UNIVERSAL AVIONICS SYSTEMS CORPORATION won FAA technical standard order approval for its MFD-640, the first instrument approved in its new line of flat panel integrated displays. Universal is marketing the MFD-640 for both new and retrofit applications with installations on a Gulfstream II and Citation II. Cessna also will offer the displays on the Citation Excel. Universal said terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) is the primary application for the new display.
Docket No.: 30097 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 61.3(a) and (c) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit FAA AVN pilot crewmembers to be issued facsimiles of their pilot and medical certificates when those certificates are lost or destroyed. Grant, Oct. 3, 2000, Exemption No. 74363
Honeywell officials successfully ran a test rig of their new Multi Purpose Core technology demonstrator engine. In a telephone briefing Wednesday with reporters, Victor Valente, director of Business Development-Honeywell Engines&Systems, said the engine met all expectations, including stability, vibration and rotor dynamics. The test rig was subjected to 15 starts during the initial test phase and operated over a broad thrust range from idle up to 92 percent. Engineers now are tearing down the test rig engine to check its internal condition.
Docket No.: 28639 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 121.574(a)(1) and (3) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit the carriage and operation of oxygen storage and dispensing equipment for medical use by patients requiring emergency or continuing medical attention while on board aircraft operated by PenAir when the equipment is furnished and maintained by a hospital treating the patient. Grant, Sept. 28, 2000, Exemption No. 6523B
Going beyond previous fire-safety improvement themes that targeted specific system or design flaws, Canadian safety investigators probing the crash of a Swissair MD-11 last week called for fundamental changes to how inflight fire emergencies are handled. A probe of more than a dozen cabin-area fires since 1967 that led to crashes, ditchings or forced landings - including the 1998 Swissair Flight 111 crash - convinced Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) that inflight firefighting systems and procedures are "inadequate."
Model 60 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-52-AD; Amendment 39-11991; AD 2000-23-18) - requires inspecting the routing of oxygen tubing to ensure that there is adequate clamping of the tubing and adequate clearance between the tubing and electrical wiring or electrical contacts, and taking corrective action, if necessary. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent electrical arcing between the oxygen tubing and an electrical source, which could result in an oxygen fire. FAA estimates that 40 airplanes on the U.S.
LEE BALDWIN was promoted to manager of technical operations for SimuFlite Training International. Baldwin joined SimuFlite in 1997, serving as supervisor-technical support. He has more than 21 years of experience in maintaining flight simulator devices.
DUNCAN AVIATION'S facility in Battle Creek, Mich. was designated an authorized service center for the Cessna Citation 650 series (Citation VII). Duncan Aviation's Lincoln, Neb. center already had received such authorization, and both facilities are authorized by Cessna to work on 500-series Citations.
Docket No.: 30141 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.299(a) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Deniston pilots to accomplish a line operational evaluation in a Level C or Level D flight simulator in lieu of a line check in an aircraft. Denial, Oct. 3, 2000, Exemption No. 7362
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT is preparing to mate the fuselage and wing of its new Hawker Horizon business jet with first flight slated for next year. The company moved the 69-foot-long composite-fuselage and tail section from the Fuselage Automated Splicing Tool to the next assembly station where it will be prepared for mating with the wing. Fuji Heavy Industries delivered the completed wings for the first two aircraft and static test article and Pratt&Whitney Canada has delivered the first shipset of PW308A engines.
Model DH.125, Model HS.125, Model BH.125, Model BAe.125 Series 800A (including major variants C-29A and U1-25), Model Hawker 800, Model Hawker 800XP, and Model Hawker 1000 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-376-AD; Amendment 39-11949; AD 2000-22-03) - requires leak checks and inspections for corrosion of the pitot/static and stall vent drain valves, and replacement of certain components, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by reports of plugged or taped drain valves as well as consequent corrosion of certain drain valves.
Industry and congressional leaders Thursday voiced support for the White House effort to make a more efficient air traffic control system, but appeared doubtful that announced reform plans - including user fees and peak-hour pricing - would result in significant changes. Congressional and industry observers agreed that with a little more than a month left in its tenure, the Clinton Administration does not have enough time to pursue much of what it announced.
