DAVE HUNTZINGER was named director of safety at TAG Aviation. Operating out of the company's San Francisco headquarters, he will be responsible for all safety issues including flight, ground, maintenance, OSHA, emergency planning and response. Huntzinger most recently worked as an aviation safety consultant.
Safe Flight Instrument Corp. said one of its senior executives, and a son of the company's founder, was among those killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Donald F. Greene, 52, was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, the Boeing 757 that was scheduled to fly from Newark to San Francisco, but which was diverted near Cleveland and crashed in south central Pennsylvania. Donald Greene was executive vice president of the White Plains, N.Y. company founded by his father, Leonard M. Greene.
DORNIER Model 328-300 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-174-AD) - proposes to require, for certain airplanes, a one-time torque test (inspection) of the attachment bolts of the forward engine mount vibration isolators to determine if the bolts are adequately torqued, and corrective action, if necessary. For all airplanes, this proposal would prohibit installation of an attachment bolt on the forward engine mount vibration isolators, unless the attachment bolt is torqued within certain limits.
HONEYWELL'S AS900 engine program has completed more than 8,000 hours of tests, including 600 hours of flight testing on Honeywell's Boeing 720 flying test bed and close to 20 hours on Bombardier's Continental business jet, the company reported, adding that the engine line continues to meet performance and dependability expectations. Honeywell delivered eight fully podded "block two" AS907 flight test engines to Bombardier for the Continental, and the first aircraft has completed 10 flight tests. AS907 certification is expected in the second quarter of next year.
Eclipse Aviation said the first metal has been cut for the Eclipse 500 business jet and also announced a deal to sell up to 1,000 of the entry-level aircraft to a Florida company that plans to launch an air taxi fleet in North and South America.
LOGANAIR leased two Saab 340Bs from Saab Aircraft Leasing, increasing its Saab 340 fleet to five. One aircraft entered service at the end of August while the second is scheduled to start commercial flights this month. Loganair is a British Airways' franchise partner based in Glasgow, Scotland.
PRESIDENT BUSH announced his intention Wednesday to nominate Jeffrey Shane as associate deputy secretary of transportation (BA, July 30/55). Shane, a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Hogan&Hartson, formerly served as assistant secretary for policy and international affairs at DOT and deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs at the State Department.
Fixed-base operator Mercury Air Centers is launching a new online aircraft charter reservation system. "Mercury Easy Charter by UltraJet" will be a joint effort between Mercury Air Centers and UltraJet, an Avbase Aviation companion company based in Cleveland, Ohio, to provide on-demand charter service. Customers will be able to make reservations through a website, a toll-free number, or by calling or visiting any of 19 Mercury Air Center locations.
JET AVIATION BEDFORD recently was designated a Beechjet authorized service center by Raytheon Aircraft Company. The Bedford, Mass. facility continues as an authorized service center for Raytheon King Air, Baron and Bonanza aircraft. aircraft
COMMANDER AIRCRAFT COMPANY introduced a new recurrent flight training program for Commander owners. The program will provide owners with "recurrent training at the factory level, regardless of where they purchased their aircraft or how long they have owned it," the manufacturer said. Commander Aircraft is working with the FAA to incorporate the Wings program into the training package. Commander owners interested in the program should contact Robert Canan at (405) 495-8080.
MORE THAN 60 INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES attended a meeting Friday in Washington, D.C. and developed a tentative list of industry "best practices" regarding security. The group, which received a detailed briefing from the deputy director of the FBI's Washington office and Transportation Department officials, plans to circulate its list of best practices to other industry groups and then distribute it to flight departments, fixed-base operators and air taxis (BA, Sept. 17/133).
EMS TECHNOLOGIES developed an aeronautical data terminal (ADT-1000) that will support high-speed data access for e-mail, Internet and voice and fax services, from the air. The dual-channel terminal provides data through the Inmarsat Global Area Network. The ADT-1000 is more than 50 times faster than existing SATCOM systems, according to EMS. The new system will be available for aircraft beginning in November.
