AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY will hold its 28th Annual Convention and Industry Exhibit Sept. 11-15 at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott in Norfolk, Va. Organizers say they expect more than 500 aviation enthusiasts to attend the convention and trade show. For more information, contact ABS at (316) 945- 6913.
FAA is requesting comments on a proposed revision to an advisory circular on aircraft inspection and repair. AC 43.13-1A provides guidance on acceptable methods for the inspection and repairs of small, non- pressurized, older aircraft of 12,500 pounds or less. To obtain a copy of the AC, fax a request to the Manufacturing Standards Section, AFS-613, at (405) 954-4104. Comments must be sent before July 15 to FAA, Manufacturing Standards Section, AFS-613, 6500 S. MacArthur Blvd., ARB Room 30, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73125.
ROBERT FREEMAN was appointed manager of Learjet training for SimuFlite Training International. Freeman, an instructor with SimuFlite since 1989, will be responsible for all Learjet program operations for the training company.
OPPONENTS of Daley's plan to close Meigs have been frustrated in their attempts to build a coalition to keep Meigs open because corporate users of the airport, business interests and other politicians have been reluctant to publicly oppose Daley for fear of incurring his political wrath (BA, March 11/109). As a result, the AOPA ad campaign goes directly to Chicago voters. The full-page ads carry clip-out letters that residents living near Midway can sign and send to key members of the Illinois House and Senate, U.S. Rep.
BELL Model 47B, 47B-3, 47D, 47D-1, 47G, 47G-2, 47G-2A, 47G-2A-1, 47G- 3, 47G-3B, 47G-3B-1, 47G-3B-2, 47G-3B-2A, 47G-4, 47G-4A, 47G-5, 47G-5A, 47H-1, 47J, 47J-2, 47J-2A and 47K helicopters (Docket No. 96-SW-01-AD; Amdt. 39-9616; AD 96-06-12) - publishes an AD previously sent to all known U.S. owners and operators of the affected helicopters by individual letters. This AD requires a visual inspection of each tail rotor blade tip, abrasion strip, blade skin and blade butt for corrosion or delamination.
Dirk Vander Zee, a former banker who has been southeastern sales manager for Mooney Aircraft Corp. in La Grange, Ga. for the past eight years, was named vice president of sales and marketing this month. Bing Lantis, president and chief executive of Mooney, said Vander Zee will be responsible for all aircraft sales, marketing and advertising matters for the company.
Corporate and business aircraft will have access to two operating slots per day at Tokyo's Narita Airport beginning July 1, FAA Administrator David Hinson said last week. Hinson, who has been personally involved in attempting to persuade Japanese officials to provide greater access to their airports for U.S. business jet operators (BA, June 10/256), told reporters that the agreement by Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau to provide two slots per day for GA operations is "very welcome. We appreciate their willingness to do this," Hinson said.
Orenda Aerospace Corp. of Toronto, Ontario, won orders valued at more than $6.5 million (U.S.) from other engine producers and the U.S. Department of Defense. Orenda, which was recently acquired by Fleet Aerospace, said it received orders from Rolls-Royce Canada Ltd., General Electric Aircraft Engines and AlliedSignal Aerospace for turbine engine components valued at $4.4 million. The components ordered include high- temperature nozzles, combustion cases, disks and turbine wheels.
DORNIER Model 328 series airplanes equipped with Honeywell GP-300 Guidance and Display Controller (Docket No. 96-NM-112-AD; Amdt. 39-9656; AD 96-12-13) - adopts a new AD requiring modification of certain Honeywell GP- 300 guidance and display controllers. FAA said the action was prompted by reports of smoke and fumes, due to a defective light bulb, emitting from the Honeywell GP-300 guidance and display controllers; and a report of failure of the autopilot to disconnect manually.
Ryukyu Air Commuter of Naha, Okinawa, placed an order for three de Havilland Dash 8-100 aircraft and took options on two additional aircraft, Bombardier Regional Aircraft Division said. The carrier, a subsidiary of Japan TransOcean and a member of the Japan Airlines group of companies, selected the Dash 8 earlier this year, but had been awaiting government approval to place the order. That approval was recently granted, clearing the way for deliveries to begin early next year.
K-C AVIATION added a Gulfstream IV and Citation II to its charter fleet. The Gulfstream aircraft is based in West Palm Beach, Fla., and the Citation II in Teterboro, N.J. K-C Aviation manages a fleet of more than 30 aircraft in the U.S.
ALAN SITTON was named head of European sales and marketing for JSX Capital Corp. Sitton, who joins JSX from its former sister company BAe Asset Management Organization, has worked for British Aerospace and predecessor Hawker Siddeley since 1969.
