SAS SAYS YES TO MOBILE PHONES Scandinavian Airlines is the first airline to allow use of certain mobile phone functions inflight. Passengers must have a phone with "flight-safe mode" capability. When it is switched on in that mode, the phone does not send or receive signals that would impair flight safety. No phone calls are allowed, but passengers may write notes, edit documents, play games, listen to music and take photos with a built-in camera.
Honolulu-based Aloha Airlines is installing Boeing's Enterprise One software to manage airplane configuration and modification information, spare parts tracking, maintenance programs and warranties for the carrier's 737 aircraft. Aloha is the second customer for the software; Royal Brunei Airlines was the first.
MORE SIRTF DELAYS NASA has again delayed launch of the Space Infrared Telescope (SIRTF), this time to August at the earliest, amid further concerns about a Boeing/Alliant Techsystems solid rocket booster on the Delta II launcher. Originally the mission was slipped from mid- to late April in the hope a paperwork review could clear the issue (AW&ST Apr. 21, p. 17). But now engineers are worried that several delaminations of carbon material in the nozzle of one of the Delta's large 46-in.-dia. solids pose a real risk to the flight.
Attempting to mend fences with Washington, French President Jacques Chirac has said France is open to the possibility of a NATO role in Iraq. The comment, made in a phone conversation with President Bush on Apr. 15, was followed by French statements suggesting NATO take charge of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, and that U.N. sanctions against Iraq be suspended.
For analyst John Walsh, who specializes in tracking fleets and manufacturing demand, airlines are in the midst of "mad pricing disease" as they try desperately to generate passenger demand. In that regard, the liquidation of a major carrier might help the industry by shifting capacity, he told Aviation Week's MRO 2003 conference. But Air Transport Assn. chief economist David Swierenga said overcapacity won't be cured by having a carrier fail.
Mary M. Glackin has been appointed assistant administrator for program planning and integration of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She was deputy administrator of NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service.
BIGGEST BIRD Space Systems/Loral has completed static load testing at its Palo Alto, Calif., production facility on Ipstar-1, which at 14,900-lb. launch weight is called the world's largest commercial communications satellite. The spacecraft is being built for Shin Satellite of Thailand and is due for launch in early 2004. Ipstar-1 has 84 spot beams and a total throughput capacity of about 40 Gbps. It will serve as many as 80 million users in an area covering a large portion of Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
The global airline industry, and especially the carriers serving the Asia-Pacific region, faces a new threat to economic health in the form of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). This one may turn out to be more damaging than anything that has happened since Sept. 11, 2001.
Richard Dixon has been appointed vice president/human resources officer and Kathy Fox vice president-operations of Ottawa-based Nav Canada. Dixon was vice president-human resources for CN Rail, while Fox was assistant vice president-air traffic services.
PASS THE PANINI, PLEASE United Airlines last week joined the growing list of airlines conducting a test of "food for a fee" service. On Apr. 21-26, United offered food for sale to customers on economy flights that normally do not include meals. Passengers will get two meal choices, a breakfast for $7 and lunch and dinner choice for $10. Food types include grilled turkey panini.
Rudy Dominguez has been named president/chief operating officer and Oscar Hasan vice president-sales and marketing of Viva Airlines, a subsidiary of the Auxer Group, Traverse City, Mich.
Georg Midunsky has become project manager/managing director-elect of "Yellow Cargo" of Lufthansa Cargo, effective July 1. He has been vice president-sales for the Americas. Midunsky will be succeeded by Jurgen Siebenrock, who was vice president-handling for the Americas. Succeeding Siebenrock will be Klaus Holler, who has been head of the Lufthansa Cargo Center Frankfurt. In turn, Holler will be followed by Hjoerdis Gensar, who has been general manager for inflight-international at LSG Sky Chefs in Frankfurt.
Carmen Valentino has been named vice president-production operations for Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems-Tactical Systems, Eagan, Minn. He was deputy for production and life cycle programs/director of production programs for the sector's Surface Systems, Moorestown, N.J.
6 Correspondence 8-9 Who's Where 10-11 Market Focus 13 Industry Outlook 15 Airline Outlook 17 In Orbit 18-19 World News Roundup 21 Washington Outlook 54 World Business Watch 55 Classified 56 Contact Us 57 Aerospace Calendar
L-3 Communications, one of the aerospace industry's leading merchant suppliers, is poised to accelerate its already rapid growth. Since its creation in 1996, the company has completed about 40 acquisitions, mostly small niche players who probably couldn't have survived as stand-alone businesses. But under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Frank Lanza, this pattern could change at almost any time.
The International Air Transport Assn. went on the offensive here last week in an effort to convince passengers to put aside their fear of SARS and begin flying again. The trade group is concerned that the virus will depress passenger counts for another six months.
Jim Brown has become director of corporate and marketing communications for Kinetics Inc., Lake Mary, Fla. Brown has been a consultant to Kinetics and was director of corporate communications for AirTran Airways.
It's great that the Bell Boeing V-22 and Bell/Agusta BA609 tiltrotors will be nearing service soon; the pity is that it's taken 40-plus years to capitalize on the XV-15 and other tiltrotor/tiltwing technologies.
Nils van den Beemt has been appointed director of program enginering and management services, John Markey director of information management, David Barstow director of system engineering and Robert Miller director of aviation analysis and modeling, all for CSSI Inc. of Washington.
Donald J. Carty resigned as chairman/CEO of AMR Corp. Apr. 24 as his successors vowed to repair damaged relations with angry unions and keep the company from filing for bankruptcy protection.
Kazuo Tsukuda, who has been managing director, is to become president of Japan-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in June. He will succeed Takasi Nishioka, who will become chairman, an honorary post.
European airline officials are attempting to allay potential passengers' fears about the danger of air travel in the light of the recent emergence of the SARS. The World Health Organization's (WHO) aggressive research is expected to help restore confidence. WHO's Geneva-based experts and laboratories located in a dozen countries recently confirmed the SARS virus as a member of the coronavirus family. This critical discovery should lead to diagnostic procedures soon and, at the very least, curtailment.
Lynn F.H. Cline has been appointed deputy associate NASA administrator for the Office of Space Flight. She was deputy assistant administrator for external relations.
A large Russian military geosynchronous orbit spacecraft, Cosmos 2397, was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Apr. 23 on board a Proton heavy booster. Most Russian military geosynchronous orbit spacecraft have a communications mission, but the Russians have also been working on a new geosynchronous missile-warning satellite. A second Proton, sponsored by International Launch Services, is scheduled to launch the AMC-9 commercial satcom early this week.
