FEDERICO PENA finally announced his resignation as Secretary of Transportation Wednesday, a move that most elements of the aviation community view as good news. Pena, the former Denver mayor who oversaw the construction of the costly Denver International Airport, observed that "after 16 years of public service, it's time for me to find new challenges in the private sector." See related article below.
ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL signed an agreement to form a venture with Chinese partners to develop global positioning system navigation receivers. The limited liability firm, Shanghai Rockwell Collins Navigation and Communications Equipment Co., will provide handheld, maritime and commercial vehicle equipment to the Chinese market.
LOUIS CHENEVERT was named executive vice president-operations at Pratt&Whitney, succeeding Mark Coran, who will retire early next year. Chenevert, currently vice president-operations at Pratt&Whitney Canada, will take over management of material planning and manufacturing for all of Pratt&Whitney's large commercial and military engines, which Coran has led since 1991. He joined Pratt&Whitney Canada in 1993 after 14 years with General Motors. P&W President Karl J.
ROBINSON Model R44 helicopters (Docket No. 96-SW-25-AD; Amdt. 39-9779 ; Ad 96-18-22) - publishes an AD previously sent to all known U.S. owners and operators of the affected helicopters. The AD requires an inspection of the mating surfaces of the main rotor gearbox components for pitting, elongated bolt holes or machining grooves and replacement of the gearbox if elongated bolt holes, machining grooves or an improper amount of pitting is discovered. The AD also requires replacement of the 18 bolts and washers that attach the gear and the gear carrier assembly.
JETSTREAM Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-85-AD) - proposes to require an inspection to determine the thickness of the intercostal that attaches the third crew member seat to the floor structure in the flight compartment, and replacement, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by a report from the manufacturer indicating that intercostals have been installed that are not of sufficient thickness (and consequent strength) to support the third crew member seat during emergency landing dynamic conditions.
Raytheon Aircraft this week will launch the largest and priciest aircraft in its product line, a $14.5 million "Hawker Horizon" business jet targeted for the super mid-size market. While a member of the Hawker family that Raytheon acquired from British Aerospace in 1993, the Horizon will be a "clean sheet" aircraft that incorporates experience gained from the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System competition and technology used for the Premier program, the company said.
BOEING AND BELL HELICOPTER will announce the launch of a civil version of their vertical takeoff and landing tiltrotor today (Monday) at the National Air and Space Museum. The two companies have been developing the military V-22 Osprey for the armed forces for years, and Boeing recently delivered the first engineering and manufacturing fuselage article to Bell.
PIPER Models PA-31, PA-31-325, PA-31-350 and PA-31P airplanes (Docket No. 96-CE-29-AD) - proposes to supersede AD 81-11-04 that applies to certain PA-31 airplanes that have Cleveland nose wheel assembly Part Number 40-76B installed. The AD requires inspections of the nose wheel flange for cracks and allows the inspection requirement to be terminated when the nose wheel assembly is replaced. Since the AD was issued, the nose wheel on a Piper Model PA-31P airplane failed while taxiing. The aircraft was not covered by the AD.
The number of business jet accidents worldwide during the first 10 months of 1996 was down slightly compared with last year, but the number of fatalities in those accidents more than doubled, according to statistics compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates, Inc., of Boca Raton, Fla. The Breiling report listed 22 accidents, eight fatal accidents and 58 deaths during the first 10 months of 1996, compared with 25 accidents, six fatal mishaps and 24 fatalities in the same period in 1995.
CASA Model CN-235 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-76-AD) - proposes to require repetitive eddy current inspections to detect fatigue cracks in the nose landing gear turning tube, and replacement of cracked tubes. This proposal is prompted by a report of the failure of a nose landing gear turning tube during landing roll. The failure was attributed to fatigue cracking in the turning tube.
The Federal Communications Commission last week permanently abolished radio licensing requirements and fees for domestic aircraft radios. FCC last spring temporarily eliminated the requirement, pending final action, for private aircraft owners to register aircraft radio equipment every 10 years and pay a fee of up to $115 per transmitter (BA, April 22/187). The final rule, published in the Nov. 12 Federal Register, is more expansive than the proposal, abolishing the licensing requirements for all aircraft radios used domestically.
Former Transportation Secretary Sam Skinner, retiring Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.) and Cessna Chairman Russ Meyer were tapped by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association as "excellent candidates" for the National Civil Aviation Review Commission called for in the Federal Aviation Authorization Act to study FAA funding sources.
