VISIONAIRE CORPORATION last week selected Ames, Iowa, as the site of its future assembly facility for the all-composite Vantage business jet. Headquartered in Chesterfield, Mo., VisionAire hopes construction of the facility will be complete in June 1997. The assembly site will eventually staff 150 employees, VisionAire Chief Financial Officer Gary Pluth said. First flight of the Vantage, a six-place, single-engine jet, is scheduled for April 1996 with deliveries beginning in late 1998.
A DISAGREEMENT over how market share should be determined in the business jet industry has reached the Council of Better Business Bureaus. The Council's National Advertising Division recently recommended that aircraft manufacturers advertising market share claims disclose any "nontraditional" method of arriving at those claims.
BEECH Models 1900, 1900C and 1900D airplanes (Docket No. 94-CE-31-AD; Amdt. 39-9294; AD 95-14-02) - supersedes AD 91-24-15, which requires modification of the instrument air plumbing system on Models 1900 and 1900C airplanes. This action requires an additional modification to the plumbing of the instrument air system on the Models 1900 and 1900C airplanes and adds the Model 1900D to the applicability of the AD. This action is prompted by eight reports of moisture freezing in the system on airplanes in compliance with AD 91-24-15.
NATIONAIR INSURANCE AGENCIES said Robert D. Cannon, owner and chief executive officer of Forbes Westar Aviation, Inc., joined NationAir as part of that company's acquisition of Forbes Westar. NationAir President Hal Williams said "as both friend and competitor, I have long admired Bob Cannon's knowledge and skills as an aviation insurance specialist...I am pleased to announce that Bob's considerable talents will now benefit NationAir Insurance and the clients of NationAir Scottsdale." NationAir officially acquired the former Forbes Westar accounts this month.
FELIX VINKLAREK was named director of sales and marketing for Baseops International. Vinklarek previously served in an operations supervisory position for Baseops and before that, had served in the flight planning department at another service company in Houston.
The Federal Aviation Administration, having received and granted hundreds of requests for exemptions to permit pilots of small commercial aircraft to perform simple preventive maintenance tasks, is now proposing that all affected Part 135 pilots have the same authority without the need to seek an exemption.
Sabreliner Corp. of St. Louis landed a major piece of military business last week, a seven-year contract valued at approximately $200 million to inspect and maintain the U.S. military fleet of Gulfstream C-20 (Gulfstream III and IV) business jets.
Air Transport Association and the union representing FAA's equipment maintenance employees, the Professional Airways System Specialists, last week expressed concern over outages of aging computers and called on the Federal Aviation Administration to pursue a short-term remedy for the equipment at busy air traffic control centers. The concerns came as FAA tried to determine the source of the most recent outages at the Chicago center.
FAA is soliciting comments on a proposed advisory circular that provides a method of compliance with Part 25 requirements for drainage and ventilation of fire zones for transport category airplanes. The AC is intended to provide "guidance in what factors should be considered in the design of flammable fluid drainage systems and ventilation systems, and to describe a means of showing compliance" with applicable sections of Part 25. Copies of the proposed AC may be requested from Jan Thor at (206) 227-2127.
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.
JETSTREAM Series 200 and Models 3101 and 3201 airplanes (Docket No. 95-CE- 27-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection of the threaded portion of the aileron mounting spigots for cracks, replacement of any cracked spigots and replacement of the securing nut assemblies with new nut assemblies and split pins. The proposal is prompted by reports of cracked mounting spigots caused by stress corrosion.
LEARJET Model 60 airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-119-AD; Amdt. 39-9303; AD 95- 14-09) - requires inspection for bends in or damage to the fuel crossflow tube, inspection for clearance between the fuel crossflow tube and the flight control cables, and replacement or repair of the tube, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by reports of damage to the fuel cross flow tube and inadequate clearance between the fuel crossflow tube and the flight control cables due to bends in the fuel crossflow tube.
SEN. ERNEST HOLLINGS (D-S.C.) introduced legislation (S.1055) to eliminate the requirement in the 1991 transportation drug-testing law that employers administer pre-employment alcohol testing of all applicants. Hollings, who was one of the principal sponsors of that provision, now says he agrees with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which said, "It does not seem to make much sense to require that an applicant be tested who did not have the qualifications for the job and who was not going to be offered a position."
