BILL THORTON was named vice president and director of operations for Houston Helicopters. Thorton, who was vice president and general manager for Air Logistics for 12 years, has been involved in offshore helicopter operations in the Gulf of Mexico since 1960.
RICHARD LYON was appointed director of sales for Europe and Africa for Garrett Aviation Services. Lyon will be responsible for the sale of Garrett Aviation's Total Aircraft Services to corporate aviation customers in Europe and Africa.
PRATT&WHITNEY Wasp series and R-1340 series reciprocating engines (Docket No. 95-ANE-26; Amdt. 39-9693; AD 96-15-02) - requires initial and repetitive visual and dye penetrant inspections of the crankshaft counterweights for cracks, and replacement of cracked crankshaft counterweights with improved crankshaft counterweights. This amendment is prompted by reports of crankshaft counterweight cracking.
LITTON, Woodland Hills, Calif., promoted Leon Webrand to president of its Aero Products division. Webrand succeeds M. Dudley Mahler, who will retire from the company early next year. Webrand has served as division vice president of finance and administration for Litton since 1974. He joined Litton in 1961 as a senior accountant in its Data Systems division and transferred to Aero Products in 1968. The Aero Products unit supplies advanced inertial and satellite navigation systems for business and general aviation, commercial and military transport aircraft.
FOKKER Model F27 series airplanes equipped with Walter Kidde nose wheel steering systems (Docket No. 96-NM-38-AD) - proposes to require increasing the torque value of the bolt that connects the gearbox housing assembly of the steering unit to the pivot bracket of the nose landing gear. This proposal also would require that periodic inspections of the torque value be incorporated into the FAA-approved maintenance program.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-Ariz.), noting his proposal for a user-fee-funded FAA exempts sport and recreation aircraft, charged Thursday during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on aviation security that "AOPA people" have come into his state "lying" about his position on user fees. An Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association spokesman said AOPA acknowledges the exemption for sport and recreation aircraft from proposed air traffic control fees, but added the proposal includes a host of other fees - such as licensing and training - that cover everybody.
AMERICAN EAGLE reactivated its membership in the Regional Airline Association after suspending it for three months because of a disagreement over support for legislation to make the Federal Aviation Administration completely funded by user fees (BA, April 15/167). RAA opposed the bill, while Eagle's parent, AMR Corp., strongly supported the system.
Cessna Aircraft last week revealed the long-anticipated details of two of the single-engine piston aircraft it will put back into production, confirming plans to sell the Model 172 Skyhawk for a base price of $124,500 and the Model 182 Skylane for $190,600 (BA, July 22/35). The Wichita, Kan. manufacturer also announced during last week's Experimental Aircraft Association's annual fly-in in Oshkosh, Wis. its new marketing team the company hopes will spearhead the sale of 2,000 single-piston aircraft annually by 1998.
Mooney Aircraft Corp., the Kerrville, Texas general aviation aircraft manufacturer, has reinforced its senior management with the promotion of two executives and the addition of a third to vice president positions. Charles Somerville, a seven-year employee who formerly directed fabrication and assembly, was named vice president of production. Somerville, who also has served as controller and director of quality assurance and advanced quality systems for the manufacturer, will oversee all direct production resources.
DENISE PORTER was named commercial accounts manager for Aero West Insurance Brokers, formerly Aviation West Insurance Brokers, in Carlsbad, Calif. Porter has 10 years of aviation insurance experience.
The Federal Aviation Administration suffers from political interference and does not benefit from being under the umbrella of the Department of Transportation, said the agency's former chief regulator. Anthony Broderick, who resigned as FAA associate administrator of regulation and certification on the morning the agency decided to ground ValuJet, said in his first interview since he left that "clearly" the relationship between FAA and DOT isn't working the way it was originally intended.
DASSAULT AVIATION, which last month received FAA type certification for its long-range Falcon 900EX, shipped the first three customer aircraft to the Dassault Falcon Jet Completion Center in Little Rock, Ark. The aircraft will be fitted with executive interiors and avionics and will be painted for delivery to customers beginning in October. The 900EX, which was awarded French approval in May, is equipped with three AlliedSignal TFE731- 60 engines rated at 5,000 pounds.
