In a move that earned praise from aircraft operators and air traffic controllers alike, the Federal Aviation Administration Friday pledged to work with the industry over the next 10 years to phase in "free flight." Administrator David Hinson said free flight, a concept that would allow pilots operating under instrument flight rules to select their own routes and file the most efficient and economical flight plans, will improve safety and efficiency of the nation's airspace system. Hinson said the transformation to free flight will be a "long-term migration.
BENOIT GOSSET was named director of Messier-Bugatti's Repair and Overhaul Division. Gosset, who joined Messier-Bugatti in 1980, most recently was sales and marketing director for the Repair and Overhaul Division.
KEITH PRODUCTS, INC., Dallas, Texas, won a contract from Fairchild Aircraft to provide a vapor cycle air conditioning system for C-26 aircraft, the military version of the Metro 23 turboprop used by National Guard units for passenger, cargo and medevac missions. Keith Products said it expects to complete FAA certification for a supplemental type certificate next month. The Keith system uses R-134a refrigerant.
LEARJET Model 31 and 35A airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-197-AD) - proposes to require replacement of two segments of 16 American Wire Gauge (AWG) wire with 8 AWG wire between a connector and the auxiliary cabin heater relay box. This proposal is prompted by a report that two segments of the 15 AWG wire in the auxiliary cabin heater that were spliced during production do not provide adequate current-carrying capacity.
Mesaba Airlines, a Northwest Airlink carrier, contracted for up to 72 Saab 340s, the manufacturer said last week. Mesaba placed firm orders for 50 aircraft and options for 22 more. The firm order includes 30 new Saab 340BPlus models and 20 used 340A aircraft (BA, March 11/115). Deliveries will begin in May and continue at the rate of two a month through September 1998. Concurrently, Mesaba will begin eliminating its existing fleet of 26 Fairchild Metro III and 25 de Havilland Dash 8-100 aircraft.
K-C AVIATION received supplemental type certificate approval for the installation of a corporate interior in a Jetstream 41. The modification, which K-C Aviation said included the first 16G seat installation on a J41, required relocation of cabin and aircraft ducts and the installation of a second seat track to accommodate single seats. K-C Aviation said it worked in conjunction with JSX Capital Corp. as well as with seat manufacturer Erda Inc. for 18 months to obtain the STC. The company said future J41 modifications can be accommodated in a 12-week period.
THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION is expected to finally issue its fiscal 1997 budget request this week and the Transportation Department will again seek authority to impose new fees and charges on aviation system users. The budget document, coming out about a month later than usual, will seek authority for some $150 million in user fees during the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 (BA, March 4/101).
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION is expected to grant a 90-day extension to the comment period for its flight and duty time proposal. National Air Transportation Association in December requested the extension to allow industry more time to analyze the rule (BA, Jan. 1/2). The comment period originally would have expired tomorrow.
THE U.S. AIR FORCE is seeking a supplier for 125 Global Positioning System (GPS) modification kits for its Lockheed C-5 fleet. The service's San Antonio Air Logistics Center at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas said it plans a "four-year requirement contract with an initial order for 44 each" in fiscal 1996, with a need for 36 more in fiscal 1997, another 32 in fiscal 1998 and 13 in fiscal 1999.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT said the 750th production unit of its Caravan single-engine utility turboprop, N750GC, has begun a demonstration tour of North and South America. Cessna, which delivered 88 Caravans last year, said the Caravan fleet grew to 737 by the end of 1995, operating in 52 countries worldwide. A little more than half of the fleet is used in scheduled freight or airline operations. Other uses include freighters, on-demand charter, personal and corporate aircraft, and special missions such as air ambulance and government service.
Trimble Navigation of Sunnyvale, Calif., will acquire the assets of Terra Corporation of Albuquerque, N.M. in exchange for shares of Trimble's common stock under terms of a recently signed definitive agreement between the companies. Trimble, a growing force in the commercial market for satellite-based navigation products, said the boards of directors of both companies have approved the deal valued at $2.7 million. The acquisition is awaiting a fairness hearing before the California Department of Corporations and a vote by Terra shareholders.
AMR AIRLINE SERVICES won a contract to provide interline baggage transfer for a consortium of 60 domestic and international airlines at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The consortium comprises all airlines using the eight terminals that serve passengers at LAX. The agreement is for five years. AMR added 130 employees and 120 pieces of equipment at the airport to handle the approximately 400,000 bags per month that will be handled under the new agreement.
