BRIAN CUNNINGHAM was appointed manager of project engineering for Dallas Airmotive. Cunningham is responsible for all Dallas Airmotive project engineers supporting the Rolls-Royce Spey and Tay, Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A and JT15D, Allison 250 and AlliedSignal TPE331 engines.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL'S flight simulator for the Falcon 2000 business jet was certificated at the FSI facility in Tulsa, Okla. The new simulator, equipped with the Head Up Display included in its initial FAA approval, will be installed at FSI's Falcon learning center in Teterboro, N.J. in August and recertified to FAA Level D standards.
LAWRENCE MUSTICO was appointed manager of aircraft maintenance sales for Dallas Airmotive. Mustico, most recently Allison 250 sales manager for the Northeast for Dallas Airmotive, will support the company's customers based east of the Mississippi River.
Administrator David Hinson last week said he has no plans to leave the Federal Aviation Administration before yearend, but reiterated past statements that he is committed to stay only until the end of President Clinton's first term. Hinson, who testified before the House Transportation aviation subcommittee last week, noted that he has maintained since his confirmation hearings that he would not promise to serve past the first term.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT is scheduled to start the long holiday weekend a bit early with dedication ceremonies Wednesday at the company's new single-engine aircraft assembly plant in Independence, Kan. Opening of the Independence facility comes less than two years since product liability reform legislation - the General Aviation Revitalization Act that established an 18-year statute of repose for manufacturers of general aviation aircraft and components - was signed into law (BA, Aug. 22, 1994/79).
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Federico Pena, who has generally enjoyed a Teflon- like ability to deflect criticism during his tenure at DOT, is finding himself more frequently in the cross-hairs of political, industry and editorial critics as a result of the ValuJet DC-9 crash and subsequent investigation of the accident. A week ago Pena came under fire regarding the abrupt resignation of Anthony Broderick, FAA's associate administrator of regulation and certification. Last week Sen.
Raytheon Aircraft's new Premier I, the first business jet designed in- house in the 64-year history of the Wichita, Kan. manufacturer, is on schedule, on cost and will have "every bit" of the performance originally predicted, Raytheon Aircraft President Roy Norris said during a briefing on the program last week. Norris called the six-passenger, part-composite aircraft the "defining product for our company for the next three decades" and the start of a new family of business jets.
PRATT&WHITNEY CANADA shipped the first PW530A production engine to Cessna Aircraft. The turbofan, rated at 2,750 pounds thrust, will power Cessna's Citation Bravo business jet. The PW530A is the first model in a new PW500 family of engines under development in collaboration with Motoren-und Turbinenen-Union Munchen (MTU) of Germany. Pratt&Whitney Canada began preliminary design work for the PW530A in August 1992 and the first test cell run occurred in October 1993. The engine was certificated in December.
LEARJET Model 60 airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-240-AD) - proposes to require modification of the aft core cowl nozzle of the engine nacelles. This proposal is prompted by a report that the sealant material in the aft core cowl nozzle of the engine nacelle was found to extend higher than the nozzle's forward flange, which can allow it to interfere with the proper operation of the emergency fuel shutoff actuating mechanism.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT, which has plans to create a new family of business jets based on its Premier I, also plans to add to the Hawker family with a new mid-size jet. Raytheon Aircraft President Roy Norris, who said the company would reveal specifics of the new Hawker during this fall's National Business Aircraft Association Convention, also said the new Hawker "would not be a stretch" of the existing Hawker products. As for the Premier family, Raytheon Aircraft is considering a Premier II that is a stretch of the Premier I with more cabin space and longer range.
Organizers of GA Team 2000, the new industry-wide learn-to-fly promotional program, have narrowed the list of potential advertising agencies to 10 and hope to select a winner this summer that will unveil a new advertising and public relations campaign this fall. GA Team 2000, launched earlier this year in attempt to boost the number of student pilots, initially issued 20 copies of a request for proposals last month for an advertising and public relations agency to develop a plan for the program and received inquiries from 40 additional firms (BA, May 20/227).
LEARJET Model 31 and 35 airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-197-AD; Amdt. 39- 9632; AD 96-11-07) - requires replacement of two segments of 16 American Wire Gauge (AWG) wire with 8 AWG wire at the connector that is connected to the auxiliary cabin heater relay box. This amendment is prompted by a report that two segments of the 16 AWG wire in the auxiliary cabin heater that were spliced during production do not provide adequate current- carrying capacity.
