AVIATION PARTNERS, INC., expects to install its performance-enhancing winglet modification kit on up to 150 Gulfstream II aircraft over the next five years and has already received orders from owners of more than 20 percent of those aircraft. The company, based in Seattle, Wash., said it has logged 34 orders to date and completed installation on 21 aircraft. "We expect to retrofit between 125 and 150 G-IIs over the next five years with our blended winglet technology," said Joe Clark, chief executive of Aviation Partners.
ALTHOUGH the National Transportation Safety Board late last month recommended that FAA establish national standards for air tour operators under Part 135, FAA already had planned such action (BA, June 5/237). The agency told the board in a letter before the NTSB hearing that it was considering issuing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking by the end of 1995 requiring all air tour operators to operate under Part 135.
UNC, INC. completed a new financing arrangement last month with First Union Capital Markets Group, a unit of First Union National Bank of North Carolina. UNC said the new agreement, which replaces a previous revolving credit agreement, permits borrowings up to $90 million and has a term of five years. UNC said proceeds will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes.
AIR METHODS CORP., Denver, Colo., named Aaron Todd, a certified public accountant, as chief financial officer of the corporation. Todd spent nine years in public accounting with KPMG Peat Marwick and, for six of those years, he served on the Air Methods account in various capacities. Most recently he had been vice president-finance of a Colorado publishing company. Todd replaces Kevin Andrew, who joined Air Methods in the spring of 1992 as controller.
PIPER PA-25 series airplanes (Docket No. 92-CE-63-AD; Amdt. 39-9251; AD 95- 12-01) - supersedes AD 93-21-12, which requires a one-time visual and dye penetrant inspection of the wing forward spar fuselage attachment assembly for cracks or corrosion and replacement or repair of any cracked or corroded part. This action requires repetitive ultrasonic and dye penetrant inspections of the wing forward fuselage attachment assembly, repair or replacement, if necessary, and a report of inspection results to FAA.
In the wake of the settlement of a long-standing dispute regarding noise restrictions in Long Beach, Calif., general aviation industry leaders are forming the General Aviation Noise Advisory Committee for users at Long Beach airport, the National Business Aircraft Association said last week. Formation of the committee stems from an ordinance the Long Beach City Council approved in April to ease noise restrictions.
HOUSE SPEAKER NEW GINGRICH (R-Ga.) last week reinforced his commitment to continuing the exemption for airlines from the 4.3-cents-per-gallon fuel tax. Commenting that the tax would kill jobs and "might well kill airlines," Gingrich said he also is "very committed to maintaining a healthy manufacturing industry," which would be hurt by whatever hurts airlines.
ATLANTIC AVIATION is planning to unveil a program next month at its four fixed-base operations that is designed to provide an incentive for pilots to buy fuel.Operators who fly into an Atlantic FBO and buy no fuel will be charged a handling or service fee. The fee will not apply to operators who buy fuel and their per-gallon cost will be based on a sliding scale that takes into account the maximum fuel capacity of individual aircraft.
Federal Aviation Administration this month circulated a flight standards information bulletin to clarify a notice of enforcement issued in February that industry said caused misinterpretations. The notice of enforcement said that all businesses producing aircraft parts intended for commercial sale and installation must obtain parts manufacturer approval (PMA). The notice was intended to ensure industry awareness of the agency's plan to enforce regulations governing all persons producing aircraft parts, and reduce the use of unapproved parts.
ALLIEDSIGNAL ENGINES delivered the first RE220[GV] prototype auxiliary power unit (APU) to Gulfstream Aerospace ahead of schedule. The initial APU will be used for aircraft installation fit-checks and then upgraded to flight test configuration. The first instrumented APU for G-V flight tests will be delivered late next month, five months ahead of the scheduled first flight of the initial G-V prototype. By then, AlliedSignal estimates it will have completed more than 2,000 hours of development testing out of a total program schedule of 9,000 hours using eight APUs.
After a search that lasted nearly a year, British conglomerate BBA Group Ltd. named a new chief executive to manage its Signature Flight Support fixed-base operations who has little or no experience in the aviation business. Richard (Dick) Dodson, 54, the chief executive of golf equipment manufacturer Dunlop Slazenger for the past four years, is expected to take over as CEO at Signature sometime within the next 60 days.
AlliedSignal Engines new TFE731-60 turbofan will enter service with maintenance intervals of 2,500 hours for major periodic inspections (MPI) and 5,000 hours for compressor zone inspections (CZI), "an accomplishment unheard of in our industry and one that sets a new standard for business aircraft," said Jim Robinson, vice president-business aviation and regional propulsion enterprise. FAA granted Part 33 preliminary approval for the 2,500/5,000-hour intervals after AlliedSignal completed endurance testing equivalent to 3,000 hours of service.
