Jeremy Attree has become managing director of the U.K.-based sales office of Reveal Imaging Technologies Inc., Bedford, Mass. He headed the European division of Vivid Technologies and had been director of security for QinetiQ Ltd.
Many users have applauded Boeing's decision to extend the single-password system--instituted by Southwest Airline customers last year--to all MyBoeingFleet-affiliated carriers. This allows an airline's employees to use the same password to access Boeing-maintained fleet data records as they use on their own company's intranet, reducing the hassle factor of clicking back and forth between sites. Four-year-old MyBoeingFleet.com is also notifying subscribers of its Airplane Health Management service.
Steve Vogeding, who has been chief financial officer of the Seattle-based Boeing Capital Corp., has become vice president-transition management and operations integration. He has been succeeded by Russ Evans, who was promoted from deputy CFO. John Rosenthal has been appointed director of risk management. He was treasurer and has been succeeded by Geoff Carpenter, who has been promoted from assistant treasurer.
Regarding the interview with Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher (AW&ST Feb. 16, p. 40), my translation of his answers to the first two questions on outsourcing is as follows: We can't convince Boeing workers that outsourcing is in their best interest, because for engineers and programmers who will lose their jobs to India and China, it obviously is not. But we will continue to replace the U.S. worker because it increases our bottom line. Kudos to Everett Ratzlaff. His letter in the same issue (p. 6) almost predicted Stonecipher's answers.
The U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater contractor has chosen the Turbomeca Arriel 2C2 turboshaft engine to power the HH-65 Dolphin helicopter in an urgent program to replace the existing powerplant and fuel control system.
Thomas Cook, assailed by high costs and low demand, reported a net loss of 251 million euros in 2003, after a 120-million-euro loss the year before, and a 10% drop in revenues to 7.2 billion euros. Despite severe cost-cutting, including the sale of 12 757-200s to Russia, another loss is forecast this year (AW&ST Feb. 2, p. 50).
Thales has won 100 million euros ($122 million) in awards to provide radar and laser threat warning systems for Eurocopter Tiger and NH90 helicopters. The aircraft are intended for France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Finland and Australia.
Italy is revamping procurement plans for bolstering its airborne eavesdropping capability with the emphasis now on a business jet long-endurance signals intelligence aircraft. The biz-jet option is emerging in preference to either a Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules or a Lockheed Martin/Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan as a signals intelligence (sigint) platform. The air force has explored, and discarded, the latter two alternatives.
Norm Sakamoto, leader of the Northrop Grumman Corp. Integrated Systems Sector team that designed the U.S. Air Force's RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aerial reconnaissance system, has been named Engineer of the Year by the San Fernando Valley (Calif.) Engineers' Council as part of the recent celebration of National Engineers Week. Roy Martin, one of the sector's chief test pilots, received the Distinguished Engineer Achievement Award.
The Japanese space agency JAXA isn't sure which of two key missions will go first when the H-IIA returns to service, probably in fiscal 2004's winter launch season next December-February. The toss-up is between the MTSAT-1 combination weather and air traffic control satellite, replacing one lost on a failed 1999 liftoff, and the long-delayed Advanced Land Observing Satellite (Alors). The betting is that MTSAT-1R will get the nod.
After a year of trials and marketing, Lufthansa will put Boeing's Connexion Internet service into revenue operations next month on a 747-400 flight using the first wireless antenna certified for commercial use.
Kevin Brown has been named vice president-Air Traffic Management, effective Apr. 1, of Boeing Phantom Works, which is to absorb Boeing ATM. He has been vice president-strategy of Boeing ATM and will succeed John Hayhurst, who is retiring.
Since the end of the feasibility studies stage, and to avoid major airport restructuring, Airbus has kept the A380 wingspan and overall fuselage length within a 80 X 80-meter (262 X 262-ft.) "box." The size of the box was reported incorrectly (AW&ST Mar. 8, p. 40).
April 1 is No Fool's Day as far as the President of Delta Air Lines, Fred Reid, is concerned. It marks the date he starts running Richard Branson's U.S.-based low-fare carrier.
Norm Sakamoto, leader of the Northrop Grumman Corp. Integrated Systems Sector team that designed the U.S. Air Force's RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aerial reconnaissance system, has been named Engineer of the Year by the San Fernando Valley (Calif.) Engineers' Council as part of the recent celebration of National Engineers Week. Roy Martin, one of the sector's chief test pilots, received the Distinguished Engineer Achievement Award. Last year, Martin flew a modified F-5E fighter jet in the first-ever demonstration of a method to reduce the jarring impact of sonic booms.
Israel and the European Union have reached agreement on Israeli participation in Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system. China also plans to join Galileo, and India is negotiating to do so.
Italy is revamping procurement plans for bolstering its airborne eavesdropping capability with the emphasis now on a business jet long-endurance signals intelligence aircraft. The biz-jet option is emerging in preference to either a Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules or a Lockheed Martin/Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan as a signals intelligence (sigint) platform. The air force has explored, and discarded, the latter two alternatives.
Many users have applauded Boeing's decision to extend the single-password system--instituted by Southwest Airline customers last year--to all MyBoeingFleet-affiliated carriers. This allows an airline's employees to use the same password to access Boeing-maintained fleet data records as they use on their own company's intranet, reducing the hassle factor of clicking back and forth between sites. Four-year-old MyBoeingFleet.com is also notifying subscribers of its Airplane Health Management service.
Scientists have identified a source of the mineral hematite seen at the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landing site, and it is the BB-sized spherules affectionately known as blueberries.
Let's face it, not many passengers deliberately book a middle seat to anywhere on an airliner. Continental Airlines is doing something about it. The carrier now offers business travelers holding full-fare economy tickets a "no middle seat" guarantee. If no window or aisle seat is available, Continental will award 2,500 frequent-flier miles.
NASA has chopped two advanced propulsion programs from its portfolio as the agency continues to refocus its efforts on deep-space exploration. Craig Steidle, head of the new exploration systems office at NASA headquarters, tells Congress he plans to cancel the X-43C hypersonic testbed and the RS-84 reusable kerosene-fueled rocket engine. The X-43A testbed will continue with a Mach 10 test if the scheduled Mar. 27 Mach 7 test flight is successful.
Craig Corey has been named director of marketing for engines for the McKechnie Aerospace Aftermarket Group, Reno, Nev. He was manager of technical support shops for Northwest Airlines.
Boeing has set up two new units to reflect changes in NASA's structure and focus. To go after business growing out of President Bush's new space exploration policy, the company is opening a Space Exploration Systems office in Washington. Charles Allen, who previously managed Boeing's Orbital Space Plane program office in Huntsville, Ala., will head the new unit. Boeing has already developed some notional concepts for meeting NASA's exploration goals (AW&ST Feb. 2, p.
April 1 is No Fool's Day as far as the President of Delta Air Lines, Fred Reid, is concerned. It marks the date he starts running Richard Branson's U.S.-based low-fare carrier.
INDIA HAS SIGNED A $1.1-BILLION CONTRACT WITH ISRAEL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES FOR THREE PHALCON AIRBORNE WARNING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS AIRCRAFT (AW&ST Sept. 22, 2003, p. 27). The U.S. had pressured Israel to postpone the sale but later relented; the deal recently cleared Israel's Ministerial Committee for Defense Affairs. An Indian defense ministry official said delivery will be made over 44 months.
