GOODRICH received a supplemental type certificate for its SkyWatch HP Traffic Collision Avoidance System on the company's King Air C90. The system also received FAA Technical Standard Order certification on Nov. 8. SkyWatch HP can be FAA field approved and installed as a Traffic Advisory System or as a Traffic Collision Avoidance System depending on the display and antenna configuration, Goodrich said.
MAGAL SECURITY SYSTEMS introduced JetLock, an aircraft wheel lock designed to prevent and detect unauthorized movement of airplanes on the ground, at the Third International Aviation Security Technology Symposium in Atlantic City, N.J. The lock, equipped with an electronic locking system and wireless alarm, immobilizes aircraft. Any attempts to cut, break into or move the aircraft more than 50 meters will activate an alarm in the control center and show the airplane's location, said Magal.
CROSSMARK, a professional business services company, broke ground on a new 10,200-square-foot hangar at McKinney Airport, Texas, to house the company's corporate fleet. "The economy of North Texas is one of the strongest and most vibrant in the country and the access provided by the McKinney Airport will continue to build on this momentum. Our site selection committee picked McKinney for several reasons including convenience, service, safety and how quickly we can get our airplanes in the air from this location. Having the new U.S.
THE UNITED KINGDOM is not likely to follow FAA's lead on how to regulate fractional ownership. In comments to the docket on FAA's proposal to keep fractional operations under Part 91, the U.K.
AVCORP expanded its agreement with Cessna to supply more components for the Cessna Sovereign wing. The additional work is expected to boost the value of the contract by $40 million to $140 million over the life of the Sovereign program. Avcorp delivered the first set of wing components to Cessna for the Sovereign in October.
ROLLS-ROYCE Models Tay 650-15 and 651-54 turbofan engines (Docket No. 98-ANE-68-AD; Amendment 39-12497; AD 2001-22-18) - requires initial and repetitive visual and ultrasonic inspections of fan blades for cracks, and, if necessary, replacement with serviceable parts. In addition, this AD requires recording instances when engines are operated in a stabilized manner in newly prohibited ranges. This amendment is prompted by reports of fan blade failures.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION officials are pleased with the outlook for next week's rescheduled convention in New Orleans. NBAA President Jack Olcott told BA Friday that about 50 percent of both exhibitor and member delegate registrants who had signed up to attend the September event have pre-registered for next week's show. Some 677 exhibitors will be represented in New Orleans next week, about two-thirds of the more than 1,000 scheduled for the September event.
ROLLS-ROYCE 250-C28 series engines (Docket No. 2001-NE-31-AD) - proposes to require removal of third-stage turbine wheels, part number (P/N) 6899383, with certain serial numbers (SNs), from service before exceeding new, reduced life limits. This proposal also would establish a drawdown program to require the removal of those turbine wheels that exceed the new lower limit. This proposal is prompted by five reports of uncommanded shutdown caused by third-stage turbine blade tip fractures, and turbine shroud fractures.
Mercury Air Group, Inc. reported slightly lower revenues and decreased profits for the three months ended Sept. 30, the first quarter of the company's fiscal year. Revenues were off seven percent to $103.7 million, compared with $111.4 million a year ago. The lower revenues were attributed to lower fuel prices in the current period, as well as interruptions of business in three of the company's four business units for five days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks resulted in a shutdown of the national airspace system.
Federal Aviation Administration's proposed new regulations for fractional providers predictably won broad support from industry associations, manufacturers and the operators themselves. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), released in July, closely resembled recommendations of a 27-member task force made up of representatives from the fractional operators, corporate flight departments, charter groups and other industry organizations (BA, July 16/25). FAA closed the comment period Nov.
President Bush's signature on sweeping aviation security legislation sets into motion a number of changes that will touch every segment of the industry, but, thanks to some last-minute changes in the bill, general aviation operators may see few new requirements immediately.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECTONICS CORP. won a contract for a GAT-II (General Aviation Trainer) from the United States Air Force Academy. The trainer will be delivered in February and "will be primarily used to teach cadets to recognize and avoid spatial disorientation," said ETC. ETC will work with the USAFA to customize the GAT-II to meet the academy's training needs. The customized GAT-II will support training for the Cessna 172, the JPATS, and a generic, light utility helicopter.
Avolar, the UAL Corp. subsidiary that plans to provide factional aircraft services with a fleet of Falcon and Gulfstream business jets, announced last week it also will market up to 15 Airbus Corporate Jets, a modified version of the A319 airliner.
