SHORT BROTHERS, the Belfast, Northern Ireland subsidiary of Bombardier, will create up to 120 production jobs at its two advanced composites production plants at Newtownabbey and Dunmurry, near Belfast. The increased work force is necessary because of "recent increases in the aircraft production rates of our major customers," said Ken Brundle, vice president and general manager-aerospace.
With FAA's approval of the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System, industry officials are hoping the new AlliedSignal Aerospace product will become a powerful new tool for avoiding controlled flight into terrain, or CFIT (BA, Oct. 21/184). The EGPWS provides pilots with an earlier warning than they can get from current equipment, and airlines ordered hundreds of them in advance of FAA approval. United, the first carrier to obtain certification, will use the system on its Airbus A320 aircraft.
Mesaba Holdings ordered 12 Avro RJ85 Regional Jets from Aero International (Regional) in an agreement valued at $300 million. The order, which includes options for up to 24 more of the aircraft, calls for delivery to begin in April and continue at a rate of about one aircraft per month. Mesaba will operate the aircraft, to be configured with a 69-seat, two-class cabin, as Northwest Jetlink out if its hubs at Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul International.
Kellstrom Industries entered into a definitive agreement to acquire aircraft engine and engine part reseller International Aircraft Support, L.P. (IASI) in a pact that will double the company's size and give it a base in the San Francisco area to expand its Pacific Rim activities.
FAA'S CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSAL to sharply restrict commercial air tour flights over the Grand Canyon has drawn more than 3,700 docketed comments and that number will undoubtedly grow since the comment period was extended to Nov. 14 (BA, Oct. 28/191). That total does not include an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 "form letter" comments, primarily from persons who have flown on air tour flights at the canyon and who generally oppose any additional restrictions on such flights.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION said its Project Pilot program has surpassed 78,000 total participants, including more than 6,000 flight instructors enrolled in the Project Pilot Instructor program. The Project Pilot mentor program, first announced in March 1994, has more than 14,000 AOPA members mentoring more than 18,000 flight training prospects. In addition, more than 6,000 Project Pilot certified flight instructors have enrolled more than 40,000 of their students to receive Project Pilot materials and encourage them to continue in their training.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 0100 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-252-AD; Amdt. 39-9760; AD 96-19-14) - requires replacement of certain flexible oxygen hoses, located in the flight compartment gangway and in the consoles, with insulated hose assemblies. This amendment is prompted by reports of either insufficient or no clearance between these hoses and adjacent structure or electrical wiring.
WILLIAM BROWN joined the law firm of Haight, Gardner, Poor&Havens as a partner in the aviation defense group. Brown, who has served on the defense in a number of aviation cases, previously headed the aviation practice group for Kroll&Tract.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators are trying to determine why a Gulfstream IV ran off the left side of the main runway at Pal-Waukee Airport north of Chicago Wednesday, resulting in severe structural damage to the aircraft before it crashed into the parking lot of a nearby apartment building and burned. All four persons aboard were killed in the crash of N23AC, a 1988 model Gulfstream IV and the only airplane in the Alberto-Culver-USA, Inc. flight department.
ROBERT BRITTON was named managing director-corporate communications for American Airlines. Britton joined AMR Corp. in 1987 and has held management positions in passenger sales, advertising and international affairs.
MICHAEL RATCHFORD was appointed vice president, quality and environmental, health&safety for Hamilton Standard. Ratchford joined Hamilton Standard in 1970 and most recently was director of commercial customer service.
MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE were killed Thursday when a Fokker 100 operated by Brazilian carrier TAM crashed in a residential area of Sao Paulo shortly after taking off from an airport there. In addition to the 89 passengers and six crew members, there were at least eight fatalities on the ground.
FAA ADMINISTRATOR DAVID HINSON, who in March called the City of Chicago's effort to close Meigs Field a "local decision," last month said "airports are hard to build and very hard to replace" and pledged support for keeping another endangered airport, San Jose's Reid-Hillview, open. "We're very interested in Reid-Hillview, and we're very interested in assuring that airport operators follow their agreements with the federal government," Hinson said during the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Expo '96 convention at San Jose.
