NATIONAL AERONAUTIC ASSOCIATION has issued a call for nominations for its most prestigious awards, the Elder Stateman of Aviation Award and the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. The Elder Statesman Award is presented annually to "honor outstanding Americans, who by their efforts over a period of years, have made contributions of significant value to aeronautics, and have reflected credit upon America and themselves." Nomination deadline is July 15.
WAYNE GROSS was appointed managing director of the International Gas Turbine Institute of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Gross will oversee and develop technical and continuing education programs, expositions and conferences on gas turbine technology.
Executive Jet Aviation said its NetJets fractional aircraft ownership program is continuing to grow dramatically, leading the company to expand its work force of pilots and related personnel to keep pace.
INTERSTATE ELECTRONICS CORP. and Airport Systems International were selected by Crossair of Switzerland to conduct a two-phase Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) evaluation program. Under the program, Interstate will install its 9001 GPS navigation and landing system in two Saab 2000 aircraft and Airport Systems will supply its Model 8000 DGPS ground station in Lugano, Switzerland. The equipment will be used to document approach, verify aircraft interface and performance and check operational procedures.
The National Air Transportation Association last week voiced strong support for efforts by Rep. Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) to oppose a plan to expand the requirements of Part 139 of the Federal Aviation Regulations to more small airports.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION scheduled the first public meeting next month on its proposal to upgrade standards of many scheduled operators flying under Part 135 (BA, March 27/129). The meeting will be held May 18 in Anchorage, Alaska. In its proposal, FAA specifically sought comments on the potential impact on Alaskan operations. Noting that it expects the proposal to have the greatest effect on Alaska carriers, FAA questioned whether any of the requirements would cause "unjustified limitations" on airplane operations in the state.
FOKKER Model F28 Mark 0100 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-02-AD) - proposes to require repetitive checks for backlash in the elevator mechanical control system and various follow-on actions. The proposed AD also would provide an optional terminating action for the repetitive check requirements. This proposal is prompted by a report indicating that corrosion was found on the pivot bolts and bushings of the backlash remover lever mechanism on the elevator booster control unit.
MILLION AIR Teterboro, N.J., has expanded its facility and services. The fixed-base operation purchased the former American Cyanamid hangar at the airport, adding 10,300 square feet of hangar space, 48,500 square feet of ramp and 2,500 square feet of office space to existing Million Air property. In addition, the company formed a new maintenance division that will be headed by John Langshultz, director of maintenance for American Cyanamid.
ROBINSON Model R22 helicopters (Docket No. 94-SW-22-AD; Amdt. 39-9177; AD 95-06-07) - supersedes an existing AD requiring an initial dye penetrant inspection of the main rotor drive forward flexplate and repetitive visual inspections of certain installed flexplates. This amendment is prompted by three accidents reported by the airworthiness authority of Australia involving failures of the flexplate, located between the main rotor gearbox and clutch assembly.
AEROSPATIALE ATR-72-100 and -200 series airplanes (Docket No. 94-NM-36-AD) - revises an earlier proposal that would have required a one-time dye penetrant inspection for cracking in certain hinge pins of the nose landing gear and replacement of cracked pins with crack-free pins. That proposal was prompted by reports of cracking of certain hinge pins in the nose landing gear. This action revises the proposed rule by shortening the compliance time to perform the inspection of the hinge pins of the nose landing gear.
DAVID PEEL was named regulatory compliance manager for SimuFlite Training International. Peel, who has been with SimuFlite for seven years as a quality assurance specialist, standards instructor and instructor pilot, will serve as FAA liaison in his new position.
GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION is developing a program to jump start the piston-engine market. The association formed a Piston- Engine Aircraft Revitalization Committee, which comprises not only GAMA board members but officials from other corners of the industry. The committee met at last week's Sun 'N Fun in Lakeland, Fla. and will congregate next June 1 in Kansas City.
CHRIS GRESS was named accessory marketing and technical representative for Duncan Aviation. Gress, who has served with Duncan Aviation for 11 years, will oversee expansion of the company's component capabilities, accessory customer support, price and turntime quotations and technical support.
