Conrad Clifford has been appointed commercial director of the England-based Menzies Aviation Group. He was director of commercial planning at Virgin Atlantic Airways.
Pedro Arguelles Salaverria has become vice president-international relations for Boeing-Spain. He was an executive with the Spanish airport and air traffic control authority Aeropuertos Espanoles y Navegacion Aerea.
The shuttle Atlantis is set for liftoff Apr. 4 on a $1-billion flight carrying the first section of the International Space Station's 300-ft. truss and the robotic transporter system that will be used to install further truss sections, along with the rest of the station's massive solar array wings. The 44 X 15-ft. Boeing ``S-Zero'' truss also carries key avionics and electrical systems essential for installation of the Italian Node 2 module and the European and Japanese laboratory modules.
Proponents of developing a reusable military spaceplane aren't getting a lot of encouragement from top Air Force space officials these days. Peter B. Teets, Air Force undersecretary and director of the National Reconnaissance Office, said a military spaceplane is ``definitely in the cards, but the question is: How far out?'' The service and NASA are studying development of a military/civil reusable launch vehicle to replace the space shuttle, although Teets noted that a manned RLV is probably not a high priority for the Air Force. Lt. Gen. Roger G.
To the Chinese, the dragon is a sign of good luck and good fortune. Certainly, China appears to be bringing Dragonair good luck and fortune. The Hong Kong-based carrier, long known for its China connections, is increasing services to 14 of the 17 destinations in its summer schedule. Business stops take top billing. Shanghai will have the biggest increase--up eight flights a week to a total of 56; Beijing will jump to 42 from 37 and Xiamen to 11 from seven. Tourism is providing another boost for destinations such as Guilin, Kunming and Dalian.
Boeing Ceska is considering reducing its shareholding in Aero Vodochody. The joint venture between Boeing and CSA Czech Airlines currently owns 35% of the Czech aircraft manufacturer. Ongoing discussions follow sharp criticism of Boeing Ceska's allegedly poor management performance and disagreement over a BAE Systems/Saab Aircraft proposal to buy into the aircraft company.
The rudder of an American Airlines Airbus A300-600 approaching Miami on May 11, 1999, went wild, surprising the crew and forcing a wobbly go-around. They were able to get Flight 916 under control and land successfully. The cause was a combination of autopilot problems--a malfunction plus a miswiring by maintenance workers. But the frightening thing was, the problem occurred when the autopilot was turned off. Try figuring that out while flying the airplane.
Airline equities have pulled back 10-20% from their recent highs--a correction some Wall Street analysts welcome inasmuch as they thought the stocks were getting ahead of industry fundamentals. The sell-off is reflected in Aviation Week's Airline 25 index. The question is how investors will likely respond when carriers begin reporting their first-quarter financials and a clearer picture emerges of how much red ink the industry is likely to have hemorrhaged for the three-month period.
Qantas is rearranging its Latin American connections. Starting July 1, Qantas will code-share with Oneworld partner Lan Chile on thrice-weekly services from Sydney to Santiago, which operate via Auckland, New Zealand. The Santiago flights will replace Qantas' flights to Buenos Aires. Qantas attributed the drop in Argentina-Australia travel to Argentina's political and economic turmoil.
Dee Howard Aircraft Maintenance, which filed for protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy rules in February, could be sold as early as Apr. 18 to the highest bidder. Jim Malone, managing director of Bridge Associates and acting CEO of Dee Howard, said the filing was necessary because of the company's zero earnings and a negative cash flow that had been ``going on for months with no end in sight.'' He said, however, the ``doors remain open,'' and contract maintenance work is continuing. San Antonio-based Dee Howard was ``hit especially hard'' by the weak U.S.
Civil aviation authority representatives from 27 Western and Central African countries convened this month to explore joint solutions for the continent's aviation problems. The group resolved to implement the International Civil Aviation Assn.'s practices, particularly those for safety and security. They also discussed the advantages of taking a regional approach in harmonizing aviation regulations, obtaining financing and perhaps even organizing a joint civil aviation authority such as Europe's JAA.
