CLINTON ADMINISTRATION budget proposal for the National Transportation Safety Board calls for an increase of $1.4 million over the fiscal 1995 level, but Chairman James Hall told the House transportation appropriations subcommittee that the request for $38.8 million does not provide for any increase in the board's staffing levels, currently at 350 full-time positions.
Although the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association was among the early advocates of the Global Positioning System, FAA's push for establishing the satellite system as a "sole means" of navigation is causing some nervousness among general aviation advocates.
Signature Flight Support broke ground Friday for a $2.6 million terminal building at its Las Vegas fixed-base operation, a project that is scheduled for completion in August - just weeks before scores of business jets will fly into Las Vegas in conjunction with the National Business Aircraft Association convention there Sept. 26-28. Signature's existing FBO is being razed to permit runway expansion at McCarran International Airport.
GEORGE ARFIELD is the new vice president-corporate relations for Howmet Corp., Greenwich, Conn. His responsibilities include marketing communications, public affairs and internal communications and will be handled in addition to his duties as vice president-corporate relations for Pechiney Corp., Howmet's parent company. Arfield joined Pechiney early last year.
THE AVIATION SUBCOMMITTEE of the House Transportation&Infrastructure Committee is scheduled to hear from Secretary Federico Pena this Tuesday when he testifies on DOT's proposal to establish a government corporation to operate the nation's ATC system.
LOUISVILLE'S STANDIFORD FIELD will be renamed Louisville International Airport some time this year. The board of directors of the Regional Airport Authority of Louisville&Jefferson County approved the name change last month, but the transition will not begin until the airport staff has presented the board with a time line, a budget and a systematic plan for implementation.
SEVERAL DRAFTS of proposed legislation to establish a new corporation to run the nation's air traffic control system are circulating in Washington and one of those suggests annual fees of thousands of dollars for turbine- powered general aviation aircraft.The DOT document states that "after the two-year period following the date of transfer [of ATC operations to the new corporation from FAA] the corporation may impose fees or other charges for air traffic services as follows: (1) an annual fee of $4,500 for services for a turbine engine aircraft with a gross vehicle weigh
The Greenville, Texas Division of E-Systems said Friday it received contract options valued at $40 million for two additional FAA flight inspection aircraft - a Model 60 Learjet and a Canadair Challenger 601-3R. The contract calls for modification of the avionics system on the aircraft and installation of additional equipment including the interiors, antennas, flight inspection system racks and consoles, auxiliary power systems and environmental control systems.
MARTIN MARIETTA scheduled a special stockholders meeting March 15 to consider and vote upon the proposed merger of the company with Lockheed Corp. The meeting will be held at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, Ill.
DOT Secretary Federico Pena sidestepped the issue of air traffic control fees for general aviation under the proposed ATC corporation. At a hearing of the House Appropriations transportation subcommittee, Pena was asked whether military or general aviation would pay ATC fees. "Our proposal last year was not any increase in fees to general aviation or the Department of Defense," Pena said.
The Transportation Department, which is proposing a major restructuring of the way transportation programs are financed so states and local governments will have more say in funding decisions, is seeking $331 million for construction of a new DOT headquarters building in Washington, D.C.
FAA ADMINISTRATOR David Hinson accepted an offer last week by the Air Transport Association and the Air Line Pilots Association to permit use of information from recording units that measure the performance parameters of aircraft, provided that the results are used for safety purposes and not for enforcement or disciplinary actions.
PRODUCTION RATE of the Canadair Regional Jet is being boosted from three aircraft per month to four because of "the growing acceptance" of the aircraft with airlines worldwide and "the increased level of activity in the market," said Bob Brown, president of Bombardier Aerospace Group-North America. He said the company expects to deliver 40 RJs in the 1995-1996 fiscal year that runs through Jan. 31, 1996, compared with 27 delivered in the year just ended.
AIRPORT SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, Overland Park, Kan., won two contracts last month totaling $3.5 million for ground-based navigation equipment. The Republic of Tunisia placed orders for four VHF omni-range transmitters (VORs) and one distance measuring equipment system, along with installation and training services. A second contract to an unspecified Middle East nation calls for delivery of two Doppler VORs and two DMEs.
Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) called "dead on arrival" the portion of the fiscal 1996 Transportation Department budget that proposes expanded use of the transportation trust funds. "Frankly, I'm extremely disappointed" by the Clinton Administration DOT budget, he said. The proposal calling for "busting open" the transportation trust funds, both highway and aviation trust funds, under a Unified Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (UTIIP) "is, pure and simple, a non-starter."
PETER CLEMENTS, a former captain for Eastern Airlines, has joined Gulfstream International Airlines to establish and head a Department of Safety. Clements will act as liaison to the FAA and DOT on all matters regarding passenger safety and regulatory compliance for the airline.
Hudson General Corp., which provides a variety of services to airlines, airport operators and general aviation at airports in the U.S. and Canada, reported sharply lower earnings for the six months ended Dec. 31, 1994. The company said it earned $868,000, or 69 cents per share, on revenues of $64.5 million during the period.
THOMSON-CSF won a contract from the Dominican Republic to supply and install an air traffic control system at Barahona Airport in the southeast section of the country. The system comprises a TA MTD approach radar station, a Eurocat control center and one VOR/DME navigational aid. The company previously won contracts to supply air traffic control systems at two other airports in the Dominican Republic, Las America and Puerto Plata.
IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN A MONTH since NTSB called for the immediate grounding of all Robinson R44 and R22 helicopters (BA, Jan. 9/15), but the Robinson fleet continues to operate and FAA is still working on a number of proposed actions aimed at improving the safety of the light helicopters.
A LIST of accidents and incidents involving single-turbine helicopters that occurred in the second half of 1994 is printed on Pages 77 and 78, the final installment in a compilation of 1994 accidents involving turbine- powered aircraft that was prepared by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. The past two issues contained information on accidents involving business jets, turboprops, twin-turbine helicopters and single- turbine helicopters that occurred in the first half of 1994.
HARTZELL Model HC-B4 series propellers (Docket No. 94-ANE-59; Amdt. 39- 9113; AD 95-01-0) - applicable to Hartzell Model HC-B4TN-5 (D,G,J)L/LT10282(B,K)-5.3R and HC-B4TN-5(D,G,J)L/LT10282N(B,K)-5.3R propellers installed on Mitsubishi MU-2 series aircraft. This amendment supersedes three existing airworthiness directives, which require replacement of existing LT10282(B,K)-5.3R propeller blades with LT10282N(B,K)-5.3R improved "N" configuration propeller blades, and respective inspection and rework when required, of the inner hub arm bore.
UNC AIRWORK, a subsidiary of UNC, Inc., completed the conversion and certification of an engine test cell at the company's Miami, Fla. facility. "We are now able to test the complete line of helicopter powerplants, including Pratt&Whitney Canada PT6A, PT6T Twin Pac and Allison 250 series engines," said Anthony DiVincenzo, vice president and general manager of UNC Airwork.
