Japan's transport ministry has docked the pay of an air traffic controller instructor by 10% for one month for her part in mixing up flight numbers and giving incorrect instructions to two Japan Airlines jets that could have caused them to collide on Jan. 31, 2001 (AW&ST July 29, p. 52). The punishment included letters of reprimand to the trainee controller she was supervising and the supervising controller. Reprimands frequently affect future promotions and pay in Japan.
Continental Airlines has paid its ExpressJet regional affiliate more than $1.5 billion so far and will add at least $4.3 billion more through 2006 under the capacity-purchase agreement it negotiated with its former subsidiary. The terms were worked out as the Houston-based carrier prepared its former subsidiary for last spring's initial public offering. The pact has Continental buying all of ExpressJet's capacity under a base fee for each scheduled block hour designed to provide the regional carrier with an operating margin of about 10%. THE PRE-SEPT.
The Air Force has been trying for at least five years, without much success, to modernize its behemoth Standard Base Supply System (SBSS) and get it on the Web, and is giving it another go (AW&ST July 10, 2000, p. 23). The SBSS now runs on a Unisys 2200 Clearpath mainframe with a proprietary DMS-100 database and more than 1.4 million lines of Cobol. The scheme is to keep the Cobol to avoid a massive rewrite, but convert it to run under the Sun Solaris Unix operating system with an Oracle database and add the hooks to connect it to the Web.
In the Colorado Springs office, Marc J. Dinerstein has been promoted to principal director from senior project leader of the Space Missions Integration Office and Aerospace Modeling, Simulation and Analysis Applications Center Directorate of the Space Operations, Requirements and Applications Div. Also promoted in that division were R. Keith Duncan to principal director from systems director of the Operational Requirements and Planning Directorate, Kenneth W.
The Boeing Co. has established multiyear, collaborative research and development relationships with Cambridge, Cranfield and Sheffield Universities in the U.K. to work on a variety of advanced information, aeronautics and manufacturing technologies. At each of the institutions, Boeing has entered or will enter into a multimillion-dollar agreement to conduct research and other activities in areas of the different schools' specialties. Cambridge will focus on information technology, including intelligent systems and automated reasoning.
USAF Maj. Gen. Paul D. Nielsen, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, has been selected to receive the Hap Arnold Award for Excellence in Aeronautical Program Management of the Washington-based American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Nielsen was cited for contributions to the restructuring of the Milstar satellite program, his work as director of the plans for Norad and his leadership of the AFRL.
Low-cost airlines EasyJet and Go formally merged early in August following EasyJet's acquisition of Go in a $576.8-million deal. Go and EasyJet's operations are being consolidated under the EasyJet brand name. In related news from Europe, Finnair and American Airlines have received antitrust immunity from the U.S. Transportation Dept. Officials of the two carriers are studying how to further coordinate their networks.
In the wake of intense local opposition--including hostage-taking and days of rioting--Mexico has scrapped plans to build an airport near San Salvador Atenco northeast of the national capital. The facility was meant to replace Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport and would have been the nation's largest infrastructure project. But the site, in the region of Texcoco, included the community of San Salvador Atenco. Opposition to the project began almost as soon as federal officials announced it late last fall.
In the year since Gulfstream technicians began using a portable diagnostic kit on C-37 (Gulfstream V) aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force, the number of avionics components sent out for repair has dropped from about one a week to three or four a year. The product credited with that success is the ``Fly-Away Kit'' from DPI Labs.
The Defense Dept. acquisition chief, E.C. (Pete) Aldridge, last week said the Pentagon ``is finding no showstoppers'' in its review of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s proposed acquisition of TRW Inc., although he said ``there's a lot of concern'' about the detail. The only major Northrop competitor to voice opposition thus far is Lockheed Martin Corp., which remains worried that it could lose access to TRW's space business as a supplier.
PanAmSat joined forces with Britain's BT Broadcast Services to distribute digital video, enhancing the Hughes-owned satellite service provider's European presence as it seeks to give customers worldwide distribution for their content. PanAmSat will distribute video programming through BT's teleports and fiber network, while BT will gain access to video service delivered by PanAmSat.
Rod Hullaby has been promoted to station manager for Norfolk (Va.) International Airport from manager of training and employee resources at Baltimore-Washington International Airport for Southwest Airlines.
