Aviation Week & Space Technology

The two U.S.-based space launch companies that use the Russian Block DM upper stage will analyze Russian findings on why the stage failed to push the Astra 1K communications satellite to its proper orbit last year before they attempt any more launches with the stage themselves.

In the midst of the airline industry's deep downturn and its attendant effect on aircraft deliveries, overhaul sales continue to be a major contributor to engine manufacturers' vitality, according to Snecma Services' top executives. The French propulsion group's maintenance, overhaul and repair (MRO) unit last year had 630 million euros ($661.5 million) in revenues. In 2002, the group's overall revenues decreased 6% to 6.5 billion euros after being impacted by weakening civil sales.

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]

One of the biggest hurdles to fulfilling the combat potential of network-centric warfare (NCW) may be "people issues," not technology or organization. Unless the Pentagon revises its promotion and rating criteria, there may be little incentive for military officers and senior enlisted personnel to embrace NCW.

Meridiana is the latest Italian airline lured into the low-cost arena in an attempt to defend market shares. But instead of setting up a true low-cost arm, Meridiana prefers to offer very discounted fares through 2003, up to 1.5 million tickets, worth about a quarter of the airline's capacity, on both domestic and international routes. The prices range from a low of 9 euros ($9.65), to 49 euros, for each leg.

Southwest Airlines posted its 30th consecutive year of profitability, earning $241 million including $42.4 in the fourth quarter of 2002. But officials warn that weak revenue conditions may threaten first-quarter earnings.

The NTSB is trying to determine how a routine morning taxi at New York LaGuardia Airport went awry last week, resulting in extensive damage to a Northwest Airlines Airbus A319 and Boeing 757 and minor injuries to six people. On Jan. 20, a maintenance crew set out to reposition the A319 from a hard stand parking area to Northwest's Gate 10 at the Delta terminal, a distance of about a mile.

Herley Industries has received contracts totaling $3.9 million to provide defense electronics for the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile program.

Ken Maxwell has been appointed vice president-security for JetBlue Airways. He was assistant special agent-in-charge of the Chicago office of the FBI.

Philip J. Anson, Jr., has been promoted to president from executive vice president of STS Holdings, Jensen Beach, Fla.

Joining the growing tide of commercially available real-time operating systems (RTOSs) for safety-critical embedded software is the latest version 4.0 of LynuxWorks' LynxOS RTOS, due out in the first half of this year. It is intended for both civil and military applications. The new version is designed to be certifiable to the DO-178B Level A standard of flight safety--the level required by the most critical aircraft systems.

Bruce L. Arnheim and Charles P. Wright of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif., have won the Otto Hamberg Best Paper Award for their work on testing. The paper, entitled "Insight Into the Value of System Level Thermal Vacuum Testing," won the award at the 20th Aerospace Testing Seminar. Arnheim is director and Wright a senior engineering specialist in the Cross Program Research Office in the company's Systems Engineering Div. The award commemorates contributions to the space testing community made by the late Hamberg, who worked for the company.

American Airlines and British Airways, seeking Transportation Dept. approval for a transatlantic code-share program without the hot-button privilege of immunity from U.S. antitrust laws (AW&ST Nov. 25, 2002, p. 33), won't get the green light anytime soon. The department told the carriers Jan. 16 that they must provide considerably more information on plans, agreements, policies, marketing, traffic and fares before their application can be considered complete.

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Former astronaut Eugene A. Cernan's notion of placing a high school student into space ignores those of us who have been chasing the dream our entire lives (AW&ST Dec. 23, 2002, p. 62).

Orbital Sciences Corp. has received $50 million worth of contract modifications from Boeing to develop, test and produce interceptor boost vehicles for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's ground-based midcourse defense system. The contract now extends through 2007 and has increased in value to $450 million. Orbital has optional orders for production of 50 interceptor boosters worth an estimated $535 million.

Tired of unruly passengers, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is raising fines for such offenses as smoking, drunkenness, use of cell phones in flight, sexual harassment of the crew, violence or loud behavior, to 500,000 yen ($4,270).

Regarding the article on the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center (AW&ST Jan. 6, p. 46), I hope program operators have carefully considered the effect of these maneuvers on the aircraft fatigue life. In view of the recent loss of several firefighting aircraft engaged in similar operations, this risk demands an in-depth study. Other aircraft have had their service lives shortened by being used extensively at low altitude, involving much turbulence and aggressive maneuvering. They were designed for higher altitude with smoother air and less maneuvering.

Steven Baker has been named deputy aviation director of the Miami-Dade Aviation Dept. He was deputy general manager of Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport.

Predator attrition is continuing at a relatively high pace, with Iraq once again managing to shoot down one of the reconnaissance drones operating in the southern no-fly zone. However, Iraq's last two Predator downings were of UAVs operated by the CIA, not the military. On the other hand, the Pentagon has also suffered considerable Predator losses, with 27 of the 75 bought having crashed or been shot down. The Air Force is buying about two per month to replenish downed aircraft and to boost its inventory.

Continental Airlines and SNCF French railways next week are scheduled to implement a code-share agreement covering 13 French points including Avignon, Bordeaux, Marseilles and Montpellier. The joint venture will enable Continental's transatlantic passengers to catch a TGV high-speed train at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport to their final destination. TGV trips will add miles to the OnePass frequent-flier program, an indication that a truly intermodal accord has been inked.

As North Korea continues to defy the Western Powers over its nuclear program, Japan has begun preparing for one of its most ambitious space challenges, the piggyback launch of its first two reconnaissance satellites. The satellites, which are expected to be launched on an HIIA rocket in late February or early March, are the first set of four. The second pair is to be launched this summer.

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