ALLIEDSIGNAL INC. VN-411B VHF navigation receiver (Docket No. 95-CE- 91-AD) - proposes to adopt a new AD applicable to certain AlliedSignal Inc. VN-411B VHF navigation receivers without Modification 20 that are installed on, but not limited to, Learjet Model 31A, Fokker Model F27-50, and British Aerospace Model ATP airplanes. FAA said the proposed action would require removing and replacing the navigation receivers that do not have Modification 20 installed. A report of navigation receiver interference during a landing operation prompted the proposed action.
The Pratt&Whitney Canada PW206D turboshaft engine was picked to power Bell Helicopter Textron's new Model 427 helicopter, the engine manufacturer said last week. The selection for the 427 represents another significant victory for P&W's 200 series engine, which was previously selected to power the McDonnell Douglas Explorer, Eurocopter EC135 and Agusta A109 Power models.
HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL, FAA, NASA, and some Georgia agencies have formed a government/industry consortium to reduce traffic gridlock during the Olympics this summer in Atlanta. The Atlanta Short-Haul Transportation System Project will use 50 helicopters equipped with Global Positioning System navigation instruments to provide emergency services, transport cargo and ferry the media and others to the downtown area. The group will use a network of heliport landing pads throughout the city and in outlying areas.
JET AVIATION will be running a spanking new fixed-base operation in Las Vegas in August when it begins managing the facility that Eagle Flight Services opened at McCarran International Airport in mid-May (BA, April 29/191). The Eagle Group, which built the new FBO, had been seeking an alliance with a national FBO chain to help it compete against cross-field rival Signature Flight Support. See article on Page 268.
WEDNESDAY is the comment deadline on FAA's proposed changes in flight and duty time rules for commercial pilots. The controversial notice of proposed rulemaking was published in December (BA, Dec. 18/263) and the original 90-day comment period was extended in response to requests by the National Air Transportation Association and other industry groups.
Jet Aviation and the Las Vegas Executive Air Terminal (owned by The Eagle Group) signed an agreement under which Jet will manage the fixed-base operation at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas that Eagle opened last month (BA, April 29/191). The Eagle Group will retain its ownership of the facility, but Jet Aviation - which operates fixed-base operations in West Palm Beach, Fla., at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass., just outside Boston - will operate the facility under the Jet Aviation banner.
THE PW150 TURBOPROP ENGINE that will power the new de Havilland Dash 8-400 airliner completed its first test cell run, Pratt&Whitney Canada said Friday. The engine program was launched a year ago and the first test engine generated approximately 2,000 shaft horsepower during its initial test cell run. The test schedule calls for the engine to be run to over 5,000 shp within a few weeks. The PW150 is a growth version of the PW100 family designed specifically for next-generation, high-speed regional turboprops in the 60- to 80-passenger range.
AN INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE on pilot fatigue and FAA's proposed new flight and duty time standards is contained in the following anonymous submission to the rulemaking docket: "The fatigue factor I see, and am concerned about, is one generated by USAir pilots living in 47 of the 48 contiguous states. For some reason, they have shunned North Dakota. We have crew bases in BOS-PIT-BWI-DCA-CLT and LAX, but no one lives there. They all commute to work and will travel anywhere to best exercise their seniority. I am a [Boeing] 767 Intl. Capt.
DONALD ENGEN, who has held a series of high-profile Washington jobs - including FAA Administrator - since retiring from the Navy in 1978, will be in charge of the world's most popular museum next month when he assumes his new duties as director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. See article on Page 269.
THE AOPA AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION released its 1996 Nall Report, an analysis of general aviation accident trends and factors that includes all 1995 accidents involving fixed-wing general aviation aircraft. The full-color, 30-page report is heavily illustrated and contains numerous graphs and charts depicting the data collected. To receive a copy of the Nall Report, named in honor of former NTSB Member Joseph T. Nall, call The Air Safety Foundation at (301) 695-2000.
PILATUS BRITTEN-NORMAN BN-2A and BN-2A Mk. 111 series airplanes (docket No. 96-CE-16-AD) - proposes to supersede an AD that requires repetitive inspection of the aileron mass balance clamp unit attachment and modification, if necessary. 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.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY Model 150 and A150 series and Models 152 and A152 airplanes with a Bush Conversions, Inc. Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) kit incorporated in accordance with Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA1371SW (Docket No. 95-CE-14-AD; Amdt. 39-9666; AD 96-12-23) - The AD requires measuring the wing stall fence for maximum height, and installing a smaller fence if the fence exceeds the maximum height of 1.28 inches. FAA said the AD was prompted by an accident in which the STOL kit adversely affected the airplane's stall characteristics.
