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
Inside North America, call Edith Roman Associates, Inc. at: (800) 223-2194; Fax (845) 620-9035. Outside North America call The Prospect Shop at: 020 8481 8730; Fax: 020 8783 1940
Christian Leonard has become chief operating officer for Europe for the Denver-based Titanium Metals Corp. He was executive vice president-manufacturing. Robert E. Musgraves, who was executive vice president/general counsel, has become COO for North America. He has been succeeded as general counsel by Joan H. Prusse, who was vice president/deputy general counsel. JoAnne A. Nadalin, who was vice president/corporate controller, has succeeded Mark A. Wallace, who was executive vice president/chief financial officer and has resigned.
Mike Mott, USN Vice Adm. (ret.) Richard H. Truly and Neil de Grasse Tyson have been elected to three-year terms on the board of directors of the Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation. Mott is vice president/general manager of Boeing -NASA Systems in Houston. Truly, a former astronaut, is director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Boulder, Colo., while Tyson is director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York and a visiting research scientist at Princeton University. Former board Chairman Jaime Oaxaca has been elected director emeritus.
Alain Bensoussan has resigned as president of French space agency CNES. He had come under intense fire during an internal crisis that culminated in late January with a damning report calling for a thorough overhaul of the agency (AW&ST Jan. 27, p. 27). The job of finding a replacement, who will combine the functions of president and director general, is expected to take no more than a few weeks. Among the names said to be under consideration is EADS Launch Vehicle head Philippe Couillard.
A USAF/Lockheed U-2S reconnaissance aircraft crashed in South Korea near Osan AB, where it was based, injuring four people on the ground and the pilot. The pilot radioed that he had an emergency and ejected at about 7,000 ft., an Air Force official said. According to one report, the aircraft was returning to Osan and had engine problems. The U-2 is a good glider, but the primary and backup flight instruments failed in instrument weather conditions, forcing the pilot to eject. The Air Force would not confirm this report.
Rolls-Royce Engine Services Oakland is completing a move into a new $4.1-million overhaul facility for the 501/T56-series engines it manufactures in Indianapolis. The shop has a 54,000-sq.-ft. main floor for repair work and an 18,000-sq.-ft. mezzanine for parts/component storage, plus an ancillary engine test cell. It features a closed-loop fluid waste control system to ensure that no fluids pollute San Francisco Bay. California's hazardous waste disposal rules are so stringent that a piece of oil-stained paper must be treated as hazardous waste.
Robert Wall (Washington), David A. Fulghum (Patuxent River, MD.)
Facing the prospect of an inventory shortage of operationally available P-3s as the aging maritime surveillance aircraft begin to run out of life, Navy officials are trying to determine if it is feasible to field the follow-on Multimission Maritime Aircraft faster than planned.
Runway capacity at Charles de Gaulle and Orly is far from being fully utilized, suggesting that the prevailing airport policy should be revamped, according to a French oversight agency. The Cour des Comptes, a government watchdog similar to the U.S. General Accounting Office, last week criticized the political decisions made during the last several years to curtail airport traffic and respond to environmentalists' concerns. Such initiatives helped to create the alleged need for a third airport while ample runway capacity remains available at existing hubs.
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Venkat Shastri (see photo) has been appointed vice president-engineering of Palomar Technologies, Vista, Calif. He was senior director of engineering and product development for KLA-Tencor.
Gary F. Kennedy has become senior vice president/general counsel of American Airlines. He succeeds Anne H. McNamara, who is retiring. Kennedy was vice president-corporate real estate and has been succeeded by Laura Einspanier, who has been managing director of corporate real estate.
As a captain for American Airlines and employee for nearly 19 years, I read with interest Capt. Steve Roach's letter. No doubt, "arrogance and incompetence" and "disastrous and backward attitudes" from executives should be unacceptable. But shouldn't the same be true for union officials? Don't these same words apply to the Allied Pilots Assn.'s illegal sickout in 1999?
The FAA has an open dialogue going with the airlines about whether they can afford the equipment needed on aircraft for the various improvements planned for the air traffic control system through 2008. FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey said she met with airline chief executive officers in December and also offered to have the FAA brief the chief financial officers at the carriers on the specific airborne equipment costs associated with Operational Evolution Plan milestones. No date has been set for a follow-up meeting.
Southwest Airlines' 10,000 customer service/reservations agents last week ratified an agreement extending their existing contract through November 2008. The amended pact, which includes wage increases and stock options, was negotiated by the agents' union, the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
L-3 Communications plans to acquire Goodrich Corp.'s avionics business for $188 million in cash. They expect to close the deal by March. Goodrich Avionics, which is profitable and growing, is a supplier to commercial and military customers.
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries has added participation in General Electric's potential bid to power Boeing's proposed 7E7 210-250-seat jet among a series of development programs.
With this issue, James R. Asker, currently Aviation Week & Space Technology's Washington Bureau chief, becomes the managing editor. Asker joined the magazine in 1989 as a space technology editor and was promoted to Washington Bureau chief in 1995.
