LEGAL POINT, COUNTERPOINT The legal case brought by Comair and ASA pilots against the Air Line Pilots Assn. is drawing increasing interest now that a federal judge has dismissed ALPA's motion to drop the charge that it had breached its "duty of fair representation" of the regional pilots. The case raises an interesting legal point. Is ALPA permitted to approve contracts that favor mainline over regional pilots?
Carol Lane (see photo) has been named vice president of the Washington office of Boulder, Colo.-based Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. She was vice president-business development for AAC Associates Inc. and had been director of the U.S. Transportation Dept. Office of Commercial Space Transportation.
IRAQ SERVICE The U.S. Transportation Dept. approved two-year authority for Iraq service to seven airlines--Air Transport International, Atlas Air, Continental Airlines, Evergreen International Airlines, Gemini Air Cargo, North American Airlines and Polar Air Cargo--subject to further requirements of other government agencies, notably including the Transportation Security Administration. The department deferred for a separate decision requests by Atlas, Gemini and Polar to serve Afghanistan as well.
W. William Coon has been named to the board of directors of the Willis Lease Finance Corp, Sausalito, Calif. He is president/CEO of SR Technics America and was general manager for small commercial engine services for General Electric Aircraft Engines. Coon succeeds Hans Jorg Hunziker, who has resigned.
The fact that collaboration by international contracting teams has become a necessity for developing new aircraft shows just how much capability the U.S. already has lost. By giving out offshore contracts, the U.S. is providing the financial incentive for other nations to develop more hardware and infrastructure that we'll ultimately have to battle somewhere. Setting up a dependence upon the whims of foreign sources is not a good idea. Eliminating jobs and capability in our military industrial complex is also an economic step in the wrong direction.
A great number of aerospace and airline officials have chosen not to acknowledge that they will be facing a major workforce issue within the next 10 years. This is not just a problem of recruiting the scientists, engineers, mechanics and pilots needed by what we hope will become a resurgent industry. It is more an issue of the level of technical and management skills that will be needed to engineer growth in an industry that will have expanding challenges.
Bringing to a close a fractious interdepartmental debate, the British government has finally opted to purchase a next-generation Hawk jet trainer from BAE Systems, but the costs will have to be met by an already overstressed equipment budget. The government announced July 30 it was to go ahead with buying up to 44 Hawk 128 jet trainer aircraft, only the day before BAE was to start the process of laying off employees at the production site that manufactures the aircraft.
FANNING FLAMES Congressional conference committees usually compromise differences between House and Senate bills, but this year's FAA reauthorization conference has introduced controversy instead. The prohibition against privatizing air traffic control functions, in each bill as passed originally, lasts only four years in the conference bill. This would leave it up to anti-privatization forces to fight the battle over again in 2007, which is expected to be at or near the peak of retirements involving the wave of controllers hired after the 1981 strike.
AMAZING GRACE Data collected by the twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) satellites have produced the most accurate map yet of Earth's geoid, or gravity field, even before the U.S.-German project begins its planned science operations. Based on 111 days of calibration data, the preliminary geoid model has been made available to oceanographers, who will use it to subtract gravitational effects from satellite measurements of ocean surface height and data used to calculate currents and ocean-circulation phenomena.
Germany's parliament has approved the $30 million upgrade of the country's CH-53 helicopters. The money will be used to give the 30-year-old helicopter's T64 engines more power and boost reliability.
NOT SO FAST The Homeland Security Dept. is modifying its plans for the use of personal data on passengers in a new computer-screening program owing to numerous complaints about the privacy issues involved. In a notice the department issued last week, it emphasizes that the use of data is being "narrowed" in response to public comments received from a plan unveiled Jan. 15.
As a central European effort to collectively upgrade their combined Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter fleet apparently unravels, Poland is moving toward an independent tender in September.
Rolls-Royce interim results through June 30 showed the engine manufacturer faring comparatively well in a turbulent market. Pre-tax profit was up on the same period for 2002, standing at 59 million pounds ($95 million), as compared to 33 million pounds. A drop in commercial sector deliveries is being offset by a stronger defense market.
HOTBIRD REPLACEMENT Alcatel Space has been selected to supply a replacement for Hotbird 7, a Ku-band spacecraft destroyed in the failed inaugural launch of the Ariane 5 EC-A booster in December. It was Alcatel's second satellite win in two weeks, following a 15-million-euro ($17-million) award from French space agency CNES for the Corot planet-finder, and the sixth in two months (AW&ST July 28, p. 17). Hotbird7A will carry 38 transponders, versus 40 on Hotbird 7, which was supplied by Astrium.
JOB ASSISTANCE American Airlines will open job centers to help current and future displaced employees find new positions. The airline collaborated with Adecco, a human resources company, to provide these services. The centers are scheduled to open in early August at the airline's Dallas-Fort Worth, St. Louis and Chicago locations.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 16 First flight for Adam Air- craft's A700 twinjet 17 British Airways, unions in deal after clock dispute WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 20 ACA's vision as low-fare startup edges closer to reality 21 2nd-quarter profit boosts AirTran's growth confidence 22 Pentagon details Chinese military build-up 23 First flight for modified F-5E sets up boom assessment 25 EADS plans competing of- fer for next tanker contest
The crews of a recent three-aircraft tactical formation training flight in A-4 Skyhawks comprised (left to right): Ronald (Gov) Reagan, 1st Lt. Suhail Saif Alaryani (United Arab Emirates Air Force), William B. Scott (Aviation Week & Space Technology's Rocky Mountain Bureau Chief), Edward (Corky) Finley and David (Legs) Legas. Reagan, Finley and Legas are air combat instructors for Advanced Training Systems International Inc., which operates 12 A-4s for tactical pilot training and a variety of training support missions.
Jon Moldovan, Sr., has been promoted to director from manager of aircraft certifications, engineering and modifications for Stevens Aviation, Greenville, S.C.
The Columbia accident aftermath makes it look like we're heading for a repeat of the post-Challenger era--having to scrimp on the budget, to rebuild the space shuttle program while NASA's other programs suffer. With cancellation of Boston University's $89-million contract to build a satellite, is "dialing for dollars" starting again?
A major concern with suggestion of another job for the KC-135 is the fact that the type is probably the oldest that USAF has in service. The expense of keeping these old birds airworthy demands that they all be immediately retired. Let's not waste taxpayer money on foolish new uses.
The House Armed Services Committee has given its approval to the Air Force and Boeing plan to lease 100 KC767As, adding its blessing to that given by House and Senate appropriations panels. Still outstanding is a verdict from the Senate Armed Services Committee, where the proposal has drawn particularly strong criticism.
USAF Lt. Col. (Ret.) Linn E. Mann (Kerrville, Tex.)
R.E.G. Davies notes that if the U.S. Air Force leases the Boeing 767 tanker, it will be taking a 50-year-old design (AW&ST June 30, p. 6). Davies suggests going to the 7E7. I agree except he does not go far enough. It is time to build the span-loaded flying wing. This approach has so many advantages that I cannot see putting it off.
ON AND OFF The Irish Defense Ministry is to purchase a Bombardier Learjet 45 to replace an aging Beechcraft used for ministerial transport. It has jettisoned an earlier plan to acquire a 40-seat-class aircraft to replace its Gulfstream IV.
A340 DELIVERY China Eastern Airlines last week received the first of five Airbus A340-600s on firm order. Two A340-600s are to be delivered this year and two next year. The aircraft, powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines, will seat 322 passengers, eight in first class, 42 in business and 272 in economy. China Eastern is the first operator of the 7,500-naut.-mi.-range ultra-long-haul aircraft in the China mainland.
