Gina Marie Lindsey, director of the Aviation Div. at the Port of Seattle, has been elected chairman of Washington, D.C.-based Airports Council International-North America for 2003. Members of the executive committee are: Patrick Graham, executive director of the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, first vice chairman; Kent George, executive director of the Allegheny County (Pa.) Aviation Authority, second vice chairman; Steve Grossman, director of aviation of the Port of Oakland, secretary-treasurer; and Richard M.
European launch executives appear to be stepping up efforts to engineer the transfer of Ariane 5 launcher development responsibility from CNES to the European Space Agency. The behind-the-scenes maneuvering seems to have the backing of key contractors in the sector, including EADS, Snecma and Arianespace. However, ESA Director General Antonio Rodota is maintaining a prudent stance. "Let's not go too far, too fast," said Rodota, who in midyear will be replaced by ESA launcher director Jean-Jacques Dordain, a strong backer of launch sector reorganization.
he post he has held for nearly seven years, for a new position at the agency as senior civil engineer/national resource specialist for highway investigations. During his tenure, Black was the on-scene board member at a number of high-profile aviation accidents, including the Nov. 12, 2001, crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in New York.
John Thornton and Tim Hancock of the FAA, Capt. Brent Blackwell of American Airlines, John Burks of Arinc, James Grace of Rockwell Collins, and Computer Sciences Corp., for the implementation on Oct. 7 of the first U.S. domestic operational Controller Pilot Data Link Communications at Miami Center. This effort, dubbed Build 1, will be under test until October 2003. The system is aimed at easing radio frequency congestion and creating an efficient and safer ATC system with fewer delays.
Operators of Raytheon Beechcraft Models 1900, 1900C and D aircraft worked zealously to meet a Jan. 31 deadline for elevator system checks mandated last week under an emergency airworthiness directive, while the FAA ordered its inspectors to validate weight and balance programs and inspect cargo restraint systems for all 10-19-seat aircraft operated by Part 121 carriers.
Aviation Week & Space Technology's editors have selected the following 2002 Laureates from the individuals and teams who were nominated in six categories for 2002 Laurels citations. One recipient was selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award this year. Each individual and group member listed below will receive the Laureate Trophy at ceremonies in Washington on Apr. 8 at the National Air and Space Museum. The accomplishments of the Laureate recipients will be recounted in the Apr. 21 issue. COMMERCIAL AIR TRANSPORT
Hybrid rockets that combine solid and liquid propellants are getting another look after the flight of this experimental sounding rocket late last year (see p. 50). The Lockheed Martin vehicle used liquid oxygen and hydroxyl-terminated poly- butadiene fuel to reach an altitude of more than 44 mi. with a NASA aerodynamics payload on board. Lockheed Martin photo.
It will take intervention at the highest government levels to get Europe's long-stalled Galileo satellite navigation system back on the rails, says Sergio Vetrella, president of the Italian space agency ASI, suggesting that an upcoming European Union foreign affairs council in March might be the proper venue. But his counterpart at the German aerospace center DLR, Sigmar Wittig, insists there is still room for discussion. Germany has offered to accept an equal work split with Italy, France and the U.K. for the portion of the program financed by ESA.
In the perennial tug-of-war between Airbus and Boeing, differences of opinion are often the order of the day. What is unusual, however, is to witness a sharp exchange between executives of the companies in a public forum. Such was the case last week when Airbus Executive Vice President John Leahy and Boeing Business Strategies and Marketing Vice President Nicole Passecki squared off. The occasion--a New York-based industry panel discussion focused on fleet planning. A Wall Street analyst asked whether airframe manufacturers are marketing too many models.
What's wrong with this picture? We arrive at the airport. Our luggage is unlocked for inspection. After inspection, our luggage goes to the cargo hold. We don't see our luggage again until it appears on the carousel at our destination. The nice people of the TSA urge us to get our luggage quickly, so no thief can steal anything. But, our luggage has been unlocked ever since it was surrendered to the nice baggage checkers--the TSA minions. From the moment our unlocked luggage left our sight until it reappeared, we had no control over our bags.