THE AIR FORCE last week blamed mechanical malfunction, a flight manual deficiency and human error for the April crash of a USAF C-21A (Model 35) Learjet in Alabama that claimed eight lives. See article on Page 47. The National Transportation Safety Board is scheduled to discuss its findings Tuesday in the December crash in Fresno, Calif. of a modified Model 35 that was being operated on a mission for the California Air National Guard.
Federal Aviation Administration, noting it recently became aware of two incidents where corrosion on Piper PA-28 aircraft was so extensive that the wings were replaced, is seeking comments on action the agency may take to address the potential corrosion problem on PA-28 and PA-32 aircraft. In an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) issued last week, FAA noted that corrosion discovered in the wing tank area of two PA-28s based in The Netherlands caused the wing spar material to come off in flakes and strips.
BUSINESS JET SOLUTIONS, the flight operations company jointly owned by AMR Combs and Bombardier Company, signed with FlightSafety International for the training of the new organization's pilots. Business Jet Solutions will provide pilots for AMR Combs' aircraft charter and management activities plus the Flexjet Fractional Ownership Program that AMR and Bombardier launched earlier this year (BA, May 8/193). The Flexjet program alone is expected to require more than 200 pilots within the next few years.
JIMSAIR AVIATION SERVICES has begun a $1.8 million expansion and upgrade of its Lindbergh Field facility. Plans call for construction of a 20,500- square-foot corporate storage hangar, 4,000 square feet of office space and a fuel storage facility. In addition, the company will refurbish the customer lounge areas and restrooms.
CESSNA appointed Matt Harris general manager of its Citation Service Center in Greensboro, N.C. Harris, an 11-year Cessna employee, succeeds Phil Hartwick, who retired June 30. Most recently manager of Cessna's Wichita Citation Service Center, Harris has held a number of product support positions for Cessna, including technical training instructor, program manager-product support and manager-support services.
Vice President Al Gore signed an agreement during a recent trip to Russia that provides a detailed agenda for cooperative efforts in aviation between the U.S. and Russian governments. While the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Gore is short of a bilateral airworthiness agreement (BAA) between the two countries, it is designed to pave the way for adoption of a BAA in the future.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model Viscount 744, 745D, and 810 airplanes (Docket No. 94-NM-110-AD; Amdt. 39-9302; AD 95-14-08) - requires repetitive inspections for discrepancies of certain fittings and the actuator beam structure of the nose landing gear and replacement of discrepant parts. This amendment is prompted by reports of fatigue cracking of the undercarriage bracing of the nose wheel.
CHRISTINE RUSSELL was appointed editorial and public relations coordinator for The Avion Group. Russell previously was editor of KCI News in the Kansas City area.
Although civil aviation officials have downplayed the prospects of Global Positioning System signals being jammed, the Air Force is seeking ways to combat "intentional and unintentional interference to GPS user equipment." The Air Force's Wright Laboratory and the GPS Joint Program Office are requesting proposals by Aug.
FAA OFFICIALS, who have worked for years with their counterparts in Russia to develop mutually agreeable aircraft certification standards, are encouraged by the provisions of a new memorandum of understanding signed recently by Vice President Al Gore and senior Russian officials. See article below.
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION is warning that congressional proposals to eliminate the Commerce Department and privatize or abandon many of the agency's programs could seriously disrupt weather forecasting services.NOAA said Friday that a proposal to transfer the National Weather Service to the Department of Interior would "eliminate 62 of the 118 weather forecast offices" planned as part of the NWS modernization program. NOAA claims the newly modernized offices "have shown significant improvements in warning times for severe weather."
Senate Government Affairs Chairman William Roth (R-Del.) introduced legislation (S.1063) that would permit state and local governments to transfer federal-aid facilities, such as airports, to the private sector without a repayment of federal grants. The bill was referred to Roth's own committee. Infrastructure facilities could be transferred by sales or lease provided that the facilities are maintained for their original purposes and grant assurances are observed.
