Basil Papayoti has become vice president/chief commercial officer for Air Canada Technical Services. He was director of technical operations sales and marketing for Delta Air Lines.
The APEC meeting in Santiago this month wasn't all about politics. Korean Air and LAN Airlines agreed to a code-sharing pact and frequent-flier tie-ins that will see Korean Air offering an Incheon-Los Angeles-Santiago route next March. Olaf Kaehlert, recently named Korean Air's passenger sales manager in Latin America, says that since South Korea and Chile signed a free-trade agreement last spring, travel between the two countries has jumped. The next likely move is a Korean Air Cargo and LAN Cargo code-share.
A top Homeland Security Dept. official says the U.S. wants to change the system under which passenger information is only sent to the U.S. 15 min. after an aircraft takes off from Europe so there is more time to check names, against terrorist watch lists. Speaking after a meeting in Washington on Nov.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. will design and demo a laser spot tracker for the U.S. Air Force's A-10 close air support aircraft. The new LST is expected to reduce target acquisition time, increase acquisition areas and enhance tracking and reliability. The technology also can be used in other applications, such as Lidar systems. The 27-month development contract from USAF's Warner Robins Air Logistics Center could lead to replacement of as many as 300 Pave Penny pods with the new "rapid acquisition" sensor.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and General Atomics are looking for a systems integrator that can help them with their work on a 15-kw. tactical laser, with an eye on smoothing the transition to an operational system. General Atomics is in the third of five phases of the Darpa-funded High-Energy, Liquid-Laser Area Defense System (Hellads). During this phase, it is to demonstrate a subscale prototype in a laboratory. The next phase would involve a ground-based weapon demonstrator. That design would be influenced by the systems integrator.
Gulfstream Aerospace, which pioneered vertical situation displays on the GIV bizjet in the early 1990s, is now working with Honeywell on an enhanced version for the G550's PlaneView cockpit. The vertical environment probably will become "a lot more important," says Tom Horne, senior experimental test pilot with Gulfstream. The U.S., for example, is poised to move to Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums at higher altitudes on Jan. 20. While increasing airspace capacity, RVSM lowers the tolerance for error.
France's aerospace equipment sector is upbeat about its market growth prospects. The A380 mega-transport that's now entering production and the A400M airlifter, which should enter service in 2009, are bolstering the industry's quest for expansion and superior profitability--including small niche players.
General Atomics is slated to receive another U.S. Air Force contract for Predator unmanned aircraft. The service intends to buy four additional MQ-9s, with an option for a fifth. The program would run about 15 months.
Lt. Gen. Fred McCorkle in his Viewpoint asserts there's a distinction between "buy the best" and "buy American" in the contest to decide who will build the next Marine One helicopter (AW&ST Nov. 15, p. 90). This is false for the simple reason that on both standards, the answer is one and the same. The Sikorsky H-92, which will be made entirely in America, beats the foreign competitor on each of the four factors McCorkle agrees matter most: performance, power, reliability and--most importantly--safety.
Northwest Airlines says it has restructured $975 million in debt that was to have come due next October, by replacing a fully drawn revolving bank credit facility with a series of term loans payable in annual installments through 2010. The move achieves a major liquidity objective and satisfies the final precondition to secure $300 million in annual cost concessions approved by the carrier's pilots.
EADS/LFK's Taurus KEPD-350 will receive a welcome boost in its bid to fill a Royal Australian Air Force requirement, on the back of Spain's apparent decision to purchase the missile. Spain will be the first export customer for the precision land-attack weapon for its Boeing F/A-18 Hornets and Eurofighter Typhoons.
JAXA, the Japanese space agency, has begun talks with Kiribati, in the Pacific, about abandoning use of an airfield on Christmas Island for the unmanned Hope-X mini-shuttle test flights, signaling an end to the program. Hope-X is a technology demonstrator for the Hope shuttle concept. Hope-X feasibility studies date back to the 1990s, and a first flight was expected this year. JAXA contracted for use of an airfield on Christmas Island and spent $21.6 million to prepare it for flight tests.
