SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT, in conjunction with the U.S. Army, selected the SAFIRE thermal imaging system manufactured by FLIR Systems, Inc., for use in the qualification phase of the Army's UH-60Q Black Hawk Medevac helicopter program. According to FLIR, headquartered in Portland, Ore., the program will upgrade existing UH-60A Black Hawks and could involve 87 helicopters in the final production phase of the program.
The Federal Aviation Administration drew criticism after it delayed the dispatch of an airplane for an emergency National Transportation Safety Board "go team" to this month's crash of TWA Flight 800 because the airplane's crew needed the rest time to comply with federal regulations. The 747-100 crashed off the coast of Long Island, N.Y. shortly before 9 p.m. July 17, but FAA said that because of federal rest requirements, "the earliest we were able to provide an aircraft was 5 a.m.
MERIDIAN JET PROP sold a Piper T-1040 to Cape Smythe Air Service, Barrow, Alaska, for scheduled and charter operations. The aircraft, previously owned and operated by Air Labrador of Goose Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, is Cape Smythe's fourth T-1040.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD Member John Goglia, who met last week with National Air Transportation Association members, warned that non- scheduled airline operators should take their own proactive approach to increasing security or they may get swept into new security changes the Administration places on scheduled operators. NATA President James Coyne, noting FAA often places blanket requirements on all carriers that do not recognize unique operations of air charters, said the association intends to place a high priority on security issues.
CONOCO is "looking at some opportunities with other companies" regarding several of its lines of business, including aviation fuels, a spokesman confirmed Friday. Reports have been circulating in the oil industry in recent weeks that Conoco was planning to exit the aviation fuels business. In response to a query from BA, a Conoco spokesman said officials are talking to a number of companies about a variety of possibilities, including sales, acquisitions or joint ventures.
A NEW ORGANIZATION, the National Aviation Research Institute (NARI), is being launched this week by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. NARI will be a "not-for-profit corporation that will save billions on private and publicly funded initiatives, and years of wasted manufacturing efforts in the aviation community," according to NATCA. The union said NARI is being formed because "air traffic control is at a crossroads.
RODNEY BROWN was named regional airline program manager for Aviall. Brown, formerly regional sales representative for Aviall's Atlanta, Ga. facility, will manage regional airline-related sales and rotables programs for the company's North American operations.
KAL-AERO, Battle Creek, Mich., was appointed by Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. as an authorized Falcon service center. KAL-AERO has provided aircraft maintenance for more than 29 years.
DE HAVILLAND Model DHC-8-100 and -300 series airplanes (Docket No. 95- NM-72-AD) - proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires repetitive inspections for loose bolts at the retract actuator support fitting of the main landing gear, and various follow-on actions, if necessary. That AD was prompted by a report of loose actuator supporting bolts and cracks in the relief radius of the boss at the forward surface of the fittings. This action would add a requirement to accomplish a new modification, which would terminate the repetitive inspections.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL signed an agreement with Interactive Learning International Corp. (ILINC) "to create a distance learning capability that will provide FSI customers with many virtual classroom sites without traveling or compromising education objectives or performance." Using ILINC's LearnLine software, FSI said it will be possible for FSI instructors to teach courses to customers located thousands of miles away.
Engine overhauler UNC, Inc., reported increased earnings and revenues for the second quarter of 1996, which it said reflected continued productivity improvements and an upturn in the aviation markets. The second-quarter results include one month of results for Garrett Aviation Services, which UNC acquired at the end of May in a transaction valued at $150 million (BA, June 3/246).
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD will discuss its findings Tuesday in the investigation of an uncontained engine failure on a ValuJet DC-9 that resulted in a fire on the ground. The accident took place June 8, 1995, while the plane was in Atlanta. The NTSB meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. at NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C.
HARRY HOUCKES was appointed manager of FlightSafety International's Savannah, Ga. learning center. Houckes most recently was assistant manager at the center and, before that, spent 20 years in flight-group management and piloting positions at Mobil Oil Corp.