Sino-Swearingen Aircraft Company, attempting to bring the SJ30 entry- level business jet from a development program into production, conducted a first flight of the SJ30-2 prototype this month from the company's headquarters at San Antonio International Airport. The aircraft flew for one hour and 31 minutes on Nov. 8 with pilots Carl Pascarell and R.J. Blackwell at the controls. Despite the tight schedule, the company hopes to be able to fly the prototype to Orlando, Fla. for display at this week's National Business Aircraft Association convention.
The National Air Transportation Association last week urged the Department of Transportation to exclude the on-demand segment from a proposed requirement to collect certain passenger manifest information, saying the proposal is designed for large scheduled airlines and "does not in any way address the justification for the tremendous costs associated with this initiative." The proposal, issued in September, would require air charters as well as scheduled airlines to collect and submit to DOT basic information about passengers traveling to or from international destina
The National Association of State Aviation Officials, which just recently named a new head of its Washington, D.C. area headquarters office, has realigned the organizational structure of the association.
JAN BRECHT-CLARK was appointed deputy director of the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Research. Brecht-Clark joined FAA nearly six years ago and most recently was technical assistant to the director of aviation research. She holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.
The National Transportation Safety Board is pursuing several lines of inquiry in the ongoing investigation of the Oct. 30 fatal Gulfstream IV accident at Pal-Waukee Airport as investigators attempt to answer two basic questions: why did the Alberto-Culver aircraft depart the runway; and, why wasn't the crew able to stop the business jet in time to prevent a catastrophic accident? The 1988 model Gulfstream, N23AC, carried an executive of the AON Corp. bound for Burbank, Calif., from Chicago.
REPRESENTATIVES of nine African airlines will attend this week's NBAA convention in Orlando, following five days in Wichita, Kan. The African delegation includes representatives from the following airlines: Privair (Morocco); Air Mali, (Mali); Entrean Airlines (Eritrea); Sabin Air (Mozambique); SAL (Angola); Legend of Nile (Egypt); Egypt Air (Egypt); Soba Air (Senegal); and Tunisavia (Tunisia). While in Wichita, the group met with officials of Aircraft Instrument and Radio Co., Boeing, Cessna, Learjet, Matrix Aviation and Raytheon Aircraft.
COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO, Calif., broke ground for a new 15,000-square-foot general aviation terminal this month at Mather Airport. The new $2.5 million terminal will be located at the site of Trajen Flight Support's former building. Trajen will be the primary tenant. McCuen Properties will market other available space to both aviation and non-aviation businesses.
THE BAD NEWS is that Pena's resignation will not take effect until Inauguration Day (Jan. 20), and some industry officials are concerned about the potential mischief Pena might cause during two months as a lame duck. They point to rulemaking proceedings pending within FAA and DOT, including three proposals to restrict air tour overflights, an NPRM on new flight and duty time limits and the National Civil Aviation Review Commission and the Gore Commission, both of which are considering far-reaching changes in FAA's operating mandate and funding.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT has obtained a block of 100 N-numbers that end with the letters "ES" that it will affix to early production units of its new Model 172 single-engine piston aircraft to honor Ed Stimpson, former president and now vice chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION is requesting comments on a proposed revision to AC 120-40B, Airplane Simulator Qualification, which provides guidance on qualification of aircraft simulators for use in training or airman checking. The revision updates information on simulator evaluation criteria and procedures. The revision also incorporates provisions in the International Civil Aviation Organization publication, Manual of Criteria for the Qualification of Flight Simulators, Doc. 9625-AN/938. For more information, contact Paul Ray at (404) 305-6100.
JETSTREAM Model HS 748 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-198-AD; Amdt. 39-9775; AD 96-20-09) - requires a one-time inspection to ensure proper operation, positioning and lubrication of the aileron, rudder and elevator cable tensioners; gust lock levers; and, cable pressure seals.
Both the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the United States Air Tour Association reacted favorably to the news that Transportation Secretary Federico Pena plans to leave government service.
SIKORSKY Model S-64F helicopters (Docket No. 95-SW-34-AD) - proposes to require inspections and replacement, if necessary, of the main gearbox second stage lower planetary plate. This proposal is prompted by two incidents in which the second stage planetary plate was found cracked.
