The second space tourist is likely to be Mark Shuttleworth, 28, a South African Internet tycoon. Shuttleworth signed an agreement last week with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency to secure a seat on a ``taxi'' flight next April to change out Soyuz crew rescue spacecraft on the International Space Station. No financial details were disclosed, but Shuttleworth's agent, Space Adventures of Arlington, Va., lists the cost of a mission at $20 million. He would become the first South African in orbit.
Those trying to keep statistics on the Afghanistan conflict estimate that there is a refueling mission flown for each tactical mission. This means the current air campaign is going to be much more expensive than those waged against Yugoslavia and Iraq where strike and bombing aircraft were based much closer to the battlefield.
In contrast with most major international airlines, Air France expects to make a profit--or achieve financial breakeven--by the end of the 2001-02 fiscal year, according to chairman/CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta. In the first half ending Sept. 30, the French flag carrier's revenues increased a healthy 7.3% to $7.5 billion, but net profit plummeted 34% to $249 million. The deterioration of transatlantic traffic heavily contributed to reduced profits, while the second quarter's final days were dramatically impacted by the shock of Sept. 11.
The U.S. has agreed to lift sanctions imposed in the wake of India's 1998 nuclear tests. This will help Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) develop the Light Combat Aircraft for the Indian air force. U.S. officials said they'll consider India's proposal to acquire a multimission maritime patrol aircraft, the F-404 engines and flight control systems for the LCA, components for HAL's Advanced Jet Trainer and engines for the HJT-36 Intermediate Jet Trainer being developed by the company.
In the aftermath of last month's Avro RJ crash, Crossair has begun an in-depth review of its operating procedures and has revised horizontal visibility requirements for VOR-DME approaches at Zurich-Kloten airport. Nonprecision approaches across the airline's route system will come under particular scrutiny, and additional changes in bad weather operations are being planned, according to Thomas Brandt, the Swiss carrier's executive vice-president for flight operations.
A decision by Portugal to acquire 12 AgustaWestland EH 101 heavy-lift helicopters for search-and-rescue applications appears to be generating second thoughts about a previous order for 10 NH-90 transport helicopters, built by NH Industries (AW&ST June 25, p. 35). Defense Minister Rui Pena denied that any move had been taken to reevaluate the purchase, but informed sources said Portugal had asked for a two-week delay before confirming its order, apparently to review costs linked to fielding two different models.
Pratt&Whitney Cenco Inc. was recently awarded a $13-million contract to design and build a jet engine test cell by MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co. Ltd. of Zhuhai, China. ``We will start with V2500 and CFM56 engines but we are sure this test cell will see big engines by the end of the decade,'' said Walter Strakosch, president and CEO of the engine overhaul center, a joint venture of China Southern Airlines and MTU Munich. The Airbus A320 uses both versions of these powerplants, while Boeing 737s use CFM56s only.
Joe Dodd has become vice president-federal sales for Denver-based Space Imaging. He was senior vice president-worldwide sales of the Orbital Imaging Corp.
U.S. officials are working out details of a plan to move warplanes into Uzbekistan and Afghanistan to keep pressure on Al Qaeda and Taliban leadership hiding in the mountains even during the winter season's bad flying weather. The move also is designed to relieve strain on the Air Force's hard-pressed aerial tanker fleet.
International credit rating agency Fitch says airport credit remains solid despite 23 years of economic turbulence in the post-deregulation airline industry. The observation is part of a new report comparing airport and airline credit, or what the agency calls the ``great credit divide.'' Airport credit, Fitch says, is flexible and able to weather economic shocks due to the ``essential and monopolistic'' nature of ``most'' commercial airports and operating agreements with airlines.
Hindustan Aeronautics may find some good news in the comments by Indian Civil Aviation Secretary Abdul Hamid Jung regarding more regional aircraft to serve rural areas. He pointed to a need for 50-70 seaters flying no-frills 60-90-min. feeder routes to hubs, especially in the northeast. These routes do not favor the country's old, higher-cost 737-200s, he said. Jung encouraged entrepreneurs to make proposals, citing low prices for crude oil as an added inducement for establishing new carriers.
Canadian Transport Minister David Collenette and Air Canada CEO Robert Milton opened the great airline competition debate last week. Collenette early in the week labeled Air Canada's market dominance ``untenable.'' He said the airline had to reduce its 80% market share or other options--including industry reregulation and ``throwing the skies open entirely''--would have to be considered. In response, Air Canada CEO Robert Milton late last week proposed the U.S.
Mary Jordan has become Vancouver-based senior vice president-international and British Columbia of Air Canada. She was senior vice president-customer service and operations of Canadian Airlines before it was acquired by Air Canada. John R. Kreick (see photo), a consultant and former president of the then-Lockheed Martin Sanders, has been appointed chairman of the Draper Labora- tory, Cambridge, Mass.
Pratt&Whitney managers and other salaried employees were trying to cope with uncertain jet-engine production and delivery schedules last week after more than 5,100 union employees struck the company over demands for enhanced job- and retirement-security.
International Aerospace Management Co. has selected EADS-CASA Military Aircraft to perform B, C1, C2, S1 and S2 upgrades for NATO's Boeing 707 Trainer Cargo Aircraft.
RepliSet is a replicating system for nondestructive testing and engineering inspection. It's designed to transfer the microstructure of a surface to a replica medium, and produces an exact 3D copy of an engineering surface. The replica is subsequently analyzed off-site under laboratory conditions. Replicas can be taken of metallic materials and most other solid materials. Typical metallographic applications are on-site nondestructive testing in connection with quality control and inspection and maintenance of aircraft components.
With the reliability and safety of wiring in older aircraft a major concern to operators of commercial and military aircraft, an industry team led by Honeywell Aerospace has launched the Nova Wire Integrity Program that employs ``intelligent telemaintenance'' to electronically test and identify faulty wiring and connections in older aircraft. Commercial aircraft had 1,089 smoke and fire incidents over a recent 10-month period, and 82% of those were directly related to electrical systems, according to Honeywell.
Top NASA officials will meet this week to decide how the agency can be trimmed to fit the Bush Administration's view of it, an exercise that will include talk of which field centers to close in an effort to create ``one NASA'' without costly duplication.
Cecil Hunt has been named ``of counsel'' to the Washington law firm of Harris Wiltshire&Grannis. He has been deputy chief counsel for export administration at the U.S. Commerce Dept.
Boeing decided to continue producing the 717 transport, after saying in October it was being considered for termination. However, the production rate will be reduced owing to the current slow sales, and layoffs at Long Beach, Calif., will increase beyond the previously announced 1,200 employees. The company will take a one-time $700-million after-tax charge in the fourth quarter for costs related to post-Sept. 11 production cutbacks.
America West Airlines has revised its Nov. 13 application for a $400-million federal loan guarantee, offering the government equity in the company and increasing its at-risk borrowing. The company also reported a $63-million increase, to $648 million from $585 million, in aircraft financing and concessions agreed to by manufacturers, lessors, creditors, vendors, state and local governments, shareholders and employees.
USAF IS CONSIDERING AN UPGRADE for the F-15's ALR-56C radar warning receiver and the F-16's ALR-56M. The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded BAE Systems a $4.8-million contract for a ``critical experiment'' to demonstrate an advanced threat alert and response (ATAR) upgrade by next April, which could lead to a 30-month advanced technology demonstration.
Eutelsat has opened a Turin-based subsidiary, Skylogic Italia, to support emerging satcom markets in northern Italy. The company will handle marketing/sales and provide technical infrastructure for a broad range of open-access broadband communications services in partnership with Euphon, an Italian media firm. