ATR has created an ``asset management division'' to oversee sales of its used ATR-42/72 turboprop regional airliners. Interviewed at a recent Regional Airline Association (RAA) conference in Washington, D.C., ATR President Jean-Daniel Leroy said the market for new turboprops remains strong, despite the apparent frenzy over regional jets. ATR has 30 to 40 used aircraft available, and will deliver 37 new aircraft this year, all -500 variants of the ATR-42/72. Worldwide, 580 of the twin turboprops are flying, including 180 in the United States.
Indigo, a new Chicago-based company, plans to offer weekday scheduled service between Chicago's Midway Airport and Teterboro, N.J., using a Dassault Falcon 20 business jet. According to Matt G. Andersson, chairman and CEO of the new venture, prices will be comparable to full-fare coach airline tickets. Joining Andersson at Indigo are John Fenton, the former president of the L.M. Hughey Corp.; Tom Svrcek, an ex-employee of McKinsey&Co. and United Airlines; and Doug Jones, a former vice president of aviation finance at Sanwa Bank.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) says reducing the separation of aircraft arriving and departing from busy hub airports is at best a ``stopgap measure,'' that could increase the risk of aircraft accidents. Speaking at a recent forum on ATC modernization in Washington, D.C., ALPA President Duane Woerth pledged to support government/industry efforts to modernize the U.S. air traffic control system, and has urged Congress to ``shake free'' the necessary funding in the FAA reauthorization bill, now the subject of debate.
RTS Services of Fort Worth has been named Southeastern marketing representative for Rolls-Royce Allison 250 and AlliedSignal T53 turbine engine and component repairs and overhauls by Orenda AeroTech. RTS Rework announced two new FAA-approved repair procedures. One is 100-percent vane replacement for Allison 250 engines; the other uses metal polishing to extend the service life of gears and other components on a variety of turbine engines.
The Department of Justice gave formal approval to the $14 billion merger of AlliedSignal and Honeywell, subject to divestitures proposed in an October agreement with the Department's Antitrust Division. Both companies expect to consummate the merger before the end of the year, following approval by the EC.
Aviall has been awarded exclusive ``civil after-market distribution rights'' for the Rolls-Royce (formerly Allison) 250 turboshaft and turboprop engines used on several helicopter types. Effective January 1, 2000, Model 250 operators can order parts, publications and related items through Aviall's dealer network, or through Inventory Locator Service (ILS), a Memphis-based Aviall unit that uses the Internet (www.go-ils.com) to link buyers and sellers of aerospace and marine parts and services.
What's music to pilots, is just plane noise to most everyone else. Almost 10 years in the making, the requirement that aircraft weighing more than 75,000 pounds meet Stage 3 noise requirements goes into effect in January 2000. The FAA expects the U.S. fleet to meet the requirement, and fortunately, all but a few business aircraft fall below the weight limit. However, the noise issue is not dead, and the January 1 cutoff by no means signals the end of noise issues and regulations.
About 31,000 attendees wearing raincoats or hoisting bumbershoots sloshed through the daily downpours in Atlanta to reach the humongous aviation arena called the Georgia World Congress Center. Four escalators and a brisk 10-minute walk brought you to the appetite-whetting exhibit hall, a daunting pedestrian challenge. Cliff Notes: -- Piero Ferrari, vice chairman of Piaggio Industries, came with a new king-size Piaggio Avanti to take a second swing
Kaman reported profits of $23.5 million for the first nine months of this year, compared with net earnings of $22.2 million during the same period in 1998. Losses incurred by the moribund K-Max program were offset by the sale of 16 SH-2G Super Seasprite military helicopters to Australia and New Zealand.
A nearly $300 billion defense bill passed recently by the U.S. Congress includes $15 million to pay for government sonic-boom research that could benefit supersonic business jet partners Gulfstream and Lockheed Martin. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens' (R-Alaska) original bill allocated $20 million for the research by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration), which was then reduced to $15 million in committee.
Following more than two years of deliberations on fractional regulation and additional delays inviting participants, the FAA's Fractional Ownership Aviation Rulemaking Committee (FOARC) has finally begun to meet. Meetings continue through mid-December and recommendations are expected on FAA Administrator Jane Garvey's desk by the end of the year. (See page 32 for further details.)
Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey has suffered delays of up to several hours in recent weeks, due to conflicting runway configurations at the three major New York airports. The FAA blames low ceilings and poor visibility for the problem, and says ``last-minute diversions'' will not shorten arrival times, and substantial ground stops should be anticipated by all TEB-bound aircraft on IFR flight plans.
The FAA has proposed new rules designed to prevent the ignition of aircraft fuel tanks. An offshoot of the TWA Flight 800 crash probe, the Special FAR (SFAR) sets new certification standards for aircraft fuel tanks, calls for design reviews of existing fuel tanks, and requires operators to develop fuel tank maintenance and inspection programs. Around 6,000 aircraft with 30 seats or more are affected, and the FAA expects the initiative to cost operators, manufacturers and other interested parties $170 million over 10 years.
General aviation manufacturers delivered 1,692 aircraft during the first three quarters of this year, up from the 1,492 units shipped during the same period in 1998. Jet deliveries increased 26.2 percent, with 352 aircraft shipped, compared with 279 jets delivered during the first nine months of 1998. Total billings during the three quarters reached $5.5 billion, surpassing last year's figure of $3.9 billion, a 41.6-percent increase.
Gulfstream is expecting to finish airborne testing of its Enhanced Vision System (EVS) by the end of the year, leading to FAA certification in first quarter 2000. Developed in conjunction with the Baltimore-based Maryland Advanced Developmental Laboratories, EVS uses the Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) technology that helps military and law enforcement pilots ``see'' at night and in bad weather.
Rockwell Collins and U.K.-based FLS Aerospace have joined forces in a bid to become the dominant provider of avionics and inflight entertainment equipment maintenance in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Collins will provide training, parts and technical support for its own equipment through FLS's dealer network, while FLS will perform similar functions for airline and business aviation customers with non-Collins equipment. FLS is seeking to expand through acquisition, a strategy used successfully by its primary U.S.
Galaxy Aerospace has launched a new CD-ROM-based maintenance manual for use with its Astra-series business jets. The software includes a parts catalog, wiring diagrams and hyperlinks allowing quick movement from one section to another. Revisions will be issued to operators on a 90-day cycle, and the company hopes to have a similar system ready for the new Galaxy business jet by early 2000.
Several announcements from Duncan Aviation: Duncan's Lincoln, Neb., facility received an STC for a Galaxy Aerospace SPX interior. The first unit is installed in the manufacturer's demo aircraft. Also at Lincoln, Duncan received FAA approval to perform 60- and 120-month landing gear inspections and restoration on Challengers, as well as APU Service Center status from Hamilton Sundstrand. The company also began construction of a sixth hangar at Lincoln Airport.
A Japanese mirror manufacturer has the solution for all flight crews who have wished for ``eyes in the back of their head.'' FF Mirror Air is a lightweight, plastic mirror with bright, wide-angle views without the risk of breakage associated with glass mirrors. Currently used in the overhead bins of several major airlines -- including over 100 Japan Air Lines 747s -- FF Mirror Air gives cockpit crews a look into the cabin without turning away from the instrument panel.