Raytheon Aircraft, which will transfer assembly of the Hawker business jets from Chester, England to its Wichita facilities by 1997, plans to retain the maintenance facility at the Chester site as a "stand-alone" service center for Hawker jets. "Our service business in the U.K., which had originally been heavily involved with internal work, has demonstrated its ability to win external revenue," said Raytheon Aircraft President Roy Norris.
BEECH Models 60 and A60 airplanes (Docket No. 95-CE-23-AD) - proposes to require incorporation of revisions into the airplane flight manual that would specify a minimum airspeed for operation in icing conditions. The proposed action is prompted by reports of several incidents and accidents involving the affected airplanes in icing conditions. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent loss of control because the airplane is traveling too slowly in icing conditions. Comments on the proposal must be sent in triplicate before Aug.
JETSTREAM Models 3101 and 3201 airplanes (Docket No. 90-CE-67-AD; Amdt. 39- 9250; AD 95-11-17) - supersedes AD 90-13-12, which requires modifying the airplane electrical system and revising the emergency procedures section of the airplane flight manual. This action retains the requirements for airplanes that do not have modified inverters installed and the inverted transfer function restored. FAA has determined that installing modified inverters along with restoring the inverter transfer functions corrects the problems in the power supply addressed by AD 90-13-12.
A CONTENTIOUS session is anticipated next week in Las Vegas, part of a series of FAA-sponsored meetings to gather comments on the agency's effort to raise the operating standards of Part 135 air carriers to the level of Part 121 of the FARs. Portions of the controversial proposal came under fire last month at the Regional Airline Association convention in San Antonio and at a public hearing in Alaska (BA, May 22/215), where some speakers charged the new rule could actually reduce the level of safety.
JEREMY COX was appointed technical service representative for TXI Aviation, Inc. Cox, who has more than 15 years of experience in aircraft maintenance and repair, formerly was responsible for sales and marketing efforts at Avtec, a corporate aircraft modification center in Cahokia, Ill.
In the latest of a series of actions involving Robinson helicopters, the Federal Aviation Administration last week released a technical panel report on R22 and R44 helicopters that recommended design and operational changes as well as continued research to prevent future rotor/airframe contact accidents. The technical panel, comprising industry, academia, Defense Department and FAA officials, convened in July 1994 following a series of R22 and R44 rotor/airframe contact accidents.
FACING THESE RESTRICTIONS, Helicopter Association International is developing its own program to set standards for air tour operators. HAI began work in the fall on its Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS), which will address most aspects of operations, including management, pilot qualification, training, maintenance and equipment. In addition, the TOPS program will cover independent safety audits for operators. HAI members are expected to continue work on TOPS through the summer and officials hope to have the program finalized by the end of the year.
JETSTREAM Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-74-AD; Amdt. 39-9241; AD 95-09-03) - publishes an AD that was previously sent to all known U.S. owners and operators of Jetstream Model 4101 airplanes by individual letters. This AD requires an inspection to determine the number of hours time in service on the landing gear control unit, and modification of the unit's cable. This amendment is prompted by a report of failure of a micro-switch in the landing gear control unit.
EUROCOPTER Model AS-355 E, F, F1, F2 and N helicopters (Docket No. 95-SW- 09-AD; Amdt. 39-9239; AD 95-11-05) - requires a check to ensure that the main gearbox oil pressure warning light illuminates during each shutdown of the helicopter engine until the main gearbox oil pressure switch is replaced. This amendment is prompted by a main gearbox switch malfunction. This condition could result in failure to detect a loss of oil pressure, loss of the main gearbox, loss of power to the main rotor system and subsequent loss of helicopter control.
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.
AVIATION RULEMAKING ADVISORY COMMITTEE last week approved a draft notice of proposed rulemaking to allow Part 135 operators to fly certain single-engine aircraft under instrument flight rules.The committee, which developed the draft NPRM at the request of the Federal Aviation Administration, will forward its proposal to FAA for action. The proposal still must go through the normal rulemaking process, including a public comment period, before it is enacted. See article below.
Fokker Aircraft and its unions have agreed to 945 job reductions as part of the Dutch aircraft manufacturer's effort to become more competitive through restructuring, officials confirmed last week. Fokker, controlled by Daimler-Benz Aerospace of Germany, continues negotiations with its worker groups to eliminate another 615 jobs by the end of the year, making a total of 1,560 reductions this year.
