USAF Col. Rick Douglas Husband, 45, commander of the Columbia, was a native of Amarillo, Tex., who had logged more than 3,800 hr. in more than 40 types of aircraft. He was a mechanical engineer by training (bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University; master's from California State University-Fresno). His Air Force experience included being an F-4E instructor pilot, test pilot and program manager for the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 increased performance engine for the F-15.
The Commercial Airline Missile Defense Act has been introduced by U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y). The bill calls on the Transport- ation secretary to oversee retrofitting missile self-protection systems on 6,800 commercial jets in the U.S. The legislation calls on the U.S. government to cover the cost of these systems at $1 million per copy or about $7 billion in all. "That is a relatively small cost," Boxer said, noting the unsuccessful Nov.
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Continued mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. defense industrial base, combined with a healthy demand for weapon systems in the last 12 months, led to a reshuffling of the U.S.' top five military contractors for 2002. Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. remained No. 1 and No.2, respectively, but Northrop Grumman Corp. moved into the No. 3 position from No. 5 last year. Raytheon Co. stayed at No. 4, while General Dynamics Corp. is the new No. 5.
Hybrid rockets that burn inert, non-toxic fuel with a liquid oxidizer may find new applications in the years ahead, following a hybrid sounding rocket experiment late last year that moved the technology beyond the realm of hobbyists and failed commercial ventures.
Kaiser Electronics has delivered what it believes is the first helmet-mounted display in manufacturing development that uses a solid-state flat panel image source instead of a cathode ray tube to drive the optics. The result is a lighter, more compact system that requires less power.
Two F-16s pulled from the "boneyard" at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., have arrived at Edwards AFB, Calif., dedicated to flight test program support and USAF Test Pilot School training. These fighters, however, are not retired airframes being recalled to duty. One had 8 hr. of flight time and the other 11 hr. when they arrived at Edwards. Both were part of 28 F-16s originally intended for Pakistan's air force, but the sale was canceled when that country detonated its first nuclear weapon.
The U.S.' largest aerospace/defense contractors clearly are beginning to benefit from increased spending on weapons systems, as mirrored in higher government-related sales or backlogs at the end of 2002.
Canadian conglomerate Onex Corp.--which in 1999 tried and failed in a bitter takeover bid of Air Canada--last week secured a 35% stake in the carrier's 6-million-member Aeroplan frequent-flier program for C$245 million ($160 million). The sale of a loyalty program share to a private equity investor is the first transaction of its kind in the airline industry. The joint venture is aimed at developing one of the airline's most profitable subsidiaries into a leading international loyalty program.
Boeing intends to effectively cede the new large aircraft launch-market to Airbus over the next decade as it focuses on what it calls, for the moment, the 7E7, designed to fill its middle-of-the-market requirement. The company aims to define the aircraft's configuration during the next six months.
Shopping can be educational. After picking up parts at various Tokyo stores, students at Tokyo University and Tokyo Industrial University built a couple of "pocket" satellites, so-called because they are so small. Weighing only about 1 kg. (2.2) lb., the experimental satellites are solar-powered and have communications capabilities. They are to be launched in an 800-km. (500-mi.) orbit from Plesetsk, Russia, by a Eurocot launch vehicle together with micro-satellites from universities in the U.S., Canada and Denmark.
Regarding Capt. Steve Roach's description of Southwest Airlines' attitude toward its employees as assets rather than an entity with which to contend, an axiom attributed to now-retired Honeywell CEO Larry Bossidy says it all: "You will never treat your customer better than you are treated by your own company."
The U.S. Navy is preparing the first deployment of a carrier air wing with both an F/A-18E and -18F squadron. Despite criticism from some Pentagon officials, the service will once again equip the aircraft with a system that has not been fully tested. The Navy deployed the single-seat F/A18E on the USS Abraham Lincoln last year, but the USS Nimitz and Carrier Air Wing 11 will also feature 12 two-seat F/A-18Fs that replace 10 F-14As operated by strike fighter squadron VFA-41.
Raytheon Aircraft Co. plans to lay off another 600 workers by year-end because of weak demand for its business aircraft. The Wichita, Kan.-based company is adjusting production to match the downturn in deliveries.
Europeans are increasingly worried by the Transportation Security Administration's restrictive policy applied to foreign pilots seeking to undergo training in the U.S. According to the TSA's new rules, aliens have to submit a request for authorization prior to attending classes and following flight training courses in the U.S. The TSA has up to 45 days to ratify or reject demands.
Marian Schaffer has been named vice president-corporate development for the Ghetzler Aero-Power Corp., Buffalo Grove, Ill. She was vice president-investments at A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.
If the airline business were a spectator sport, the contest about to get underway between JetBlue and Song, Delta Air Lines' own low-cost carrier, would be a bookmaker's dream.
The NASA/Orbital Sciences Corp. Solar Radiation Climate Experiment (Sorce) satellite designed to tie climate changes on Earth with the Sun is undergoing checkout in a 400-mi. orbit following launch Jan. 25 on a Pegasus booster. The OSC Pegasus XL was air-launched about 120 mi. off Cape Canaveral from the company's Lockheed L-1011 aircraft.
A graduate student at Stanford University has found what promises to be a better hybrid rocket fuel than the usual rubberized polymers like hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB). The new fuel is a broad class of paraffins, imprecisely known as wax, and may make the hybrid rocket a more viable contender.
Werner Lowe's urgent plea to fix defense acquisition couldn't be more correct, particularly in relation to your article in the same issue on current reform proposals (AW&ST Jan. 6, pp. 6 and 23). Our long-standing dithering with hair-measure corrections is unacceptable, given the brilliant example of the Manhattan Project that we have had for six decades. The great difficulty is that the startling, time-saving Manhattan methods are unknown to our current federal and industry defense managers. Here are just a few of Manhattan's many astounding methods:
As it prepares for a critical milestone on its Trent 900 development program--the first engine run in mid-March--British-based propulsion manufacturer Rolls-Royce has finished a series of rig tests clearing the way for the trial. These included ensuring the robustness of a new fan-blade design and the fan containment system, along with validating the emission forecasts for the powerplant. The first of the Hamilton Sundstrand engine control units has also been delivered and is now under test, according to company officials.
The British government faces an intense period of industrial negotiation following a last-minute attempt to cobble together an alliance between two competitors for its 2.8-billion-pound ($4.6-billion) aircraft carrier build program.
Aviation Week & Space Technology has selected the following Laurel Legends for 2002. The Legends are often previous Laurels winners or are individuals picked for contributions to global aerospace over a period of years. Descriptions for Laurels recipients are excerpted from their citations in the magazine. The Legends also will be recognized at the Apr. 8 dinner. Orville and Wilbur Wright
