Russian civil aviation authorities are probing the crash of a 19-seat Czech-made twin-engine turboprop Let L-410 about 180 km. (112 mi.) north of Moscow, killing 11 people. The airplane belonged to a local aviation club and was carrying 23 parachute jumpers. Surviving skydivers said the airplane had gained an altitude of 3,900 meters (12,800 ft.) when it initiated a jerky roll left and then broke apart. In all, 14 jumpers managed to escape the falling plane and parachute to safety; nine others were killed, along with the two pilots.
The Philippines government's long effort to upgrade the Davao Airport as a southern international gateway took a severe blow last week when a terrorist bomb explosion killed 25 people, injured 145 and destroyed a large portion of the passenger terminal. The airport was undergoing an $82-million expansion that was slated to be completed in May. The opening of the expanded passenger terminal has been delayed for more than two years due to engineering, construction and other problems. So far, Singapore's SilkAir is the only foreign carrier flying to Davao.
Brazil's Varig and TAM airlines are said to have won Brazilian government approval to enter a code-share agreement on domestic routes. The carriers are joining forces in an effort to cut costs and continue operating under challenging economic conditions. The move follows the carriers' announcement last month of plans for a possible merger within six months. Rio de Janeiro-based Varig is the country's major carrier, and Sao Paulo-based TAM operates regional and domestic flights.
NASA's proposed Orbital Space Plane (OSP) may change drastically when it is upgraded from a crew rescue vehicle (CRV) that only goes down from the International Space Station to a crew transfer vehicle (CTV) that goes both ways. A draft of the interpretation document outlining the OSP program's understanding of top-level requirements for the vehicle says the crew rescue vehicle and the crew transfer vehicle may not be the same vehicle.
Seattle-based software-maker Tenzing Communications Inc. plans a near-term rollout of a higher speed version of its onboard email service for commercial airliners. The introduction follows a successful test of the 64-Kbps. Inmarsat-based system on an Airbus A318 in Toulouse last month.
The Bell Boeing V-22 tiltrotor was grounded late last week to replace 5,000-psi. hydraulic lines that feed the rotor swashplate actuators. Program officials expect the Osprey will be flying again on Mar. 18-20 after replacing 20 1/4-in. titanium lines in each aircraft. The problem was discovered in December when a tube burst during testing on the production line, but flight continued because officials initially believed the problem was isolated to a non-flying lot.
Northrop Grumman Corp. has announced the completion of its sale of TRW Automotive to the Blackstone Group. The company also lowered its 2003 earnings estimates by about 8%. The reduction reflects $100 million in additional interest expense as a result of the timing of debt repayment associated with the sale of the TRW property. Instead of earning $4-4.50 a share for the year, the company believes earnings will be $3.65-4.15.
Gene Ray, who is chairman/CEO of the Titan Corp. of San Diego, also will be president/chief operating officer, following the resignation of Eric DeMarco.
Stephen M. Spellman has become president/CEO of Champion Air, Bloomington, Minn. He succeeds Mike Gerend, who has resigned to take a new position. Spellman was vice president/chief operating officer.
Finmeccanica has acquired OTE SpA., which is part of the Italian Marconi companies, for 3 million euros ($3.3 million) while assuming debts of 7 million euros. Based in Florence, with factories in Genoa and Pisa, Italy, and Chelmsford in the U.K., OTE is chiefly involved in civil and paramilitary communications systems. In August 2002 Finmeccanica acquired Marconi Mobile, now known as Marconi Selenia Communications.
United Technologies Corp. has awarded $5.25 million in bonuses to its top five executives for helping to achieve certain financial targets in 2002--in part at the expense of thousands of employees who lost their jobs. At the top of the list is Chairman/CEO George David, whose $1.2-million salary is being supplemented by a bonus of $2.4 million. The perquisites, which will be paid through a combination of cash and stock, are based on the growth of UTC's earnings per share and cash-flow generation as a percentage of net income last year.
Mar. 27-28--Defense Budget Conference. Holiday Inn, Rosslyn, Va. Apr. 15-17--MRO 2003 & MRO Latin America. Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. May 6-8--Aerospace Defense & Finance Conference. Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York. May 14-16--Homeland Security Summit & Exposition. Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, Va. June 16--Top 100 Stars of Aerospace, Paris (during the Paris air show). Sept. 16-18--MRO Europe, Cardiff, Wales. Partnerships
As Boeing and interested airlines begin the back and forth process of defining its proposed 7E7, the jet manufacturer needs to reassure potential customers the aircraft will actually be built, and that target performance will not be compro- mised by trying to cover too many bases.
L. Denis Desautels, former auditor general of Canada and now executive director of the University of Ottawa's Centre on Governance, has been named to the board of directors of Montreal-based Bombardier Inc.
Jacques S. Gansler has been appointed to the board of directors of Alphatech Inc., Burlington, Mass. He holds the Roger C. Lipitz Chair in public policy and private enterprise at the University of Maryland School of Public Affairs and was undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.
France is developing basic technologies for directed-energy weapons and is attempting to cobble together a European effort in this area. The technology focus is on high-power microwave (HPM) devices and not laser-based systems, which the French think are at least 15 years away. But they are also funding limited research in key areas, particularly solid-state lasers, in the event there's a technological breakthrough.
The fact that the STS-107 launch is not the first instance of insulation coming off the tank and hitting an orbiter during launch raises the question of why nothing has been done to prevent these repeated events. Although the cause of insulation coming loose is apparently unknown, it should be simple to prevent loose insulation from hitting the orbiter. Because the insulation is extremely light, it would seem that simply wrapping the tank with something that would retain any loose chunks of insulation could be done easily, with little weight penalty.
Thank you for the Feb. 10 cover "The Columbia Tragedy." I had been wondering what image you would choose and was so pleased and touched when I saw that instead of another photo of the tragic reentry. You chose a far more subtle and poignant space-related image. It spoke directly to my heart. You have fortified my opinion.
David A. Rossi, Jr., a space business advocate who helped get two commercial space companies off the ground, died Feb. 19 of cancer. He was 46. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard Business School, Rossi was the fourth employee of Orbital Sciences Corp., where he held a series of executive positions from 1983-91. He ended his career as president and CEO of Spacehab Inc., which he joined in 1991 as vice president for business development.
The Transportation Dept. and the would-be alliance of Delta-Northwest-Continental have stepped back from the brink. Little more than a month ago, the airline trio decided to start code sharing without regard to conditions the department said were needed to protect the public against anticompetitive abuses. In response, the department started to prepare an enforcement proceeding to curb the carriers.
At least some U.S. officials want to play hardball over the North Korean interception of a RC135S Cobra Ball aircraft that was flying about 150 mi. offshore observing preparation for upcoming missile tests. North Korea fired off two Rodong ballistic missiles, with the range to hit Japan, in February, and more tests are expected.
Stephanie Skorik (see photo) has been named manager of business development for The Company Jet, Grand Rapids, Mich. She was vice president-business development for Strong Capital Management.
As I read your Laurels 2002 citations in the Feb. 3 issue, I was struck by the depth of managerial, engineering, scientific and operational talent that makes up what we so loosely and indiscriminately call the aerospace industry. Your plain-talk explanations of why each achievement was important helped establish a critical perspective that often is missing from other awards announcements.
The first Mars Exploration Rover (MER) has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is being processed for a May 30 launch on a Boeing Delta II rocket (see photo). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California is leading the MER project, which involves sending two rovers separately to Mars for arrival on Jan. 4 and 25, 2004.
