MEANWHILE, George Donohue, FAA associate administrator for research and acquisition, called Loran C "a technology whose time has come and gone." Donohue told BA sister publication Aviation Daily that aviation and maritime users who bought Loran equipment banked on the government's promise to support Loran until 2015. But he said "while there needs to be a transition time, all technology has a natural life to it."
CLOSURE OF GRAND CANYON AIRPORT was one of the options on the agenda for Friday's first meetingof a new Grand Canyon Airport Commission established by Gov. Fife Symington of Arizona, a move that upset air tour operators who did not learn until Thursday that the commission had been formed and that they were not represented on it. Commission members do include Paul Babbitt, of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, and Geoff Barnard of the Grand Canyon Trust.
KENT COUNTY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT in Grand Rapids, Mich., has a total economic impact of nearly $890 million annually, and is directly or indirectly responsible for more than 18,000 jobs, a community benefit assessment found. The Michigan Department of Transportation and Kent County Department of Aeronautics study found a significantly higher impact than a similar review in 1989 that showed the airport had an economic impact of less than $250 million and 5,200 jobs.
Cessna Aircraft is filing a formal protest with the General Accounting Office of the Pentagon's decision to award the Joint Primary Training Aircraft Training System (JPATS) contract to Raytheon Aircraft Co., a Cessna spokesman said Friday. Cessna entered a military version of its CitationJet entry-level business jet in the JPATS competition and officials felt they were in the running to win the 711-aircraft contract up until the day the Pentagon decision was announced.
RTCA's 1995 symposium will be held Nov. 6-9 at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers. In addition, RTCA said it will open a portion of its symposium to registrants of the International Air Safety Seminar (IASS), which is being held at the same time at the Seattle Westin Hotel. The IASS is being jointly conducted by the Flight Safety Foundation, the International Federation of Airworthiness and the International Air Transport Association.
Sabreliner Corp. acquired DynCorp's airline and cargo aircraft maintenance and modification facilities DynAir Tech of Arizona, DynAir Tech of Florida, DynAir Tech of Texas, DynAir Telecommunications and DynAir Avionics Division for $12.5 million plus payments contingent on future performance, company officials announced. The subsidiaries have combined annual sales of about $60 million, bringing Sabreliner's annual sales to about $200 million.
EXECUTIVE JET AVIATION took delivery of its first Cessna Citation V Ultra, the initial delivery in an order for 25 Ultras EJA placed a year ago (BA, July 18/21). EJA, which will use the Ultras in its successful NetJets fractional ownership program, plans to take delivery of another 15 Ultras by the end of the year.
The Federal Aviation Administration proposal (NPRM 95-5) to impose Part 121 operating standards on scheduled carriers now operating 10- to 19- seat aircraft under Part 135 would subject aircraft manufacturers, operators and passengers to sharply higher costs, according to comments submitted to the agency (BA, July 3/1). The impact is expected to be particularly severe in Alaska, where the lack of extensive highway and rail systems makes aviation the principal intercity transportation mode on 10- to 19-seat aircraft.
E-Systems has completed tests at the Federal Aviation Administration's Technical Center using a Westwind II to demonstrate the accuracy of a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) for guidance. Ray Swider, the FAA official in charge of the local area augmentation system project, said data from the E-Systems testing, which involved what is called "carrier phase tracking," has been sent to Mitre and to Ames Research Center. The research is aimed at meeting the International Civil Aviation Organization's Category 3 standards.
ALTHOUGH the NBAA 48th Annual Meeting&Convention is nearly three months away, the association says it's already surpassed last year's booth sales totals. By early July, NBAA sold 2,640 exhibit booths, up from the 2,550 spaces sold during the 1994 convention in New Orleans. Kathleen Hull, NBAA director of convention and seminars, said hotel bookings also are up significantly from past years. The convention will take place Sept. 26-28 in Las Vegas, Nev.
ART WEGNER, chairman of Raytheon Aircraft Co., said the company invested approximately $50 million of its own funds in the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) competition to provide a new trainer for the Air Force and Navy. Raytheon won't discuss most financial details until it signs a final JPATS contract, but based on the Pentagon's estimate that JPATS will be a $7 billion program, the company will see a revenue stream 140 times larger than its initial investment over the length of the program. And that doesn't include potential foreign military sales.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE continues to tick off milestones in assembly of the first Gulfstream V very long-range business jet, reporting arrival of the first G-V empennage at the company's Savannah, Ga., plant on June 30. The empennage was built in Pependecht, The Netherlands by Fokker Aerostructures, one of Gulfstream's risk- and revenue-sharing partners in the G-V program. Empennage delivery follows the joining of the first G-V wing earlier last month in Dallas by Northrop-Grumman's Vought Aircraft Division.
