BAYLOR UNIVERSITY'S Aviation Sciences Department will host The First International Conference on Alternative Aviation Fuels, Nov. 2-4 on the Baylor campus in Waco, Texas. Sponsored in conjunction with Texas State Technical College, FAA and the Department of Energy, the conference will include presentations by fuel suppliers on alternative fuels and a discussion of the use of alternative aviation fuels in other countries. Registration fee is $300. For more information, contact Karin Erickson at (703) 528-2500.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association last week revised downward its report of third quarter shipments and billings after two manufacturers, Cessna and Gulfstream, modified their numbers (BA, Oct. 16/164). Dassault Falcon Jet also revised its third quarter report, bumping up international figures.
Hi-Shear Industries signed a definitive agreement this month to sell substantially all of its operating assets to a French firm, GFI Industries, S.A. The proposed sale, for $46 million in cash, would include Hi-Shear's aerospace fastener subsidiary, Hi-Shear Corp., and related companies. Hi- Shear, based in North Hills, N.Y., said the transaction "represents the sale of substantially all of Hi-Shear Industries' operating assets except for its net operating loss carryforwards and its claims against the U.S.
House and Senate negotiators last week agreed to scrap some $10 million in proposed user fees included in the fiscal 1996 transportation appropriations bill. The Senate version of the appropriations bill contained language that would have allowed the Federal Aviation Administration to raise up to $10 million in user fees to help offset cuts in FAA's operations account (BA, Aug. 7/57). GA industry leaders, fearing such fees could open the door to an ever-escalating schedule of charges on users, launched an intensive lobbying campaign against the provision.
BFGoodrich, which used a growth-by-acquisition strategy to produce a decade of earnings growth in a depressed aerospace industry, reported another strong third-quarter performance this month, but this time without an acquisition boosting profits.
BRUCE DRINKUTH was named sales manager-wholesale fuels for Signature Flight Support's Page Avjet Fuels Corporation unit. Drinkuth, who has 15 years experience in purchasing and marketing of aviation fuel, most recently was Southeast sales manager for Bell Aviation Fuels Department.
ELLIOTT AVIATION was selected by Twin Commander Aircraft Corp., Arlington, Wash., to supply the active noise control systems for Commander 690 series turboprops. Elliott will provide UltraQuiet noise control systems with supplemental type certificate approval to Twin Commander, which will market the system to retail buyers through its network of 33 worldwide dealer locations.
FlightSafety International, one of the most consistently profitable companies in the aviation industry, said its net income rose by nearly one- fifth during the first nine months of the year. The company reported net income of $60.4 million on revenues of $234.6 million for the first three quarters, an increase of 18.5 percent from the $50.9 million in net income reported during the same period in 1994 on revenues of $217.7 million. Training revenues accounted for $219.3 million of the total, while product sales contributed the remaining $15.3 million.
THOMAS J. SMITH, a veteran aerospace executive who held senior posts with Grumman, Fairchild and Fokker, is the new president of General Electrodynamics Corp., of Arlington, Texas. Omega Acquisition, a company founded by Smith, acquired GEC, which designs, manufactures and markets a range of precision portable weighing systems and instrumentation at its facility in South Arlington, Texas. GEC was founded in 1955.
The initial board of directors for the new General Aviation Airports Coalition has settled various aspects of the new group's operation, including a mission statement and legislative priorities. Michael Stephens, who has spearheaded the effort, was voted president by the coalition's initial five-member board. After the first of the year, the board will be expanded to 20 members with each of the nine FAA regions represented by at least one board member. In addition, the coalition plans to select a representative from each state to act as a liaison to the group.
Jet Aviation of Zurich, Switzerland signed a contract to purchase two Raytheon Aircraft Beechjet 400A business jets, and took options on 10 additional aircraft, for the Corpavia Club shared ownership program. Unlike fractional ownership programs, customers do not buy shares in individual aircraft, but instead sign up as club members and pay a one-time entrance fee. Members then pay an annual subscription plus a charge for the flying hours used. Members are entitled to 150 flight hours, with additional hours available at a higher rate.
