The Mitsubishi MH-2000 utility helicopter is scheduled to return to commercial flight status next year, more than two years after a prototype crashed, killing the pilot and injuring five passengers. The accident prompted the company and Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to ground the helicopter, after three had been delivered. Investigators determined that a faulty tail rotor blade design caused a vibration that led to separation of the rotor. As a result, the government suspended the aircraft's type certificate.
A long decision-making roadblock at Italian space agency ASI that has stalled several important European space programs, including a major Venus mission and the Galileo satellite navigation system, appears to be coming to an end.
Paul E. Sterbenz has been named to the board of directors of TLX Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz. He is a retired vice president-flight operations for Southwest Airlines and a former member of the board of directors of U.K.-based Go Fly Ltd.
Colleen Barrett, president/chief operating officer of Southwest Airlines, has received an Inaugural Compass Award from the New York-based Women's Leadership Exchange. She and the other honorees are women who operate or own growth businesses. Barrett was cited for being the developer and keeper of Southwest's "innovative customer-focused culture."
Boeing rolled out the 777-300ER last week and said it would restart production of the 777-200LR. The 365-passenger 300ER has a range of 7,250 naut. mi. and features the introduction of the General Electric GE-90-115B engine with 123,000 lb. thrust. Pakistan International Airlines has formalized the purchase of eight 777s, including the first two 777-200LRs (also powered by GE90-115B engines) and three 777-300ERs. Air France will be first to take delivery of the -300ER in early 2004.
Daren Iverson has been promoted to vice president-contracts and finance/chief financial officer from director of contracts of Spectrum Astro, Gilbert, Ariz. He has been succeeded by Shari Weisbach, who was business manager for the Space-Based Infrared System Low program.
Honeywell has delivered the first three F124-GA-200 turbofan engines to Aermacchi for use in its M-346 prototype. The International Turbine Engine Corp., a joint venture with Aero Industrial Development Corp. of Taiwan, is scheduled to deliver four more of the turbofan engines for two additional prototypes to be used in the two-seat trainer's flight test program. Flight testing of the twin-engine aircraft is slated to begin in mid-2003.
D.S. Kohlberg wrote that arming airline pilots would make hijacking situations worse by placing firearms in the hands of untrained pilots (AW&ST Sept. 30, p.6). Two points about the armed pilot program proposed by the Airline Pilots Security Alliance and other pilot groups are: * No pilot group proposes to arm any pilot without extensive training in firearms handling and retention, as well as other applicable subjects.
Nov. 30-Dec. 1--First European Air Racing History Symposium. Holiday Inn Le Bourget-Garonor, Paris. Call +1 (703) 684-6032 or e-mail: [email protected]. Dec. 4-5--Quebec Assn. of Air Carriers Inc.'s 27th Annual Convention & Trade Show. Hotel Loews Le Concorde, Quebec City. Call +1 (418) 871-4635 or fax +1 (418) 871-8189. Dec. 4-5--Fourth Annual Information Technology & Digital Data Conference. Europa InterContinental Hotel, Brussels. Call +44 (207) 931-7072 or fax +44 (207) 931-7186.
The launch of Endeavour carrying a $390-million Boeing systems truss and the Expedition 6 crew to the International Space Station was, as of late last week, tentatively rescheduled for late Nov. 18, following the repair of a gaseous oxygen leak that scrubbed the original launch attempt Nov. 11. Engineers, however, were assessing whether possible metal fatigue in the oxygen line could be a fleet-wide issue with more serious schedule implications.
Randall K. Smith has become vice president-sales and distribution for Midwest Express Airlines. He was vice president-scheduling for Trans World Airlines.
EADS' revenues for the first nine months of this year decreased 3% to 19.9 billion euros ($20 billion), including $13.7 billion generated by Airbus deliveries. The European group's earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) decreased 10% to $1.01 billion, a negative trend resulting in the military aircraft division's and space unit's heavy losses. The Airbus division's EBIT regressed 5% to $1.07 billion.
