ESIS Inc. of San Diego went the other way. Started a decade ago, the privately held company's foundation was in aerospace with Honeywell Aerospace Engines & Systems, Cessna, Bell Helicopter and Boeing Canoga Park (Rocketdyne) as leading customers (AW&ST Aug. 21, 2000, p. 70). ESIS' Harmony Order Management System (HOM) software reconciles the data fields of multiple purchase ordering systems.
Jay Grove, senior vice president/general manager for EMS Technologies' Space & Technology Group in Atlanta, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Southeast Council of the American Electronics Assn.
R. (Skip) Davies has been named vice president-sales and marketing and Louie Gravel chief inspector for Western Aircraft Inc., Boise, Idaho. Davies was director of sales and international operations for the Raytheon Aircraft Co. Gravel was lead quality assurance inspector for Bombardier Aerospace, Windsor, Conn.
First delivery soon for utility/business TBM700 C2 Maximum cruise speed is 300 kt., and operating ceiling 31,000 ft. 27 WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS Infowar to invade air defense networks U.S. can now conduct computer attack in support of precision bombardment, or as an alternative 30 Eroding GPS worries Pentagon More than half of satellites no longer fully operational; no way to accurately tell when more will fail 31 Jamming role given to F-22, F-35, MC2A
Swiss International Airlines and Canadian carriers are poised to benefit from unrestricted flight frequency and seat capacity between their home countries. Switzerland and Canada last week ratified an open skies-type bilateral accord designed to fully deregulate air transportation. In addition, the agreement would enable Swiss to implement a decision to operate code-share flights with American Airlines.
As a former marketing director for a regional airline that operated the ATR 42, I read with interest the article concerning potential future sales of ATR turboprops in the U.S. (AW&ST Sept. 30, p. 51). However, you failed to mention the possibility of a replacement turboprop market in the U.S.
The U.S. and Jamaica initialed an open skies aviation agreement Oct. 30, extending to passenger service the market liberalization they negotiated for all-cargo operations in October 2000. Under open skies, airlines of either country may operate without restriction between and beyond each country. One exception: U.S. carriers won't be allowed to combine charter passengers originating in different countries on the same aircraft until Nov.1, 2005. Jamaica is the U.S.' 59th open skies partner.
By next April, Japan's Skymark Airlines will take over three of All Nippon Airways' routes, further evidence of ANA aligning with discounter carriers to counter the domestic strength of Japan Airlines now that it has taken over Japan Air System. Earlier, ANA said it would help Air Do, another discounter, avoid financial calamity by extending support services.
European low-cost carrier Ryanair is to use Milan Bergamo as the third of its continental European bases from February 2003. The initial route structure will cover London, Frankfurt, Brussels, Hamburg, Paris and Barcelona.
John Thomas advocates splitting up United Airlines. United's last fatal accident caused by pilot error was in December 1978, when a DC-8 crashed on approach at Portland, Ore., after the flight crew ran the fuel tanks dry while troubleshooting a landing gear problem. It's too bad that the marketplace gives United no credit for the culture of safety that created a superior record. As a frequent United flier, I appreciate that safety is the top priority. Unfortunately, that has not helped the bottom line or public support.
Robert Chicas (see photo) has been appointed vice president/deputy manager of New York-based HOK Aviation for its Indianapolis International Airport Midfield Terminal project. He was a project manager at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.
An attack on Iraq, and other potential military action in support of the U.S. war on terrorism, is causing military planners to consider new electronic and information warfare initiatives, although there continue to be signs that the Pentagon doesn't have a firm grasp on how to treat the disciplines.
Alliant Techsystems has bought Science and Applied Technology, the developer of the Navy's Anti-Radiation Guided Missile seeker. The deal should ensure the future of the Aargm program, which had come in doubt because of a federal grand jury indictment against former SAT President Parthasarathi (Robert) Majumder. Aargm is a multi-mode seeker that could be used to upgrade or replace Raytheon's Harm anti-radar missile. The program will fit into ATK's Precision Systems Group that was formed in April.
NASA seems to be between a rock and a hard place on keeping a fresh Soyuz capsule as a lifeboat at the International Space Station. Russia's obligation to provide the three-seat vehicles runs out in 2006, and the U.S. agency can't buy them after that because of the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000. The Bush White House isn't likely to certify that Russia has stopped helping Iran develop missiles and weapons of mass destruction, which is what it would take to free up U.S. funds under the act.
China's rise as a manufacturing nation has been astounding. It is achieving the economic status of a superpower on the strength of its membership in the World Trade Organization; a young, motivated, low-wage workforce; and aggressive industrial policies. With annual economic growth in the 8% range, China is fast attaining a world manufacturing ranking in the same league as Japan, the European Union and the U.S.
Beverly Wyse has been appointed director of deployment and installation for Seattle-based Connexion by Boeing. She was director of management for the Boeing 757 program.
Martin Larson has become vice president-sales for DHL Worldwide Express in San Francisco. He was senior vice president-sales and marketing at Consolidated Freightways.
The European Commission's competition directorate will terminate investigations of two transatlantic airline alliances, amounting to confirmation of a double de facto ratification. Northwest Airlines' and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines' allegedly dominant market shares on Detroit-Amsterdam and Minneapolis/St. Paul-Amsterdam will no longer be disputed by the EC, in the absence of takeoff/landing slot constraints. Other carriers could serve both city-pairs to compete with Northwest and KLM, according to European officials.
Charter operators in the U.S. are facing increased competition from their counterparts in Europe, particularly during the winter season when the Caribbean vacation market heats up. In addition, mainline U.S. airlines are using part of their excess capacity to operate charters. Ronald N. Priddy, president of the National Air Carrier Assn., which represents 12 FAR Part 121 carriers, said the European share of the U.S. charter business has doubled in the past three years. Top competitors in the U.S.
EchoStar Communications Corp., in a bid to salvage its proposed merger with Hughes DirecTV, has offered to transfer to Cablevision an orbital slot that covers the West Coast of the U.S. If the Justice Dept. approves the plan, Cablevision would be able to offer direct broadcast services across the U.S. To sweeten the offer, EchoStar also has offered to share satellites with Cablevision for broadcasting local channels. Despite these efforts, some industry analysts still expect regulators to block the merger on grounds that it is anticompetitive.
The Pentagon, which eliminated the DOD 5000 series acquisition rules this year, is continuing its crusade to rewrite and simplify regulations. Next to go is the voluminous Joint Technical Architecture (JTA) that spells out "standards and guidelines for the acquisition of all DOD systems that produce, use, or exchange information." In its place, the Defense Dept. wants a 14-page document that sets a minimum number of standards, leaving most technical implementation issues for each program to resolve in its own way.
Nov. 11-14--Airports Council International-North America's 11th Annual Conference. Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City. Call +1 (202) 293-8500 or fax +1 (202) 466-5555. Nov. 14-15--First Global Aviation Information Network Asia-Pacific Regional Conference. Tokyo International Forum. Call +1 (301) 907-7670 fax +1 (301) 907-0036 or see www.gainweb.org. Nov. 17-19--Air Transport Assn. of Canada's Annual General Meeting & Trade Show. Marriott Hotel & Telus Convention Center, Calgary, Alberta. Call +1 (613) 233-7727, ext. 312.
