W.W. "DICK" CROCHET was named operations supervisor for Cooper Aviation's Harrisburg branch. Crochet, who has been with Cooper for five years, previously served with Van Dusen and Aviall.
JACQUES BOUHELIER, a long-time Snecma executive, was named chairman and chief executive officer of Messier-Dowty SAS. Bouhelier replaces Dominque Paris, who took the position of chief operating officer of Messier-Dowty International.
LONNIE THIBODEAUX was named regional sales manager for aircraft modification and maintenance sales in the Texas region for Midcoast Aviation. Thibodeaux previously was with Raytheon Aircraft Services and has more than 12 years of aviation experience.
BEECH Model 400, 400A and MU-300-10 airplanes (Docket No. 94-NM-162- AD; Amdt. 39-9504; AD 96-03-07) - requires installation of an improved adjustment mechanism on the flightcrew seats and replacement of the existing aluminum seat reinforcement assemblies with steel assemblies. This amendment is prompted by reports of incomplete latching of the existing adjustment mechanism and cracked reinforcement assemblies, which could result in sudden shifting of a flightcrew seat.
Saab Aircraft of Sweden plans to terminate 540 workers, approximately nine percent of the company's work force. Saab notified union leaders of the planned cuts last week. Hans Kruger, president of Saab Aircraft AB, said, "the present market conditions and the company's order bookings require us to adapt our resources to lower volumes. The best way to strengthen the company's position in the long term is to intensify efforts in the market while continuing with aggressive rationalization and cost reductions." Saab's aircraft unit currently has 6,000 employees.
COOPER AVIATION INDUSTRIES selected Topcast Aviation Supplies Co., Ltd. as its distributor in Asia. Topcast, based in Hong Kong, provides aircraft parts support and represents industry OEMs/suppliers.
FAIRCHILD SA226 and SA227 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-CE-17-AD; Amdt. 39-9499; AD 96-03-03) - requires replacing the nuts that attach the power control cable to the lever attach point clevis with nuts that have safety wire holes, safety-wiring the power control cable to the lever attach point clevis, inspecting to assure that the power cable is securely attached to the power control cable bracket and correcting any attachment problems.
BOB IVORY was appointed regional field sales representative for Keystone Engine Services. Ivory will oversee engine sales and customer service for the South Central region including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
JAPAN AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE CORP. (JAMCO), Japan's largest maintenance company, expects to select by May a site in Washington state for a new U.S. plant, to be built by the end of 1997. JAMCO plans to transfer one-third of its production of lavatory modules for civil transports from Niigata in Central Japan to the U.S. facility. Beginning in 1998, the company will assemble 30 to 40 module units per month in the plant, with about 100 local employees.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT received an order from the Province of Chubut in Argentina for a Beechjet 400A and a Beech King Air C90B, to be configured for air ambulance use. Raytheon Aircraft valued the contract, including modifications, equipment, training, manuals and spares, at $9.3 million. Aeros Baires, Raytheon Aircraft's distributor in Argentina, is selling and modifying the aircraft, which are slated for delivery in the spring.
ED GAINES joined Airshow, Inc. as Eastern regional sales manager. Gaines, who has 21 years of experience in electronics, most recently was senior customer engineer for AlliedSignal Avionics, responsible for technical service and customer assistance for aircraft installation centers and end users.
President Clinton last week ordered the Federal Aviation Administration to hire more former PATCO (Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization) controllers, starting with at least 250 in fiscal 1997, according to Bob Harris, director of Controllers United, which represents many of the former controllers. The President asked FAA to ensure that 50 percent of new hires come from PATCO's ranks, Harris said.
AN OPERATOR FLIGHT ATTENDANT ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM working group was formed under FAA's Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee to consider comments submitted by the public in response to Notice of Proposed Rulemaking No. 94-74.
Air Methods Corp., the Denver-based provider of emergency medical transportation systems and services, recorded its first ever profitable year and fourth consecutive profitable quarter for the period ended Dec. 31. For the last three months of 1995, Air Methods' revenues increased 14 percent to $7.5 million and net income increased to $106,000, compared with a net loss of $1.3 million during the fourth quarter of 1994, the company said. Revenues increased 10 percent to $30.1 million during 1995, compared with revenues of $27.4 million in 1994.
LITTON INDUSTRIES completed its purchase of PRC, Inc. from Black&Decker Corp. on Feb. 16 for approximately $425 million in cash. PRC, an information technology company based in McLean, Va., had 1995 sales of approximately $720 million. The Federal Trade Commission previously ruled that Litton will be required to divest the Aegis systems engineering and technical assistance (SETA) contract of PRC before the acquisition could proceed. A Litton spokesman said the company will meet FTC's requirement of offloading the SETA work within 90 days.
Federal Aviation Administration has earmarked "four to five programs" as tests of a new acquisition system it plans to present to Congress April 1, George Donohue, FAA associate administrator for research and acquisition, said last week. Donohue would not name the programs until he has met with Monte Belger, associate administrator for air traffic services. The programs "will test all aspects of this new acquisition system," Donohue said. "We are asking for a complete review of this new acquisition system within three years.
BEECH Model BAe 125-800A and Hawker 800 airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM- 122-AD) - proposes to require modification of the airframe structure in the lower area of the fuselage aft of the wing rear spar. For certain airplanes, this proposal also would require a functional test to determine if a particular bolt fouls the flap control system. This proposal is prompted by reports of restricted control of the aileron due to water accumulation that froze in the area around an aileron pulley in the lower area of the fuselage aft of the wing rear spar.
Engine overhauler UNC, Inc., reporting a nearly $70 million earnings turnaround last year, said 1995's improved financial performance sets the stage for the planned acquisition of Garrett Aviation Services.
The Office of Management and Budget has recommended that the Clinton administration propose $150 million in new user fees for fiscal 1997 to pay for a planned $224 million increase in the Federal Aviation Administration operations budget. The recommendation, requested by the Transportation Department, calls for the new user fees to be provided through the appropriations process.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT expects to announce prices for its new single-engine piston models in about 30 days, following notification of customers who have placed deposits for delivery positions. Cessna Chairman Russ Meyer declined to discuss details of the pricing structure until customers are notified, but expressed confidence that "we won't lose any orders" because of the price tags on the aircraft.
YENHO TREE was named managing director of Aviall Airstocks Limited. Tree will oversee the unit's operations and strategic business development, including the sales and distribution of aircraft parts throughout China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT SERVICES reduced the price of jet fuel at its 17 locations by 17.83 cents per gallon this month to reflect the expiration of a variety of aviation user taxes - including fuel taxes - at the end of 1995 when Congress and the White House were unable to reach agreement on a federal budget compromise (BA, Jan. 8/13). Raytheon, like most FBOs, had been continuing to collect the jet fuel tax "in anticipation that federal excise taxes that expired on Dec.
KEEPING MEIGS FIELD OPEN may prove to be a more formidable task, according to AOPA President Phil Boyer. The city plans to close Meigs, Chicago's downtown airport on the banks of Lake Michigan, despite opposition from pilots who log thousands of operations there annually. AOPA and other aviation interests have been attempting to build support for maintaining Meigs as an airport, but Boyer said even some natural allies of such an effort are reluctant to go public because they are unwilling to buck Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (BA, July 3/1).
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION adopted a final rule that clarifies requirements for using long-range navigation systems (LRNS) and long-range communication systems (LRCS) and details navigation and communication equipment for certain overwater operations.
