House And Senate negotiators this week will attempt to resolve differences in supplemental appropriations legislation that includes more than $3 billion in aid designed to assist airlines with increased security costs. While those provisions provide no relief to general aviation, they would apply to air charter aircraft under certain conditions. The relief package includes reimbursement for security costs, waivers from security fees, extended war risk insurance and assistance to some airports for installation of security equipment.
The friends of Meigs Field Friday announced plans to file suit in Cook County Circuit Court challenging the legality of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's decision to bulldoze Meigs Field's only runway and seeking a temporary restraining order against further demolition. Friends of Meigs said a wide variety of plaintiffs joined the organization in the filing against the City of Chicago, including individual taxpayers, aeromedical transport professionals, air traffic controllers and volunteers in the Young Eagles first flight program at Meigs Field.
Subpart K To Part 91, the new rules designed to regulate the operation of fractional aircraft providers, finally arrived at the White House Office of Management and Budget Thursday for review. Senior FAA officials signed off on the package last fall (BA, Sept. 23/135), but what was supposed to be a 90-day review at DOT ran on for more than six months.
TIMOTHY K. PISTELL was promoted to chief financial officer and vice president of finance and administration at Parker Hannifin Corporation. He has worked at Parker for 15 years and was most recently treasurer. Pistell succeeds CFO Michael J. Hiemstra, who is retiring May 1.
The Holstein family of Indianapolis, Ind. now has two members selling airplanes for Raytheon Aircraft Corp. Jim Holstein, a 27-year aircraft sales veteran, was named regional sales director for Hawker aircraft in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and part of Pennsylvania. His son, Shawn, has taken over Jim's former position as regional sales director for Beechcraft products - including the B200 and Model 350 King Air turboprops and the Premier I business jet - in the same area of the country.
Universal Weather And Aviation, Inc. selected Air Chef, LLC as a preferred catering provider for Universal's customers. Air Chef will be the non-exclusive catering service provider initially in four markets - Dallas and Austin, Texas, South Florida and Washington, D.C. - effective immediately. Additional markets are expected to be announced soon.
TSA VETS FIRST APPLICANTS FOR TSAAC PROGRAM - The Transportation Security Administration has begun vetting the first applicants for a TSA Access Certificate (TSAAC), and business aviation officials expect that it should be a matter of "weeks, not months" before they receive approval for a certificate. National Business Aviation Association has worked with TSA on the pilot TSAAC program, in which qualified operators based at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey will be able to obtain a certificate allowing them to bypass the waiver process for international operations.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey and her executive management team were meeting off-site Friday to conduct a strategic planning meeting where goals, measures and initiatives for the agency for the next five years will be discussed. Among the agenda items were more than 300 comments from agency employees who responded to the new Administrator's call for input to the new five-year plan.
None of Bombardier's aircraft manufacturing facilities were designated for sale or closing, but the company's Recreational Products Division is up for sale as part of a sweeping restructuring and refinancing plan aimed at restoring the Canadian conglomerate to profitability and boosting the price of its stock. See article below.
Star Aviation received a multiple supplemental type certificate for Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) equipment on the Cessna Citation 550 business jet. The installation kit uses the innovative solutions analog interface unit and air data display units. Star said the kit is available for both single and dual flight director aircraft equipped with the Sperry SPZ-500 autopilot and encompasses the 500-series line of Cessna Citation jets, excluding S/Ns 001-274.
KING AIR CRASHES INTO BUILDING IN MASSACHUSETTS - A twin-engine turboprop crashed into a building in Leominster, Mass. Friday, killing five people on board and injuring two others, according to preliminary reports.
Cessna continues to expand its Cessna Pilot Center network, appointing 18 new flight schools since the beginning of the year. Cessna has appointed a total of 275 CPCs worldwide, 256 of which are domestic.
All Three New Members of the National Transportation Safety Board were sworn in last month (BA, March 24/129). Chairman Ellen Engleman and members Mark Rosenker and Richard F. Healing join John Goglia and Carol Carmody, bringing the safety board to its full complement of five members.
General aviation leaders, angered and alarmed that Chicago Mayor Richard Daley could bulldoze Meigs Field's runway without warning and frustrated by their lack of recourse to get Meigs restored, late last week urged President Bush to ensure that other mayors do not follow suit and tear up their own airports in the name of homeland security.
Thunder Avionics of St. Louis, Mo. was named a full service center for business aviation products built by Honeywell International, including TCAS, EGPWS, multi-function displays and radar packages. Thunder Avionics, a division of Thunder Aviation NA, is based at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Mo.
GULFSTREAM ACQUIRES BBA AVIATION BASE AT LONDON LUTON - Gulfstream Aerospace acquired BBA Aviation's aircraft maintenance service business at London Luton Airport in the United Kingdom to establish its first service center outside the United States.
NBAA PLEASED WITH RESPONSE TO REGIONAL FORUMS - National Business Aviation Association officials are pleased with the response they are receiving from people who attended NBAA's recent series of Business Aviation Forums and Static Displays, and plan to keep scheduling the events.
US AIRWAYS NEARING RJ ORDER, CEO PRAISES EMBRAER 170 RJ - US Airways is close to placing a large order for 50- and 70-seat regional jets as part of its recovery strategy, and CEO Dave Siegel reported Thursday he is very fond of the Embraer product line and believes the company's aircraft would give him a competitive advantage.
Goodrich Corporation received an $8.5 million contract to supply its Integrated Mechanical Diagnostics-Health & Usage Management System (IMD-HUMS) for U.S. Army UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters. The company's Fuel & Utility Systems division in Vergennes, Vt., will supply and support the IMD-HUMS system in 22 helicopters operated by the 101st Airborne Division, in addition to eight systems previously ordered. The IMD-HUMS gathers information on the usage and condition of aircraft systems throughout each flight.
Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association is developing a "12-point plan" of legal, legislative and public relations actions to pressure Chicago into restoring Meigs Field and protecting other airports from being shut down.
Embraer's revised delivery schedule for 86 ERJ 145XR regional jets to ExpressJet calls for 36 aircraft this year instead of 48 and 21 instead of 36 in 2004. The manufacturer said the revisions will increase the number of aircraft delivered in 2005 to 21 instead of two, with the remaining eight units to be delivered in 2006 (BA, March 31/145).
