After months of bouncing through the federal bureaucracy, a new set of medical standards for U.S. airmen will be published tomorrow (March 19) by the Federal Aviation Administration. The new standards, which FAA Administrator David Hinson had hoped to unveil at last summer's Experimental Aircraft Association convention, spent the intervening months being vetted by officials at the Transportation Department and White House Office of Management and Budget.
NATIONAIR INSURANCE AGENCIES this month completed the acquisition of Minneapolis, Minn.-based Weber&Bauer (BA, Jan. 22/33). NationAir merged former Weber&Bauer accounts into its Minneapolis office with former Weber&Bauer partner Jeffrey Bauer becoming branch manager and John Weber account executive. Bauer replaces James Erickson, who departed NationAir to pursue a career flying charter jet aircraft.
WORLD AUXILIARY POWER COMPANY and Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus reached agreement on the purchase of one on-board airstair for installation on a VIP A340 currently undergoing modification by Daimler-Benz Aerospace. The airstair will be manufactured by WAPCO in Alameda and Chico, Calif. The airstair for the A340 is the eighth airstair model to be designed and built by WAPCO, which has produced more than 40 airstairs for use on civil and military aircraft. The fully-retractable stair is approximately 24.5 feet long and weighs more than 800 pounds.
ALLIEDSIGNAL AEROSPACE named Jim Strang vice president of Space Station programs for the Aerospace Equipment Systems (AES) business and Peter Machuga vice president of materials management. Strang formerly was vice president of product development and technology for AES and Machuga previously served as director of materials and management for the unit.
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.
Summary Of Costs and Schedules For FAA's Major Modernization Projects 2-yrs comparison of total F&E cost estimates (In millions of dollars) Projects Description/Anticipated Benefits 1995 1996 Change -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fokker Aircraft Friday declared bankruptcy, dismissing some 5,664 employees and ending 77 years of aircraft manufacturing in The Netherlands. The Dutch government, which in January granted Fokker temporary protection from creditors to allow the manufacturer to line up a buyer (BA, Jan. 29/44), Friday lifted that suspension of payments, forcing Fokker into bankruptcy. "During the limited suspension of payments period, it proved impossible to realize an association with an industrial or financial partner," Fokker said in a prepared statement.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, defending its budget shortfall projections after the General Accounting Office disputed the agency's estimates (BA, March 11/109), said it faces "a drastic curtailing of current FAA services, let alone meeting new safety and capacity demands" if budget cuts continue at the rate of the past five years.
Canadian conglomerate Bombardier reported substantially higher revenues for the year ended Jan. 31, 1996, but a decision to write down the company's investment in the Eurotunnel project sharply reduced the company's profits.
JETSTREAM Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-71-AD; Amdt. 39-9536; AD 94-24-09 R1) - revises an existing AD that requires repetitive inspections for damage to the overwing fairings and replacement or repair of structurally damaged fairings. That AD was prompted by a report indicating that an overwing fairing detached from an airplane. The actions specified by that AD are intended to prevent reduced controllability of the airplane due to loss of an overwing fairing.
Aviation industry leaders praised House passage of a bill to reform the Federal Aviation Administration last week, while Transportation Secretary Federico Pena again threatened to recommend a presidential veto. The House Tuesday approved by voice vote a pared-down version of the FAA Revitalization Act of 1995, H.R.2276, which would establish FAA as an independent agency overseen by a chief executive officer and a three-member federal aviation board.
AIR NOSTRUM, an independent Spanish regional based in Valencia, ordered three used Fokker 50s. The aircraft, scheduled for delivery in April and May, will service Air Nostrum's new routes in northern and central Spain. The order will boost the airline's fleet of Fokker 50s to 10. Air Nostrum began operations in December 1994 with three Fokker 50s.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT named Charles Lloyd vice president-international sales, Far East, and Nick Schneider vice president-international sales, Latin America. The newly created positions report to James Link, vice president- international sales. Lloyd, who has worked in the aircraft industry for nearly 18 years, most recently was director-used aircraft sales for Raytheon Aircraft. Schneider, who joined the international sales division as an associate regional manager, will sell the full line of Raytheon Aircraft products in Latin America.
