BANNER AEROSPACE renovated its maintenance and repair facility at the Georgetown, Texas Municipal Airport. The $500,000 renovation included remodeling the administration, service, avionics and aircraft interior departments. The company also increased its maintenance capabilities by adding Beech King Air 300 series through Beech 1900D and Cessna Citation I, II and V series aircraft to its type ratings list.
Model S-76A helicopters (Docket No. 2000-SW-40-AD; Amendment 39-12216; AD 94-14-20 R1) - revises an existing AD that requires a one-time inspection of the tail rotor blade spar elliptical centering plug for disbonding and the addition of a retaining pad on the pitch change shaft between the output tail rotor gearbox flange and the inboard tail rotor spar. This amendment contains the same requirements as the existing AD but clarifies that the 500-hour time-in-service repetitive inspections, which could cause inadvertent damage, are not required.
EMBRAER delivered the first of a fleet of ERJ-135 regional airliners this month to SA Airlink. The South African carrier signed a deal with Embraer in December that includes firm orders for 30 ERJ-135s and options for 40 more. The carrier plans to take delivery of four more aircraft later this year.
A PENNSYLVANIA COURT overturned a 1998 state law restricting which airports could get state and federal funds, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said. AOPA claims the law, which gave Montgomery County power to veto improvements to federally or state-funded airports, was aimed at four airports, including Philadelphia-area Wings Field, known as AOPA's birthplace. AOPA, National Business Aviation Association, and other organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief against the provision.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association this week is unleashing an advertising campaign targeted at Illinois state politicians in an effort to keep Meigs Field in Chicago from closing as scheduled in February. AOPA is airing television spots in the Illinois capital of Springfield, shortly before the legislature adjourns Friday.
ELLIOTT AVIATION won approval from Raytheon Aircraft Company as an authorized service center for the Premier I business jet at Elliott's Omaha, Neb. and Minneapolis, Minn. facilities. Ellliott's technicians have completed the applicable FlightSafety International maintenance training requirements, parts and manuals have been assessed and are being purchased in advance of aircraft delivery and avionics training on the Collins Proline 21 suite is under way.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION joined the National Air Transportation Association in opposing a recent Internal Revenue Service finding that air charter companies should pay the $2.75 segment fee on a per-person basis rather than on a per-aircraft-chartered basis (BA, April 30/203). NBAA issued an alert this month warning its members of the IRS technical advice memorandum (TAM) - which stems from a dispute involving a small Minnesota operator that the IRS was auditing.
PHILIP MARRACCINI was named vice president of flight operations for CitationShares. Marraccini joined CitationShares in 1999 as a captain and was promoted to chief pilot last summer. He has 10 years of Part 135 flying experience with nearly 10,000 flight hours. Along with his aviation experience, Marraccini has a Juris Doctorate degree from Fordham University and a master of business administration degree in finance from Pace University.
The technology to support the Boeing "sonic cruiser" concept is already available, it's just a question bringing it together into a cohesive whole, the president of Pratt&Whitney said May 15 during the Aerospace Finance Conference in New York.
LONDON AIR SERVICES of Richmond, British Columbia signed a purchase agreement for a Challenger 604 business jet, making it the first charter operator based at Vancouver International Airport (CYVR) to operate a large business jet, Bombardier said Wednesday.
The pilot of a Beech King Air 90 was killed Tuesday when he apparently lost control of his aircraft and crashed near Tucumcari, N.M. FAA said controllers noticed the aircraft, N221CH, was climbing above its assigned altitude of 25,000 feet and asked the pilot what was going on. He responded that he was having problems and the aircraft then went into a descent, and radar and radio contact was lost. The aircraft had departed Tucson, Ariz. just after 3 a.m. and was en route to Springdale, Ark.
