In early 2002, NASA plans to lay the foundation for privatizing the space shuttle by 2004-06, a complex management, cost and safety challenge for the agency and its contractors.
Patricia Arnold has been appointed vice president-education of The Space Foundation of Colorado Springs. She was dean of the School for the Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo.
Santa Claus won't be delivering at least one item on the Air Transport Assn. wish list, if Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.) has anything to do with it. In a bid to play the Grinch, he circulated a press release Dec. 16 accusing the airline lobbying group of getting its toadies on the Hill to try to bury language in an appropriations bill to extend by a month the Jan. 18 deadline for carriers to begin screening all checked bags.
Lowell J. Hill has been appointed vice president-human resources of the Kaman Corp., Bloomfield, Conn. He held the same position at Mueller Industries, Memphis, Tenn.
Michael R. Williams has become senior vice president/treasurer of the Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, Va. He was a managing director in global corporate and investment banking for Bank of America.
Indigo, a Chicago-based charter carrier catering to frequent business travelers, has placed orders for up to 75 Embraer Legacy business jets. Initial deliveries are scheduled for August. Indigo's sister company, Air-Serv Inc., plans to operate the 18-seat, twin-engine aircraft on new routes. It currently offers service only between Chicago and Teterboro, N.J. Rolls-Royce AE 3007A1/3 engines, each rated at 7,200-lb. thrust, would power the Legacy fleet.
The U.S. Navy said it needs improved standoff and escort jamming aircraft as part of a more flexible tactical air arm that offers stealth aircraft and an array of standoff weapons that include the long-range Tomahawk and Jassm missiles.
Meyer J. Benzakein, general manager of advanced engineering programs at GE Aircraft Engines, Evendale, Ohio, has been awarded the Society Gold Medal by The Royal Aeronautical Society in recognition of his contribution to the advancement of jet propulsion technology.
Paul Tinney has become executive vice president-global alliances for Space Imaging of Denver. He was president/managing director of Terrapin Broadband.
Beginning in February, Southwest Airlines plans to expand service and accept delivery of two Boeing 737-700s and use the jets to also expand in the Baltimore-Washington-Long Island markets to cities in Florida and New Hampshire. Jim Parker, vice chairman and CEO, said the airline still is recovering from the effects of Sept. 11, but that the carrier's financial performance ``has been strong enough to add a handful of flights.'' Southwest had deferred delivery of 19 737s in the wake of terrorist attacks last September.
As the U.S. Transportation Dept. approaches a decision on the American Airlines-British Airways attempt to win antitrust immunity for their transatlantic alliance, the carriers face hurdles--some of them specific, some not, none expected--from the Justice Dept.
Given the extreme variables governing the airline industry's projected recovery, Airbus has several production strategies in place and is ready for any contingency, according to company executives.
CAE plans to purchase SimuFlite Training International Inc., the world's second largest provider of business aviation training, from GE Capital Commercial Equipment Financing. The Canadian company will pay $247 million (U.S.), $60 million of which will be financed by a sale and leaseback of certain long-term assets of SimuFlite. That's about a 20% premium over the book value of SimuFlite's assets because, as President and CEO Derek H. Burney put it, ``The strategic fit between our two companies is about as good as it gets.''
Airline computer reservation service Sabre Holdings reports airline bookings for the fourth quarter of 2001 decreased by nearly 20%--less than the 30% anticipated. According to the Dallas Morning News, company CEO William Hannigan expects bookings for 2002 will be down about 7% compared with 2001, and predicts the gradual improvement will continue this year.
A British-led peacekeeping force is poised to take up positions in the Kabul area as the major contribution of U.S. allies to the antiterrorist campaign in Afghanistan. British marines already are guarding the nearby Bagram air base (see photo). An initial contingent was expected to be deployed last weekend, pending approval of a mandate by the United Nations. The U.N. Security Council was expected on Friday to vote a resolution authorizing deployment of the peacekeeping force, as stipulated in the Afghan peace accords in Bonn earlier this month.
The U.S. Army has authorized Link Simulation and Training to build a third and fourth unit of the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer-Aviation Reconfigurable Manned Simulator (Avcatt-A) helicopter pilot training system. The two units are scheduled for delivery to the Army in the fourth quarter of 2002. Link already has built two Avcatt-A trainers, and these will be delivered in the second quarter to Ft. Hood, Tex., and Ft. Rucker, Ala. The Avcatt-A program features six reconfigurable simulators, a battle master control room and a theater to review training scenarios.
Peter J. DeFronzo has been named vice president/general manager of the Petroleum Equipment Div. of Stewart&Stevenson Services Inc. of Houston. He succeeds Tommy Wall, who has resigned.
EchoStar will gain access to valuable technology for delivering interactive service to U.S. television sets from its new ``strategic alliance'' with Vivendi Universal, along with $1.5 billion in cash to help finance its proposed merger with Hughes.
A clash is looming between the makers of two of the Pentagon's premier unmanned surveillance aircraft to fight for supremacy of the high-altitude UAV market. The previously cordial coexistence between General Atomics' Predator and Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk is nearing an end. The breakdown comes as General Atomics is moving forward on its Predator-B, an upgrade that blurs the lines between the two established systems.
Citing commonality advantages with its AWACS aircraft, Japan's National Security Council has endorsed the selection of the Boeing 767 to fill the country's first aerial refueling role. Japan's Defense Agency had down-selected the 767 and the Airbus A310 as candidates to fill a four-aircraft requirement in its fiscal 2001-05 defense plan. As expected, defense officials favored the 767 for operational and maintenance commonality with the four 767 airborne warning and control system aircraft that the air force already operates.
Raytheon Co. recently launched ReliabilityAnalysisLab.com to put advanced electronic component analysis services into the hands of design engineers, manufacturing organizations and testing laboratories. The Web site provides Raytheon customers with 24-hr. access to product reliability reports and in-process analyses performed by the lab on a wide range of electronic products--from microprocessors to discrete components.
Germany's BGT has carried out the first test firing of the Armiger antiradar missile. The test vehicle, rail-launched from a ground firing system, contained a solid rocket booster but not the final ram rocket motor.
David Strucke has been named president/CEO of Navtech Inc., Waterloo, Ontario. He was chief financial officer. Strucke succeeds Duncan Macdonald, who has resigned but will remain as chairman.