US Airways, which expects to report a sizable loss for the quarter ended Mar. 31, may apply for federal loan guarantees under the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act. In the short term, the airline's liquidity is adequate, according to Standard&Poor's.
James Bock, an astrophysicist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent careers. Bock was cited for the detectors and instruments he has built for infrared millimeter wave astrophysics.
Embraer has selected the Goodrich Corp. to provide windshield heater controllers for the Embraer 145 regional jet series. The program includes production aircraft and retrofit upgrades.
Engine makers General Electric, Pratt&Whitney and Rolls-Royce are cautiously sizing up the competition as each prepares for a potentially bruising, three-way battle for market share on Boeing's proposed 747-400X Quiet Longer Range transport family.
UAL Corp. paid James E. Goodwin, the former chairman and CEO, a $5.4-million severance, according to a proxy statement filed Mar. 27 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This figure was based on three times his annual salary plus bonus. Goodwin resigned under pressure in October 2001 after notifying employees the company might perish if financial losses continued in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
The leadership of the U.S. government is committed to using every tool at its disposal to prosecute the war on terrorism. Bush Administration officials have declared again and again that an all-out effort must include preventing the further spread of nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction. So securing the physical control of existing weapons and stockpiles is of the first importance everywhere, not just in Iraq or North Korea.
Renewed interest in cracks on the B-2 bomber is a politically motivated attempt to keep heavy bomber advocates in Congress on the defensive during budget negotiations, according to senior Pentagon officials. The Air Force for years has been monitoring cracks in the 300-lb., 100-in. long titanium plates aft of the bomber's engines. Currently, 16 of 21 bombers have cracks that average about 2 in. in length. A review team established in 2000 is developing repairs to extend the life of aft decks to be built during 2005-10.
Heinz Droxner has been promoted to worldwide president from president in Europe of the Seal Group of the Cleveland-based Parker Hannifin Corp. He succeeds Nick Vande Steeg, who is now corporate operating officer. Candy M. Obourn has been named to the corporate board of directors. She is chief operating officer of Kodak's Health Imaging Div.
South Korea has eliminated the Eurofighter and Su-30 in its fighter competition, taking Boeing's F-15K and Dassault's Rafale to a second round. A winner could be named late this month. Evaluations of the remaining rivals have shown a difference of less than 3% in their proposal, a South Korean Defense Ministry statement said. The next round of decisions will hinge not only on aircraft performance and price, but also on industrial and diplomatic factors, European and U.S. officials said.
L-3 Communications subsidiary Spar Aerospace Ltd. will upgrade the Hellenic Air Force's fleet of 15 C-130 aircraft. The three-year agreement is valued up to $90 million. Included in the work will be standardization of cockpit configurations, and installation of traffic alert and collision avoidance and enhanced ground proximity warning systems.
A decision should come this summer on spacecraft proposals submitted by Lockheed Martin Space Systems and TRW Space&Electronics to build the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System satellites. NPOESS will merge the U.S.' civil and military meteorological satellite systems. It will have some big shoes to fill. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite program and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program each have about a 30-year heritage of service.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer experienced bittersweet success in 2001, succumbing to production slowdowns and 1,800 employee furloughs to weather the post-Sept. 11 economic downturn, but earning what CEO Mauricio Botelho called ``a moral victory'' after a contentious World Trade Organization battle.
Even before seeing results of a helicopter industrial base study, the Defense Dept.'s acquisition chief, E.C. (Pete) Aldridge, Jr., recognizes that all is not well. ``We believe there are problems here,'' he told reporters. The industrial base ``is not being sustained at the right rate . . . and we may have to make some type of adjustments.'' Aldridge says it isn't clear yet what those changes might be. But in the coming weeks he faces critical decisions on whether to buy AH-1Zs and UH-1Ys from Bell and CH-47Fs from Boeing.
Bombardier Inc. predicts the market for business jets will be slow to recover because the near-term outlook for corporate profits, while improving, remains weak. There has long been a strong correlation between the two, and for that reason the world's largest business aircraft manufacturer is taking a conservative approach to planning its production and delivery rates. The company doesn't want any unpleasant surprises, or to find itself saddled with excess parts or undeliverable aircraft.
