After floating the possibility of selling Jet Aviation, shareholders of its owner, Hirschmann Holding, have decided not to sell. Jet Aviation will continue as before, with the same corporate structure, and plans to expand.

Jet Aviation recorded its best financial performance ever during 2002, credit for which goes to company employees, according to Thomas Hirschmann, chairman and CEO of the Hirschmann Group of Companies. "Our employees are the source of our strength, and their dedication is the foundation for our success," he said. "This commitment to the company and our customers will continue to be the hallmark of our future growth."

Jet Aviation employs more than 3,500 people at more than 60 locations and operates a fleet of more than 150 aircraft.

Meanwhile, engineers and technicians at Jet Aviation’s West Palm Beach, Florida facility have crafted a new, larger-look cabin interior shell kit that improves the appearance and utility of Falcon 20, 50, and 200 jets. Jet Aviation technicians installed the first new linear shell kit in a Falcon 50, along with Corian countertops in the galley and lavatory.

The shell kit increases passenger headroom by a few inches, according to Jim Harrison, director of completions and maintenance sales, thanks to an outward-facing passenger service unit. A one-piece, composite window panel weighs less than the multiple-piece window liners that it replaces, retains heat better, and keeps out noise and UV rays. A one-piece headliner also helps maximize cabin space and makes the cabin appear larger as well. "Light-weight, one-piece components are always a plus on an aircraft," Harrison said.

Alphabet Groups Fault Security-Threat Rules

Aviation associations are criticizing FAA rules, issued January 24, calling for suspension and revocation of certificates held by individuals suspected by the new Transportation Security Administration of being security threats. The FAA issued the rules at the behest of the TSA without seeking any public commentary first.

"We’re concerned about the vagueness of how a person becomes a suspected threat," said Brian Finnegan, president of the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, as well as the process by which someone becomes labeled a security threat and "the fact that there’s no independent appeals process."

Finnegan said he finds it perplexing how the TSA can decide that someone is a security threat–then allow them to go about their lives freely without facing any other consequences. "I think that they’d have to throw you in jail if you are such a threat that you can’t work on airplanes," he said. "That’s where this is all headed."

PAMA agrees that people shown to be a security risk should not work in safety- and security-sensitive positions, he said, but the consequences of suspending someone’s certificates are severe. "There is absolutely no room for error," Finnegan said. "These airmen certificates represent significant livelihoods on which families and reputations depend."

Finnegan pointed out a huge flaw in the new rules. "There’s nothing that requires someone to be certificated to work on an airplane," he said. "People who can do the most damage are people who are working for a repair station. They have full access to the facility."

The president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Phil Boyer, said AOPA supports lawful efforts to prevent terrorists from using aircraft to attack the U.S. "But this rule smacks of McCarthyism," Boyer said. "The TSA has become judge and executioner. What’s happened to due process?"

AOPA’s legal and technical staffs are researching the new rules. Boyer said the preliminary opinion from the association’s legal experts indicated that "TSA had exceeded the authority Congress had granted it."

The Air Line Pilots Association weighed in as well, with its president, Duane Woerth saying, "This rule clearly crosses the line separating legitimate security measures from secretive, unaccountable government conduct.

"The unanswered questions about how one is determined by TSA to be a ‘security threat’ should evoke a chill in every American," Woerth said. "Pilots and other workers would be unable to invoke the traditional right to access and refute the information that is being used against them."

The Aircraft Electronics Association, in a statement, criticized the "lack of oversight included in this extremely controversial issue." It said any suspension under the new rules should be resolved within 60 days and that the person affected be allowed a day in court if the suspension results in revocation.

"The final decision," the AEA stated, "must be made in a federal court and there must be an appeals process."

Northwest Closing Line Mx Stations

In early February, Northwest Airlines said it is closing line maintenance stations in Miami and Tampa, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona, and Portland, Oregon. The Tampa, Phoenix, and Portland bases were set to close March 1. Miami was planned for shutdown March 15.

The work from those line stations will be distributed within the Northwest maintenance system "so there won’t be any involuntary layoffs," according to a Northwest spokeswoman. "Employees will have an opportunity to bid for work within the system. We are distributing the work so we can be as efficient as possible with our maintenance."

After the closures, Northwest will have 27 line maintenance stations remaining, which includes line maintenance at three domestic U.S. hubs. There are 60 mechanic jobs at the closing bases.

Garrett Buys Sierra’s FJ44 Mods Program

Last June, Garrett Aviation Services and Sierra Industries joined forces to produce and market a re-engining program for the Cessna Citation 500/501/SP, using Williams FJ44-2A turbofan engines. In late January, Garrett announced that it has purchased the FJ44/Citation and other Citation modification programs from Sierra Industries.

The purchase includes the supplemental type certificate for Sierra’s Citation Eagle wing modification, the FJ44 STC, and some other Citation STCs. Garrett is renaming the program as the Garrett FJ44 Eagle II.

Performance improvements from the engine upgrade include 400-knot maximum speed, 50- to 60-knot improvement in high-altitude cruise speed, climb to FL430 in less than 30 minutes, higher service ceiling, 2,000-nautical-mile range and reduced fuel flow, quieter cabin, and computer-controlled engine operation.

Garrett moved the program to its Houston, Texas facility from Sierra’s plant in Uvalde, Texas.