CHARLES PRANIEWICZ was promoted to manager of Dallas Airmotive's Pittsburgh, Pa. regional turbine shop. Praniewicz, who has 10 years of experience working with Pratt and Whitney PT6A and JT15D turbine engines, will train, supervise and direct the regional turbine shop team.
Executive Jet Aviation fears the Federal Aviation Administration's pilot flight and duty time proposal will cost the firm $4.7 million annually, St. Joseph's AmerEvac is afraid the proposed rules would "severely restrict" its ability to provide timely organ transplant services and Wayfarer Aviation worries that "the viability of our business will be threatened." These companies are only a few of hundreds of on-demand aviation businesses who wrote to FAA strenuously opposing the proposal that would establish more stringent flight and duty time requirements.
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT said the cost per enplaned passenger for airlines operating at the new airport declined slightly last year, but conceded that costs are still much higher there than at other major airports. The airport said the cost dropped from more than $18 per enplaned passenger in 1994 to $16.85 last year, due to higher than anticipated revenues, but said other major airports impose costs of five to six dollars less per passenger.
DAVID BANMILLER was named president and chief executive officer of Sun Jet International of Clearwater, Fla. Banmiller, a 30-year airline industry veteran, most recently was president of The Falcon Group, Inc., an aviation consulting firm.
ANOTHER COMPETITOR in the market to supply very long-range corporate aircraft? Sources say The Boeing Company, which has flirted with the corporate market for years, is finally getting serious about offering corporate versions of new 737 derivatives, such as the 737-700, with an announcement expected soon. While not expected to match the 6,500- nautical-mile range promised for the Gulfstream and Global Express, Boeing officials think their airliner-size cabin will appeal to long-distance travelers.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT Model BAe 125 series 1000A and Hawker Model 1000 airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-166-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection for correct sleeve lengths, and inspection for discrepancies of the elevator pulley assembly and correction of any discrepancy. This proposal is prompted by reports indicating that some aircraft have been fitted with an elevator pulley that was assembled incorrectly during manufacture.
FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION named Edward R. Williams chairman of its Corporate Advisory Committee and Peter V. Agur, Jr., vice chairman. Williams is vice president of safety and engineering and director of flight operations for Associated Aviation Underwriters Inc. A 26-year veteran of AAU, Williams oversees a fleet of one corporate jet and 10 high-performance single-engine aircraft and flew for Pan American World Airways before joining the insurance company. Agur is president of the VanAllen Group, Inc. and has been a consultant since 1985.
KEITH BUTLER-WHEELHOUSE was elected chief executive of Smiths Industries, succeeding Roger Hurn, who will continue as chairman. Butler-Wheelhouse, who will assume his new position in August, has been chief executive of Saab Automobile for the past four years.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIF. will lease two Canadair CL-215T SuperScooper aerial firefighting amphibious aircraft for an initial five-year period, which "represents a major milestone for the partnership between ourselves, the county, local home and business owners, and the insurance industry," said Ray Mathieu, director of the Canadair Amphibious Aircraft Division of Bombardier, the manufacturer of the water bomber line of aircraft.
NBAA CHAIRMAN Allan B. Lane named Lise S. Margin corporate secretary of the association. Margin, executive assistant to NBAA President Jack Olcott, has been with NBAA since 1990, serving in a variety of administrative capacities. Margin will replace Vice President Dennis Wright as corporate secretary and Lane noted that the transition "provides Dennis with needed time to fulfill his many responsibilities as head of NBAA's Operations Department and as the corporate secretary of the International Business Aviation Council."
NEW PIPER PA31, PA31P and PA31T series airplanes (Docket No. 90-CE-62- AD; Amdt. 39-9621; AD 96-10-14) - supersedes AD 88-05-05, which requires repetitive inspections of both the left and right main landing gear forward sidebrace and replacement of any cracked sidebrace. FAA's policy on aging commuter-class aircraft is to eliminate or, in certain instances, reduce the number of certain repetitive short-interval inspections when improved parts or modifications are available.
HOUSTON HELICOPTERS, Pearland, Texas, is offering VIP and corporate charter helicopter services in the Houston area and southeast Texas. The company, which is a provider of transportation services for offshore oil platforms, is offering a Sikorsky S-76, Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III and 206B JetRanger helicopters for the corporate charter operations.