George Mikelsons, who founded American Trans Air 29 years ago, resumed daily control of the Indianapolis-based major airline last week, replacing a youthful CEO and pledging to pare down expenses to fit with the impoverished revenue environment. Mikelsons said his main task will be ``wrestling down the cost alligator.'' Reducing expenses offers the only option for American Trans Air (ATA), he said. Carrier officials are in discussions with Boeing and leasing companies about delivery delays for 737-800 and 757-300 aircraft.
Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has directed the Ministry of Finance to evaluate how the government can reacquire shares in Philippine Airlines so it can once again control the recently revitalized carrier, according to a ministry official. The official, who sought anonymity, said the buy-back from businessman Lucio Tan is regarded as necessary if the Philippines is to liberalize the local travel industry and boost tourism. ``The plan to regain ownership of PAL was being evaluated in line with the open skies policy that is pending with the U.S.
Low-cost carrier Ryanair appears to continue to defy financial gravity, releasing another set of even better than expected earnings last week. However, its market environment is growing ever-more competitive, U.K. flag carrier British Airways only days earlier suggesting its foray into the cut-price arena was beginning to bear fruit. The no-frills carrier saw its first-quarter profit climb 68%, to 39 million euros, over the same quarter for the previous year. Passenger numbers rose 38%, with load factor figures up 6% to 83%.
Leslie J. Cohen (see photos) has been appointed senior vice president-sales, marketing and business development, Lawrence L. Butt senior vice president-operations and William A. Timmerman senior vice president-finance, all at Hitco Carbon Composites of Los Angeles.
Organizations such as airports that want to put mobile users on a private data network over a large, harsh area can look at the Safari Network SR-7100 by NavCom Technology of Redondo Beach, Calif. The mobile unit has a 9.6 X 6 X 5-in.-high radio module to place on top of the vehicle and a 6 X 4.25 X 2-in.-high ``port expander'' to connect to the computer inside, using several protocols ranging from RS232 to Ethernet, with other protocols in development. Range of the 2.4-GHz.
The Expedition 5 crew on the International Space Station is preparing for extravehicular activities on Aug. 16 and Aug. 22. Both will be performed in Russian space suits and led by Russian mission control. During the Aug. 16 EVA, station commander Valeri Korzun and astronaut Peggy Whitson are to install six space debris shields on the ISS Service Module. On the Aug. 22 EVA, Korzun and cosmonaut Sergei Treschev will install several components on the station's exterior.
Gary Hammes has been named director of maintenance and engineering, based at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, for DHL Airways. He was director of maintenance operations at Evergreen Aviation.
The Pentagon's planned B-1 bomber retirement and rebasing program appears to be on-track for completion by Oct. 1, 2003, despite resistance from congressional and local leaders in affected states. The last three Boeing B-1B Lancers operated by the 184th Bomb Wing at McConnell AFB, Kan., left the base on Aug. 4, bound for Ellsworth AFB, S.D., and Dyess AFB, Tex.--which ultimately will be the only two bases flying B-1Bs (see photo). The Kansas Air National Guard (ANG) unit's nine bombers are being replaced by 10 KC-135R air refueling tankers.
Middle East airport upgrades are expected to bring $7.8 billion in spending to the region through 2005. Building plans include a $3.3-billion expansion of the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah airports in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait's Airspace System and a new terminal at International Airport in Muscat, Oman. Projects in Egypt include a $500-million expansion of Cairo International Airport and a $200-million program at Sharm El Sheikh airport, as well as the building of six new domestic facilities.
The World Trade Organization's delay of a key ruling on U.S. export subsidies has bought the Bush administration and Congress time to try resolving differences with their European Union counterparts. But so far, Washington is still in a quandary about how to abide by the trade regulations without harming U.S. industry. The WTO last month once again put off a decision over whether the EU is entitled to impose $4 billion in retaliatory sanctions against the U.S., or whether the figure should be no more than $1.1 billion, as Washington contends.
By DAVID A. FULGHUMBy DOUGLAS BARRIE ( WASHINGTON LONDON)
With Congress' decision to hold hearings on whether war with Iraq is justified, top U.S. military officials have rethought their stance on a possible invasion. They now believe the military needs public approval in advance from Congress. The decision has two political goals: to obtain unequivocal support for the operation from Congress, which controls the Pentagon's purse strings, and to force opposition Democrats into declaring their support or opposition early so there is little partisan sniping once hostilities begin. ``The Pentagon paid attention to the [Sen.
