Allan Douglas Meador (see photo) has become vice president/general manager of Dallas Airmotive's Forest Park facility. He was plant manager in Dallas for General Electric Engine Services.
Two suspects in suicide-bombing attacks on two Russian passenger jets on Aug. 24 (AW&ST Sept. 6, p. 43) were arrested in Russia last week. Russian prosecutors have not commented on the matter, but aviation sources say one of those arrested is alleged to have assisted the suicide bombers in purchasing tickets for the flights and in checking in at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport. Authorities have not said whether the suspect who provided this assistance is an employee of the airport or either of the airlines that lost aircraft.
U.S. C4ISR spending--covering everything from information technology to UAVs--is expected to top $29 billion by 2010, about $10 billion more than being spent now, according to a new Frost & Sullivan assessment. The beneficiaries are expected to be large, established defense firms. But as those companies focus on systems integration, opportunities for small technology firms will open, the report states.
Your editorial "Eleven-Point Plan for U.S. Aviation Security" (AW&ST Aug. 23/30, p. 90) came up four short. The first seven points you made should be implemented. The remaining four points were weak for providing aviation security, if you meant to prevent a terrorist from harming an aircraft and its passengers.
Sharon L. Goddin has been promoted to vice president-inflight from senior director for corporate communications, employee relations and recruitment, and Charles Kettler to vice president from senior director of purchasing and technical services for the Mesa Air Group Inc. Goddin succeeds Kristen Brookshire, who has resigned. Matt Hand has been named director of crew planning. He was director of crew scheduling for Continental Express.
CMC Electronics Inc. has launched a second-generation Class 2 Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) designed for airlines and business jets. The PilotView EFB bridges the gap between low-end off-the-shelf PC tablets and high-end Class 3 EFBs, by offering an avionics-grade hardware package and certification to D0-160D, according to the company. Designed for use in all phases of flight, PilotView consists of a lightweight, self-contained electronic display and processing unit, and companion power and expansion module unit.
The space industry is predicting a modest upswing in demand for telecommunications satellites next year, after an unexpected slump in 2004, driven by pent-up demand for additional TV broadcasting capacity and growing requirements for new services such as high-definition TV and high-speed broadband. However, industry officials warned the uptick will be modest.
The Italian Civil Protection Dept. is leasing a Beriev Be-200 amphibian for operational trials as a water bomber. The aircraft is being leased from Beriev's owner, the Irkut Corp., and will be flown by private firefighting company Sorem. This is the first confirmed international contract for the Be-200. Seven of the type are already on order for the Russian government.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board reports an overall decrease in transportation fatalities in 2003 to 44,888 from 45,311 in 2002. Aviation had the fewest number of deaths as opposed to those in highway, rail and marine accidents, but it was the only sector in which fatalities increased, rising to 707 in 2003 from 625 in 2002. General aviation accidents accounted for 626 fatalities compared with 581 the previous year. Air taxi fatalities also grew, to 45 from 35.
Israel lost its most modern reconnaissance satellite--Ofeq-6--to an apparent upper stage failure on Sept. 6 that sent the satellite into the Mediterranean Sea. Intended to monitor missile activity in Iran, the Ofeq-6 was developed by Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd., which also developed the three-stage Shavit launch vehicle that failed shortly after liftoff. Israel's ministry of defense, the customer for the launch, said it was investigating a malfunction in the launcher's third stage.
Northrop Grumman has snagged a $388-million U.S. Air Force contract for a new phase of B-2 radar modernization. It is part of a program that will be worth $900 million through 2011. The company's Integrated Systems Sector will replace the current radar antenna with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) antenna. It involves the same technology as used on the F/A-22, F-35, F/A-18E/F and F-15s modified for cruise missile defense. During the system development and demonstration phase, new antennas will be integrated on six B-2s for operational training.
Alaska Airlines Capt. James K. Robinson has been promoted in the Alaska Air National Guard to brigadier general and chief of staff. He was commander of the 438th Air Expeditionary Group in Pakistan in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co.'s new Interference Fit Construction (IFC) heated parts are designed to withstand high process temperatures, such as applications that exceed the temperature capabilities of cast aluminum, according to the company. IFC heated parts are an alternative to milled groove or brazed assemblies, often used when temperature requirements exceed 450C. Watlow can customize heated parts into a wide range of shapes and sizes to meet most customer specifications.
