John A. Kinsey has been appointed technical director for the Futron Corp., Bethesda, Md. He was a principal director of Air Force programs in the Rosslyn, Va.-based Space Support Office of The Aerospace Corp.
Singapore Airlines Group earned S$357 million ($214 million) in the second quarter of fiscal 2004 (ending Sept. 30), up from S$306 million in the previous year. Despite that, the carrier acknowledges that escalating fuel prices and competition from budget carriers could dampen returns this year. SIA is said to have hedged about 40% of its jet fuel requirements at around $34 a barrel for the fiscal year that ends Mar. 31. Starting Nov. 18, SIA has entered a seven-year, S$300-million contract to outsource its information technology operations to IBM.
Some $3 billion worth of booster and spacecraft hardware is to be launched from Cape Canaveral between mid-November and mid-February as NASA and the Air Force recover from hurricane delays and hardware issues with Boeing Delta II boosters. The launch of a Delta II carrying the Air Force GPS 2R-13 spacecraft is being rescheduled to Nov. 5, so problems found in Delta hardware still in the factory or other vehicles not in a launch flow can be resolved, and so third-stage battery lifetime can be assessed in light of the delays.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John R. Wood has been appointed director of the U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Experimentation Directorate. He succeeds Maj. Gen. James M. Dubik, who has been named commanding general of I Corps and Ft. Lewis, Wash. Wood was commanding general of the 2nd Infantry Div. of the Eighth U.S. Army in South Korea.
Joseph A. Anselmi (see photo), a senior engineering specialist in the Flight Software Validation Dept. of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif., received its Trustees' Distinguished Achievement Award for "outstanding sustained contributions to GPS attitude control systems' development and operations." Anselmi has specialized in the analysis, testing and development of attitude control systems for GPS satellites for 27 years, helping to define requirements, identify design deficiencies and validate system performance.
A new U.S. tax law that eliminates the Foreign Sales Corporation/Extraterritorial Income Exclusion Act is causing the European Union to lift retaliatory sanctions it had imposed since March on U.S. goods. The sanctions were endorsed by the World Trade Organization.
Japan Airlines is adding a 300-yen ($2.82) surcharge per flight sector to domestic tickets to compensate for high fuel charges. The rates are to take effect Jan. 11, and they will be withdrawn when the average monthly barrel of Singapore kerosene falls below $40 per barrel.
The U.S. Homeland Security Dept. Inspector General's Office reports training still needs to be improved for Transportation Security Administration screeners. While the IG did say program revisions since the start of 2003 have brought improvements, baggage screeners aren't receiving enough hands-on practice and sometimes aren't being trained with the same models of explosives detection equipment they will use on the job. Some subjects still aren't being covered, such as how to handle dangerous weapons or objects.
Anthony B. Hays has been promoted to manager of the Mechanical Systems Unit from program manager for satellite docking system technologies and Scott Lindemann to manager of the Optical Products Unit from program manager at the Michigan Aerospace Corp. in Ann Arbor.
In his rebuttal to Mark Powell's "sophomoric rant about the missile attack on a DHL Airbus A300 in Baghdad" (AW&ST Oct. 11, p. 14; Sept. 13, p. 6), Bruce Haxthausen says "Powell should either pipe down or tell us how he knows these facts and can allege that (Jerome) Sessini was more interested in watching the crew die."
The U.S. Marine Corps is laying the groundwork for changes in its rotorcraft modernization, with new production of AH-1Z Cobras and an upgraded vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft as emerging initiatives.
The U.S./European Cassini mission to Saturn has found that the giant moon Titan has a far more geologically active surface than scientists had expected. That's a major revelation. And when placed alongside new evidence for the planet-sized body's diverse organic chemistry, it will make Titan all the more significant in NASA planning for the U.S.' new solar system exploration initiative.
Eric Monsel has been named vice president-programs for Dassault Falcon Jet, Teterboro, N.J. He succeeds Marc Valle, who will be retiring. Monsel has been deputy vice president-engineering, based in Merignac, France.
France is looking to expand the number of defense activities that can be outsourced to industry (AW&ST June 24, p. 24). After targeting helicopter ab-initio pilot training as an outsourcing candidate, the government is reviewing offers to cede responsibility for the maintenance of 100 naval vessels to private shipyards, and studying the possibility of outsourcing ab-initio fixed-wing pilot training.
Bolstered by robust U.S. military spending, aerospace contractors continue their bull run of 2004, finishing the third quarter well ahead of Wall Street's expectations and raising their earnings projections for the full year.
China Eastern Airlines has taken delivery of the first of four Airbus A321s powered by CFM56-5B turbofans. The twinjets will operate domestically in 177-seat cabin configuration. China Eastern's fleet includes 90 Airbus transports.
Maureen Woods has been appointed senior director of air traffic services for Arinc, Annapolis, Md. She was manager of the Great Lakes Region of the FAA's Airway Facilities Div.
The U.S./Russian International Space Station Expedition 9 crew are beginning six weeks of readapting to Earth's gravity, following the unusual fiery night landing of their Soyuz spacecraft Oct. 24 in high winds on the steppes of Kazakhstan. From right are Expedition 9 flight engineer astronaut Mike Fincke and ISS/Soyuz commander Gennady Padalka, who spent 188 days in space. Returning with them was cosmonaut Yuri Shargin (left), who spent 10 days on the ISS.
JetBlue Airways, unhappy but still profitable in the third quarter, sees what CEO David Neeleman calls a "silver lining" in ever-increasing fuel prices: Airlines are becoming more sensitive about pricing and more cautious about capacity.
Contrary to James F. Jackson's letter (AW&ST Oct. 4, p. 9), it is correct to identify weightlessness with 0g and near-0g with a name like microgravity. Such conditions include being in parabolic flight, in a spacecraft falling directly toward Earth from near outer space, in the International Space Station or static (unthrusted) in far outer space.
Frank Morring, Jr. (Washington), Craig Covault (New York)
NASA's new science mission directorate plans a series of quality-control reviews aimed at trying to avoid repeats of the apparent human error that sent the Genesis solar sample return capsule crashing into the Utah desert. And it suggests it may be time for Genesis contractor Lockheed Martin to follow suit.
RTCA (Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics) last month approved training guidelines for civil pilots in the use of night-vision systems. Though not restricted to fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft, these aids were requested by emergency medical helicopter operators seeking to improve situation awareness during night VFR operations. Night-vision systems refer to the integration of all elements necessary to safely operate an aircraft at night with night-vision goggles (NVG), so include cockpit lights compatible with NVGs, and appropriate pilot training.
We should always be suspicious of coerced confessions. Press reports indicate that government prosecution of her daughter was an issue in Darleen Druyun's plea bargain. Would you admit to specious favoritism if it meant a shorter sentence and would keep your child out of jail?
Ah, space exploration! The term had started to sound quaint in recent years--certainly when applied to things like the space shuttle and International Space Station. But as we watch rovers work like robotic field geologists on Mars (see p. 28), words like discover and explore are not forced.
