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Michael Romanowski has become assistant vice president-civil aviation and Remy Nathan director of international affairs for the Washington-based Aerospace Industries Assn.
Neelam Mathews (New Delhi), William Dennis (Singapore)
Following a similar move by Singapore Airlines, Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways has asked all of its staff to take four weeks of unpaid leave to help the company cut expenses as it battles the downturn in passenger business caused by the SARS virus. The plan is expected to save the carrier about HK$1.1 billion ($141.1 million), the equivalent of a 15% pay cut, as the carrier's daily losses, reportedly $3 million, mount. Leaves may be staggered from June through September.
The AeroVironment Helios solar-powered plane made its first brief flight in a new fuel cell configuration on May 15 at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. The fuel cells have been added to enable the 250-ft. flying wing to stay aloft throughout the night for NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology program in a flight planned for July (AW&ST Feb. 28, 2000, p. 58). The May 15 hop down the runway was to check wing dihedral carrying the new equipment.
Boeing and General Atomics have inked an agreement to cooperate on the networking of UAVs and other military equipment. In particular, the companies will integrate GA's Predator UAV into the Boeing-built AH-64 Apache and E-3 AWACS. The companies hope to demonstrate the enhanced capabilities next year.
The latest version of AirplanePDQ--a CAD tool for general aviation, homebuilt and ultralight-type airplanes--offers 3D viewing and export capability for better visualization of the design. AirplanePDQ also has more configuration options with jet engine support and support for UAV designs. It offers better control over weight distribution with a capability to place arbitrary cargo and/or fixed equipment anywhere in the aircraft.
Eclipse Aviation has formally applied for JAR-23 Joint Aviation Authorities certification of the Eclipse 500 jet aircraft, CEO Vern Raburn said at EBACE last week. He added that European requirements for RVSM (reduced vertical separation minima) and 8.33-KHz. communication radios will be standard features in the aircraft. JAA certification is anticipated in 2006.
JOB OPENINGS Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, isn't known for stand-up comedy, but he brought down the house at the Air Force Academy recently. After Myers delivered an address entitled "The New American Way of War," a cadet asked what would happen if coalition troops do not find any weapons of mass destruction--the most-stated reason for launching the war. "There'll be some vacancies in the intelligence community," Myers deadpanned. "And maybe some in the chairman's office."
Theodore J. Sheskin, Professor of Industrial Engineering (Cleveland (Ohio) State University)
If Boeing builds the innovative, fuel-efficient 7E7 jetliner, it will gain a decisive advantage over Airbus. Even if the new plane costs slightly more than the older ones it will replace, the initial expense is only one component for an aircraft that will have an economic life of more than a decade.
Honeywell has been selected by the FAA to design the hardware and software for the Category-1 (200-ft. ceiling and 1-mi. visibility) Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) under a $16.7-million contract. Phase 2 and 3 of the contract would bring the total value to $340 million for system build-out at nine FAA test centers and airports, with the first site becoming operational in late 2006. One LAAS ground facility will be able to provide new types of GPS-based precision approach procedures for all runway ends at most of the airports involved.
John Tague has been named executive vice president-customer for United Airlines. He was president/CEO of ATA Holdings Corp., parent company of American Trans Air.
FOG OF WAR The Patriot battery that shot down a British Tornado GR4 mistook the aircraft returning to base for an anti-radiation missile fired at the air defense site, according to officials who also note operators of the system were exonerated. The decision was made to fire a Patriot PAC-2 missile at the "target" based on its high-speed descent and lack of functioning identification friend-or-foe system. Operators of a second Patriot battery that shot down a U.S. Navy F/A-18C with a hit-to-kill PAC-3 missile also were found not culpable.
MERGE SURGE Software from three infotech subsidiaries that Boeing acquired for their complementary capabilities has come together for the first time to win what is described as a seven-figure, five-year flight operations contract from the U.K's Royal Air Force. Jeppesen's OpsControl suite of Unix-based management software will be used to automate and streamline RAF flight operations management.
The Greek defense ministry has awarded a $242-million contract to Raytheon for an advanced version of an integrated electronic warfare system for the Hellenic Air Force's Block 52+ F-16s. Called the Advanced Self-Protection Integrated Suite (ASPISII), the system is an enhanced version of the 80 ASPIS systems Greece purchased in the early 1990s for its Block 30 and Block 50 F-16s (AW&ST Mar.8, 1993, p. 51).
Both US Airways and United Airlines accentuated the positive amid the negative numbers of bleak first-quarter reports. US Airways last week reported a pretax loss of $282 million, compared with a pretax loss of $435 million in first-quarter 2002. The loss excludes unusual gains and fresh-start accounting adjustments linked to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection reorganization.
Magellan Aerospace Corp. has received orders valued at $4.25 million to manufacture F-15 Eagle engine fairings for the Defense Supply Center Richmond and standard missile dorsal fins for Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz.
Giving lie to the notion that low-cost carriers are immune from problems in the market, EasyJet revealed a $38.4-million loss for the six-month period ending Mar. 31. While the airline saw load factors rise, it was at the cost of yields, down 10.7%.
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BOMBER BOOSTERS The Air Force is being told to retain 23 more B-1Bs than it planned. A House Armed Services Committee (HASC) panel wants to hand the service $100 million to work on a new stealthy deep-strike bomber. The panel voted to add $20 million to the service's budget to keep the B-1B force structure at 83 aircraft as part of the Fiscal 2004 budget deliberations.
Shawn D. James has become vice president-business development of Rockville, Md.-based BAE Systems North America's Technology Solutions Sector. He succeeds Andrew Kirksey, who has been named vice president/general manager of the surface warfare business unit. James was director of future programs.
William A. Walkowiak has been named director of investor relations for the Edo Corp. of New York. He was a vice president of Lippert/Heilshorn and Associates.
Robert Wall (Washington), David A. Fulghum (Washington)
The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter's vulnerability to small-arms fire, shown during fighting in Iraq, has sparked questions about U.S. Army tactics, and this may have jeopardized the future of the new scout/attack RAH-66 Comanche. Military and industry advocates of attack helicopters argue that the Army's outdated tactics and inability to innovate, not armed rotorcraft, are to blame.
