Rolls-Royce Corp. and the Timken Company announced an alliance last week designed to increase Timken's technology and service capabilities for Allison Model 250 helicopter turboshaft engine parts and component repair. Timken's aerospace business will provide an expanded variety of parts and services under license from Rolls-Royce Corp. for both new engine production and aftermarket use. Timken has provided bearings to Rolls-Royce for more than 30 years, but under the new agreement it also will supply other engine parts.
Jetalliance is claiming a speed record for a Gulfstream G550 flight from Toluca, Mexico to London's Luton Airport that was completed in eight hours, 24 minutes on Dec. 4. The aircraft was carrying two pilots and a flight attendant.
Sterling Aviation added a Challenger 601-3A and a Beechjet 400A to its fleet. Sterling, a business aircraft management and charter company, is headquartered at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport.
Japan's Coast Guard awarded a contract to Saab AB for two modified 340Bplus search and rescue aircraft that will be delivered at the end of 2006. Saab also will furnish training, spare parts and logistics support. The used aircraft will be extensively modified to meet JCG specifications.
Ameriflight, the Burbank, California-based cargo carrier, named a USAirways pilot to head the company's flight department. Eddie D. Mayenschein was named vice president-flight. He spent nearly 20 years with USAirways, where he served as a line captain and in various pilot training, management and administrative duties. Mayenschein succeeds John Hazlet, a veteran Ameriflight executive, who was promoted to vice president - safety and standards. Hazlet also will continue as Ameriflight's director of operations.
Aerospace industry profits continue to improve, according to John Douglass, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. As a percentage of sales, aerospace industry profits had been hovering in the four percent range for several years through 2003. However, profit margins rose a full percent to 5.2 percent in 2004 and will be up another percent to 6.2 percent when the books are closed for 2005, Douglass announced at AIA's 41st annual Year-End Review & Forecast Luncheon Wednesday.
Bombardier Aerospace inaugurated its 50,000-square-foot aircraft parts distribution facility this month in Frankfurt, Germany, which will support operators of Bombardier business jets and regional airliners. The new facility, located near Frankfurt International Airport, will stock more than 40,000 unique parts.
Sharp Details, the corporate aircraft cleaning and services company, opened an office near Waterbury Oxford Airport in Oxford, Conn., and will offer aircraft washing, brightwork, waxing and interior cleaning at the new location. The Fairfax, Va.-based company has been expanding in the Northeast and offers cleaning services at Washington Dulles, Ronald Reagan Washington National, Manassas and Leesburg airports in Virginia; Martin State and Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland; Wilmington and Dover Air Force Base in Delaware; Atlantic City, N.J. and White Plains, N.Y.
EMBRAER Model EMB-135BJ, -135ER, -135KE, -135KL, -135LR, -145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP, and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-23187; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-203-AD; Amendment 39-14397; AD 2005-25-04] - requires reviewing the airplane maintenance records for recent reports of vibration from the tail section or rudder pedals. This AD also requires repetitively inspecting the skin, attachment fittings, and control rods of rudder II to detect cracking, loose parts, wear, or damage; and related investigative/corrective actions if necessary.
BAE 146 airplanes and Model Avro 146-RJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-23215; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-212-AD] - proposes to require repetitive replacement of the elevator servo tab hinge bearings, elevator servo tab mechanism bearings, elevator trim tab hinge bearings, and elevator trim tab drive rod bearings with new bearings. This proposed AD results from reported incidents of flight control surface restrictions due to the deterioration of flight control surface bearings.
Eurocontrol says at least 20 countries have published new radio frequency rules that increase the number of channels available for controller-pilot communication, which means a successful transition to the new standards is likely, the agency says. The frequency rules, published by European states as Aeronautical Information Circulars, will require the spacing between channels to be reduced to 8.33kHz above flight level 195. The change will occur March 15, 2007, and will require some airlines to retrofit new radio equipment on aircraft.
