For the second time in a month, fear of SARS has upset airline operations. In both incidents, California health officials determined that SARS was not involved in the situations. Northwest Airlines Flight 360, with 171 passengers on board, was forced to return to the gate on Apr. 24 at San Francisco International Airport when a passenger was believed to have SARS symptoms. According to Northwest, the aircraft was detained for 2 hr. until health officials ruled out SARS. The passenger was cleared to fly, although he was not on Flight 360 that departed at 2:20 p.m.
Two U.S. Air Force 3D Flying Training Squadron T-6As fly near the squadron's home at Moody AFB in Valdosta, Ga. The training squadron has been graduating U.S. Air Force and Navy primary students for a little more than a year (see p. 46). The 3D FTS has been named the top operational squadron in the Air Education & Training Command. The Raytheon Aircraft T-6As are replacing USAF Cessna T-37s and USN Beech T34Cs. Photo by Greg L. Davis.
Larry N. Chapman has become president/chief operating officer of DirecTV Latin America, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was corporate senior vice president of the parent Hughes Electronics Corp.
INFO MERGE With its focus fixed on the defense information technology sector--one of the fastest growing segments of the defense budget, Anteon is a making a play for Virginia-based Information Spectrum Inc. (ISI) for $90.7 million in cash. If regulators approve the acquisition, as expected, it will be the company's first since its initial public offering early last year. The transaction is expected to close next month. Privately-held ISI's core business include credential card technologies, military logistics and training systems.
SQUEEZE THE BAG Invading forces in Iraq gave short shrift to the hunt for weapons of mass destruction (WMD), former chief U.N. nuclear weapons inspector David Kay avers. "Clearly, Centcom didn't give this the attention it deserved." Coalition forces were intent on moving fast and defeating a force that might use chemical weapons against its forces, Kay acknowledges. And he believes the coalition was "resource-starved," particularly regarding in-theater airlift such as helicopters that could have ferried search teams around the country.
POLICY WONKING The Columbia accident has put a hold on White House efforts to coordinate a new presidential policy on space transportation, but other policy reviews are in the works. In the planning stages are reviews of "space control" policy, including intelligence and Global Positioning System issues, and an overarching National Space Policy review. A fourth policy review covering remote sensing is all but complete at the staff level and awaits only West Wing action before it is released, White House officials say.
Hong Kong's largest carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways, has been granted flight rights to Asia's largest and fastest growing market, China, but the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) makes it unlikely that the carrier will exercise those rights soon.
Edward A. Bogucz has been named to the board of directors of Herley Industries Inc., Lancaster, Pa. He is dean of engineering and computer science at Syracuse (N.Y.) University.
WRIGHT BROS. GET OWN ATC To support the increase in general aviation air traffic expected in the Kitty Hawk, N.C., area in conjunction with the centennial celebration of the Wright brothers' first flight, the FAA has installed a temporary air traffic tower. It uses Lockheed Martin's common automated radar terminal system (ARTS) automation system, which was developed for small towers, based on the Common ARTS. The tower control facility at Manteo, N.C., is slated to be operational on May 1.
Michael J. Richter has been appointed a managing director of Quarterdeck Investment Partners of Los Angeles. He was a managing director/head of CIBC World Markets' San Francisco office and head of CIBC's Defense Investment Banking Group.
RISK MANAGEMENT Insurers may activate a salvage clause in the policy for Europe's Artemis technology satellite that could lead to return of some of the 80 million euros in damages the European Space Agency received for loss of the spacecraft when it was placed in a flawed orbit by an Ariane 5 last July. The discussions underscore underwriters' growing reluctance to pay damages for total loss--typically construed as 75-80% of performance today, up from 50% a few years ago--when significant utilization can be recovered.
Given Burt Rutan's aggressive schedule, perhaps the Chinese Shenzhou team might want to move up their manned flight so they're No. 3 in getting a man into space instead of No. 4 (AW&ST Apr. 21, p. 64). Rutan could get a basketball team into space for less cost that the Chinese will spend to orbit one man. Congratulations to the new kid on the block.
