Randy Martinez has been named president/chief operating officer of World Airways, effective Nov. 1. He will succeed John Ellington, who will be retiring. Martinez has been executive vice president-marketing and administration. Jeff MacKinney has become senior vice president-planning and corporate development.
Mark A. Schmid has been named vice president-trust investment/chief investment officer for the Chicago-based Boeing Co. He was director of asset management for the DaimlerChrysler Corp.
The German defense ministry has awarded MTU Aero Engines a contract to upgrade 46 General Electric T64 turboshafts being used in Sikorsky CH-53G transport helicopters.
SPREADING ITS WINGS The U.S. Air Force has received FAA approval to operate the Global Hawk high-altitude endurance UAV in civil airspace. It is the first time a UAV has been granted the national certificate of authorization (COA), contends Global Hawk prime contractor Northrop Grumman. The UAV has operated in civil airspace before, but under earlier rules, it had to climb to altitudes above where civil aircraft operate in restricted airspace before transitioning into commercial airspace.
The Embraer 170 certification program, set for November, will not be delayed as a result of an unintentional gear-up landing earlier this month, according to the Brazilian regional jet manufacturer. No injuries were reported, but test aircraft S/N 0004's nacelles and lower aft fuselage sustained minor damage in the incident at Embraer's test facility. Repairs are underway; the aircraft is expected to reenter flight test soon. There are six other aircraft in the program.
The Flight Safety Foundation has launched a new initiative designed to slash the number of ramp-based accidents and incidents involving airline and other aircraft, and plans to release key recommendations in 2004.
Rolls Royce has signed a $17.42-million service contract with the British Ministry of Defense to support the RB199 engine, which powers the Royal Air Force's fleet of Tornado aircraft.
hina has begun final preparations for launching its first manned spacecraft as early as mid-October, and is solidifying plans for a three-phase unmanned lunar exploration program starting with a mission to orbit the Moon as early as 2006. And stressing international space ties, Chinese managers have announced they are extending the development of large, advanced remote-sensing spacecraft with Brazil, while also entering the hardware test phase with five European sensors to be flown on two Chinese/European Space Agency "Double Star" spacecraft.
FRAMING A DEAL Boeing Integrated Defense Systems has awarded a six-year, $90-million contract to Computer Sciences Corp. to provide mainframe computing operations services at six sites in the U.S. from a data center in St. Louis. A Boeing official said mainframe applications continue to be used for the most critical tasks in the defense and space unit. CSC also teams with Boeing to provide information technology programs for the federal government.
JSF PITCH FROM DOWN UNDER The Australian government and BAE Systems Australia have teamed in an effort to make the country a regional service center for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The two parties will try to assemble an industry team that could support Australia's JSFs and those over other Pacific Rim countries. The pitch is directed at JSF prime contractor Lockheed Martin. The U.S.
SHARING Beginning Sept. 15, Emirates and Continental Airlines plan to code-share on flights between Emirates' Dubai base and New York/Newark and Houston via London Gatwick Airport. The carriers also offer reciprocating frequent-flier program amenities and airport lounge privileges. The latest move paves the way for the planned launch of Emirates' Dubai-New York nonstop services next year, according to Emirates.
FLYING HARD The end of combat operations in Iraq in May has done little to ease strain on the Army's aviation force. The service's helicopters are flying as much as or more than during the conflict, says Maj. Gen. Larry Dodgen, commander of the Army's Aviation and Missile Command. One of the reasons is that forces are now traversing the entire country, while flying before was largely limited to corridors leading to Baghdad.
SLOW DOWN Elbit reported a slower than expected growth in backlog because the Israeli defense ministry hasn't executed some orders as quickly as anticipated. Elbit officials are confident the orders will come, and describe the situation as a slowdown, not cancellation. Nevertheless, net income in the second quarter increased to $13.3 million, compared to $12.4 million during the second quarter of 2002. Backlog reached $1.7 billion, 71% of which is to be performed during the rest of this year and 2004.
Snecma Services will maintain and overhaul the CFM56-5B turbofan engines that power Air Mediterranean's Airbus A321 twinjets, under a five-year agreement.
You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.AviationNow.com/conferences or call Ryan Leeds at +1 (212) 904-3892/+1 (800) 240-7645 (U.S. and Canada Only) Sept. 16-18--MRO Europe, Cardiff, Wales. October--Network-Centric Conference. Washington. Oct. 28-30--A&D Programs & Productivity Conference & Exhibition. Arlington (Tex.) Convention Center. Nov. 11-13--MRO Asia Conference & Exhibition. Bangkok Intercontinental Hotel.
The NTSB's 2003 "Most Wanted" list of safety improvements shows three in the aviation transportation mode: runway incursions, airframe structural icing and explosive mixtures in fuel tanks.
Northrop Grumman has settled with the U.S. Justice Dept. for a total of $80 million on two civil False Claims Act complaints covering alleged actions in the 1990s. Justice assigned $60 million to settle an allegation that Northrop Grumman's Newport News Shipbuilding unit improperly charged independent research and development costs to the government from 1994-99. The remainder went to settle a 1995 complaint alleging defects in aerial target drones. The company denied liability in both cases.
USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ronald C. Marcotte (see photo) has been appointed vice president/deputy general manager of Air Force Systems for Boeing's St. Louis-based Integrated Defense Systems. He was senior vice president-Air Force programs for Burdeshaw Associates Ltd.
Michael Vohrer (see photo) has become president/chief operating officer of Rohde and Schwartz of Munich. He was executive vice president/head of the Test and Measurement Div. Vohrer succeeds Hans Wagner, who has resigned.
Tests conducted with a NASA Ames Research Center unmanned aerial vehicle operating at 2,000 ft. over a vineyard near King City, Calif., last week proved positive (AW&ST Aug.18, p. 30). The aircraft maintained contact with the FAA's Oakland air traffic control center as it mapped the vineyard using hyperspectral infrared and high-resolution visible color cameras. In April, the Lockheed Martin/RnR UAV is to conduct a night flight at 8,000 ft.
Although proliferation of ballistic and cruise missiles has long concerned U.S. military officials, intelligence analysts are noticing a shift: countries are increasingly looking to field longer-range ballistic and land-attack cruise missiles.
Roy Neal, the NBC News broadcaster who covered every U.S. human spaceflight from Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 to the early shuttle missions, died Aug. 15 of complications following heart surgery. He was 82. Neal, who entered journalism with the Armed Forces Broadcast Network in occupied Germany, retired from the network in 1986 after 38 years. In retirement, he was chairman of Sarex, the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment that linked schoolchildren with orbiting astronauts.
Michael Wilson has been named manager of European sales for McKechnie Aerospace's Aftermarket Group, Reno, Nev. He was director of commercial sales and marketing for Aero Technics.
