MIKE ZONNEFELD was appointed a sales associate at JB&A Aviation, based in Tucson, Ariz. He will be responsible for sales in the Rocky Mountain and Western states. A commercial multi-engine pilot, Zonnefeld recently retired from Rockwell Collins Avionics where he worked as regional sales manager for 35 years.
FlightSafety Simulation plans to equip all its new flight simulators with new high-definition visual systems produced by its Visual Simulation Systems Division.
The new Bendix/King APEX system, designed to give pilots an easier-to-comprehend display of flight information, made its first flight, Honeywell officials said.
General aviation leaders are hoping that a bill introduced in Congress last week will provide much-needed aid to scores of small aviation businesses that have lost upwards of $450 million in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Rep.
DORNIER LUFTFAHRT GmbH Model 228-212 airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-29-AD) - proposes to require inspection of the brake housing subassembly for cracks, nicks, or corrosion (referred to as damage). This proposed AD also would require replacement of damaged brake housing assemblies and modification of the torque take-out cavity. This proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Germany.
PRATT&WHITNEY CANADA PT6A-25C and -114A series turboprop engines (Docket No. 2000-NE-26-AD; Amendment 39-12447; AD 2001-20-01) - requires initial and repetitive visual inspections, and eventual replacement of the compressor bleed valve assembly, with a redesigned valve assembly for -114A and -25C engines. This amendment is prompted by reports of two occurrences of uncommanded engine power loss.
RTS SERVICES received ISO 9001 certification for its engine repair facility and parts supply operation in Fort Worth, Tex. ISO 9001 is a quality system model for service companies.
The National Transportation Safety Board, citing five fatal accidents involving general aviation aircraft, criticized the training and performance of air traffic controllers who were involved in handling the flights. The safety board examined a series of accidents from mid-1998 to late last year, three of which are excerpted below. June 8, 1998, Piper PA-28-181, N9703C, Near Bangor, Calif.
GOODRICH'S Avionics Systems Division submitted its SkyWatch HP Traffic Collision Avoidance System for Technical Standard Order approval from the FAA. SkyWatch HP, which will cost $24,630, has an EFIS interface and can track and display traffic out to 35 nautical miles.
BBA AVIATION furloughed 15 percent of its direct work force in its Aircraft Service International Group business unit. The action was in response to the recent reduction in flight schedules by most major U.S. airlines, said Bruce Van Allen, BBA president and CEO. The 750 employees will be "recalled immediately when demand for air travel and airline schedules show signs of recovery," Van Allen said.
EIGHT PEOPLE, including Madhav Rao Scindia, the former Indian civil aviation minister, were killed Sept. 30 when their private aircraft crashed in northern India. According to eyewitnesses, the twin-engine aircraft caught fire before plowing into a field about 50 miles from the Taj Mahal monument.
PRATT&WHITNEY CANADA delivered the first PW206B2-powered Eurocopter EC135 to ADAC Luftrettung, a German air rescue service. The PW206B2 uses the PW207 power section along with the PW206B reduction gearbox. The engine has a 30-second One Engine Inoperative thermodynamic power rating of 816 shaft horsepower, which allows the EC135 to operate at higher Category A takeoff weights.
Canadian manufacturer Bombardier is offering a significant avionics upgrade on its Challenger 604 business jets, and the system also is available for retrofit on aircraft already in the fleet.
Raytheon Company won an $11 million contract to provide test equipment repair and calibration services in support of the agency's navigational aid inspection program. Under the five-year contract, which includes a one-year base period and four one-year options, Raytheon Technical Services Company will continue to provide planning, programming, administration and management of all requirements associated with FAA Logistics Center (FAALC) Depot test equipment repair and calibration in support of the National Airspace System.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION is expected to issue regulations this week detailing how money from the Air Transportation Safety and Stabilization Act will be distributed to air taxi operators. The lion's share of the funds available under the act is earmarked for the large airlines and regional carriers who provide scheduled service, and much of that money already has been distributed.
TERRY GOODNIGHT was appointed vice president of human resources for Raytheon Aircraft Corp. Goodnight, who will report to Raytheon Aircraft Chairman and CEO Jim Schuster, joins the company from TMP Worldwide in Dallas. She also has served as director of human resources for Cessna Aircraft and spent 14 years with General Motors in personnel, labor relations and human resources positions. While at GM, she earned a master's of business administration from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business Administration.
L-3 Communications, a New York-based supplier of high-technology products, agreed to buy Spar Aerospace, the Toronto, Ontario-based aircraft maintenance and modification company. About 75 percent of Spar's business comes from military customers, including the Canadian Department of National Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard, Mexican Air Force and other foreign military forces. The company provides avionics maintenance, repair and overhaul for the Sikorsky S-61/H-3 Sea King helicopter and is a full service provider for the Boeing 727 and 737.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION is considering options to create a captive insurance company to help members cope with skyrocketing premiums for their insurance coverage. NATA needs to review loss data, traditionally held by insurers, and gather more information on the reinsurance market before going forward, but its members strongly support the move, said NATA President Jim Coyne. Aviation businesses have seen premiums for different insurance products jump by 20 - 300 percent, he said. And that doesn't include the problems involved with war risk insurance.
JET AVIATION TETERBORO will complete construction on a new FBO terminal in New Jersey this month. The new terminal will have an expanded customer lounge and a separate pilot's lounge. A 40,000-square-foot hangar is also being built for additional storage space and the taxiway will be relocated in front of the row of hangars to increase ramp space closer to the new terminal.
BOEING updated its e-business site, MyBoeingFleet.com, which provides maintenance, engineering and flight operations data for users online. Users can now access a list of service centers approved to perform specific repairs on Boeing avionics and components. They also can search Boeing's web-based spare parts ordering system to find kits specified in service bulletins.
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS are seriously considering reopening Washington Reagan National Airport, but it was not clear Friday what requirements may be imposed on operators flying into DCA. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta indicated a decision could come as early as Tuesday and White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said President Bush "is keenly aware of the impact of leaving Ronald Reagan Airport closed.
EXECUTIVE JET CENTER opened a Million Air fixed-base operation at the Mobile, Ala. (MOB) Regional Airport. Million Air Mobile is a designated Phillips 66 Aviation Performance Center.
JAMES P. DONLAN was appointed president and CEO at Dallas Automotive. He has more than 22 years' experience in aviation. Donlan was most recently vice president, sales and support, of Business and General Aviation for Honeywell's commercial aerospace unit.
A NUMBER of the largest business aircraft manufacturers will not have aircraft on static display or a significant presence in the exhibit hall at the National Business Aviation Association's rescheduled convention in New Orleans Dec. 12-14. Most say their marketing and promotional budgets were severely depleted by travel and setup costs incurred before the Sept. 18-20 convention was postponed, some are laying off workers because of concerns about falling sales and most want to conserve cash during the fourth quarter.