COLLINS COMMERCIAL AVIONICS received supplemental type certification for its forward-looking windshear weather radar. The Collins WXR-700X warns of windshear up to 90 seconds ahead of the flight path with both visual and aural alerts. The windshear detection capability was designed as a retrofit to Collins existing weather radar and as a standard option on new weather radars. Installations of the system will begin in September.
TAIWAN'S CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION plans to implement noise-based landing fees at all the nation's airports Aug. 1. The fees are expected to generate nearly $20 million annually, which will be used to mitigate noise pollution near the airports.
DOUG HUBENER was named director of operations for KC Aviation Transportation Services. Hubener formerly was a chief pilot with Freeport- McMoran and director of flight operations for ARAMCO.
MORE THAN 1,400 COMMENTS were submitted by Tuesday's deadline on FAA's controversial proposal to require scheduled operations with more than nine seats to meet Part 121 operating standards, but most dealt exclusively with the narrow issue of whether FAA should retain, expand or drop its prohibition against pilots flying for Part 121 air carriers after reaching age 60. The vast majority of responses came from current or former airline pilots and their families, who are attempting to use the proceeding as a referendum on the Age 60 issue.
Elliott Aviation, the Midwest-based chain of fixed-base, overhaul and modification facilities, has teamed with a British company to develop a line of active noise control systems for installation in corporate and general aviation aircraft. Elliott, based in Moline, Illinois, is the exclusive North American distributor for UltraQuiet installations manufactured by Ultra Electronics, Ltd., which developed similar systems for Saab and ATR commuter aircraft.
ROYAL INVENTUM COMPANY DR1 and DR6 series galley water heaters (Docket No. 95-ANE-13) - proposes to require the installation of new pressure relief valves and three-phase safety devices on Royal Inventum DR1 and DR6 series galley water heaters. This proposal is prompted by a report of a Royal Inventum DR6 water heater explosion in the aircraft galley during an overheat test at a maintenance facility. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent water heater explosions, which could cause personal injury or galley damage.
ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY Model R22 helicopters (Docket No. 94-SW-27-AD; Amdt. 39-9276; AD 95-06-03) - publishes an AD that previously was sent to all known U.S. owners and operators of Robinson Model R22 helicopters by individual letters. The AD requires an inspection and modification of the main rotor gearbox. This amendment is prompted by a report of an incident involving a Model R22 helicopter in which the two M/R mast spanner nuts became loose, resulting in failure of the M/R mast support structure.
Piper Aircraft, which entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the summer of 1991, hopes to emerge from that protection this month following confirmation hearing before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Miami. The bankruptcy court July 10 is expected to confirm a plan of reorganization that calls for the sale of Piper assets to Newco Pac, Inc. in a transaction valued at nearly $95 million. The reorganization plan initially received court approval in early May (BA, May 15/205) and last month received approval from Piper creditors.
PIPER AIRCRAFT, due to emerge from bankruptcy following a confirmation hearing before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Miami July 10, will unveil a new name and new logo in early August, along with a new board of directors. See related article below.
Northrop Grumman received a two-year, $3.4 million contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to develop and demonstrate "smart" adaptive wing concepts that could "significantly increase aircraft efficiency, leading to greater payloads, longer range and decreased operating costs," the company said. The concepts, called lift enhancement and optimal transonic cruise, use smart materials and structures to change the wing shape in flight, so it will perform more efficiently in various flight regimes.
CONCERNED about the possible closure of Meigs Field in Chicago, the National Business Aircraft Association faxed nearly 400 of its members in a four-state area last week asking them to "express their support to Chicago's Mayor [Richard] Daley for keeping Meigs Field open...since plans are underway to convert the field into a park." NBAA said Daley has indicated he plans to close the airport in September 1996 and turn it into a park, adding that he is being pressured to take such action by a local group, "Friends of the Park." Noting that neither FAA nor the Illinois DOT h
The National Air Transportation Association will oppose flight- and duty-time rulemaking that does not take into account the unique nature of smaller Part 135 operations, the association said in a letter to FAA Administrator David Hinson. "The association and its members are extremely concerned with the impending FAA flight and duty time proposal," NATA President James Coyne told Hinson.
BRIAN WARD has joined the Atlantic Aviation sales team. Ward, who will be based in Orlando, Fla. and cover a five-state area in the Southeast, has more than 20 years of business aviation services experience.
