Angela K. Owens has been appointed president of the Fort Worth-based American Airlines Federal Credit Union. She was the airline's general auditor and had been the credit union's senior vice president-community relations and financial services.
I fly for a Part 121 carrier, and have recently turned 60. One might argue that I'm fortunate to have a flight engineer seat to move into, given the current admonition of front-end flying beyond 60. I have belonged to the Air Line Pilots Assn. since our pilot group voted for ALPA representation some years ago, but therein lies the rub.
Malaysia's Fly Asian Xpress, an AirAsia affiliate that plans long-haul services as AirAsia Long Haul, has shortlisted Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce to supply engines for 15 Airbus A330s it has on order and option.
Strong demand is prompting Cathay Pacific to increase its daily services to New York and San Francisco to twice daily in the fall. Delivery of new aircraft will allow the Hong Kong-based carrier to respond to the demand.
Europe's air transport sector is heading toward the next step in its ongoing reshuffling, following SAS Group's announcement of a major shift in corporate strategy. The airline's new CEO Mats Jansson last week said SAS plans to focus on its core market in Scandinavia and sell units such as Spanair, BMI and Air Greenland. The carrier is also considering pulling out of units such as ground handling or maintenance.
With the possibility that North Korea, Pakistan and/or Iran may possess both ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads before long, and that these devices could make their way into the hands of extremists, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency is dusting off analyses of what damage a nuclear attack could do. Researchers conclude that a single 10-50 kiloton weapon detonated 60 mi. or more in space would knock out all unprotected low Earth orbit satellites in months, possibly weeks.
More than a generation ago, Turkey, Pakistan and India were developing their aerospace industries, trying to find a place in a global economy that hadn't taken shape yet. In a bipolar world where, for the most part, you did business with one superpower but not with both, they seized opportunities where they could find them. South Asia's aerospace and defense companies, tortoises among Western hares, persevered.
Maria Sulej (see photo) has been appointed manager of sales and marketing for Cudahy, Wis.-based Ladish Co.'s Polish subsidiary ZKM Forging. She was assistant to the managing director.
French military officials are exploring new Rafale tactics and whether to tweak the fighter's upgrade plans after a year of operational experience with the multi-role version, including its first combat assignment.
Mary Armstrong has become vice president of Chicago-based Boeing's Environment, Health and Safety Group. She was president of Boeing's Shared Services Group.
Britain's future air systems equipment program is, on paper at least, in comparatively robust health. Unfortunately, the near-term prognosis is less encouraging. Supporting prolonged combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq is exposing the stresses of an air force operating at levels beyond the Defense Ministry's planning assumptions, with cumulative demands on personnel and equipment.
Jon D. Greenwood has become vice president/chief financial officer and John McCoury vice president-engineering of the Mooney Airplane Co., Kerrville, Tex. Greenwood succeeds Barry Hodkin, who has been named vice president-corporate planning. Greenwood was vice president-finance for San Antonio-based M7 Aerospace. McCoury was vice president-engineering/chief engineer of the Aviation Technology Group, Englewood, Colo.
As an aside to David Hughes' article on Required Navigation Peformance (AW&ST May 21, p. 28), JetBlue Airways has been involved in RNP flight operations and research for a few years. Our line flight operational testing is now focused on data from the execution of our tailored RNAV RNP 0.3 approaches to Runway 13L/R at JFK International Airport in New York.
The stealth versus radar contest is making another of its periodic swings--this time in favor of new, advanced radars. But stealth specialists say it won't be enough because stealth is improving even faster than the radars.
Some are weather-wise, some are otherwise." Benjamin Franklin might have been describing aviators who face the perpetual dilemma of how to get under, over or around the bad stuff. And Jeppesen is now offering software that squarely places general aviation pilots in the "weather-wise" category. The JeppView 3.5 electronic chart application allows overlay of real-time XM WX Worx's Satellite Weather, also known as XM Weather, on approach and en route charts.
Tyco Electronics has released the M/A-COM MAPRST1030-1KS, 1,000-watt peak, class C bipolar transistor designed for 1030-MHz. pulsed avionics applications. The transistor is well suited to operate in IFF/Tacan (tactical air navigation system) or similar short-pulse formats and features a minimum gain of 8.0 dB. (>8.6 dB. typical) with 45% minimum collector efficiency (>50% typical) on a 50VDC. supply. The 1,000-watt rating can greatly enhance the range capabilities of new avionics systems, according to the company.
Sea Launch has penciled in an October launch date for the Thuraya D3 mobile services satellite for the return to service of the Zenit-3SL booster, following the January launch pad explosion that destroyed the SES New Skies NSS-8 satellite. Sea Launch's Failure Review Oversight Board's final report early this month says metal contaminants in the liquid oxygen turbopump of the first-stage EnergoMash 171M motor caused the explosion. The Sea Launch Commander control ship and Odyssey launch platform were due in Vancouver on June 14 for repairs and maintenance.
As Europe moves ahead with building a controller-pilot data link communications network in the core of the continent by 2014, the FAA is starting to work on a similar system with the same technology.
Laurent Mares has been named vice president-sales for European operations for Paris-based Aonix. He was head of sales for Europe and Asia for Thales Computers.
Andre Sinanian has been appointed vice president-CF34 program for MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg. He was a corporate development executive for MTU Aero Engines in Munich.
The Airline Owners & Pilots Assn.'s (AOPA's) 24-hr. watch combines pilot-friendly features with modern design. The main 12-hr. movement is indicated with a red hand to aid in setting Zulu time. The watch also features a date window, solid stainless steel case and a leather band. AOPA Pilot is inscribed on the watch face. A portion of the sale of AOPA merchandise helps support efforts to maintain the freedom, safety and affordability of general aviation. Sporty's Pilot Shop, Clermont County Airport, Batavia, Ohio 45103-9747 or sportys.com.
A CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES Boeing 737-700 flight test last month demonstrated a Required Navigation Performance approach into Linzhi Airport in Tibet using a procedure designed by Jeppesen. Since last September, Air China also has been flying RNP approaches into the airport with its 757s using procedures developed by Naverus Inc. (AW&ST Sept. 25, 2006, p. 52). Air China now operates five flights per week to Linzhi. With RNP, airliners can fly down a mountain valley 80 naut. mi. long to land at Linzhi, which is situated at a 9,700-ft. elevation.
Jaspal Jandu has been named vice president-strategic marketing and Peter Davis vice president-technical operations for Dublin-based Lease Corporation International. Jandu was an investor services executive for AWAS, where Davis was vice president-strategic development and engineering.
Kuwait Airways expects to put several years of red ink behind it by the end of the current fiscal year. A sign things are improving already came as the carrier closed the books on the fiscal year just ended, in which it trimmed losses to 9.2 million Kuwaiti dinars ($32 million), from 23.8 million Kuwaiti dinars in the prior year. Cost-cutting measures and revenue increases brought about the change, says the carrier's chairman and managing director, Talal Mubarak Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
