The Air Force and Navy are being told to get their act together by this summer and spell out how the Pentagon's future electronic warfare jamming needs will be met. Pentagon acquisition chief E.C. (Pete) Aldridge, Jr., has given the service secretaries until June 3 to report on three issues. One of them--a ``stand-in'' expendable jammer that could fly close to enemy air defenses and therefore operate at relatively low power--would start between 2004-09. The secretaries also must define the ``core component,'' an aircraft to replace the EA-6B by 2009.
Richard McCrady, Sr., president of CF AirFreight of Minneapolis, has been appointed to the executive council of the Miami-based International Air Cargo Assn.
Already partners on Eurocopter's EC-120 advanced light single, Chinese companies are angling to move into higher power segments as new regulations free up airspace for commercial operations. Cognizant of their inexperience in the commercial sector, the Chinese are focusing for the time being on upgrading a trio of older Eurocopter derivatives in partnership with Western manufacturers.
Theodore Zwicker has been named vice president-defense airborne products for Washington-based Advanced Power Technologies Inc. He was a program manager for BAE Systems in New York.
Walter Moguel is typical in that he's not a stereotypical engineer. He doesn't fit the image of writing code in a cubicle all day, and he needs the fire created by change and risk.
The airport ramp agent with a squawking walkie-talkie may soon be a thing of the past with the introduction of digital, wireless communications between airport ramps, terminal buildings and cargo facilities. Using Motorola equipment, Arinc is following the path of communications provider Nextel--which has introduced wireless to other vertical industries such as construction--by rolling out the service to the airline/airport community.
Korean Air has been buoyed by its reinstatement as a SkyTeam partner with Air France and Delta as of Apr. 1. The rapidly expanding carrier was already engaged in a year-old review of its management and pilot training programs following a series of crashes when the FAA downgraded South Korea's safety ratings last year under International Civil Aviation Organization standards. Korean Air signed a $30-million contract with FlightSafetyBoeing to train the carrier's pilots and revamp its safety procedures.
The TA truck-in/walk-in ovens are suited for use in industrial environments and clean rooms, and operate at up to 650F. They are designed with a horizontal, recirculating airflow system with perforated aluminized steel walls with adjustable port-to-control airflow. A high-volume fan circulates air through the supply ductwork to create a constant horizontal airflow.
Four astronauts are set to upgrade and refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope next month in what promises to be the most complex and riskiest series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) ever attempted by NASA. The risk is not so much to the astronauts as to the telescope itself. While the EVA crew will face the same dangers as those who have left the relative safety of the space shuttle cabin before them, the telescope must be powered down during one of the EVAs for the first time since before its Apr. 25, 1990, launch.
According to Atlanta-based AIR Inc., a pilot hiring consultancy, the number of pilot furloughs in the U.S. increased in January to 7,967 or 8.42% of the 94,571 active airline pilots. This compares with 6,932 furloughs in December. About 621 pilots were hired in January, with the fractionals the most active, hiring 164. AIR Inc. predicts 6,000 new pilot positions in 2002. Last year, a total of 12,766 were hired in the U.S.
Flight Jacket Speed Polish acts as a heavy duty cleaner for removing aircraft soils and contaminants. It also functions as a micro-fine leveling agent for removing surface scratches that can cause excess wind resistance. And it provides a breathable, clear poly/acrylic barrier coating to reduce the harmful effects of UV light, acid rain and other airborne pollutants that can mar an aircraft's surface paint. It produces a glass-like finish on all aircraft surfaces, including glass, when used properly. It is also easily removed, but will not wash off with alkaline cleaners.
Canada will not appeal a decision last month by the World Trade Organization (WTO) that loans made through Bombardier for sale of regional jets were illegal. A Canadian government official said it prefers to negotiate a settlement with Brazil, which claimed the loans were improper. In recent years, the WTO also has ruled against Brazil's government loans. In April, both countries plan to resume negotiations to resolve their five-year disagreement over government subsidies (AW&ST Feb. 4, p. 33).
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to award ``agreements'' next week to companies for its Responsive Access Small Cargo Affordable Launch (Rascal) project to build a low-cost satellite launcher (AW&ST Nov. 5, 2001, p. 64). The agency has allocated $5 million for the phase one feasibility studies, and the number of recipients is officially in the 1-6 range.
The Pentagon expects its traditional supplier base to change as the military adapts acquisition plans to focus more clearly on the war on terror. In turn, industry officials are trying to sort out what that change means for them.
Pratt&Whitney Aftermarket Services has signed a $325-million, 20-year agreement with Hawaiian Airlines to provide fleet management for its PW4060-powered Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. The airline has 18 of the aircraft on order and expects to have three in operation by year-end.
USAF Lt. Gen. Lance W. Lord has been named commander of the Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo., and will be promoted to full general. He has been assistant USAF vice chief of staff.
Investigators for Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science have determined that improper wiring prevented the Demonstrator of Atmospheric Reentry System (Dash) spacecraft from separating from its payload housing during the Feb. 4 second test mission of the National Space Development Agency's H-IIA launch vehicle. The ISAS investigators said an NEC Toshiba Space Systems technician incorrectly copied an assembly drawing for an electrical connection that kept the H-IIA separation signal from being received by the spacecraft.
The International Civil Aviation Organization last week endorsed a global strategy to bolster global aviation security. The Aviation Security Plan of Action includes establishing a $17-million ``systematic and harmonized'' audit program and setting a global standard for cockpit reinforcement as well as flight crew security procedures and training. The plan is to be adopted by June 14 and implemented as soon as possible.
THE NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY (NGS), an office of the National Oceanic&Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service, will host a one-day CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Station) Users Forum on Apr. 19 at the NOAA campus in Silver Spring, Md. The National and Cooperative CORS networks are comprised of numerous subnetworks operated by more than 45 organizations. Collectively, they include more than 500 sites--each containing a geodetic quality, dual-frequency GPS receiver--and these networks are growing at a rate of about six sites per month.
Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce garnered welcome business last week securing a bumper deal worth up to $2 billion on the Gulfstream V-SP, alongside securing an order for its Trent 500, which will power the Airbus A340-600. Up to 600 BR710 engines will be supplied to Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. during the next 10 years if all contract options are exercised. The agreement, signed Feb. 19, calls for Rolls-Royce to deliver 300 engines initially for the GV-SP currently in development by Gulfstream, with another 300 on option.
The Russian government is desperately seeking a waiver from new European Union noise regulations that would stop thousands of Russian-built transports from operating to European destinations. However, talks on the matter are stalled and the Apr. 1 deadline for the new rule is rapidly approaching.
The second prototype of Hindustan Aeronautics' Light Combat Aircraft (TD-2) is expected to make its initial flight soon, according to India's Aeronautical Development Agency. The ADA also announced that feasibility studies are underway to develop a naval variant with a night-attack capability and a two-seat trainer version. Indian defense officials report that the U.S. has ``cleared'' sale of GE-404-F2J3 engines for the aircraft, as well as flight control systems and advanced avionics.
The Helicopter Assn. International's annual covention attracted more people this year than in 2001 amidst a flat market and rising fears within the industry about skyrocketing insurance rates, a tighter squeeze on profits and shifting flight operations rules in the wake of a national security clampdown.
