. 39-9794; AD 96-22-05) - requires a one-time inspection of terminal block D to ensure that a two-way link is installed, and installation of a new link, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by a report indicating that a two-way link that should be installed on direct current panel No. 1 may be missing from certain airplanes.
L&S Machine Company, Inc., a Wichita manufacturer of structural components for the aerospace industry, was sold by its parent company, Axsys Technologies Inc., to Tru-Circle Manufacturing Inc. The $13.3 million purchase price, which is subject to a post-closing adjustment, includes the assumption of approximately $1.8 million in long-term capitalized leases. Axsys acquired L&S as part of its April 25 purchase of Precision Aerotech, Inc.
REDUCED VERTICAL SEPARATION MINIMUMS (RVSM) over the North Atlantic will be implemented March 27, 1997, according to a decision by the Implementation Management Group of the International Civil Aviation Organization's North Atlantic Systems Planning Group, which met last week in Lisbon, Portugal. The new RVSM requirement, which will reduce vertical separation between aircraft from the current 2,000 feet to 1,000 feet, imposes new equipment standards to ensure that separation is maintained.
BELL Model 206L-1 helicopters (Docket No. 95-SW-35-AD; Amdt. 39-9806; AD 96-23-01) - requires, for helicopters that have a Kratos turbine outlet temperature indicator installed, replacement of certain indicators. This amendment is prompted by manufacturer's tests and FAA analyses that show certain Kratos indicators may incorrectly provide low-temperature readings when the battery voltage is below 10 volts.
ROLLS-ROYCE CANADA signed a six-year exclusive agreement with BMW Rolls- Royce to provide maintenance and flight-line support to North American operators of BR710 engines that power the Gulfstream V and Bombardier Global Express aircraft. The Canadian engine company expects to open a new 6,000-square-foot shop dedicated to the BR710 at its Montreal, Quebec facility early next year. Rolls-Royce Canada employs some 1,000 people and provides maintenance service for more than 600 airline, corporate, military and industrial engines and engine modules each year.
A review of the presidental air fleet has found "high degrees of safety when compared to civil fleets and other military fleets of aircraft," the Pentagon said last week. The review team, headed by retired Vice Adm. and former FAA Administrator Don Engen (BA, Sept.
UPS will conduct the first passenger charter flights on newly converted 727s in February, a spokesman said. UPS has lined up three charters in February - the first with Royal Travel between Pittsburgh and Orlando, the second with TNT Travel between Pittsburgh and Aruba, and the third with Vacation Express between Louisville-Cincinnati-Cancun.
BRIAN E. BARENTS, who recently was named president and chief executive of Galaxy Aerospace Corp. (BA, Nov. 25/244), was elected a member of the board of Kaman Corp., Bloomfield, Conn. Kaman is a widely diversified manufacturer of high technology products for the commercial, industrial and defense markets, including its new K-MAX utility helicopter.
Any user fee system should cover a wide range of costs from FAA and should take into account the views of all affected parties "not just any particular group of airlines," the General Account Office said in a Dec. 9 report to Congress. The report, "Airport and Airway Trust Fund - Issues Raised by Proposal to Replace the Airline Ticket Tax," noted the concept of charging users fees has become "increasingly attractive" in the current budget climate.
President Clinton's Office of Management and Budget is proposing that the Federal Aviation Administration be financed entirely through user fees, beginning in fiscal 1999. OMB, responding to the Transportation Department's preliminary fiscal 1998 budget request, also proposes a fiscal 1998 FAA budget of $8.318 billion, 6.7 percent below the DOT request. Of that total, $500 million would come from user fees. OMB said that when FAA transitions to full user-fee funding, both public and private users of the system would be charged.
Atlantic Coast Airlines said it will install the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), Flight Management System (FMS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) on its entire fleet of Jetstream aircraft, beginning next month. The airline operates 29 Jetstream 32s and 28 Jetstream 41s. The ACARS, FMS, and GPS systems, manufactured by AlliedSignal, use VHF radio frequencies. The entire package "will elevate our safety in the most positive way," said Tom Moore, senior vice president-operations and maintenance for ACA.
Federal Aviation Administration this month strengthened its standards for the maximum allowable carbon dioxide concentration on transport category aircraft. FAA, which formerly allowed a three percent concentration of CO2, has reduced the permissible concentration to 0.5 percent. "The origins of the three percent limit are unclear, but it is likely the limit was set at this high level to account for the discharge of CO2 fire extinguishers in the flight deck, cabin or cargo compartment," FAA said.
Bombardier, which announced plans just six weeks ago to acquire the aircraft completion business of Innotech Aviation, said last week the purchase has been successfully concluded (BA, Nov. 11/218). The completion business will continue to operate at its existing location on Montreal's Dorval International Airport and will be called Bombardier Completion Centre, Inc.
Members of the National Association of State Aviation Officials began contacting House and Senate members last week asking them to support efforts to quickly reinstate federal aviation excise taxes that will expire Dec. 31. "The 105th Congress must make the temporary reinstatement of the excise taxes one of its highest priorities," said Henry Ogrodzinski, NASAO's president and chief executive. "We are facing a fiscal crisis that threatens aviation safety.
K-C AVIATION is expanding the aircraft painting facilities at both its Dallas, Texas, and Appleton, Wis., operations. Construction of a 35,000- square-foot, $3.75 million paint hangar is under way at Appleton. The project will include environmental control equipment, a fire protection system and a 16,800-square-foot paint booth within the hangar that will accommodate a Bombardier Global Express or Gulfstream V business jet.
GARY HARTWIG was promoted to general manager for K-C Aviation's Appleton, Wis. facility. Hartwig, who has served with K-C Aviation since 1976, formerly was director of service operations.
A decision by Signature Flight Support and Dallas Airmotive to submit a joint bid for a new fixed-base operation contract in Philadelphia has led to a decision by Signature parent BBA Group to buy the Dallas, Texas-based engine overhaul company for $289 million. The due diligence process is under way, and officials hope to conclude the agreement in the first quarter of 1997.
CATHLEEN STOKER was named manager, courseware development for SimuFlite Training International. Stoker previously was a senior trainer for NETCOM On-Line Communications Services and also has held management positions with Training Systems, Inc. and Hughes Training, Inc.
NASA scheduled a signing ceremony today featuring engine manufacturers Williams International and Teledyne Continental, which were selected as part of NASA's General Aviation Propulsion program to develop new engine technologies for aircraft application.
PILATUS Model PC-6 airplanes (Docket No. 95-CE-85-AD; Amdt. 39-9801; AD 96-22-13) - requires inspection for loose or sheared rivets in the hinge brackets on the horizontal stabilizer and inspection for incorrect spacing tolerance of the hinge brackets. If the rivets are found loose or sheared, the AD requires replacing the rivet. The AD also requires repositioning of the hinge brackets, if found incorrectly spaced. This action is prompted by several reports of rivets shearing on the hinge brackets.
