In a move hailed by industry leaders, the House last week approved by a 284 to 143 vote legislation that would remove the transportation trust funds - including aviation - from the federal budget. The large margin of victory came despite staunch resistance from House leaders, including Rep. John Kasich (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Budget Committee (BA, April 8/160). However, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.), the author of the Truth in Budgeting Act, H.R.842, called the vote "a victory for the traveling American public.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT conducted a successful first flight Tuesday of the first piston-powered aircraft, a Model 172, it has built in nearly a decade. See article on Page 182.
AlliedSignal Aerospace started customer deliveries this month of what it claims is "the world's first hand-held aircraft radio that combines a global positioning system (GPS) and communications transceiver in a single unit." The KLX 100 is being marketed to a wide range of customers, from homebuilt pilots who will use it as their primary means of communication and navigation, to corporate and airline pilots who will use it as a backup to supplement systems installed in their aircraft.
JETSTREAM Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-128-AD; Amdt. 39- 9556; AD 96-07-07) - requires an inspection to verify "door open" placards are properly positioned on the inside of the main entrance door, and replacement with new placards appropriately positioned, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by a report that the "door open" placards as currently installed may not be visible to passengers or flightcrew when the door handle is in the open position.
The first of what Cessna Aircraft hopes will be thousands of new production Model 172 single-engine aircraft made its first flight in Wichita last week, a successful outing conducted before hundreds of company workers involved in the single-engine program.
UNIVERSAL AVIONICS, which last week relocated its European office to Zurich, Switzerland (BA, April 15/175), has corrected its phone and fax numbers. The new numbers are: telephone, 41-1-872 70 50; fax, 41-1-872 70 55.
NIAGARA FRONTIER TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY is seeking proposals from qualified firms for development and operation of an air cargo handling facility at Niagara Falls, N.Y. International Airport. The authority said proposers may utilize existing facilities or build new facilities on or adjacent to the airport. To receive an RFP package, contact: Nancy A. Wellenzohn, Product Manager-Transportation Services, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, 181 Ellicott St., Buffalo, N.Y. 14203; telephone, (716) 855-7231.
ASTRONICS CORP., Buffalo, N.Y., said its Luminescent Systems subsidiary won several contracts with a combined value in excess of $2 million, including one from Bombardier for design and certification of the cockpit lighting control system for the Global Express business jet. The lighting system order for 35 shipsets includes cockpit control panels, dimmable electronic power supplies and ambient light sensors.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-152-AD) - proposes to require modification of the passenger door lock warning system. This proposal is prompted by reports that the passenger door opened during flight due to an improperly locked door. Additionally, the door warning signal was not sufficiently visible to alert the flight crew of this condition. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to ensure that the flight crew is aware of an unlocked passenger door prior to takeoff of the airplane.
U.S. manufacturers delivered slightly fewer business jets last quarter, but the total number of general aviation aircraft shipped continued to surge upward, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported last week. U.S. general aviation manufacturers shipped 227 aircraft in the first three months of the year, up 9.1 percent from the 208 aircraft delivered in first quarter 1995. Billings, however, declined 5.3 percent to $564 million last quarter, in large part due to a 4.3 percent dip, to 45, in the number of business jets shipped.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT recently shipped the 900th Hawker business jet, a Hawker 1000 to Executive Jet Aviation. The aircraft is the 17th Hawker operated by EJA, which also has an order for an additional Hawker 1000 and options for three more.
BANYAN AIR SERVICE, based at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Executive Airport, was named an authorized Twin Commander service center. Banyan Air Service will provide service to Twin Commander operators in the Southeast as well as in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Regional Airline Association last week lost, at least temporarily, one of its largest members after the association took a position against the controversial Senate proposal, sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), to establish a user fee system to fund the Federal Aviation Administration. American Eagle, a wholly owned subsidiary of AMR Corp. comprising four separate regional airlines, Tuesday issued a statement saying it has "suspended its involvement" with RAA after the RAA board of directors voted 7-1 to oppose the McCain bill, S.1239. AMR Corp.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION presented its President's Award to Charles Suma, president and chief executive officer of The New Piper Aircraft, Inc., for his efforts to bring Piper out of near bankruptcy.
U.S. AIR FORCE Air Mobility Command awarded three contracts to commercial carriers for domestic airlift services. Airpark Sales and Service, Inc., Hollywood, Md., won a seven-month award with two option years to transport passengers from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., and two other Maryland facilities to various locations within 250 miles. The contract period began March 1 and the value of the contract is $95,578.
UNIVERSAL AVIONICS SYSTEMS CORPORATION will relocate its European offices from Munich, Germany to Zurich, Switzerland, effective April 17. The Zurich operation will represent Universal's complete product line to customers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The new office will be located at Schlosserstrasse 4, CH-8180 Bulach, Switzerland; telephone: 41- 1-875 70 50; fax: 41-1-875 70 55.
AVREPS INTERNATIONAL signed an agreement to assist in marketing Nellcor Puritan-Bennett Aero Systems' airborne closed-circuit television (ACCTV) product line. Airborne CCTV, a Carlsbad, Calif. unit of Nellcor Puritan- Bennett, produces video camera systems for safety security, inflight entertainment and flight testing. AvReps will represent the ACCTV line to corporate flight departments, airlines, avionics sales and service facilities and OEMs.
INDUSTRY LEADERS expressed concern about possible regulatory or political fallout from Thursday's takeoff accident in Cheyenne, Wyo. The crash killed seven-year-old Jessica Dubroff, her father and a flight instructor during a planned cross-country publicity stunt in a 1975 Cessna Model 177B. They elected to take off despite heavy rain and gusty winds that would have deterred most private pilots.
Summary: Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT selected Cox&Company and Innovative Dynamics to provide a low-power de-cing system for the horizontal stabilizer on the Premier I jet aircraft. The Electro-Magnetic Expulsion De-Icing system uses short duration, high acceleration deflection of the leading edge surface to remove ice accumulations, Cox officials said. The system was developed by the Cox/Innovative Dynamics team with the help of NASA's Small Business Innovative Research Program.
BEECH Model BAe 125-1000A and Hawker 1000 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-141-AD; Amdt. 39-9560; AD 96-07-11) - requires a detailed visual inspection to detect chafing damage to the hydraulic pipes adjacent to the hydraulic module, and various follow-on actions. This amendment is prompted by reports of chafing damage between hydraulic pipes at three locations in the rear equipment bay adjacent to the hydraulic module.
Mercury Air Group will expand into a nationwide network of fixed-base operations with the acquisition of six Raytheon Aircraft Services (RAS) FBOs. The two companies said Wednesday they had signed an agreement for the purchase by Los Angeles-based Mercury of one-third of RAS' FBO locations: Hartsfield and Peachtree in the Atlanta area; Ontario, Calif.; Bedford, Mass.; and Corpus Christi and Addison, Texas.
JON LYONS was named director, operating supplies and services for AlliedSignal Aerospace. Lyons will oversee procurement for operating supplies and services.