McDonnell Douglas won't make any modifications as a direct result of the May crash of one of its MD 600N helicopters during its certification process, but is considering a still unspecified safety-of-flight change. A spokesman for McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) said that during the investigation into the accident "We didn't find any material failures" and added, "We probably will not make any modifications to the fuselage or the aircraft as a direct result of the accident."
NASA ADMINISTRATOR DANIEL GOLDIN last week accused "people on national and international T.V." of misleading the general public with statements of zero accident goals. Goldin, speaking to the Aero Club in Washington, D.C., said "You'll never make zero....We promised there would be one in a million failures on the Shuttle, and then we had Challenger." In response to a question, Goldin maintained he was not referring to the DOT policy of zero accidents and added he didn't make statements about government officials.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a strong proponent of aviation user fees who is determined to achieve financial reform for the Federal Aviation Administration, hopes to offer an amendment this week establishing a task force to recommend and draft legislation to reform FAA's funding structure. The amendment, which would be offered to the fiscal 1997 transportation appropriations bill, is similar to the funding reform provision found in FAA reauthorization legislation, which may also come to the Senate floor this week.
FRANK DENISIO was promoted to modification operations manager for Atlantic Aviation's Aircraft Services Division. DeNisio, previously aircraft project manager at Atlantic, will manage the paint, metal, upholstery, cabinet and composites departments.
Precision Castparts Corp., Portland, Ore., acquired the assets of AE Turbine Components (AETC) Ltd. from T&N plc, headquartered in Manchester, England, for $63.6 million. Precision, a major producer of investment castings for aerospace, power generation and other applications, said AETC is a major European manufacturer of investment castings for the aircraft engine and industrial gas turbine (IGT) markets. The factory, in Yeadon, England near Leeds, has an inlet guide vane machining facility, and a turbine blade machining and repair facility.
AAR Corp. purchased more than 22,000 line items of factory-new inventory from Hamilton Standard, the original equipment manufacturer, and will market the inventory through AAR's international sales network.
FLIGHT VISIONS, Sugar Grove, Ill., upgraded its FV-2000 head-up display with several enhancements. The improved system includes a 40 MHz 68030 processor that will update information 10-times faster, a 25-degree field of view, larger display characters and a lower weight of 21 pounds, Flight Visions said. In addition, the company said it plans to incorporate two more features on the next generation head-up display - a runway overlay symbol and a runway roll-out command.
EMBRAER said a prototype of its EMB-145 regional airliner successfully completed a major static test Tuesday, in which the wings and fuselage endured an ultimate load equivalent to 150 percent of the most critical wing loading with no damage to the airframe. Ground static testing of the aircraft is now 70 percent complete and is scheduled to be finished in October.
SHORT BROTHERS shipped the first all-composite rudder for the Boeing 737 next generation aircraft. Shorts has been the sole source of composite rudders for the 737 since April 1986 and has shipped more than 1,500 rudders to Boeing for installation on 737-300, -400 and -500 series aircraft. The new rudder, although similar in appearance, is 40 inches longer than the current version, has fewer structural composite components and is manufactured from a different type of composite material.
THE BMW ROLLS-ROYCE BR710 turbofan recorded another win last week when it was selected to power the Nimrod 2000, a re-engined version of the United Kingdom's long-range maritime patrol aircraft. British Aerospace is prime contractor for the program, which involves a major rework of some 21 existing Nimrods with a new, longer wing, a significant boost in fuel capacity and installation of four BR710s per aircraft.
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS said Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities completed validation of the MD Explorer helicopter and recommended issuance of a type certificate. The eight-place MD Explorer won FAA certification in December 1994.
CONOCO, the energy subsidiary of DuPont, and Phillips Petroleum Co. said in mid-May they were in exclusive discussions regarding the possibility of combining their U.S. refining, marketing and transportation operations and forming a 50/50 joint venture. Less than a month later, however the chief executives of the two firms terminated discussions because they "were unable to reach agreement on significant commercial issues."