TEXTRON is consolidating all of its Aviation Finance divisions into its wholly owned subsidiary, Cessna Finance Corporation. The newly consolidated company will provide financing for all Textron aviation products, including Cessna single-engine products, Cessna Caravan, Cessna Citation business jets and the full line of Bell Helicopters. The combination will help Textron to further expand business in the worldwide aviation marketplace and support "the captive financing needs of both Cessna Aircraft Company and Bell Helicopter," Cessna said.
WING AVIATION began building its new aviation service center at Montgomery County Airport in Conroe, Texas. The facility, slated to open in April 2002, will provide adequate space to perform maintenance on Gulfstream aircraft as well as aviation services for mid- and other large-cabin aircraft, including interior/exterior custom paint and detailing, cabin refurbishments and upgrades. The new facility also will provide a host of fixed-base operation services.
TURBOMECA S.A. Arriel-1D, -1D1, -1S, -1S1, -2S1 and -2B series turboshaft engines (Docket No. 2001-NE-06-AD) - proposes to require the insertion of a sleeve in the attachment boss of the compressor bleed valve. This proposal is prompted by several cases of contained centrifugal compressor impeller blade ruptures that have occurred in service.
WILLIAM S. KOCH, the former AMR Combs executive, formed Sutherland Companies LLC, a private equity and advisory firm specializing in aviation. Sutherland Companies, based in Dallas, invests in aviation related companies through its Suthrerland Ventures group and provides management consulting and advisory services. The firm wants to build a portfolio of aviation related companies through acquisitions and new business ventures.
GOODRICH CORP. won a contract to supply wheels and brakes for Embraer's Legacy business jet. Goodrich wheels and brakes will remain standard equipment on Embraer's EMB-120 Brasilia turboprop and the manufacturer's regional jets, the ERJ-135, -140 and -145.
GULFSTREAM IV-SP business jet aircraft achieved a 99.6 percent dispatch reliability rate this past year. Gulfstream officials credit the rate to an "aggressive reliability-tracking process" that designates a quality control team to analyze and resolve problems." The Gulfstream IV fleet, with 425 aircraft in service, recorded a milestone of 1.5 million hours of in-service flight time and more than 770,000 landings.
TITAN SYSTEMS CORP., won a contract to provide a range of avionics upgrade services for the U.S. Navy, including work on the Executive Transport (Presidential helicopter) fleet. Under the five-year, $39 million contract, Titan Systems will support major Navy and Marine Corps aircraft programs, including H-60, H-3, CH-53 helicopters, satellite navigation based systems, wearable computer based systems and advanced avionics systems integration projects.
DASSAULT FALCON JET CORPORATION joined the Aerospace Industries Association. One of two new members of the trade association, Dassault Falcon Jet sells business aircraft throughout North and South America and the Pacific Rim.
NEW WORLD AVIATION added a second Learjet 55 to its charter certificate, joining a fleet that also includes a Gulstream IV, three Gulfstream IIBs, and two Twin Star helicopters.
HONEYWELL won FAA approval for installation of the new Honeywell/Thales MCS-7000 satellite communications system on the Boeing Business Jet. The MCS-7000, which won initial supplemental type certification in June, uses the INMARSAT satellite constellation and has the potential to interface with other satellite systems.
ROCKWELL COLLINS has made a 10.4-inch liquid crystal display retractable monitor for Boeing single-aisle aircraft. The new LCD monitor will directly replace the Rockwell Collins 8.6-inch LCD monitor with no necessary modifications. The new monitors will be installed starting in the first quarter of 2002.
Sabreliner Corp. reorganized senior managers at its three operations and consolidated marketing management responsibility under Chairman and CEO Holmes Lamoreux. The company said the moves are designed to streamline communications within the companies and enhance business opportunities. The company promoted Iain Glendinning to senior vice president of operations and administration, with responsibility for the company's Midcoast Aviation, Premier Turbine and Sabreliner units.
