Pamela E. Pearson (see photo) has become vice president/general manager for Covenant Aviation Security at San Francisco International Airport. She was a director of workforce creation with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.
Malaysia wants Kuala Lumpur to be a Southeast Asian hub for discount carriers, but isn't sure whether to center operations at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, 35 mi. from downtown, or at the former international airport, 16 mi. away. "We will do all that's necessary to put the infrastructure in place to make this a reality," said Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy. A location will be chosen within two months, he added.
Andre Berard and Carlos E. Represas have been named to the board of directors of Montreal-based Bombardier Inc. Berard was chairman of the National Bank of Canada, while Represas is executive vice president-Americas of Nestle S.A. and chairman of Nestle Holdings Inc. USA.
Michael T. Suffredini has been named International Space Station deputy program manager at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. He was mission operations integration manager for the ISS program and has been succeeded by Mark S. Geyer, who was manager of the ISS Program Integration Office.
Signs are emerging that the Pentagon is on the verge of gaining the upper hand in its long-running battle to curb fratricide, with several promising tools now undergoing field testing. The Joint Combat Identification Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) is one of several Defense Dept. initiatives to curtail incidents in which U.S. troops and allies come under attack from friendly forces; such occurrences have plagued combat operations, even as the military uses increasingly sophisticated equipment.
Flexible Lifeline Systems' WinGrip Vacuum Anchor fall restraint system was developed with input of a U.K. international airline. It is easy to use anywhere an aircraft is--hangar or tarmac--according to the company. Compressed air or nitrogen supply is needed. The lightweight system has sensors that monitor vacuum and air levels. Flexible Lifeline Systems, 14325 W. Hardy Road, Houston, Tex. 77060. 93 on www.AviationNow.com/oic
It is sad to see the regional jet market boom with two non-American manufacturers and without the name of Boeing, the sole U.S. civil airframer. Boeing is busy with fancy names of aircraft such as the 7E7 Dreamliner, which is only some alteration to wing-mounted twin-engine planes (757/767/777). Dreamliner is the last word for the cramped, orthopedically maldesigned, no-footrest, 31-in.-pitch coach seating for trips of 8 hr. The U.S.
Beginning Aug. 1, Korean Air and Japan Airlines will code-share on flights between South Korea's Incheon Airport and three destinations in Japan. JAL will operate four weekly round-trip services between Komatsu and Seoul; Korean Air will operate a daily service between Sapporo and Seoul, as well as five weekly flights between Niigata and Seoul.
The International Air Transport Assn. cautions the U.S. and EU that success in forging a bilateral air services agreement depends on shifting focus from politics to aviation business. The warning follows talks earlier this month that failed to establish an "open aviation area" aimed at liberalizing transatlantic traffic--and serves as a timely alert as EU and U.S. leaders plan to gather this week at Dromoland Castle, near Dublin, for a summit meeting.
The President's commission on manned and unmanned lunar and Mars exploration is calling for a redefinition of the U.S. space industry toward a broader base than currently exists under traditional aerospace norms. The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory here will play a key role in advancing this overall new exploration strategy.
Soren Pihlman has been appointed vice president/deputy general manager of Atlanta-based EMS Wireless. Dave McKay has been promoted to chief technical officer from vice president-engineering. Pihlman was president/chief operating officer of Digital Transmission Systems Inc., Duluth, Ga.
A specially modified radar system capable of detecting and predicting potentially hazardous zones of turbulence will be evaluated by Delta Air Lines this summer.
I agree with the initial premises made in Kip Gordon's letter (AW&ST May 24, p. 6), stating that in the 1990s, the U.S. government protected weak, fledgling startup airlines from perceived anticompetitive predatory practices. Historically, he is correct, but I differ from his view of the present. This new competition has allowed the public a choice of legacy carrier or low-fare airline. Now it is those airlines that need policing. These sharks are approaching a feeding frenzy to drive the final nail in US Airways' coffin.
Taiwan for only the second time has fired its Patriot air defense system to destroy a surrogate ballistic missile target. The drill at the Chiu Peng Test Range in southern Taiwan involved a Raytheon PAC-2 interceptor engaging a Patriot-as-a-target missile.