Regarding the article "High Costs, Low Hopes" by Eiichiro Sekigawa (AW&ST Aug. 23/30, p. 37), in the mid-1980s I was on active duty with the U.S. Navy and part of a Pentagon assessment team that met with the Japan Defense Agency (JDA) regarding development of the FS-X fighter aircraft (now the F-2).
HONEYWELL IS HELPING TO OPTIMIZE SPACE on the CV-22 Osprey's instrument panel with a dual-mode instrument. When standby instruments are not required, the 5 X 5-in. liquid crystal display will present TCAS information. Honeywell will supply displays for 50 U.S Air Force Osprey tiltrotor aircraft under a contract with Boeing.
World News Roundup 18 U.S.-German Sofia engineers post first observations 19 It's down to the wire for employee concessions at US Airways World News & Analysis 24 Chute failure on NASA's Genesis leaves Sun samples shattered 26 Booster sites safe; manned flight in- frastructure takes hurricane hits 28 Trio of orders from DirecTV, other plans boost satellite industry hopes 29 USAF leaders focused on rebuilding atrophied airborne EW capabilities
The FAA is launching an international safety forum that it plans to make an annual event. Explaining the move, Administrator Marion C. Blakey notes that "there is major emphasis on the FAA's forecast conference each year in terms of economic drivers, traffic volume and patterns. It's all about the National Airspace System efficiencies. Yet there was no equivalent of what I consider the FAA's most important mission--safety."
Judith W. Northup has been appointed to the board of directors of Exostar, Herndon, Va. She is vice president/chief administrative officer of Vought Aircraft Industries Inc.
Graham S. Arnold (see photos) has become principal director of the Space-Based Infrared System within the Systems Integration Directorate of the Space Based Surveillance Div. of The Aerospace Corp., in El Segundo, Calif. He was principal director for systems acquisition support in the Office of the Chief Architect/Engineer. At the Chantilly, Va., facility, Stephanie B. Danahy has been promoted to principal director from associate principal director of the Geo-intell Systems Directorate in the Imagery Programs Div.
BAE Systems' Information and Electronic Warfare Div., Boeing's Phantom Works, General Dynamics, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon will divvy up $4.7 billion over 15 years for engineering services to Advanced Technology Support Program III. The award is part of a continuing program to solve problems caused by obsolete, unreliable or underperforming electronics hardware and software, by developing advanced technology insertions for fielded systems. The program is being administered by the Defense Microelectronics Activity.
Michael Mecham (San Francisco), Michael A. Taverna (Paris)
Airbus is turning up the heat in the subsidies debate with the announcement that it intends to begin marketing a midsize 7E7 competitor next year, with full-scale development work to begin in 2006. CEO Noel Forgeard gave that comment early last week but provided no details, such as whether such an aircraft would be a new airframe or a derivative of the A330-200. He spoke in the context of the A380, which will be the world's largest commercial jet when it enters the market in 2006.
Damage to NASA Kennedy Space Center facilities from Hurricane Frances could delay the space shuttle's return to flight, but unmanned launch facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station fared better. Space managers at Kennedy and the Cape facilities to the south are concerned, however, that Hurricane Ivan, forecast to pass near the facilities this week, could wreak further havoc.
British Airways raised 430 million pounds ($765 million) from the sale last week of its 18.25% stake in Australian carrier Qantas Airways. The cash will be used by BA to repay part of its existing 5.6-billion-pound gross debt.
NASA has built its space shuttle return-to-flight plans around the idea that, if a shuttle is irreparably damaged during ascent, its crew can remain in the "safe haven" of the International Space Station until a rescue mission can be mounted using a second orbiter. Now the oversight panel set up to review how well NASA is adhering to the recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board is taking a look at the safe-haven approach, mainly out of concern the agency won't be able to repair as much damage as originally hoped.
While looking at the Aug. 23/30 cover, I couldn't decide what upset me more: an Iraqi insurgent firing a shoulder-launched missile at a departing airplane and the photo of the aircraft after being hit, or the ability of the "photojournalist" (Jerome Sessini) to capture this terrorist attack.