JOSEPH CORRAO joined Helicopter Association International as director, regulations. Corrao, a lawyer and general aviation pilot, will coordinate HAI's regulatory activities, dealing with both federal and international aviation issues.
MCCREERY AVIATION is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an open house Nov. 14 at its McAllen, Texas facility. The company was founded in 1946 by J.F. "Mac" McCreery in Mercedes, Texas as a one-aircraft flight school. McCreery moved to McAllen in 1948 and now is a full-service general aviation fixed-base operation with 76,000 square feet of hangar and office space and 275,000 square feet of ramp space.
THE ALLIANCE of general aviation, low-fare carriers and other aviation interests Thursday urged senior DOT and FAA officials to make sure they select an independent contractor to review FAA's cost structure. FAA, which already completed its own funding review (BA, Oct. 14/167), was directed in the Federal Aviation Authorization Act of 1996 to contract with an outside company to conduct another financial assessment.
HEADING INTO the final weekend of the presidential campaign, Republican Bob Dole promised that he would "significantly reduce" the tax burden on aviation if elected.The Dole campaign has told the travel industry Dole believes that a key to its success is "ensuring that its tax burden is not increased by saddling it with the costs of unrelated federal programs." The Republican challenger said he opposes President Clinton's proposed $10 increase in the international departure fee to pay for college tuition tax credits (BA, Sept. 2/101).
RAYTHEON Model 400A, 400T (Military T-1A) and 400 T (Military TX) series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-158-AD) - proposes to supersede 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 proposal would require the replacement of certain washers with new and stronger washers. It also would expand the applicability of the rule to include additional airplanes.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 0100 series airplanes (Docket No. 94-NM-249-AD; Amdt. 39-9758; AD 96-19-12) - requires inspection and adjustment of the torque value of the attaching parts of the interlock mechanism of the large cargo doors, removal of a spring from that mechanism and installation of a new microswitch bracket. This amendment is prompted by a report indicating that a spring on the interlock lever of the large cargo doors may become disconnected or the lever may become jammed in the "activated" state.
TOM ROSSBACH was named vice president of the McClier Aviation Group. Rossbach will be responsible for airport and terminal planning programs internationally.
MILLION AIR added the former Owners Jet of Texas, Inc. at Houston Hobby Airport to its network, bringing the number of fixed-base operations in the chain to 25. The new Million Air Houston, headed by Edward McArdle, provides 24-hour service, on-site catering, piston and jet maintenance, on- site customs and other pilot amenities.
MRS. MARY ANN LEWIS, 72, wife of J. Sheldon (Torch) Lewis, died Oct. 27, after a long illness. In addition to her husband, a resident of New Canaan, Conn. and a columnist for Business&Commercial Aviation magazine, Mrs. Lewis is survived by three sons and two daughters. Contributions may be made to Mid-Fairfield Hospice, 112 Main St., Norwalk, Conn. 06851.
AIRWOLF FILTER CORP. acquired Apollo Helicopter Services in Middlefield, Ohio, and will operate the new unit as Apollo Spray Systems. The company manufactures the FAA-approved DTM-3 agricultural chemical spray system for Robinson R22 helicopters and is developing a similar spray system for R44 helicopters. The system uses a lightweight aluminum frame to suspend a 40- gallon tank from the landing gear mounts of an R22.
RAYTHEON Model 1900D (Docket No. 96-CE-43-AD) - proposes to require replacing the right-hand exhaust stack for both the left and right engines. The proposal stems from reports of wing skin damage (with associated fuel seepage) and cabin window damage caused by the heat of the right-hand exhaust stacks of the affected airplanes. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent wing skin debonding or warping of the cabin windows because of the heat generated by the engines' right-hand exhaust stacks.
BRIAN HOFFMAN was appointed manager of K-C Aviation's Westfield, Mass. facility. Hoffman has 17 years of aviation maintenance and management experience. He previously was a production manager for Aviall.
