Fairchild Aerospace named Daniel Kirkpatrick vice president of technical support. He previously was director of engineering and quality control at TWA.
Alsalam Aircraft will perform heavy maintenance and modification on six Boeing 747s operated by Saudi Arabian Airlines. Work will be done at Alsalam's facilities at King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh.
Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems and Aerostructures Sector received a contract potentially worth $1.2 billion from the USAF for upgrade work on the Joint STARS surveillance aircraft. Also, company won a $5.9 million U.S. Navy contract to continue an integrated modification program on the F-14 fighter.
Sikorsky Aircraft has teamed up with Israel's Elbit Systems for a joint submission of an armed reconnaissance version of the S-70, known as the Battle Hawk, for the Australian Army Aviation's $1.25 billion Project Air 87 requirement for up to 30 replacements for the AAA's 80 Bell 206 Kiowa light scout and Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopters.
U.S. Marine Corps maintenance planners and mechanics this winter got their first look at how the new Bell Boeing V-22 tilt-rotor transport operates in its primary environment -- at sea aboard ship.
FAA issued four emergency airworthiness directives (ADs) April 22 aimed at preventing possible wiring-related smoke and fires in Boeing/McDonnell Douglas MD-11 trijets. The first order involves the aft main avionics rack on certain MD-11s. The second AD was prompted by an incident in which sparks and smoke came out of the center accessory compartment during a function test due to a wire bundle that had chafed against a support bracket.
BFGoodrich Ice Protection Systems Division's FASTBoot line of pneumatic de-icers received FAA approval for use on de Havilland Dash 8 Series 100/200/300 and on Embraer 120 turboprop transports.
Aviation Sales Company ``We are seeing a dramatic shift on the part of airlines here and abroad to enter into long-term agreements with parties capable of providing a total service,'' Aviation Sales Co. President Dale Baker said. ``To do this, an MRO company has to be able to do both airframe maintenance and component overhaul and repair and still be able to provide parts support.''
PPG Industries is expanding production of plastic aircraft transparencies at the Casaletto Vaprio, Italy, plant of its Ampaspace subsidiary near Milan. Products in production include cockpit windows for the Lockheed Martin/Alenia C-27 transport, Alenia G222 transport and Fokker 27 regional airliner.
Primex Aerospace's in-seat power supply system, EmPower Plus, will be installed in aircraft operated by Aer Lingus and Air Canada. System lets passengers plug in laptops, personal stereos or video players into their seat outlets during flight.
Bedek Aviation won a contract to perform D checks on two Omni International Douglas DC-10s. Company also will do heavy maintenance on eight Polar Air Cargo Boeing 747s, with work valued at $8 million. Also, company is converting two Triton 747s from passenger to freighter configuration.
In the early 1990s, the U.S. Air Force seemed to be suffering an epidemic of fighter accidents. Class A mishaps -- incidents that cost at least $1 million or end up in loss of an aircraft -- were rising, and even lesser incidents were beginning to take a bite out of readiness.
Four months after AlliedSignal introduced the AS907 as the business-jet representative of its new AS900 engine family, the company announced it is developing a regional jet variant of the powerplant, the AS977, and intends to hang the engine on a new British Aerospace Avro RJ variant. The program will move beyond the proposal stage when a launch customer for the regional jet is found; BAe plans to have one in place by autumn.
FAA is scrambling to cut costs and come up with about $250 million that the agency is short in fiscal 1999, according to agency and industry sources. The $250 million shortage is due to several factors, according to an agency spokesman, including a miscalculation in program needs for the Wide Area Aug-mentation System (WAAS), the court's rejection of FAA's international overflight fee schedule -- the agency was slated to collect $90 million -- and the recent air traffic controllers' contract that includes increased pay scales for ATC employees.
Mercury Air Group, Inc. named Susan K. Howard director of marketing for Mercury Air Centers, Inc. Howard previously was production manager/corporate communications for PHH Group.
Robert E. Doll, a former airline executive and now a respected industry consultant, talks with O&M's Donna Kaulkin about safety, technology and a management philosophy developed over a 30-year career in the aviation aftermarket. Edited for length and clarity. O&M: How did your interest in aviation begin?
Messier Services will repair and overhaul Ansett Australia's narrowbody fleet of 22 Boeing 737 and 11 Airbus A320 aircraft under a $5 million (U.S.) contract. Contract is new Messier-Bugatti unit's first for comprehensive service for an airline's entire single-aisle fleet.
Aero Quality Sales and Electromech Technologies have formed a rotable exchange pool to service the needs of Raytheon Beech 1900 and King Air operators. The pool will consist of products manufactured by Electromech, primarily AC and DC motors, valves, blowers and actuators.
Rolls-Royce and Science Applications International Corp. of San Diego, Calif., formed Data Systems and Solutions, a 50/50 joint venture to combine engineering and information technology capabilities. Planned services include trend monitoring, maintenance planning and sched- uling and avoidance of unscheduled removal. Miles Cowdry was named president.