Small- and medium-size defense technology companies who worry about staying ahead of their rivals--and are frustrated by their inability to attract more government R&D money--will want to chew on this: The Pentagon wants to expand its existing supplier base with technology firms with whom it currently does little or no business.
Inconclusive results from a Russian investigation into the root cause of last year's failure of a Russian Block DM-3 upper stage may have a bigger impact on Sea Launch, which uses a variant of the stage, than on International Launch Services, which organized the failed mission. Investigators said they may never know the source of the contamination blamed for the failure that stranded Astra 1K, the largest communications satellite ever built, in a useless orbit after its launch on a Proton rocket.
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Astrium has received an 82.4-million-euro ($89-million) contract to develop Venus Express, a recently approved ESA mission due to be launched in November 2005 on a Soyuz Fregat rocket. Astrium is also prime for Mars Express, on which the Venus Express design will be based. c
Britain's limited space budget will at best remain flat over the next three years, with the government's latest space strategy paper--released recently--focusing on commercial exploitation. The draft paper--coincidentally unveiled two days after the European Commission's Green Paper--spelled out the government's narrow ambitions, married to a tight funding regime. A three-month consultative period on the strategy will conclude in March.
John M. Devine, vice chairman/chief financial officer of the General Motors Corp., has been named to the board of directors of subsidiary Hughes Electronics Corp., El Segundo, Calif. Thomas E. Everhart is retiring from the board.
Kevin Dobby has been appointed senior vice president and corporate secretary of the International Air Transport Assn. He was senior vice president-member and government relations and has been succeeded by Thomas Windmuller. Robert Hutt has been named chief financial officer. He succeeds Louise Roy, who has left the organization.
With a "Song" in its heart, Delta will launch its successor to low-fare Delta Express Apr. 15 with service from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport to West Palm Beach, Fla. "Song," a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, will go head-to-head with JFK-based JetBlue Airways in marketplace and services. It initially will offer nonstop services between Northeast U.S. cites and Florida leisure destinations. By October, Song plans to be operating 144 flights using a 36-aircraft fleet of 199-seat, all-coach-class Boeing 757s (see p. 12).
William B. Scott (Colorado Springs), David Hughes (Washington)
The promise and potential of network-centric warfare (NCW) is reshaping U.S. military doctrine, operations and acquisition plans. Much of the impetus has come from innovative troops in combat and forward-thinking Pentagon "mavericks," who believe warfighting tenets must change dramatically to meet current and projected threats.
Correction: The maximum takeoff weight of the Airbus A330-200 was listed incorrectly in the Airline Outlook column (AW&ST Jan. 20, p. 13). The correct figure is 512,600 lb.
Charlie Douglas (see photo) has been promoted to president/chief operating officer from vice president-engineering and programs for SimAuthor Inc., Boulder, Colo. Stephen Lakowske, who has been president/CEO, will remain as CEO/chief technology officer.
Trade associations representing airlines and other aviation inter- ests asked the Transportation Security Administration on Jan. 17 to delay again the deadline for compliance with the so-called 12-5 rule--security requirements for operators of aircraft certified for maximum takeoff weight of 12,500 lb. In November, the TSA extended the deadline from Dec. 1, 2002, to Feb. 1, 2003, because it couldn't make guidance available to smaller operators in time (AW&ST Nov. 18, p. 21).
OBITUARY: James B. Taylor, 3rd, one of the leading corporate aircraft salesman, died on Jan. 16. He was 81. Taylor was a U.S. Navy test pilot and flew carrier-based fighters during World War II. His corporate jet sales career started as vice president of Pan American World Airways Business Jets Div. in 1963. He then held sales and marketing positions with Cessna Aircraft and the Canadair Chal- lenger program. In 1985, Taylor became president/CEO of Gates Learjet.
