U.S. Army Lt. Gen. (ret.) Paul Cerjan has been named president of New York-based L-3 Communications' Government Services Inc. He succeeds Joseph Saponaro, who has left the company. Cerjan was vice president/program manager for Logistics Civil Augmentation Program III Middle East/Central Asia.
Pakistan International Airlines took delivery of the first of seven ATR 42-500s. Two more will be delivered by December 2006 and four by May 2007. The aircraft will replace PIA's aging F-27 fleet operating on "socioeconomic" routes. The seven aircraft are valued at around $100 million. This is ATR's first sale in Pakistan.
To submit Aerospace Calendar Listings, Call +1 (212) 904-2421 Fax +1 (212) 904-6068 e-mail: [email protected] June 9-11--EAA Regional Fly-In. Yuba County Airport, Marysville, Va. And, June 24-25--Front Range Airport, Denver. Call +1 (920) 426-4876, fax +1 (920) 426-6761 or see www.eaa.org June 12--Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lean Aerospace Initiatives' Rockwell Collins Presentation. University of Iowa, Cedar Rapids. Call +1 (617) 253-7633, fax +1 (617) 258-7845 or see www.lean.mit.edu
Turkish Airlines and TAP Portugal have agreed to enter a code-sharing arrangement. The plan covers the Lisbon-Istanbul flights that Turkish Airlines operates three times weekly. TAP becomes Turkish Airlines 12th partner and, the airline's management says, the code-share will give its customers access to locations in South America and Africa where TAP is well represented. Meanwhile, TAP also has signed a code-sharing deal with Thai Airways International that becomes effective June 15 (both are Star Alliance members).
Raytheon Aircraft Co. has completed FAA function and reliability testing of the Hawker 4000 business jet. Agency officials are completing requirements for documentation leading to issuance of a type certificate.
The long-simmering concept of automated satellite servicing is stuck short of implementation by questions about technical feasibility, economics and who will risk billions of dollars to make the first step. To move the concept along, the Orbital Express demonstrator, set for launch in October, will try to show that at least the technology is ready to refuel, repair and otherwise service spacecraft.
Kudos to James Ott for his astute analysis of the airline industry in "What If Delta Goes Down" (AW&ST Apr. 17, p. 43). More importantly, he brings up a point that the pilots' union fails to make: The lure of the profession is beginning to dim after draconian wage and benefit cuts and the "rape" of pension plans. Along with a $70,000-100,000 undergraduate education, most pilots spend a further $40,000-50,000 on flight ratings. This does not even begin to cover the sacrifices of low wages endured at flight schools and commuter airlines.
David V. Kalbaugh, recently retired assistant director for programs at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., has been awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service for contributions to national defense. The award notes Kalbaugh's accomplishments while a member of the Naval Studies Board and Defense Science Board Task Forces, and his expertise in cruise missile guidance and control; space and airborne over-the-horizon targeting; and command, control, communications, and intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance.
Innovative and small, Frontier Airlines is like a family group. It has a devoted following among consumers who are looking for something different in their flying experience. And it's fighting to stay alive. The first three months of this year were especially hard. Southwest Airlines entered the Denver market and United Airlines, its traditional rival at the Mile High City, expanded. The competition is tough, and is so on every route. Fares in Denver dropped an estimated 18% compared with the quarter a year ago, and Frontier wasn't quite prepared.
China's dedicated freighter services continue to expand. Great Wall Airlines has started six weekly freighter flights linking Shanghai to Amsterdam. The carrier, a joint venture headed by China Great Wall Industry Corp. that includes Singapore Airlines Cargo and the Singapore government's Temasek Holdings' subsidiary Dahlia Investments, will initially operate with two Boeing 747-400Fs.
Eurocopter has created a wholly owned training subsidiary intended to help meet the broader learning needs generated by glass cockpits and other next-generation rotorcraft systems, and new flight crew training regulations. Baptized Eurocopter Training Services, the affiliate will provide flight and maintenance instruction, multicrew coordination and crew-resource management using remote-web-based teaching resources, along with needs analysis and other consultancy tasks.
