SAFIRE AIRCRAFT COMPANY began converting non-binding purchase orders to non-refundable purchase orders and said that within three days, more than 70 percent of customers converted. Safire had taken non-binding purchase orders for more than 840 of its S-26 twinjet. Safire said it made the decision to move ahead with non-refundable orders after the Agilis engine design and production program was established, aircraft specifications and performance were validated and pricing was confirmed at $869,000.
A controversial and incomplete rewrite of the rules that govern U.S.-certified repair stations has been finalized and will be published today (Aug. 6), and some 5,000 maintenance facilities affected will have 20 months to comply with most of the new provisions.
Four regional teams participating in NASA's Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) program will pursue advances in flight control and systems automation, synthetic vision and improvements in air traffic sequencing procedures under cooperative programs with the space agency.
The Senate Commerce Committee, without a dissenting voice, Thursday approved a bill (S.633) that would require any airport identified in FAA's Capacity Benchmark Report as causing delays that "significantly affect" the national air transportation system to begin pouring concrete within five years after being so designated.
Model ATR 42-200, -300, -320, and -500 series airplanes; and Model ATR 72 series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-203-AD; Amendment 39-12343; AD 2001-15-09) - requires replacement of the existing uplock boxes of the main and nose landing gears with modified uplock boxes. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent a mechanical failure of the uplock box mechanisms, which could result in failure of the associated landing gear to extend.
Model 328-100 series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-366-AD; Amendment 39-12338; AD 2001-15-04) - supersedes an existing airworthiness directive that currently requires repetitive inspections of the left and right roll spoiler actuators to check for signs of leakage and deformation of the housing, repetitive inspections of the gap between the left roll spoiler actuator housing cap and the actuator housing, repetitive torque checks of the left roll spoiler actuator housing cap attachment screws, and corrective action, if necessary.
AVIATION GENERAL INC., parent company of Commander Aircraft of Bethany, Okla., said it is appealing a determination by NASDAQ that the company's stock does not meet minimum bid price requirements for continued listing on the exchange. The stock will keep trading until the exchange rules on the appeal.
GROEN BROTHERS won approval from the City of Glendale, Ariz., to move ahead with plans to build a new $14 million, 200,000-square-foot manufacturing plant. Groen plans to move its corporate headquarters to the new plant, which the company says should be fully operational by the end of 2002. Groen expects the new facility will have the capacity to produce up to four of its Hawk 4 gyroplanes per day. Groen expects to employ 425 at the new plant.
RICH MCKINNEY was appointed manager of Premier Turbines' engine component and accessory operations in Independence, Kan. Previously president of Show-Me Air Spares and a 25-year Teledyne veteran, McKinney will oversee engineering, production and quality at the facility. Premier Turbines is owned by Sabreliner Corp.
Electronics-manufacturer Garmin reported a 25 percent leap in net income for the second quarter ended June 30, with gains in both its Aviation and Consumer units and plans to grow its product line.
Arizona Cardinals will pay $10 million to $12 million to move their planned Tempe stadium site in response to FAA safety concerns about potential interference with air traffic at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX). The Arizona Tourism and Sports Authority will pay Magellan Real Estate for 12 acres east of the original stadium site for land that was to be used for a luxury apartment community.
CIRRUS DESIGN late last month delivered its 200th aircraft, to a customer in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The aircraft, an SR22, was the 67th of that model delivered. Cirrus also has delivered 133 of its SR20 single-engine aircraft. The SR22 is the follow-on the SR20 with a 310-horsepower Teledyne Continental IO-550-N engine and a long-range cruise of more than 1,000 nautical miles. "I first made contact with Cirrus in 1996," said the customer, Greg Anderson. "I was skeptical at first but have become a convert."
THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION'S rewrite of the repair station rule was issued despite the objections of many industry leaders, but the final rule, at first glance, drew at least one positive reaction.The Aircraft Electronics Association, which represents repair stations that work on general aviation electronics and avionics, called the Part 145 rewrite "the finest example of rulemaking to come out of the FAA in years." AEA President Paula Derks acknowledged that her members did not get all the relief they sought from the proposal, but said, "It is clear that the age
JEFFREY BUFF was appointed outside sales representative for the northeast region at Professional Aviation Associates, Atlanta, Ga. Buff, who has more than 10 years' aviation experience, was most recently a sales representative at Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation Services. PAA distributes aircraft parts worldwide, specializing in Beech, Learjet and Falcon aircraft.
FLIR SYSTEMS, INC. developed a new infrared imaging system, the Ultra 7500, for law enforcement use. The new airborne imager includes a laser illuminator option that provides 24-hour, higher altitude, long-range search and surveillance capability for both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, Flir said.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD plans to issue factual reports Tuesday developed in its investigation of the Jan. 27 crash of a Raytheon (Beech) King Air 200 (N81PF) near Strasburg, Colo. that claimed all 10 aboard, including members of the Oklahoma State University basketball team (BA, Feb. 5/60).
The Senate last week approved a measure designed to protect Chicago-area reliever airports, including Meigs Field (BA, July 30/45). The measure, introduced by Sens. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), was included as an amendment to the fiscal 2002 transportation appropriations bill, which passed by voice vote Wednesday after a week-long, contentious debate over Mexican trucking.
Model ATR 42-200, -300, and -320 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-08-AD; Amendment 39-12341; AD 2001-15-07) - requires modifying the wiring of the starting rotary switch. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent the loss of electrical power supply of the direct current (DC) emergency and standby buses, which could result in the loss of some electrical loads and the consequent display of erroneous information to the flight crew. FAA estimates that this AD will affect 60 Model ATR 42-200, -300, and -320 series airplanes on the U.S.
ADVANCED AERODYNAMICS&STRUCTURES, INC. (AASI) received components for the first five landing gear shipsets from supplier Castle Precision Industries of Sylmar, Calif. The landing gear sets are in various quality check and assembly stages, AASI said, with the first landing gear slated for the static test area and the remaining four being prepared for flight test and customer aircraft.
SUPERIOR AIR PARTS INC. was appointed exclusive sales representative for TAE 110 and 125 Jet A Piston aircraft engines manufactured by Thielert Aircraft Engines for worldwide OEM sales and North American aftermarket sales. "The Thielert Aircraft Engines will complement Superior's existing engine programs and bring us closer to our goal of supplying superior power to general aviation," said Bernie Coleman, Superior Air Parts president and CEO.
INFORMATION collected by the Air Transport Association shows that U.S. cities have built nearly seven times as many sports stadiums in the past decade as they have new runways. See chart below.
David E. Berges, a veteran Honeywell executive, was named chairman and chief executive officer of Hexcel Corp. of Stamford, Conn. Berges succeeds John J. Lee, who died in May. Berges, 51, had been president of Honeywell's Automotive Products Group, and before that was vice president of the AlliedSignal Aerospace Engines and Accessories business. Berges previously served as president and chief operating officer of Barnes Aerospace and spent 15 years with General Electric early in his career.
Delta Airlines joined American Airlines in ruling out the possibility of entering the fractional aircraft market, but Delta Chairman Leo Mullin expressed a desire to slowly grow its business jet charter business, Comair Jet Express. Mullin told BA affiliate Aviation Daily that he has "zero intention" of seeking a niche in business aviation "in the way United is pursuing" the market.
BBA Group, continuing to add to its menu of engine support services, completed the acquisition of Barrett Turbine Engine Company (BTEC) of Augusta, Ga. BTEC, founded in 1994, specializes in supply and distribution of components for the Honeywell/ AlliedSignal/Garrett TFE731 turbine engine line that powers a wide range of business jets. The Augusta firm, with seven employees, maintains an extensive inventory of over-the-counter and exchange parts and accessories for most TFE731 engine applications.
FLIGHTSAFETY BOEING Training International won FAA certification for a Boeing 717-200 and a 737-700/-800 full-flight simulator at its Miami training center. The latest certification boosts FlightSafety Boeing's simulator fleet to four 717-200 and 11 737-700/-800 trainers.