Congress finally completed work on the $393-billion Fiscal 2003 defense authorization bill, with few adjustments to major aviation programs, but lawmakers signaled that they want the Pentagon to do a better job with its intelligence programs. Work on the bill was delayed largely due to jousting between the White House and Congress over health-care related language.
SpaceDev's Miniature Flight Computer (MFC) is to be launched on the tiny 100-lb. Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS) satellite in December (www.spacedev.com). The general-purpose MFC has very low power consumption, running at 300 million instructions per sec. with only 6 watts. Processing speed and mode can be varied as needed, running power consumption down to as low as 0.5 watt. The MFC has passed environmental testing for low-Earth orbit missions and is ready for spacecraft or launcher use.
I couldn't agree more with Hal Berenson and Jason D. Steele (AW&ST Oct. 7, p.8). If the airlines want to know why they have fewer customers, their executives should fly from, say, Auckland to Los Angeles in economy class. In an era when people are taller and fatter than ever, airlines reduce seat pitch every year, it seems. I refuse to pay $1,500 to have the head of the guy in front of me in my lap when he reclines his seat. Next time, I'll get a big dog carrier and ride in the hold; it's got to be more comfortable.
Also, Wyld Propulsion Award, Yvonne Brill, for innovations in on-orbit propulsion systems and management contributions to the U.S. space program; George M.
An interagency task force in Washington is being formed to speed the review of the possible environmental impacts of a runway project at Philadelphia International Airport. It will bring together federal officials with concerns as diverse as defense and historic preservation to speed what is typically a years-long process before ground can be broken. Acting on an executive order from President Bush, the Transportation Dept. selected seven projects for expedited environmental reviews, but the PHL runway is the only one that is aviation-related.
Right after the House passed its bill to create the Homeland Security Dept., former Sen. Warren Rudman (R-N.H.) told a Senate subcommittee that the U.S. remains "literally naked" facing the imminent threat of terrorism. Rudman who co-chaired a commission that recommended February 2001 creating such a department, told the subcommittee on technology, terrorism and government information, chaired by Sen.
The Bombardier CRJ900 regional jet last week was awarded the FAA type approval certificate, and European JAA type recommendation is soon expected, according to the aircraft manufacturer. The 86-seat regional aircraft won Transport Canada type approval in September.
Daniel Crowley has been appointed vice president-business development and advanced programs for Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Operations, Sunnyvale, Calif. He was vice president-business development of the Theater High Altitude Area Defense program.
TUI, a major European tour and air charter operator, has agreed to set up a venture in China in what will be its first major foray outside of Europe. The joint venture, to be called TUI China, will be majority owned by Hannover, Germany-based TUI, in partnership with CTS of China and independent businessman Martin Buese. TUI executives did not say whether the venture would include charter airline operations, but the company's practice generally has been to establish such operations in major markets.
Say goodbye to the U.S. airline industry as we know it. A dramatic transformation is underway, although it still may be imperceptible to most of the flying public. Emerging slowly but surely is a domestic industry that eventually could be dominated not by traditional hub-and-spoke airlines, such as United and Delta, but by low-cost carriers like Southwest. Until a few years ago, they were cavalierly dismissed--begrudgingly tolerated.
Willem Luuk Nijdam has been named Netherlands-based general manager of Goodyear Aviation Tires for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He was vice president-operations for MSI Cellular Investments Holdings in Africa.
The Secure II series of locks are designed for large-cabin business jets. Each set contains up to 23 individual locks for every door and access panel on an aircraft, all accessed by one key that can be duplicated only by the manufacturer. The locks can be installed by aircraft manufacturers on the assembly line or in completion facilities, or through retrofit by the lock company. The Secure II devices mount flush with the airframe, and align vertically when in the locked position so pilots can tell at a glance that all doors and panels are locked.
