The delineation between line maintenance and heavy maintenance becomes fuzzier every day as more airlines seek to ``phase'' their heavy checks, spreading the heavy-check tasks over a series of smaller checks.

Following its split with Toulouse-based Aero International (Regional), AIR, earlier this year, British Aerospace Regional Aircraft has centralized its spares support operation at a purpose-built facility in Weybridge, Surrey, some 20 miles southwest of London.

If you've been trying to keep track of developments in air transport avionics, the best advice is to write everything in pencil.

Dassault Falcon Jet named John F. Miller director of interiors engineering at its Little Rock, Ark., completion center. He previously was group leader for Falcon 900 interior design engineering.

Southwest is fighting an IRS claim that it owes almost $1.7 million in back taxes, plus interest and penalties.

The new Bell 427 helicopter -- as near to being an all-composite helicopter design as is possible currently -- will have a maintenance system that takes advantage of the new capabilities intrinsic to the use of non-metallic materials.

Commercial and military demand for special-use platforms has created a growing worldwide aircraft conversion business. Used fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters are being reconfigured from traditional passenger and cargo transport roles and retrofitted with updated systems for use in firefighting, law enforcement, electronic surveillance and intelligence gathering, aerial refueling, search and rescue and medical evacuation and transport roles, among others.

Using its own Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering System (AMOS), Swiss regional Crossair was able to handle rapid growth in fleet and operations with a proportionally smaller increase in engineering and maintenance manpower.