Illustration: Chart: Used retail jet and turboprop deliveries inside and outside North America for October 2001 Used Retail Deliveries Oct. 1998 Oct. 1999 Oct. 2000 Oct. 2001 L M H L M H L M H L M H Jet North 41 25 11 72 29 11 59 29 18 71 35 19 America Jet Outside 5 2 7 8 1 1 2 1 1 1 7 3 N.
CESSNA 172N, 172P, R172K, 172RG, F172N, F172P, FR172J, and FR172K airplanes - supersedes airworthiness directive 80-04-08, which requires inspecting (one-time) the fuel line and map light switch in the left hand forward door post for chafing or arcing on certain Cessna Aircraft Company Model 172N, R172K, F172N, and FR172K airplanes and repairing any damage found. AD 80-04-08 also requires providing at least a 0.50-inch clearance between the map light switch and the fuel line; and installing a switch cover (insulator) over the map light switch.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE is starting to see some modest improvement in parts of its marketplace, but business has not returned to normal in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Immediately after Sept. 11, Gulfstream's "maintenance business went real quiet for four weeks," Bill Boisture, president and COO, told BA. Maintenance work is gradually picking up, he said, but flying is down compared to last year. "People are very cautious," he said, particularly large, multi-national corporations that have been the heart of Gulfstream's market for decades.
JOHN DOMAN was named vice president, worldwide propeller aircraft sales, at Cessna. Formerly director of Caravan sales, Doman will lead Cessna's Caravan and Single Engine Piston aircraft sales teams. He also has served as the international sales manager and director of Worldwide Piston Aircraft Sales at Cessna.
Sporty's Pilot Shop, one of the earliest and most generous benefactors of the general aviation industry's Be A Pilot learn-to-fly program, is sharply reducing its funding participation because other segments of the industry are not providing financial support.
The Federal Aviation Administration declared the Arizona Cardinals' Tempe stadium site a hazard to air navigation, concluding a five-month study of the proposed stadium's effect on air traffic at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The site for the 73,000-seat, $334 million stadium is less than two miles from the airport on the extended centerline for Runway 26.
DERCO AEROSPACE signed a five-year, sole worldwide distribution agreement with Honeywell for all military fixed-wing aircraft. The agreement makes Derco the "only global supplier" of Honeywell's military products and allows Honeywell to focus on aftermarket support and meeting customer needs, Derco said. Honeywell and Derco began their business relationship in 1991. The deal is the latest of several between the two companies that include a 10-year licensing agreement signed in June for the repair and distribution of military aircraft cooling turbines.
EADS SOCATA delivered its first TBM 700B freighter to Quest Diagnostics. The manufacturer has a contract to deliver five more aircraft to Quest, a national laboratory network. The freighters will be used to transport perishable patient specimens between laboratory locations. "We are modernizing our fleet to improve patient care. We selected the TBM 700 Freighter after an extensive review process, based on its sturdiness and its low cost of operations," said Albert A. Murrer III, Quest Diagnostics director of flight operations.
PRATT&WHITNEY CANADA CORP. completed the first test flight of a UH-1 Huey helicopter equipped with a PT6C-67D engine. The flight originated from Global Helicopter Technology's facility at Arlington Airport in Arlington, Texas, part of a planned upgrade program for the Huey to replace the original powerplants with PT6C-67Ds equipped with electronic engine controls.
MATSUSHITA AVIONICS SYSTEMS, best known for its Panasonic brand name, is partnering with other Panasonic businesses to develop new products for enhanced aviation security. The company's near-term solution is the OnBoard Video Surveillance System, which will employ four Panasonic surveillance cameras, a monitor that can display up to four video inputs, and power supplies to allow the flight crew to see various sections of the aircraft.
AT LEAST TWO ASSOCIATIONS, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and National Business Aviation Association, have asked FAA to carefully consider security issues surrounding fractional operations in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but those associations differed in their approach.
BOMBARDIER sold three 50-seat Q300 airliners to Qantas Airways. The order from the Australian airline, which already has 26 Bombardier turboprop aircraft in its fleet, is valued at $61.4 million (C.) "The addition of these Bombardier Q300 aircraft gives us improved flexibility to increase capacity within our expanding regional network," said Narendra Kumar, Qantas executive general manager-subsidiary businesses. Qantas's regional airline unit QantasLink will operate the new aircraft.