LEARJET appointed Rolland Vincent director of public relations and strategic planning and Nita Scrivner director of marketing communications. Vincent adds media and community relations to his current responsibilities of strategic planning. Before joining Learjet, he was director of international marketing for the Bombardier Regional Aircraft Division in Toronto. Scrivner, who was manager of Learjet public relations, will oversee Learjet's advertising programs, marketing collateral and external publications.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, while acknowledging that its proposal to further restrict sightseeing flights over the Grand Canyon may cost air tour operators millions of dollars, said the actual revenue loss may be "much less than estimated" because those operators could relocate to other areas in the U.S.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 0100 series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-132-AD; Amdt. 39-9692; AD 96-14-08) - requires modification of the radio altimeter wiring circuitry associated with the Automatic Flight Control Augmentation System (AFCAS). This amendment is prompted by a report indicating that the AFCAS does not properly monitor the radio altimeter status during automatic landing operations.
FRENCH MANUFACTURER Socata hopes to capitalize on renewed interest in general aviation expected to follow Cessna's re-entry into the single- engine piston aircraft market.Socata said in a press release it expects "increased sales of its modern product line following the recent pricing announcement by Cessna Aircraft." A Socata official said Cessna's return to the market "is a very good thing for us" because the Wichita manufacturer can attract new customers into the general aviation market.
Bob Showalter, chairman of the board of Showalter Flying Services, Inc., of Orlando, Fla., was selected to receive the American Spirit Award by the board of directors of the National Business Aircraft Association. The association said the award is "given in recognition of an individual within business aviation who exemplifies the courage, pursuit of excellence and service to others that characterize the men and women who created and nurtured the American aviation community." The award will be presented during NBAA's convention Nov.
Fairchild Dornier, which formed in June after Fairchild acquired a majority stake in German regional plane-maker Dornier (BA, June 10/259), scored its first fleet order with a 24-aircraft deal from Mountain Air Express. The Colorado-based regional signed a contract for 12 Do 328 aircraft with options for an additional 12.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT designated Atlas Air Service GmbH of Ganderkesee, Germany as an authorized sales representative for the CitationJet. Atlas Air was founded in 1970 and became a Cessna dealer two years later. The company opened a Joint Airworthiness Regulations-approved maintenance facility in 1994 in Hamburg for jet aircraft maintenance, including Citation 500 series aircraft. Cessna hopes to "deepen and expand our market penetration in Germany" with the most recent designation.
South Carolina-based Stevens Aviation gave Orenda Aerospace's aviation V-8 program a lift last week, committing to order 140 engines and installation kits worth some $20 million for retrofit of Beech King Air C90 aircraft. The Canadian company, completing the Thunder engine development program as the cornerstone of its Orenda Series of V-8 power plants, expects to have both U.S. FAA and Transport Canada certification for the 600-horse-power variant - the OE-600 - soon and Stevens will start getting engines later this year.
AERO INTERNATIONAL (REGIONAL) delivered the first of two ATR 42-330 aircraft to ISRAIR, Tel Aviv, Israel. The second is slated for delivery this month.
Fleet Aerospace's plant in Middleton, Mass., won orders valued at $6 million (U.S.) from three U.S. engine manufacturers. Middleton Aerospace, a subsidiary of Canadian firm Fleet Aerospace, will produce engine casings, shafts and other rotating parts for GE Aircraft Engines (CF and CF34 turbofans), Allison Engines (AE3007 and Model 501/T56), and AlliedSignal, plus spares supplies for the U.S. Navy. Middleton said it secured the latest orders as part of long-term supply relationships with key customers.
LAWYER-PILOTS BAR ASSOCIATION will hold its summer meeting Aug. 14-18 at the Tamarron Hilton, near Durango, Colo. For more information, contact Karen Griggs at (301) 972-7700.
NORTHWEST AEROSPACE TRAINING CORP. (NATCO) received contracts from Mesa Air Group and Express Airlines I to help the carriers transition to Part 121 in compliance with FAA's Commuter Rule. NATCO will convert Mesa's Beech 1900 training manuals to FAA's Part 121, 8400.10 format. The contract also includes development of crew resource management procedures and training scenarios. NATCO also is developing a CRM training program under the Express Airlines I contract.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 0100 and 0070 series airplanes (Docket No. 95- NM-171-AD; Amdt. 39-9700; AD 96-15-10) - requires modification of the wheel brake assembly on the main landing gear. This amendment is prompted by reports that aluminum brake pistons ballooned and failed. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent such piston failures, which could result in leakage of the hydraulic fluid, loss of braking capability and a possible brake fire.