Master Bond Inc. has developed EP24, a fast-curing, two-component epoxy adhesive. The system cures at room temperature or more rapidly at elevated temperatures. Additionally, it will cure at colder temperatures, down to 20F. It has a convenient noncritical mix ratio of 1-to-1 by weight or volume. The adhesive spreads evenly and smoothly, is 100% reactive and contains no volatiles or solvents, according to the company. EP24 is durable, tough and resistant to thermal cycling and chemicals. It quickly develops a high bonding strength of more than 3,000 psi.
Officials associated with Europe's Galileo are starting to say out loud what has been whispered in the hallways for some time--that it will not be possible to keep the satnav program within the existing timetable and budget envelope.
James C. Mandracchia has been appointed vice president-integrated supply chain for the Reston, Va.-based Raytheon Technical Services Co. He was director of information technology strategy and planning, and had been a founder and senior vice president-business development and strategy of Exostar.
Next week a rocket engine should fire for 96 min. on the Cassini/Huygens spacecraft, capturing it into orbit around Saturn to start a four-year tour of the planet, its rings, moons and magnetosphere. With a nearly 3-hr. round-trip light time, officials can do little but sit back and watch the most critical maneuver of the $3.3-billion mission.
Philadelphia has become Southwest Airlines' most successful entry into a new market, according to the Dallas-based carrier. This coincides with three consecutive months of record load factors (March-May), notes Merrill Lynch analyst Michael Linenberg, who expects a similar performance in June. Southwest's Philadelphia experience is particularly ominous for US Airways, for which Philadelphia was once a fortress hub.
ArcSecond Inc., developer of Indoor GPS products, offers the Vector Bar (or V-Bar, a hand-held measurement tool that gives users of traditional portable or standard CMMs a metrology alternative for measurement, inspection and reverse engineering uses, according to the company. The Vector Bar leverages ArcSecond's Indoor GPS technology. Users who install Indoor GPS will be able to use an unlimited number of V-Bars within the Indoor GPS-enabled work volume.
Everest VIT has added VideoProbe XL PRO Plus video borescope to its product line. Enhancements to this inspection tool include CompactFlash removable storage media, the ability to record and play back more than 2 hr. of DVD format MPEG2 video and a USB streaming digital video port. VideoProbe XL PRO Plus is designed for those requiring enhanced digital video and image storage as part of inspections. The borescope system will accept any storage capacity size Type I CompactFlash (CF) card, now available with up to 4-gigabyte capacity.
TechFilm's T2531F is a high-performance, B-staged film adhesive that provides the solution for both thermally conductive and electrical insulating properties, according to the company. It features a low coefficient of thermal expansion, high glass transition temperature and a solid adhesion to various substrates. It meets ASTMD 3850 and Mil. 883 section 3.8.5.1 for outgassing specifications. Other materials utilized include epoxy/urethane, thermoplastic polyester, and polyimide thermosetting resins. TechFilm, 31 Dunham Road, Billerica, Mass. 01821.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 22 L-3 division refurbishes first of 16 Navy P-3 Orions 23 U.S. order boosts prospects for Piaggio P.180 24 French plan outsourcing to rein in defense budget 24 Narita runway incursion inci- dent under investigation WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 30 Boeing strategy nets mar- itime patrol aircraft deal 32 MMA decision crystallizes Italy's AEW aircraft plans 34 Pentagon bets on enhanced radios to cut fratricide
Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 is about to be towed at Tokyo Narita International Airport following a July 16 runway incursion incident with a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777. Investigators are trying to determine what caused the KLM aircraft, which was arriving from Amsterdam, and Asiana aircraft, which was preparing to depart for Incheon, South Korea, to taxi on the same runway toward each other. They did not collide. The airport closed one of its two runways for about 1 hr. until both aircraft were moved.
Intelsat's IS-10-02 satellite was launched on board an International Launch Services Proton late last week. The satellite is scheduled to become operational this August. Once in position at 359 deg. E. Long., the satellite is expected to offer capacity for video, Internet, corporate networks, telephony and hybrid space/terrestrial solutions to customers on its 70 C-band and 36 K u-band transponders.
