RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT received an $11.8 million contract to provide 88 AQM-37C aerial targets for the U.S. Navy, the latest in a series of Navy and NATO contracts awarded to Beech Aircraft and Raytheon since the target missiles were developed in 1962. The latest contract calls for deliveries to begin in August 1996 and continue through August of the following year.
UNC AVIATION SERVICES said it won a contract with a potential value of more than $100 million from the U.S. Army. The company, along with its subcontractors, will integrate and install electronics subsystems into military systems, perform systems maintenance support and provide technical/engineering services, under the contract issued by the Communications and Electronics Command headquartered at Fort Monmouth, N.J. The work will be accomplished at the Lakehurst, N.J. Naval Air Station and at Ft. Belvoir, Va.
BRITISH AEROSPACE'S JSX Capital Corporation named Bernard Bradpiece president-elect and chief executive officer. Bradpiece succeeds Robert Wamsley, who served as president and CEO of JSX since it was created in January 1993. Wamsley will continue to serve on the JSX board of directors in a non-executive capacity. British Aerospace officials said that as a consultant, Bradpiece "played an instrumental role" in establishing JSX, which markets previously owned BAe turboprop products.
Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), ranking Democrat on the House aviation subcommittee, said he will co-sponsor the FAA reform bill (H.R.1392) introduced last month by Rep. Jim Lightfoot (R-Iowa). Oberstar, a past sponsor of FAA independence legislation, said he strongly supports Lightfoot's bid to make FAA an independent agency. He noted that 10 of the 11 living former FAA administrators supported FAA independence this year, and all 11 opposed a government corporation to run air traffic control (BA, Feb. 27/90-91).
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-1A11 (CL-600), -2A12 (CL-601), -2B16 (CL-601-3A, -3R), and -2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100) airplanes, equipped with Sundstrand air driven generator uplock assembly (Docket No. 94-NM-239-AD; Amdt. 39-9223; AD 95-10-06) - requires an inspection to verify the proper operation of the uplock latch of the air driven generator and replacement of the uplock latch with a serviceable part, if necessary. This amendment also requires replacement of the uplock assembly with a modified uplock assembly and a rigging inspection.
Fred Towers, a 13-year veteran of the Wayfarer Ketch flight operations department, is moving to a new job with Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc., of Houston, Tex. Towers, who has served as supervisor of charter sales and aircraft and crew scheduling at Wayfarer, said accepting the new job was a "tough decision" but one that he ultimately decided to make because of the new opportunities available at Universal. Towers, who has been based at Wayfarer's headquarters at the Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., will continue to reside in the Northeast.
MEDAIR, INC., the Phoenix, Ariz.-based provider of remote emergency medical advice, training and supplies to the aviation industry, said its 5-Star Safety Program will be offered on Gulfstream V corporate aircraft. The program will allow Gulfstream pilots to have direct radio contact with emergency physicians all hours of the day, anywhere in the world. The program also includes aviation medical kits and a service that keeps the kits stocked.
Mercury Air Group, the Los Angles-based provider of fuel and cargo and handling services, continued its trend of improving financial results, reporting net income of over $1 million for the quarter ended March 31. Net income rose 22 percent to $1.003 million, or 19 cents per share, for the quarter, while revenue soared 88 percent, from $26.6 million to just over $50 million.
AOPA'S AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION has published its sixth Safety Review, the latest detailing the Beech Baron line of aircraft. The report compares the Baron's safety record with the Cessna 300 series, the Piper Aztec, Seneca and Aerostar and Beech's Twin Bonanza and Travel Air. In addition, to accident data, the report lists more than 600 service difficulty reports and related items. Copies of the Beech Baron Safety Review may be ordered by calling the Air Safety Foundation at (800) 543-8633.
SIMUFLITE TRAINING INTERNATIONAL received FAA Level C approval for its Cessna Citation V simulator. Officials said the Citation V is SimuFlite's first new business jet simulator since 1985 and the company's 14th FAA- approved Level C simulator. SimuFlite acquired the partially built Citation V simulator in October and used its own engineering and technical personnel to complete the simulator, which incorporates an Encore/Harris computer system and McDonnell-Douglas Vital IV visual system.