Ratier-Figeac is completing the development of an innovative large-size propeller for the four-engine European A400M airlifter. The eight-blade, 17.5-ft.-dia. propeller will be driven by 10,700-shp. TP400-D6 engines produced by Europrop International--a consortium comprising Rolls-Royce, Snecma Moteurs, MTU Aero Engines and Spain's ITP. The engines will enable the A400M to fly at an initial 29,000-ft. cruise altitude at Mach 0.68-0.72. Propeller operation will be integrated into the aircraft's full-authority digital engine control.
USN Rear Adm. (lower half) (selectee) Gerald R. Beaman has been named commander of the Naval Network and Space Operations Command, Dahlgren, Va. He has been chief of staff for the commander of the Naval Air Force of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in San Diego.
USAF is reactivating the Air Force District of Washington as of Jan. 1, after a decade-long hiatus, to support the global war on terrorism, say service officials. The idea is to provide a single Air Force voice for working cross-service issues in the National Capital Region. The command will be located at Bolling AFB and include the 11th Wing and Joint Forces Headquarters. The goal is to ensure fast response to any threat to the area such as the suicide airliner attack on the Pentagon.
The four Eurofighter Typhoon governments are seeking assurances from their industry partners to avoid clashes in export campaigns, following a number of serious concerns being flagged. The government procurement chiefs for the Typhoon partner countries wrote to their respective industry partners--including BAE Systems, EADS and Alenia--urging them "to take additional steps" to protect their joint interests in the program.
Boeing and SAIC, acting as lead systems integrator for the U.S. Army's Future Combat System are seeking proposals to develop Class II and III unmanned aerial vehicles as a result of the decision to expand and accelerate the program. The Class II UAV is to provide reconnaissance, target acquisition and security at the company level. It is to be vehicle-mounted and capable of landing on unprepared ground. The UAV will be developed in parallel with the organic air vehicle II program. One system will be selected to enter development in late 2007.
When the Gulfstream II that was to transport former President George H.W. Bush crashed Nov. 22, terrorism appeared a plausible explanation. Those suspicions were fueled when the NTSB dispatched an unusually large "go" team to the site, one comprising 10 members, including the board's vice chairman, Mark Rosenker. However, the safety board last week set to work putting those fears to rest, handling the probe in its initial stages as it would any accident and examining all factors--including weather and mechanical problems.
Doris Coleman has been appointed vice president-people of Lithia Springs, Ga.-based TransMeridian Airlines. Other new vice presidents are: John Bernard, customer; Alan Provda, business; Jerre Fedor, aircraft; and Billy Smith, flight.
A new Rand Corp. study says NASA should continue to operate most of its 31 major wind tunnel and propulsion test facilities to support U.S. aeronautic industry research, development and production. However, Rand says better collaboration between NASA and the Defense Dept. would rectify deficiencies, investment needs and budget problems, and they could consolidate a few facilities to save money. During the past 20 years, NASA has closed about one-third of its major aeronautic test facilities, and more are on the chopping block because testing fees don't cover costs.
Bernard Kuchta demonstrates the same misunderstanding that went unidentified in developing American Airlines' Advanced Aircraft Maneuvering Program (AW&ST Nov. 8, p. 6). A commercial aircraft is designed around 2.5g maximum loads, while values more than three times higher are used for a military aircraft. Having flown more than 20,000 flight hours on different types (civilian or military transport), I have never needed to use an alternative full rudder travel.
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Robert A. Heber has become vice president-operations for Aviation Protection Systems Inc. of Miami. He was an aviation and security management consultant for Gryphon International Inc.
David Deitch (see photo) has been appointed vice president-sales of aircraft management and flight support services for North America for Jet Aviation, Teterboro, N.J.
