Aviation Week & Space Technology

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

Royce Forman, senior scientist of the Structural Engineering Div. at the NASA Johnson Space Center, has won the 2002 John W. Lincoln Award. Hewas cited for his work in advancing the technology associated with the concept of aircraft structural integrity. Lincoln worked at the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and was a pioneer in the development and application of durability and damage tolerance design to ensure the safety and longevity of military and commercial aircraft.

Kent Kresa, chairman/CEO of the Northrop Grumman Corp., has received the 2002 Howard Hughes Memorial Award from the Los Angeles-based Aero Club of Southern California. He was recognized for contributions to the advancement of aviation and space technology.

Boeing completed taxi tests of the 777-300ER last week; first flight is planned for Feb. 24 from Everett, Wash.

Business Director: Michael D. Wigon, (212) 904-2294 e-mail: [email protected] Production Director: Connie Macaraeg, (212) 904-4360 e-mail: [email protected] Production Manager: Laura Hoffman, (212) 904-3489 e-mail: [email protected] Production Manager AP&S/Classified/Russian Edition/ International Aviation: Melissa Venezia, (212) 904-4917 e-mail: [email protected] Adv. Serv. Manager: Deborah Metz, (212) 904-2773 e-mail: [email protected] Dept. fax (212) 904-2930

Stephen J. Cabot's Viewpoint, "Bring Binding Arbitration To Airline Disputes" (AW&ST Feb. 3, p. 62), was nonsense-- the author, a labor lawyer, garbled his airline history; his arguments had more holes than substance; and his assertions of cause and effect had little relationship to reality.

Insurance rates and tort reform topped the list of key issues at this year's Heli-Expo convention here, but operators and manufacturers were optimistic that 2003 will bring modest growth in utilization and sales of new aircraft. High insurance costs have pummeled helicopter operators during the past 18 months, although there are signs that these increases are starting to abate. A number of U.S. operators have been forced out of business, while others are struggling to contend with rates that are driving up their fixed costs.

Safety concerns continue to plague the aging Concorde fleet (AW&ST Dec. 9, 2002, p. 20). On Feb. 19, Air France Concorde F-BTSD, en route from Paris to New York, was diverted to Halifax, Nova Scotia, after the captain shut down the No. 3 engine due to a suspected fuel leak, according to the carrier. The landing was normal, and no injuries were reported among the 47 passengers and 9 crewmembers. In November 2002, an Air France Concorde crew shut down an engine after a warning light appeared in the cockpit.

ECLIPSE AVIATION HAS CHOSEN the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F engine to power the twin-engine Eclipse 500 business jet. The engine, flat-rated to 900 lb. thrust at takeoff (sea level, ISA +10C), will be equipped with dual-channel, full authority digital engine controls. Certification is tentatively scheduled for early in 2006. Late last year, Eclipse management rejected the EJ-22 engine built by Williams International after it failed to produce adequate power.

NASA's proposed Orbital Space Plane (OSP) won't necessarily have wings or be reusable, but it would allow the International Space Station (ISS) to accommodate the seven-person crew originally planned. And while it could eventually supplement the space shuttle as a way to get humans to the ISS, it won't be a quick replacement.

Robert L. Brown, who has been deputy director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, Va., has been appointed director of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, which is managed by Cornell University and is at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

USN Vice Adm. (ret.) Dennis McGinn (see photo) has been named Washington-based vice president-strategic planning and business development for Battelle, Columbus, Ohio. He was deputy chief of naval operations for warfare requirements and programs at the Pentagon.