Record-breaking rains early last week that caused widespread flooding in the New Orleans area created substantial problems for persons attempting to reach the city to attend the annual National Air Transportation Association convention. The severe weather, which included high winds, damaged more than a dozen aircraft at Lakefront Airport, including the Beech Baron owned by NATA President James Coyne, and caused numerous flight delays and cancellations when New Orleans International Airport closed because of standing water on the field and flooded access roads.
STEVE ALEXANDER was appointed managing director of GoodSmith&Co. Alexander formerly served as president and chief executive officer of Regency International.
KC AVIATION, which added 12 aircraft to its charter fleet last year, continues to grow. The company is seeking six large jets in the Gulfstream/Challenger class, three medium business jets (Falcon 20/Hawker/Citation III and VII and Learjet 55) and eight small jets (Westwind, Learjet 31/35 or Citation II/V). The company expects to add about 14 aircraft this year and another 19 in 1996, with much of the growth coming through KC's Partnership Program that enrolls individual flight department aircraft on KC's Part 135 certificate for charter flights.
DOWTY AEROSPACE AVIATION SERVICES has signed a joint agreement with Bizjet International to provide aircraft support for Falcon operators. The initial program will cover rental, overhaul and field support of Falcon 20 landing gear. The companies will provide free rentals, removals and installation of the landing gear, allowing operators to continue their daily operations while their landing gear is being overhauled.
CAROLANN GORDON was named director of marketing for consumer products for Magellan Systems. Gordon will be responsible for marketing strategy development.
BEECH Model 400 and 400A airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-31-AD) - proposes to require modification of the autopilot and rudder boost interlock. This proposal is prompted by a report indicating that the rudder boost system installed on these airplanes does not operate correctly during deployment of a thrust reverser. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent incorrect operation of the rudder boost system during deployment of a thrust reverser and to prevent the autopilot from exceeding certain bank angle limits.
PHILLIP FARMER, president and chief operating officer for Harris Corporation, will hold the additional posts of chairman and chief executive officer, effective July 1. Farmer will succeed John Hartley, who is retiring on June 30. Hartley will remain a board member and chairman of the board's Executive Committee. Farmer joined Harris in 1982 as vice president-general manager for the Government Support Systems Division in the Electronic Systems Sector. He was named vice president of the Electronic System Sector's Palm Bay, Fla.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION has received more than 800 comments in support of proposed medical certification guidelines that would allow people diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus to receive FAA medicals.
REFLECTONE received FAA Level C approval for its second Jetstream 41 flight simulator. Reflectone officials said the initial J41 simulator has been in operation since January at the Reflectone Training Center near Washington Dulles International Airport.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON Model 206A, 206B, 206L, 206L-1 and 206L-3 (Docket No. 91-ASW-28; Amdt. 39-9209; AD 95-09-06) - requires installation of a protective mechanical fuel valve switch guard. This amendment is prompted by reports of airmen inadvertently placing the fuel valve switch to the "OFF" position. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent the fuel valve switch from being inadvertently placed in the "OFF" position, which could result in an engine failure and a subsequent power- off landing.
THE DEE HOWARD COMPANY, San Antonio, Texas, said it won contracts to retrofit its thrust reversers on one Falcon 20, one Learjet 35A and three Hawker 800 aircraft.
CRYSTAL BERGSTROM was appointed vice president of sales for Southern Air Transport. Bergstrom, who joined Southern Air Transport in 1985, most recently served as director of sales, Pacific Rim region.
AIRCRAFT BUYERS can benefit from the increasing number of lending companies offering aircraft financing.Richard Ramsden, vice president of CIT Group's Industrial Financing/Business Aircraft division in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., told an NATA convention audience in New Orleans that one of the leading trends over the past 24 months is the increasing amount of funds available "at very competitive rates" for aircraft purchasers.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model Viscount Model 744, 745D and 810 airplanes (Docket No. 940-NM-111-AD) - proposes to require inspections for cracking of certain fittings of the tailplane spar and replacement of the fittings with serviceable parts, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by reports of fatigue cracking of certain fittings. The actions specified in this proposal are intended to prevent such cracking, which could lead to structural degradation of the attachment of the horizontal stabilizer to the fuselage.
