For all that Boeing is emphasizing the need for new materials, designs and relationships with key suppliers in the development of its proposed 7E7, it expects to follow traditional manufacturing patterns with succeeding models of the long-range twinjet family.
Japan Airlines Group, Mitsubishi Trading Corp. and Boeing have agreed to an operating lease for seven 767-300ERs for an estimated $850 million, with deliveries to begin in 2004 and run through 2006. Each will come in a two-class, 237-seat configuration and be used on domestic and short/medium-haul regional routes, replacing DC-10s. With these seven additional aircraft, the JAL fleet group's 767 count will reach 40 aircraft.
ARINC WILL SUPPLY FIRST USE OF ITS NEW VHF DATA LINK Mode 2 service in European airspace to SAS Scandinavian Airlines. Arinc will provide VDL Mode 2 service in Europe as part of its GlobaLink air/ground service in the fourth quarter of this year. Earlier, Eurocontrol selected Arinc's VDL Mode 2 as the standard for the Aeronautical Telecommunications Network standard controller-pilot data link communications.
Jet Aviation performed certification and structural engineering for installation of an electronic flight bag (EFB) in the cockpit of a Boeing Business Jet. The facility engineered the device's supporting structure which provides power and video signals to the EFB. Articulating arms were designed to avoid interference with flight controls, oxygen masks and emergency releases. After receiving FAA approval, the EFB device and supporting arms were installed in left- and right-hand-side cockpit consoles for inflight and taxi use.
Sandra Tokach (see photo) has been promoted to general manager of the Aerospace and Aircraft Maintenance Div. of 3M, St. Paul, Minn., from aerospace department manager.
GALILEO R&D . . . The European Commission has issued a first call for proposals for new research to support Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system. The activities, to be conducted under the EC's Sixth Framework Research Program, cover preliminary receiver development; introduction of Egnos wide-area augmentation services using Galileo; mission implementation; and development of applications and local components. Previous projects, which ended in July, dealt with frequencies, certification, standardization and market analysis.
After a decade of experimentation with a few limited-performance unmanned aircraft, France is now examining a wide range of strike and reconnaissance designs and projects that they expect to fly operationally early in the next decade.
As the world's most modern military forces adopt network-centric operations, their leaders are recognizing the overwhelming advantage provided by having the products of real-time surveillance and intelligence-gathering at their fingertips. Perhaps the cheapest and fastest method for gathering such information is through the use of unmanned aircraft. However, the pace of technology and the rapidly changing missions being assigned to uninhabited vehicles make keeping abreast of the discipline difficult. Following in this report are discussions of U.S.
Reports of a fresh case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Singapore last week have sent a shudder through Asia's airline and travel industry.
Kate Soled has been appointed general counsel for American Eagle. She was associate general counsel of American Airlines and had been senior vice president-human resources/general counsel of Trans World Airlines.
Italy's Falco unmanned aircraft, which is expected make its first flight this fall, is being designed for intelligence-gathering and as a launch platform for a variety of standoff sensors and weapons. Galileo Avionica is also designing a second vehicle, called the multipurpose air launch payload (Malp) dispenser, to improve the survivability of UAVs in areas with heavy air defenses, said Carlo Siardi, business development manager for the Finmeccanica-owned company.
A Titan IVB/Centaur launch vehicle lifts off from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, at 12:29 a.m. EDT on Sept. 9, with a $1-billion National Reconnaissance Office signals intelligence spacecraft on board.
USN Rear Adm. Richard K. Gallagher has been named commander of Carrier Group Four and the Carrier Striking Force, Norfolk, Va. He has been assistant chief of staff for plans and policy for the Supreme Allied Commander--Atlantic, also in Norfolk.
Successful corporate makeovers--the products of well executed business strategies--usually are associated with large companies, such as Northrop Grumman Corp. and Goodrich Corp. But some lower-tier suppliers also have achieved notable success in transforming their enterprises. A case in point is Curtiss-Wright Corp., which is now reaping the dividends of its efforts.
J. Nelson Happy, president of Mooney Aerospace Group Ltd., Kerrville, Tex., has been appointed to the board of directors of the Washington-General Aviation Manufacturers Assn.
SECURITY GAPS Considerable vulnerabilities remain in air cargo, general aviation and airport perimeter security, congressional investigators note. A General Accounting Office study of aviation security improvements since Sept. 11, 2001, notes that there are plenty of gaps in airport perimeter security as well. And the GAO reminds that general aviation is vulnerable because pilots are not screened before takeoff, and planes are not screened at all.
6-7 Correspondence 8, 10 Who's Where 12-13 Market Focus 15 Industry Outlook 17 Airline Outlook 19 In Orbit 20-21 World News Roundup 23 Washington Outlook 80 Inside Avionics 84 Inside Business Aviation 94-95 Classified 96 Contact Us 97 Aerospace Calendar
Stephen Thompson, who has been Singapore-based general manager for Asia for Qantas Airways and British Airways, has been named general manager for Qantas in the U.K., Ireland, continental Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
ABC News investigative journalists are in trouble with the Homeland Security Dept. after they arranged for harmless depleted uranium to be smuggled into the port of Los Angeles from Jakarta, Indonesia, in an effort to expose transportation security shortfalls. They did the same thing a year ago, but this time the federal government has launched a probe of its own. According to the Associated Press, the department believes the reporters may have broken the law, including falsifying the contents of the package. ABC News counters that this is legitimate journalism.
No doubt Ohsumi has been a good and faithful servant (AW&ST Aug. 25, p. 17); however, Canada was the third nation to enter space, with Alouette I, which was launched on Sept. 29, 1962. Both Alouette II and ISIS 1 were Canadian satellites that were launched before Ohsumi.
Photofabrication Engineering offers manufacturers a cost-effective alternative to stamping. Tooling starts at $400, a nonrecurring charge if the tool doesn't change, and can be created in days. The tool doesn't wear out, according to the company. Slots can be designed into the part, and graphics such as part numbers and electrical locations can be included at no extra charge. Any non-corrosive thin metal--beryllium copper, molybdenum, titanium and zirconium--can be etched burr- and stress-free.
The FAA has issued a Supplemental Type Certificate for Flight Structures' overhead flight-crew rest compartment for the Boeing 777-200. Alitalia is the launch customer for the product. Installed in an unused space above the passenger cabin on the 777, the compartment enhances flight crew endurance and performance on long-haul flights. The crew rest compartment features two seats, two bunks, audiovisual service for inflight information and entertainment, power jacks for personal computers and a full lavatory.
LAMBERT'S LOSSES American Airlines' plan to reduce capacity at St. Louis Lambert Field (AW&ST July 21, p. 34) is likely to have a long-term negative impact on job development in the St. Louis metropolitan area, according to a study by Jan K. Brueckner, economics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The "dehubbing" of Lambert, taking effect in November, will cut mainline jet flights to 53 a day from 213. Daily flights by regional aircraft will drop to 154 from 199.
Tony Trunzo has become senior vice president-corporate strategy and development for Flir Systems Inc., Portland, Ore. He was a managing director for Banc of America Securities.