Director Advertising Sales: Jim Eubanks; (202) 383-2318; Fax: (202) 383-2345; e-mail: [email protected] National Account Manager: Bill Hux; (213) 480-5202; Fax: (213) 480-5249; e-mail: [email protected] Western US: (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, WA, WY), Western Canada: (BC, AB) Jim Fuhrer; (503) 229-4480; Fax: (503) 229-4482; e-mail: [email protected]

Andreas Pluss (see photos) has been appointed vice president/general manager of Jet Aviation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He succeeds Norbert Ehrich, who has returned to the West Palm Beach, Fla., facility as vice president-special projects. Pluss was purchasing manager at corporate headquarters in Zurich. Wolfgang Dillbaum has become director of material management and distribution for the Saarbrucken, Germany, parts distribution center. He was vice president- sales and marketing for the Rheinland Air Service.

Recent news that Lufthansa German Airlines will remove 10 more aircraft from German and European routes comes as no surprise to European airline analysts, given what Dominic Edridge of Commerzbank Securities described as "the appalling fare outlook, particularly in intra-European travel." Still, he believes the market has yet "to fully realize how bad [the industry] is going to be this year."

Air Canada last week welcomed the Finance Ministry's reduction of the Air Traveler Security Charge (ATSC) on domestic routes to $C7 (U.S.$4.60) per one-way ticket (C$14 round trip) from C$12 (C$24 round trip).

Ilyushin Aviation says it has entered Air India's competition for long-range transports with a bid for the Il-96-300. Airbus and Boeing have submitted bids based on a buy of 10 aircraft with options for seven more. The Russian team claims its bid, which includes Pratt & Whitney PW2337 engines and a Rockwell Collins digital cockpit, can knock off 30% of the estimated $1.5-billion value of the order. Ilyushin hopes one factor in its favor is that Russian President Vladimir Putin has chosen the same aircraft for his executive jet.

John S. Fredericksen has been named vice president/general counsel of Sun Country Airlines. He was executive vice president-administration/general counsel of Mesaba Airlines.

Eurocopter's twin-engine EC145 flies over downtown Dallas. The aircraft, which made its debut in the U.S. at Heli-Expo 2003 earlier this month, is designed chiefly to meet the needs of law enforcement and emergency medical services operators requiring a large cabin and mission flexibility (see p. 44). Eurocopter photo by Paul Brou.

Joseph A. Czyzyk, who is president/CEO of the Mercury Air Group, has been elected to the board of directors of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Charles Aaron has been appointed helicopter sales manager and Julia Schmitt manager of corporate aviation sales for Max-Viz Inc., Portland, Ore.

Charles T. Cleaver has been named vice president/treasurer of ATA Holdings Corp., parent company of American Trans Air. He was director of aircraft programs.

The EC145 offers operators twin-engine safety, a rapidly reconfigurable cabin, high-altitude performance and mission flexibility in a package featuring both proven and advanced systems. Eurocopter is aiming the helicopter at law enforcement and emergency medical services (EMS) markets. As of late last month, the company had sold 53 aircraft and is scheduled to deliver 25 this year (15 were delivered in 2002). German and French certification occurred late in 2000 and in June 2001, respectively, with FAA approval following in October 2001.

Director of Inside Sales: Elizabeth Meyer; (212) 904-3675; Fax: 212-904-3993; e-mail: [email protected] Diane Soister; (212) 904-2897 or (800) 289-5813; e-mail: [email protected] Dept. Fax: (212) 904-3993 Europe/MidEast/Africa: See Vittorio Rossi Prudente above. United Kingdom, Ireland: Neil Walklett, Mongoose Ltd.; +44-(0)20-7306-0300; Fax: +44-(0)20-7306-0301; e-mail: [email protected]

Central/Southern US: (AR, CO, IA, KS, LA, MO, OK, TN, TX, UT), Central & South America: See Tom Davis above. Western US: (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, WA, WY), Western Canada: (BC, AB) Soulek & Associates; (818) 762-9988; Fax: (818) 762-9972; e-mail: [email protected] Midwest/Northern US: (IN, KY, MI, OH, WV, IL, WI, MN, WY, ND, SD, NE), Central Canada: (MB, SK) Charles Talley; (312) 346-7330; Fax: (312) 346-4462; e-mail: [email protected]