More than eight years after the first pre-production EH101 three- engine helicopter first flew, the first production model of the joint Westland-Agusta helicopter rolled out of the Westland factory in Yeovil, England last Wednesday. The No. 1 production aircraft is the first of 44 ordered by the British Royal Navy.
NATIONAL AVIATION ASSOCIATIONS COALITION, representing almost every segment of the industry, called for a continued contribution from the general federal budget to help fund the Federal Aviation Administration.
THE U.S. COAST GUARD is surveying suppliers for a source that can provide standby attitude indicators for its fleet of 95 HH-65A helicopters. Responses are due at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C. by March 27, according to a Feb. 28 Commerce Business Daily notice.
FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION and Battelle formed a strategic alliance "to advance aviation safety by facilitating information exchange within the aviation industry." A memorandum of understanding between the two organizations states that "there is a growing consensus that the full benefits of aviation safety data collection will only be realized if such efforts are industry-driven and guided by a facilitating agent. This facilitator should be an objective, trusted organization with...no direct stake in the conduct of flight operations.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL received a contract from American Eagle to develop troubleshooting training systems for its Saab 340 and ATR-42/72 aircraft maintenance technicians. The contract follows a previous training program agreement with American Airlines for the MD-80, Boeing 757 and Fokker 100. The new programs, co-developed by FSI and American, will be type-specific. The programs will include computer-based courseware that FSI said "has proved effective in reducing aircraft maintenance costs.
ALLIEDSIGNAL'S 'A+' senior debt and 'F-1' commercial paper ratings were affirmed by Fitch following AlliedSignal's pending sale of its light vehicle hydraulic braking and anti-lock braking business to Robert Bosch GmbH (BA, March 4/105). Fitch said it views the announced sale "as positive for Allied; the ABS business had been a drag on automotive sector earnings for some years and consumed considerable management and capital resources."
REP. FRANK WOLF (R-Va.) indicated last week he may offer legislation to make illegal diversion of airport revenue a criminal offense. Wolf, chairman of the House transportation appropriations subcommittee, also suggested that enforcement would be improved if determinations on whether illegal diversion has occurred are delegated to the counsel for the Office of Inspector General rather than to FAA or DOT lawyers.
ANDREW BILLICK, manager of the Alaskan Regional Airway Facilities Division, was named administrator of FAA's Alaska Region. He replaces Jacqueline Smith, who is retiring from the agency.
AAR signed a five-year agreement with Daimler-Benz Aerospace unit MTU Maintenance under which AAR will provide a customized inventory supply and management program for aircraft engine parts for MTU Maintenance's aircraft engine repair and overhaul activities. AAR will begin to implement the program at MTU Maintenance in Hannover this month.
GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE, the investigative arm of Congress, last week disputed FAA's contention that it will suffer a $12.1 billion shortfall through 2002.FAA has used the shortfall claim to justify the need for a controversial user fee proposal included in the McCain-Ford FAA reform bill in the Senate. GAO called "optimistic" FAA's assumption of a six percent annual increase in operating costs through 2002. GAO added the supposed shortfall does not take into account an estimated $2.4 billion in savings from procurement and personnel reforms.
JETAIR LEASING LTD, a British aircraft charter group, teamed with Adcom Express in Minneapolis, Minn., to form JetAir Charter and Leasing USA. Adcom, which provides transportation services worldwide, has 24 offices throughout the U.S. "Our operation is already global and we have a client base in the U.S. The link with Adcom will enable us to offer an even better service to those companies as well as to new clients," said Christian Rooney, JetAir's head of worldwide marketing.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT expects the strong initial demand for its new Citation Excel business jet to continue. The Excel made its first flight at the end of the month and officials said they had orders for 88 of the aircraft in hand (BA, March 4/102). Cessna Chairman Russ Meyer said after the Feb. 29 flight that the Excel "will, without question, be the most successful Citation in history.
British engine builder Rolls-Royce said its pre-tax earnings rose 73 percent in 1995 to $267.7 million, compared with $154.5 million the previous year. Revenues were up 13.7 percent to $5.5 billion. The company attributed nearly $600 million of the revenue increase to its March 24, 1995 acquisition of Indianapolis-based Allison Engine Company and said Allison contributed $45.9 million in pre-tax profits. Rolls-Royce order backlog stood at $9.48 billion at the end of 1995, compared with just over $9 billion at the close of 1994.