Precision Castparts Corp. (PCP) received a request from the Federal Trade Commission for additional information concerning the company's proposed acquisition of Special Metals Corp. (SMC). PCP said the request is focused on SMC's powered nickel superalloy business, which represented less than three percent of SMC's sales in its last fiscal year. PCP in late August entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SMC.
FAA ROLLS OUT NEW EN-ROUTE ATC COMMUNICATIONS GATEWAY FAA and manufacturer Lockheed Martin completed the installation this month of an air traffic control communications system at all 20 of the agency's en-route centers. The last of the centers to receive the en-route communications gateway (ECG) systems was Miami. The ECG rollout began in 2003 in Seattle and was completed on schedule. ECG provides a single gateway for processing surveillance and flight data for the centers.
Embraer delivered the first of 45 Embraer 190 airliners on order from Air Canada. The Canadian carrier, which also operates a fleet of 13 EMBRAER 175s, ordered the 190s in December 2003. That contract also included the sale of 15 175s. Delivery of the 190s will continue through fourth quarter of 2007. The aircraft are configured with nine executive class and 84 coach class seats.
Raytheon secured type certification on its new Beechcraft Baron G58, which is equipped with the Garmin G1000 integrated avionics system. Raytheon Aircraft announced the avionics upgrade in July 2004 for both the twin-piston Baron as well as for the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza G36. Raytheon secured FAA certification for the new Bonanza in November (BA, Nov. 7/216). The G58 will come standard with a dual-display system that integrates Garmin's GFC700 autopilot and GWX68 color weather radar.
A phaseout of Stage 2 business jets? Capitol Hill aides are talking about the possibility of including a phase-out of Stage 2 business jets as they begin work on the next FAA reauthorization legislation. In an attempt to gauge the feasibility of such a ban, the Capitol Hill staffers asked the General Aviation Manufacturers Association about its position on the issue.
Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) last week praised some of the changes to Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) mandates that the Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed, but said the agency still has yet to produce data that justifies the SPCC requirements.
Eurocontrol awarded a contract to Thales for the delivery of automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast systems that will be installed thoughout Europe. The five AS-685 multi-channel ADS-B receiving systems and traffic information-broadcast (TIS-B) systems will be installed in the Eurocontrol experimental center in France, and at other sites in Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal. They will be used for operational trials as part of a Eurocontrol advanced surveillance program known as Cascade.
Because of the holiday schedule, The Weekly of BUSINESS AVIATION will not publish a Dec. 26 issue. The next issue will be dated Jan. 2. The deadline for receipt of advertising materials for the Jan. 2 issue is noon, Dec. 28. Please accept our best wishes for a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
Oregon Aero, Inc. received an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate for installation of its High-G Safety Seat on Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Company's Columbia 400 and Columbia 350 production aircraft.
BAE Model 146 and Avro 146-RJ airplanes [Docket No. 2002-NM-172-AD] - revises an earlier proposed AD that would have required installation of a linear fluid-filled damper between each elevator surface and the airplane structure on both the left and right sides of the airplane, along with related structural and system modifications. This new action revises the proposed rule by updating and adding service information, and changing the compliance time.
S-TEC secured reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) approval for Consquest II aircraft equipped with the S-Tec Magic 2100 digital flight control system. The system includes a full-function autopilot and glass panel that meets RVSM requirements and is designed to reduce pilot workload.
Bombardier Aerospace won an order from Deutsche Lufthansa AG for 12 CRJ900 regional jets. Lufthansa has been a CRJ Series customer since 1992 when its Lufthansa CityLine regional airline became the world's first operator of the 50-seat CRJ100 regional jet.
SHAWN MECHELKE was appointed vice president of operations for Flight Explorer, which develops global aircraft tracking and information technology products. Mechelke will oversee all company operations, including integrating Flight Explorer's Aircraft Situational Display (ASD) in the marketplace and supporting airlines and corporate flight centers. Before joining Flight Explorer, Mechelke spent 13 years with ATA Airlines as a dispatcher, supervisor, and manager in the flight operations division.