TRO LEARNING signed an accord with FlightSafety International under which FSI will be able to use TRO's library of computer-based pilot and maintenance training courseware at its 40 training centers. The pact also allows FSI to market TRO's 1,200 hours of training courseware products to clients.
MICHAEL SENESAC was named director-continuous improvement for Howmet Corp. Senesac will be responsible for the organization's change initiatives such as Kaizen, synchronous manufacturing, process control and other continuous improvement efforts.
While the National Air Transportation Association last week continued its "devastation prevention" meetings around the country in opposition to FAA's flight and duty time proposal, the Air Transport Association filed a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in Washington, D.C. in search of evidence that regulators ignored "important factors" when crafting the proposal.
MIKE MURRELL has rejoined Miller Meester, the Minneapolis, Minn.-based advertising agency, as executive vice president/managing partner/director of integrated marketing. Murrell was with Miller Meester in the mid-1980s before joining Johnson Hill Press in Ft. Atkinson, Wis., where he held a number of posts including group publisher of a number of aviation titles including FBO Magazine, which later became Airport Business.
RICHARD EDINGER was promoted to vice president of engineering for Hartzell Propeller. Edinger has spent nearly 14 years with Hartzell in various engineering capacities.
ALLIANCE ENGINES completed correlation of the TPE331 test cell at its Maryville, Tenn. facility and filed the test data with FAA. The company said the test cell is "now operational for all TPE331 engines up to and including the TPE331-12." The turboprop test cell uses a conditioned air system that allows engines to run at standard day temperatures, precluding the need for data conversions based on non-standard temperatures.
GRA, the Philadelphia-based transportation consulting firm, formed GRA Aviation Specialists in Herndon, Va. to provide aircraft appraisals, marketplace analysis, asset management and aircraft lease and loan analysis services to the aviation finance, airline and legal communities. GRA said it will continue to concentrate on strategic and public policy issues while GRA Aviation Specialists will focus on aircraft values and the commercial and business aircraft marketplace.
REVISED AIRMAN MEDICAL STANDARDS will be published by FAA this week, eight months after FAA Administrator David Hinson's planned release of the document at last summer's Experimental Aircraft Association convention in Oshkosh, Wis. (BA, July 24/31) and more than 14 years since the medical standards review process began. The final rule deletes many proposals that drew strong opposition. See article below.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 0100 series airplanes (Docket No. 94-NM-122-AD; Amdt. 39-9527; AD 96-05-02) - requires modification of a certain galley, repetitive inspections for damage and to determine the clearance of generator wires in the auxiliary power unit, and repair or replacement of damaged wires. This amendment is prompted by reports indicating that, during an unscheduled removal of a galley from the production line, the insulation of one of the generator wires of the APU was found damaged due to inadequate clearance with the adjacent structure.
Aeroplex Aviation Center and Million Air Long Beach have formed a partnership under which Million Air will move into Aeroplex's facility on Long Beach, Calif. Airport and share responsibilities. The partnership, effective April 1, calls for Million Air to operate the ramp, fueling and customer services at the Aeroplex center. Million Air will operate there as Million Air at Aeroplex. In addition, Million Air will merge its sales efforts with Aeroplex. Aeroplex will continue to manage the leasing of the hangar and offices.
JONATHAN DODSON was promoted to engine service sales representative for Duncan Aviation. Dodson, who most recently was service manager, has 22 years of aviation experience, including five with Duncan.
CANADAIR Model CL-215-1A10 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-272-AD; Amdt. 39-9532; AD 96-05-06) - requires a one-time inspection of the main distribution center for loose or missing attachment hardware, and correction of any discrepancy identified. This amendment is prompted by a report of total loss of electrical power on one airplane during flight, which was caused by a shorting out of the voltage regulator in the main distribution center. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent total electrical failure during flight.