NATIONAL AIRMOTIVE CORP. plans to offer full-service overhaul and support of Pratt&Whitney Canada PT6A turboprops, a little less than a year after deciding to get into the PT6 support business. The company will offer overhauls, repairs, hot section inspections, rentals and exchanges of PT6As at its Oakland International Airport facilities, as a complement to NAC's existing capabilities for the complete line of Allison gas turbines.
RAYTHEON AEROSPACE, Madison, Wis., will absorb the aircraft and logistics programs of Serv-Air, a unit of E-Systems, which was acquired by Raytheon in May. The air and logistics programs operation, based in Greenville, Texas, conducts maintenance, modification and repair on military and commercial aircraft. It will become part of Raytheon Aerospace by yearend, but Raytheon said the "vast majority" of the 1,300 employees at the Greenville operation will remain in place "with some possible readjustments" following evaluation of the combined organizations.
Lucas Industries, plc said Frank Turner, who has served as managing director of the company's aerospace business since 1992, will leave the company at the end of the month. Ken Maciver, managing director of Lucas braking systems, will assume responsibility for aerospace operations Nov. 1.
ROBERT ZEDAKER was appointed chief financial officer for Million Air Reading. Zedaker most recently was vice president/manager of commercial real estate lending for Meridian Bank. He also has served as a commercial and retail lending officer with Hamilton Bank and assistant manager for Signal Finance.
FAA Administrator David Hinson announced creation Thursday of a nationally coordinated program to identify unapproved parts and to keep them out of operator inventories. The new bureaucracy that FAA will set up to ferret out unapproved parts will be somewhat burdensome and costly, acknowledged Nicholas Sabatini, chairman of a task force which came up with the recommendations for the national program.
U.S. GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS' shipments and billings show further indication of recovery with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reporting Friday that its members' billings have jumped 42.3 percent and deliveries increased 16 percent through the first three quarters of the year.See story and BA's compilation of worldwide unit shipments below.
ISRAEL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES officials expect to receive Federal Aviation Administration and Canadian certification for the Astra SPX by the end of the month. The aircraft received Civil Aviation Authority provisional approval last month.
MOONEY AIRCRAFT received FAA approval for flight into known icing conditions for the Ovation and TLS model aircraft. The Ovation and TLS are equipped with a TKS ice protection system developed by Aerospace Systems and Technologies, Inc., of Lawrence, Kan. Mooney officials said the aircraft underwent testing of flight into simulated icing conditions using an ice-generating tanker aircraft. The aircraft also was tested in natural icing conditions ranging from rime and mixed ice to freezing rain.
MERCURY AIR GROUP'S board of directors declared the company's fourth consecutive cash dividend of one cent per common share, payable Nov. 1 to shareholders of record on Oct. 18.
BUSINESS/PERSONAL/REGIONAL AIRCRAFT -- THIRD QUARTER UNIT SHIPMENTS 3rd Quarter Cal 95 Year AMERICAN GENERAL AIRCRAFT CORP. - Single-Engine AG-5/B Tiger 0 0 Total 0 0 ATR (Avions de Transport Regional) - Multi-Engine ATR-42 2 7
INNOTECH AVIATION LTD. renewed a joint marketing agreement with Rolls-Royce Canada, Ltd., Montreal, Canada, under which Innotech will continue as an authorized service facility for Rolls-Royce Dart, Spey and Tay engine maintenance support in Montreal and Vancouver.
ARINC, Inc., Annapolis, Md., plans to begin offering its GLOBALink/high frequency service Nov. 1 to operators transiting the North Atlantic. The GLOBALink/HF is an air/ground data link service using HF frequencies to enable aircraft equipped with Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) units to communicate with the ground over oceans and other remote areas where traditional VHF line-of- sight communications are not available.
U.S. general aviation manufacturers enjoyed a 23.9 percent increase in unit shipments and 65.8 percent increase in billings in the third quarter, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. GAMA reported 259 deliveries and $802 million in billings during the third quarter of 1995 compared with 209 shipments and $484 million in billings during the same quarter in 1994.