FAA's new Management Advisory Council (MAC) and the Air Traffic Control subcommittee named Thursday are expected to work closely together, particularly given the ties between the heads of each group. Ed Bolen, who is president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, was elected chairman of the MAC by his fellow members. Former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-Kan.) will chair the ATC group. Before joining GAMA in mid-1995 (BA, May 29, 1995/233), Bolen served as Kassebaum's legislative director and general counsel on Capitol Hill.
Docket No.: 30182 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit All West to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, Sept. 26, 2000, Exemption No. 7358
Rockwell Collins completed its purchase of K Systems, the parent of Kaiser Aerospace and Electronics, under a deal valued at $300 million (BA, Nov. 6/211). The acquisition, the fifth for Rockwell in four years, is part of the company's strategic plan to grow its business base through purchases and alliances. "The acquisition reinforces Rockwell Collins objectives to expand our aviation electronics content across multiple platforms," said Rockwell Collins President Clay Jones.
The National Business Aviation Association, working with an Atlanta, Ga.-based insurance firm, is offering loss-of-license insurance and term life insurance for NBAA member pilots. NBAA said it joined forces with Harvey Watt of Atlanta, a company that has been in business for 50 years and which specializes in writing loss-of-license coverage.
Docket No.: 30085 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. C36.105(c)(1) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit an additional alternative flyover airspeed criteria for use in the 14 CFR Part 36 noise certification. The petitioner is requesting the alternative level flyover reference airspeed be 90 percent of the never-exceed airspeed, (0.9 VNE), for the Model MD900 helicopter noise certification. Grant, Sept. 27, 2000, Exemption No. 7360
The naming of a successor to General Electric Chairman Jack Welch when he retires next year following completion of the Honeywell acquisition touched off a series of changes in the company's senior manage-ment ranks. The management shuffle was triggered by Welch's designation of Jeffrey R. Immelt as his successor as chairman and chief executive. One of the three principal contenders for the top GE spot had been W. James McNerney, Jr., who had headed General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE).
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), who has chaired the House transportation appropriations subcommittee for the past six years, last week introduced a bill that would create a 21-member independent commission to review FAA. "Since more Americans are flying today than ever before, we need to ask whether FAA is up to the job of making sure our skies remain safe and our airports become more efficient," Wolf said. "Aviation safety is something we should all be concerned about."
Kellstrom Industries Inc., of Sunrise Fla., last week closed its acquisition of the aircraft and engine parts resale business of Aviation Sales Co. (AVS), spending less than originally planned. Kellstrom originally expected to pay $50 million in cash and related costs, but instead paid about $30 million, according to Kellstrom Chief Financial Officer Oscar Torres. The company will "lease rather than purchase certain operational equipment and AVS's parts distribution facility in Pearland, Texas, and its main 545,000-square-foot facility in Miramar, Fla.," Torres said.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which rebuffed FAA's first attempt to exempt its members who conduct charity flights from alcohol- and drug-testing rules, is praising the agency for changing the exemption to make it less bureaucratic. "Now we have a program that pilots can really use," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "FAA did the right thing for the right reasons."
ECLIPSE AVIATION, Albuquerque, N.M., said it secured an additional $65 million through the company's second round of private equity funding. The latest funding infusion raises the total capital raised to $125 million.
MATTHEW STASIOR joined CharterHub Inc. as chief financial officer and a member of the board of directors. Stasior served with Bain and Company and Salomon Bros. as well as Microsoft and MicroCap 1000.com.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AIRPORT is seeking FAA approval to exchange land with Southern Illinois University for the expansion of the university's aviation school. Southern Illinois Airport would release 2.056 acres (Parcels 1A and 2A) that it acquired in 1948 in exchange for 9.076 acres (Parcel 5) that the university owns. FAA will accept comments on the proposal until Dec. 22. For more information, contact Dennis Rewerts, program manager, at (847) 294-7195 or fax (847) 294-7046.
AIRCRAFT ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION scheduled its 44th Annual International Convention and Trade Show April 26-28 at the Hyatt-Regency Reunion Hotel in Dallas, Texas. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey is slated to be the keynote speaker at the show, focusing on certification issues, regulations, standards, and safety initiatives. The convention will include more than 30 hours of technical workshops, management sessions and some 50,000 square feet of exhibits. For more information, contact AEA at (816) 373-6565.
