Dassault Aviation reported a decline in operating earnings to 155 million euros for the first half of the year, down from 189 million euros a year ago, and a decrease in net income to 119 million euros from 141 million. Sales also decreased to 1.3 billion euros from 1.5 billion. However, orders rose to 1.3 billion euros from 1 billion partly on the strength of increased business jet demand.
Global airline demand for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services in 2004 will show an increase--albeit modest--for the first time in three years, and grow by about $4.8 billion during the next five years. That's according to Back Aviation Solutions and Strand Associates Inc. (SAI). The two aviation consulting firms recently completed an independent market forecast of key MRO trends for Overhaul & Maintenance, a sister publication of Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Facing the threat of large-scale pilot early retirements by Oct. 1 and getting a "no-confidence" vote from airline auditors, Delta slip-slides closer to bankruptcy. In a Sept. 15 Securities and Exchange Commission filing, auditors said Delta's recurring losses, labor and liquidity issues "raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern," and noted "significant" obligations, including debt maturities, operating lease payments, and required pension funding due in 2005 and beyond.
Jean-Pierre Mortreux (see photo) has been appointed president/CEO of CMC Electronics Inc. of Montreal. He was president/ CEO of Thales Avionics North America, also in Montreal.
The U.S. Air Force's top leaders say the service will buy several wings of the short takeoff/vertical landing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, following the news from Lockheed Martin's engineers that the aircraft is shedding more than a ton of weight and gaining thrust.
While keeping a watchful eye on Hurricane Jeanne, personnel for unmanned space launches at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and space shuttle managers at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are getting back on track in the wake of Hurricane Frances.
L-3 Communications bought the then-Raytheon aircraft modification center in Waco, Tex., in January 2002 and is responsible for the structural modifications to the Sofia observatory (AW&ST Sept. 13, p. 18).
Shannon Alberts has been appointed managing director for board and shareholder services for Alaska Airlines. She was director of corporate affairs/assistant corporate secretary.
William Shea, former associate FAA administrator for airports and head of the California Transportation Dept. Aeronautics Div., has been named to the editorial board of the Journal of Air Transportation Worldwide, which is published at the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Aviation Institute.
The $428-million North Terminal Redevelopment Project is underway to replace the dated L.C. Smith Terminal at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. The Airport Authority board has approved a $32.8-million contract with Gensler Architecture, Design & Planning for engineering services. The terminal will feature an in-line baggage check system. Eight airlines--Air Canada, American, America West, Independence Air, Spirit, Southwest, US Airways and United--have approved the project for up to 29 gates. A 2008 opening is anticipated.
Boeing has received FAA and JAA certification of a satellite-based automatic landing system that has demonstrated a runway centerline accuracy of 1 meter. A single system works for all runways at a host airport, can be applied regionally and has proved itself in equatorial regions, where signal consistency is a concern.
Boeing expects Etihad Airways of Dubai to complete an agreement to purchase five 777-300ERs. Etihad, which began operations last November, has been on an ordering spree for long-haul services, having signed up for 24 Airbus aircraft at the Farnborough air show (AW&ST July 26, p. 26).
Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced a series of tightened security measures at airports following a Sept. 9 car bombing at Australia's embassy in Jakarta, which killed 10 and injured 180. The measures include tighter parking restrictions near airports and an intensified alert status of the Australian Federal Police.
Two new Chinese space radiation research spacecraft are undergoing checkout in orbit, following launch Sept. 9 from the Taiyuan space center on a Long March 4B rocket. The spacecraft, designated SJ-6A and SJ-6B, were built by the Shanghai Academy of Space Flight Technology and the Dongfanghong Satellite Co. under the oversight of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. They are being controlled from China's unmanned satellite control center in Xian and are to return scientific information for two years.
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries has been "warned" by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport about submitting false engine test run data. This stems from a January 1996 test of an International Aero Engines V-2500-D5 overhauled at IHI's Mizuho plant in Tokyo. IAE lead partner Pratt & Whitney assembled the engine. The IHI tests showed a higher thrust rating than the criterion figure set by Pratt. As a result, IHI altered their data to conform to the Pratt standard. When it submitted the false test figure, Pratt approved the test.
Christopher Bates (see photo) has been named general manager for Southeast Asia and Kevin Ptasienski principal heater engineer for the Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co. of St. Louis. Bates was managing director for Asia-Pacific operations for Thermodyne Industries and had been a managing director at Hubron Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd.
Space Imaging says it will sell its Federal Civil/Commercial Solutions business to Denver-based Geo360 Corp. The unit provides mapping and value-added services to governments. The company wants to concentrate on selling commercial satellite imagery.
The Pentagon has been forced to delay until at least late November the first planned integrated flight test of the U.S. ballistic missile defense system that would use the real interceptor, not a surrogate. The test was previously delayed because of a problem with a computer board, but the root cause analysis hasn't been completed. Moreover, the interceptor underwent modifications at the test site that had not been approved. The test, IFT-13C, is not being billed as an intercept.
USN Rear Adm. Robert T. Conway has become commander of Task Force Warrior, Norfolk, Va. He was commander of Expeditionary Strike Group One in San Diego. Rear Adm. William V. Alford, Jr., has been appointed chief of staff of the United States Pacific Command, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He has been battle staff director of the United States European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. And, Rear Adm. (lower half) Mark T. Emerson has been named commander of Carrier Group One, North Island, Calif. He has been assistant deputy Marine Corps commandant for aviation.
The U.S. Transportation Dept. has dismissed a complaint by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) against Northwest Airlines that alleged the carrier violated its own privacy policy by sending millions of passenger data records to NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab for an aviation security study. The lab thought its software expertise would allow it to develop algorithms that could spot terrorist suspects by sorting through passenger name record data. The effort has been terminated and passenger records were returned to the airline.
U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Walter B. Massenburg, who is commanding officer of the Naval Air Systems Command, has received the International Society of Logistics' Founders' Medal. He was cited for "identification of industry best practices and efforts and to implement them across the Navy's logistics chain to further outline improvements and efficiencies that will have lasting effects to improve readiness, reduce costs and the logistics footprint of naval forces."
By Stephen Flynn HarperCollins 234 pp., Hardcover ($25.95) Despite all of the U.S. government's pronouncements about boosting security measures, Stephen Flynn writes that the nation is no better prepared for an attack now than it was on Sept. 11, 2001--except for civil aviation. This is the disturbing conclusion of his new book, and he is in a position to know.
