THE MOST SUITABLE TECHNOLOGY for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) in the Asia-Pacific area is the Mode S extended squitter, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization task force on ADS-B. It adapts the mode S transponder--already part of traffic alert and collision avoidance systems installed on civil air transport aircraft--to periodically transmit an aircraft's call sign, GPS position and state vector. The decision brings that region in line with the FAA's thinking, which has long championed the 1,090-MHz.
Greece's first telecommunications satellite, Hellas-Sat, will be launched on board an Atlas V booster on May12. The 30-transponder Ku-band spacecraft, built by Astrium and backed by Greek and Cypriot telecom companies and banks, is intended to meet peak communications requirements generated by the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Jim Albaugh, president/CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, has been appointed to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. The panel provides industry analyses and recommendations to the President and executive branch on policy and enhancements to national security and emergency preparedness telecommunications.
June 16--Top 100 Stars of Aerospace, Paris (during the Paris air show). Sept. 16-18--MRO Europe, Cardiff, Wales. Oct. 14--Value Creation Conference. The McGraw-Hill Companies Headquarters, New York. Oct. 28-30--A&D Programs & Productivity Conference & Exhibition. Arlington (Tex.) Convention Center. Nov. 18-20--MRO Asia Conference & Exhibition. Hong Kong Convention Center. Apr. 20-24--MRO Conference & Exhibition. Cobb Galleria Center, Atlanta. Partnerships
The House aviation subcommittee voted in favor of a bill that would include cargo pilots in the Federal Flight Deck Officer program. The first class of 44 passenger-airline pilots completed the training recently, and Deputy Transportation Security Administrator Stephen McHale said several thousand pilots could be trained to carry guns in the cockpit by the end of Fiscal 2004, provided Congress fully funds the program at levels requested by the administration.
Robert C. Dragon (see photo) has been appointed sales manager for the Northeast U.S. for Innotech Aviation of Montreal. He was a regional sales representative for the Executive Aircraft Corp.
Prof. Alex Roland, an aviation historian from Duke University, has received the annual Gen. James H. Doolittle Award for Leadership in Aerospace Policy from the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Roland was honored for his work in describing the roles that technology and economies have played in the development of American achievements in aviation.
David Friedman has become vice president-marketing for Seattle-based Connexion by Boeing. He has been an independent consultant and was vice president-marketing for U.S. Cellular.
Mark Van Tine has been appointed chairman/CEO of the Englewood, Colo.-based Jeppesen subsidiary of Boeing Commercial Aviation Services. He succeeds Horst A. Bergmann, who has retired. Van Tine was executive vice president-flight information development, printing and distribution/chief information officer.
Frederick Robinson (see photo) has been appointed chief pilot for Executive Jet Management Inc. of Cincinnati. He was chief pilot at Wayfarer Aviation and had been base manager at TAG Aviation.
A rocket sled propelled a 192-lb. Missile Defense Agency payload to Mach 8.41 (9,465 fps.) at Holloman AFB, N.M., on Apr. 29, setting a world's land speed record.
India completed the second test of its three-stage 1.5-million-lb.-thrust Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket May 8 by placing a 3,600-lb. experimental communictions satellite into orbit.
Getting airline feedback about a new design is standard operating procedure, and Boeing is talking to some 40 carriers about what they want to see in the "super-efficient" 7E7 midsize family of jets it expects to launch next year. The big issue is whether the initial aircraft will emphasize a 7,000-8,000-naut.-mi. range with seating for 200-250 passengers or sacrifice some of that range to carry more passengers for mid-range routes.
Seeing inflight Internet services as a passenger-pleasing success, Lufthansa German Airlines is leaning toward equipping its long-haul fleet with a Connexion by Boeing system. Wolfgang Mayrhuber, who becomes chairman of Lufthansa's executive board in June, lamented recently that what with war, layers of anti-terrorism screening and economic recession, the airline industry has to do something to "make flying fun again."
The U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater project to modernize or replace its ships and aircraft was born well before Sept. 11, 2001. The service has long been operating obsolete ships and airplanes with inadequate sensors (see p. 50). But amazingly, now that the terrorist attacks have added immensely to the Coast Guard's homeland security duties, the 20-year-long rebuilding effort is being allowed to fall behind schedule.
In an 11th-hour about-face, predicated on politics and price, Airbus dropped its preference for Pratt & Whitney Canada and selected the Europrop consortium to develop the A400M airlifter's powerplant. Europrop International (EPI)--a joint venture comprising MTU Aero Engines, Rolls-Royce, Snecma Moteurs and Spain's Industria de Turbo Propulsores (IPT)--will develop the TP400-D6 for the A400M. Nominally rated at 10,600 shp., the engine will be the most powerful turboprop so far developed in Europe or the U.S.
Richard J. Townsend has been named executive vice president/chief financial officer of New York-based Loral Space & Communications. He was senior vice president/CFO.
CHEETAH, CHETAK CURTAILED The Indian Ministry of Defense withdrew a tender for 250 light helicopters to replace its Cheetah and Chetak fleet, citing "lack of funds allocation." That caught industry observers by surprise because it's normal to have such funds secured prior to seeking bids. The competition is between Eurocopter, Bell, Sikorsky and Agusta.
The White House and Congress are supporting the Coast Guard's Deepwater project with words but not yet enough money to finish it in the 20 years envisioned, much less on an accelerated basis. The plan to build three new classes of ships and procure unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters already is slipping toward a 30-year effort based on the first two years of funding. And while there is plenty of talk on Capitol Hill about Deepwater and an interest in accelerating funding, so far no additional money has been earmarked.
The Transportation Security Administration last week contracted with Lockheed Martin Services to provide specialized security training to TSA passenger and baggage screeners. Under the terms of the initial agreement, valued at $8.9 million, Lockheed Martin will aid the TSA in designing, developing and implementing programs, such as Federal Flight Deck Officer training.
HARD LESSON The Army shifted tactics after a wave of Apaches sustained battle damage early in the Iraq conflict, according to the commander of V Corps, Lt. Gen. William Scott Wallace: "We learned from our mistakes, we adjusted and adapted, based on what we learned, and we still used the Apache helicopter in a significant role during the course of the fight." In a widely reported encounter in Iraq, one Apache was lost to ground fire and almost all in the formation were damaged (see p. 63).
RECORD FREIGHT FOR NARITA A 30% increase in exports of electronic parts and components to Asian destinations helped push Tokyo's Narita Airport to a record 2,030,149 metric tons in air freight for fiscal 2002. The airport couldn't have done it without the opening in April 2002 of a second runway, which increased daily movements from an average of 360 to 490.
Lockheed Martin and Spectrum Astro are teaming to compete for the U.S. Air Force's GPS 3 program. In 2000, Spectrum Astro lost in the first round of design contracts, which USAF awarded to Boeing and Lockheed Martin. For the next phase, the service plans to award two $20-25-million design maturation contracts this year, with one development contract to follow in mid-2005. First launch of the more jam-resistant GPS satellites is planned for 2012, although the Air Force is asking the Pentagon to approve a two-year acceleration.
