DASSAULT AVIATION has begun avionics certification flights for its Falcon 50EX program. A Falcon 50, S/N 252, completed its first flight as the avionics certification testbed last month in Little Rock, Ark. The aircraft, powered by the original TFE731-3 engines, is equipped with Collins Pro Line 4 avionics and Sextant color LCD displays that will be standard on the Falcon 50EX. Certification of the Pro Line 4 avionics for Falcon 50EX production aircraft and for retrofit of existing Falcon 50 aircraft is expected in May.
THE CANADAIR BUSINESS AIRCRAFT DIVISION is hosting a two-day Challenger Maintenance and Operations Seminar May 22-23 in Montreal, Canada. The bi- annual event will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Montreal. For more information, call Ian Mitchell, director of customer service, at (514) 855- 7377; fax, (514) 855-7802.
FlightSafety International will begin operating the pilot training facility at Embraer's U.S. headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale under a new agreement between the two companies. The Ft. Lauderdale training center, which had been operated by Embraer, currently has one EMB-120 Brasilia simulator, but FSI said the facility will be expanded to accommodate a new EMB-145 simulator scheduled for installation there by yearend.
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT appointed Huffman Aviation, a fixed-base operation on the Venice, Fla. Municipal Airport, as a dealer and service center for its DA20 Katana aircraft.
Congress should redirect airport funding programs to spend more on reliever airports, ensure that Loran C is maintained as a backup navigation system to the global positioning system and continue to encourage the development of free flight, general aviation industry leaders told the House transportation appropriations subcommittee during a hearing late last month on FAA's fiscal 1997 budget (BA, March 4/101).
FAA Assistant Administrator of Public Affairs Sandra Allen will leave her post March 31 to rejoin her family in Chicago. Drucella Anderson, deputy assistant administrator, will fill the position until a replacement is named.
NASA'S sub- and supersonic research program, Export/Import Bank activities and the Energy Department's oil and gas research and development efforts all are part of the "Dirty Dozen Corporate Pork Chops" and should be restructured or eliminated, according to Senate aviation subcommittee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain is part of a group of senators seeking an independent commission to identify programs that provide "corporate welfare" and make recommendations for their elimination.
WAYFARER AVIATION added a Gulfstream IV to its charter operation, increasing its charter fleet to 13 aircraft. The G-IV, the second in Wayfarer Aviation's fleet, seats 15 passengers and has range of more than 4,000 nautical miles. Wayfarer Aviation, White Plains, N.Y., provides aircraft management and charter services.
MARK FIEDLER was appointed vice president, OEM sales and support for Grimes Aerospace Co. Fiedler, who joined Grimes in 1984, has held a variety of senior departmental and sales management positions including director, repair operations and director, OEM sales.
JOSEPH BROWN was promoted to vice president of manufacturing for Hartzell Propeller. Brown previously served as director of manufacturing for the Piqua, Ohio-based manufacturer of propeller systems.
British Aerospace's recently formed Asset Management has shored up its marketing team and will engage in "aggressive pricing" in an effort to improve its turboprop business. British Aerospace created BAe AM in late January with the merger of its Asset Management Organization, the BAe 146 jet sales and leasing business, and JSX Capital Corporation, which leased the British manufacturer's turboprop line (BA, Feb. 5/59).
MESABA HOLDINGS is expected announce today that it will acquire 50 Saab 340 aircraft, ending a heated competition between Saab and the Dornier 328. The Minneapolis-based carrier will take 20 used 340 and 30 new 340BPlus airplanes to replace its de Havilland Dash 8 and Fairchild Metro fleets. Details of the transaction were not immediately available.
"JUDGMENT DAY FOR AVIATION" is the headline on a brochure the National Air Transportation Association is distributing to its members on the Federal Aviation Administration's flight- and duty-time proposal. The brochure, which features a picture of a tombstone with the warning "R.I.P. On-Demand Air Charter," outlines steps NATA members can take against FAA's proposal. "We are giving them the ammunition to actually save their businesses," said NATA President James Coyne (BA, Feb. 12/65).
Bombardier, thought by many to be the most serious candidate to take over Fokker, has ended its pursuit of the struggling Dutch aircraft manufacturer. Netherlands Economic Affairs Minister Hans Wijers said last week that Laurent Beaudoin, Bombardier chairman and chief executive, told him that his company will not make an offer for the assets of Fokker, which has been under court protection from creditors and looking for a takeover since January.
SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY (Saudi Aramco) officials signed a contract to purchase three de Havilland Dash 8 Series 200 turboprops from Bombardier Regional Aircraft Division. The aircraft will be equipped, or convertible to, different configurations to permit them to perform a wide range of missions including medical evacuation, cargo, cargo/passenger combination or all passenger.
The controversy over Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's plans to close Meigs Field got hotter last week as Daley confirmed that he plans to name his wife to head a commission that will make recommendations about redeveloping the airport site and a spokesman for Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar reiterated his belief that Meigs Field should be retained as an operating airport.
The nation's major airlines last week joined much of the rest of the aviation industry in opposing new flight and duty time rules proposed by FAA for commercial pilots. The Air Transport Association, supported by two human factors experts whose work was cited by FAA when it proposed the rules, went a step further than other industry groups and asked for dismissal of the entire proceeding.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE AVIATION OFFICIALS published its 1996 Directory of State Aviation Officials. The directory contains information about each of the 50 state aviation agencies along with agencies in Puerto Rico and Guam. In addition, it contains telephone numbers and addresses of FAA officials, state governors and aviation associations. The directory costs $20 for a bound copy and the Subscription Directory, which is in a three-ring binder with a subscription update service, costs $50 for a year. For more information, contact NASAO at (301) 588-0587.
SOME CORPORATE PILOTS have expressed concern that the growth of fractional aircraft ownership will result in the demise of traditional corporate flight departments because such programs frequently reduce the amount of up-front capital costs when compared with establishing a stand- alone flight department. Others argue that fractional ownership provides flexibility for flight department managers and permits them to accommodate unexpected or temporary increases in demand for air transport without having to buy additional aircraft or hire more crews.
DAVID NEWMAN joined BAA USA, Inc. as financial analyst. Newman previously was an adjunct treasurer for Kraft Foods International-Jacob Suchard S.A., where he was responsible for investment operations.
AVREPS INTERNATIONAL renewed its marketing agreement with Telex Communications. Under the agreement, AvReps will represent Telex to avionics shop dealers throughout the U.S. Jennifer Hollenbeck, formerly of Telex, joined AvReps to coordinate the efforts. Telex produces headsets and microphones for the aviation industry.
Cessna Aircraft's Citation Excel completed its first flight Thursday, two weeks ahead of schedule. The aircraft flew for about an hour, testing the "customary handling characteristics," Cessna Vice Chairman Gary Hay told BA, who added the flight went smoothly, as expected. The aircraft departed from McConnell Air Force Base and landed at Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita, where Chairman Russ Meyer addressed a crowd of about 500 Cessna workers and customers.
JETSTREAM ATP airplanes (Docket No. 94-NM-238-AD; Amdt. 39-9503; AD 96-03-06) - requires inspections for fatigue cracking and corrosion in the gussets of the rear passenger door and rear baggage door apertures and replacement of the gussets, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by fatigue tests indicating that fatigue cracking and corrosion can occur in these gussets.
JOHN DUFFY was appointed operations supervisor for Cooper Aviation's Columbus branch. Duffy has served with Cooper for more than 15 years in the Columbus area.