Karrie E. Shank, a senior at Ohio University, has won the Washington-based General Aviation Manufacturers Assn.'s Dr. Harold S. Wood Scholarship. Wood was founder and past executive director of the National Intercollegiate Flying Assn. The annual honor recognizes a top student enrolled in a NIFA member school who demonstrates academic excellence, promotes aviation and participates in activities and community service outside of aviation.
Purdue University, Rocky Mountain College and LeTourneau University are among the users of Frasca International's Mentor training device equipped with Garmin G1000 or Avidyne FlightMax Entegra avionics. University aviation departments are moving to train students in aircraft with the latest integrated glass cockpits rather than aircraft fitted with round dials and analog instruments.
Royal Jordanian and Jordan's Civil Aviation Authority have adopted the use of common self-service check-in and standard bar-coded boarding passes championed by the International Air Transport Assn. The passenger check-in facility at Queen Alia International Airport should be operational this year, with the new boarding pass procedure set to begin early in 2007.
Malaysian Airline System is expected to reduce its workforce by more than 20% by the end of July, following a statement made in March that it would cut its domestic fleet to 21 airplanes from 40. Qatar Airways, however, could absorb about 1,000 of those workers. Australia's Qantas, in an effort to offset high fuel costs, is considering cutting up to 1,000 employees in administration, management and support functions by year-end.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency and Navy say they've conducted the first intercept of a ballistic missile in its terminal phase, using the Aegis system and a Raytheon-made Block IV Standard Missile-2. The test occurred May 24, and the interceptor hit the target in the final few seconds of flight.
NASA has issued formal solicitations for "foundational research" proposals in the four areas of focus under its reorganized aeronautics effort: air traffic management, aviation safety, fundamental aeronautics and the aeronautics test program, which aims to preserve wind tunnels and other test facilities. The agency says it expects "educational institutions, nonprofit organizations and industry engaged in foundational research will be the primary award recipients" from the announcement.
Market Focus 11 Whiff of scandal takes wind out of B/E's stock sales News Breaks 19 Bombardier CL-215s help douse fire at Istanbul airport 20 Midwest and AirTran take delivery of the final two Boeing 717s 21 Upgrades underway for AH-64 and UH-60 engines 23 Despite reports, it appears there is no plan to scale back Galileo system World News & Analysis 26 JSF F135 engine burns hotter than planned; Pratt to cool things off
Northrop Grumman has captured a $60-million contract for long-lead parts and advanced procurement for five expanded payload RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, three mission control elements and three launch recovery elements.
Midwest Airlines and AirTran Airways took delivery of the final two Boeing 717s from the former Douglas Aircraft Co. plant in Long Beach last week. And with their delivery, the 65-year-old factory closed, its land to be passed on to a higher use, which in Southern California translates into real estate development. The closing also spells the end of nearly 90 years of aircraft production in the Los Angeles basin.
Chris Young (see photo) has been named president/general manager of the ITT Space Systems Div., Rochester, N.Y. He was vice president/director of the division's Commercial and Space Sciences Group. Young succeeds Jim Manchisi, who has left the company.
As the U.S. braces for another hurricane season, the first of a series of 3.5-ton advanced Boeing high-resolution weather satellites is maneuvering toward its geostationary-orbit slot, following a complex launch atop a long-delayed Boeing Delta IV. The $481-million GOES-N flight, lofted on May 24, is also vital to reestablishing the Boeing launcher program. The mission comes as the Rand Corp. is set to release a report critical of the entire U.S. Air Force/commercial Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) effort that includes Lockheed Martin.
U.S. investment fund Shah Capital reportedly has offered to buy Thales Navigation for $170 million. The struggling unit, which acquired U.S. GPS equipment maker Magellan in 2001, has been for sale since last year.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines posted a $14-million net loss for its fiscal year ending Mar. 31 and a $7.9-million net loss in the fourth quarter. The annual loss compares to a $23.4-million net loss in the previous fiscal year. In the last quarter, the average fare declined nearly $4 to $101.97, due to strong competition in the Denver market from Southwest Airlines.