ED O'BRIEN was named sales manager for Banner Aerospace Aircraft Services. A 30-year industry veteran, O'Brien most recently was a regional sales manager for Kellstrom Solair, Inc. He also has served with Winward Air, The Ages Government Group, UNC Engine&Engine Parts, United Turbine Technologies, Israel Aircraft Industries, Page Avjet and Eastern Airlines.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL received Level D certification for its Citation X flight simulator in its Columbus, Ohio training center. The simulator is the third for the Citation X in the FlightSafety training network with the other two at Wichita, Kansas, and Toledo, Ohio.
CPI AEROSTRUCTURES, INC., Edgewood, N.Y., won a contract to build inlet assemblies for the T-38 propulsion modernization program for the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The initial award is for $2.4 million, but the company said the contract could be worth more than $60.8 million if all options are exercised. CPI Aerostructures is a precision machining and subassembly manufacturer for the commercial and military sectors of the aircraft and electronics industries.
BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE has four of its new Continental business jets completed to the point of having the wings and landing gear attached, and two Continentals have the Honeywell AS900 engines installed. Taxi tests are expected to begin shortly in Wichita, where the new aircraft will be built. Engine-maker Honeywell insists that a delay in the certification date for the AS907 engine will not slow the certification schedule for the Continental. See article below.
The UAL Corp. board of directors made it official Thursday, approving the establishment of a new "stand-alone business devoted to fractional ownership of business jets."
Model AS-365N3 helicopters (Docket No. 2001-SW-03-AD) - proposes to require modifying the full authority digital engine control (FADEC) software within 90 days after the effective date of this AD. This proposal is prompted by a design problem in the FADEC "power loss printed circuit board" software found during laboratory testing. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent loss of the FADEC one-engine-inoperative (OEI) power and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that one helicopter on the U.S.
Model EMB-135 and EMB-145 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-123-AD; Amendment 39-12226; AD 2001-10-01) - requires revising the FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual to prohibit in-flight auxiliary power unit (APU) starts, and installing a placard on or near the APU start/stop switch panel to provide such instructions to the flight crew. This action is necessary to prevent flame backflow into the APU compartment through the eductor during in-flight APU starts, which could result in a fire in the APU compartment.
AVFUEL CORPORATION added 12 branded dealers in the U.S. in the first quarter of the year and recently added five locations in Mexico and Latin America. With the additions, Avfuel is approaching 700 branded FBOs in the U.S. The new international dealers come through Avfuel's partnership with International Corporate and Cargo Services, based in Mexico City, Mexico. The new international Avfuel dealers are at Cancun, Ciudad Juarez, Aeroservicios ICCS Monterrey, Torreon and Aerotron ICCS Vallarta.
THE CROWDED SKIES soon could grow busier as FAA comes closer to establishing flight certification rules for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The growing presence of the unmanned aircraft has forced FAA to figure out how they fit within the Federal Aviation Regulations. Interested parties from the UAV community, including Air Force and Navy representatives, agreed this month on the framework of an executive committee to guide the certification rules.
CANADIAN SIMULATOR MANUFACTURER CAE has developed a new training system that will "provide the highest quality training to pilots and maintenance crews via a standard PC environment," the company said. The new Simfinity system combines high-fidelity simulation software with complete courseware to allow students to learn and practice on their own.
Triumph Group, Inc., which designs, manufactures and repairs a variety of aviation engine components, is forming a new operating group to service its growing industrial gas turbine business.
Honeywell engine executives say certification of the company's new AS900 turbofans will slip about 12 months while engineers develop and test a series of product enhancements designed to improve the new engines' durability and maintainability in service. Honeywell insists the schedule changes will not slow certification of the BAe Systems Avro RJX regional jet or the Bombardier Continental business jet.
EMBRAER'S net income soared 124 percent in the first quarter, while revenues were up nearly 50 percent, the Brazilian manufacturer reported. The company reported net income of $108.5 million for the first quarter of 2001, compared with net income of $55.1 million during the same period a year ago. Sales jumped from $582.6 million a year ago, to $756.4 million in the most recent reporting period.