UNITED STATES Editor-In-Chief: David M. North [email protected] Managing Editor: James R. Asker [email protected] Assistant Managing Editors: Stanley W. Kandebo--Technology [email protected] Michael Stearns--Production [email protected] Senior Editors: Craig Covault [email protected], David Hughes [email protected] NEW YORK 2 Penn Plaza, Fifth Floor, New York, N.Y. 10121 Phone: +1 (212) 904-2000, Fax: +1 (212) 904-6068
Ezra Roizen has been appointed vice president-business development for Aircraft Technical Publishers, Brisbane, Calif. He was cofounder of the Convoy Corp. and Montclare Technologies and founder of Strategyfx.
'WE ARE NOT LEARNING' The world's airlines had 40 fatal airline accidents that killed 1,022 people in 2002, compared with 33 accidents and 778 fatalities in 2001, according to the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF). The number of fatal accidents last year was the highest since 1999, and fatalities were the highest since 1998. Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) was cited as the cause in nearly 50% of these cases, with 18 crashes that killed 504 people.
Ronald D. Dittemore, the space shuttle program manager who put a human face on NASA's grieving ground support team in the days after the Columbia disaster, will leave the space agency as soon as a successor can be found and brought up to speed on what it will take to return to flight. The Johnson Space Center veteran said that before he goes, he will help top NASA brass pick his replacement and try to pass along lessons he has learned from the accident and 26 years of work on the shuttle, to help the program get back into orbit safely.
FIRST A319 FOR PRIVATAIR PrivatAir last week took delivery of an Airbus A319, the first of four A320-family aircraft the business-traveler airline is planning to lease from CIT Aerospace. The International Aero Engines V2500 will power the two A319s and two A319 Long-Range aircraft. PrivatAir is to operate the two A319s for Airbus internal services. The A319LRs will be used on Lufthansa's new nonstop all-business-class services from Dusseldorf to Chicago and Newark-Liberty (AW&ST Mar. 17, p. 13).
Correction: The president of customer services for the Goodrich Corp. was misidentified in last week's issue (AW&ST Apr. 14, p. 65). He is Bill Walthall.
DRAGONAIR DELIVERY ON TIME Despite the outbreak of war in Iraq and the severity of the killer severe acute respiratory syndrome virus, Hong Kong's Dragonair said two Airbus A321s are to be delivered on schedule this summer, two A320s and an A330 next year, and one remaining A320 in 2005. CEO Stanley Hui's business strategy is centered on rapid expansion in China, but he declined comment on what effect a negative ruling by Hong Kong authorities to his efforts to block Cathay Pacific from opening competition in China would have on his plans.
Launch of the first NASA Mars Exploration Rover will be delayed at least a week, to no earlier than June 6, to correct problems in cabling and a circuit board that links the spacecraft's main computer in the rover to the vehicle's cruise stage and landing system.
WRENCH BENDERS Boeing Aerospace Support, which is part of the manufacturer's Integrated Defense Systems division, and DynCorp Technical Services LLC, a division of Computer Sciences Corp., have created Aviation Technical Services LLC based in Fort Worth. The new company will compete for the U.S. Army's aviation maintenance contract and the U.S. Navy's T-45TS Contract Logistics Support Program. DynCorp is the incumbent contractor for the maintenance program at Ft.
Lufthansa German Airlines, Europe's third-largest airline, is facing a worse-than-expected financial performance and is looking at how to contain costs to fly through the current industry downturn.
Lockheed Martin's AGM-154 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile has hit another development snag. The cruise missile failed in its first operational test since USAF resumed flight testing after a lengthy suspension due to test failures last October. Jassm flight testing resumed only late last month, with the completion of the last development test for the weapon. But an apparent engine problem in the recent OT-4 test caused the event to have to be aborted and raises uncertainty over the near-term future for the test phase.