Dimeling, Schreiber&Park, the Philadelphia-based investment partnership, has re-emerged as the leading candidate to acquire Piper Aircraft Corp. under a plan of reorganization that was filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court late last month. Piper and its Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors filed a reorganization plan March 31 that calls for the sale of Piper's assets to Newco Pac, Inc., a company that will be owned by DS&P and Teledyne Industries, in a $95 million transaction.
FAA has signed a partnership agreement with Women in Aviation International to promote aviation education programs for women. Under the agreement, FAA will provide information on agency job vacancies, educational programs, financial aid and scholarships, and research issues on a computer network service, WAI On-Line, on CompuServe.
Federal Aviation Administration is seeking proposals for its rotorcraft research, engineering and development (RE&D) program in fiscal 1998. FAA specifically is calling for proposals that center on aircraft certification under Parts 27 and 29. The agency added that it will not use proposals on other activities such as flight standards, air traffic or airway facilities. Proposals must be submitted by May 15 to FAA, Mike Mathias, Rotorcraft Standards Staff, Fort Worth, Texas 76193-0111. For more information, contact Mathias at (817) 222-5123.
Sen. Wendell Ford (D-Ky.) last week introduced the Clinton administration's proposed legislation to allow the Federal Aviation Administration to expand Part 139 airport certification requirements to airports served only by small commuter aircraft (BA, April 3/140). FAA's current authority to issue airport certificates is limited to airports serving air carrier aircraft with more than 30 passenger seats.
Israel Aircraft Industries' Astra Galaxy business jet has entered the production phase, with supplier Alson Industries cutting wing skins and spars. Alson, a Compton, Calif.-based manufacturer that has supplied skins and spars for Astra aircraft since 1982, has delivered "several" Galaxy wing shipsets to Metal Improvement Company in Vernon, Calif. for shotpeening and forming, Astra Jet Corp. officials said.
FAIRCHILD SA226 and SA227 series airplanes that use a direct current generator (Docket No. 95-CE-13-AD) - proposes to require relocation of the left-hand and right-hand essential bus current limiters (225 amp) to the battery bus (main bus tie). This action is prompted by a report of potential electrical failure problems on the affected airplanes. The actions specified by the AD are intended to prevent failure of the essential bus when engine failure results in a blown generator current limiter and subsequent loss of airplane electrical power.
FRED MCINTOSH, former vice president-operations for the National Business Aircraft Association, will deliver this month's address in the General Electric Aviation Lecture Series at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. McIntosh will discuss his experiences during World War II as a member of Watson's Whizzers, a U.S. Army Air Force tactical intelligence unit headed by Col. Harold E. Watson. The unit's mission was to acquire, fly and evaluate German combat aircraft to obtain information that could be used by Allied forces.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL installed a new Cessna Citation V Ultra business jet simulator at its Wichita learning center. The new simulator, built by FSI's Simulation Division in Tulsa, Okla., will be the first Level D simulator for a Citation business jet when its certification is completed by FAA.
THE SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE Thursday approved S.565, The Product Liability Fairness Act of 1995, which contains a number of liability reforms including punitive damage caps. General Aviation Manufacturers Association President Ed Stimpson last week lent his support to the broad- based bill, saying in written testimony that the "general aviation industry fully supports efforts in Congress to extend to other manufacturers the optimism and renewed vigor the general aviation industry has experienced since passage of the statute of repose.
WHILE THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION proposal to create the U.S. Air Traffic Services Corp. exempts general aviation from new user fees, it also calls for a review of costs incurred by various users, including general aviation. The cost-allocation study, which would be due 18 months after USATS is established, will consider "the allocation of all corporation costs to identifiable....user categories, including commercial aviation, general aviation and public-use aviation," according to language in the administration proposal. See article below.
DORNE&MARGOLIN, INC., Bohemia, N.Y., selected Aviall Distribution Services as a North American distributor of its airline antennas. The product line includes antennas for the marker beacon, VOR, localizer, glideslope, DME/ATC/GPS navigation equipment as well as VHF communication equipment.
DAVE ALDERMAN was named director of sales and product support for DPI Labs of La Verne, Calif. Alderman previously served as senior completion center salesperson for Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Ga.
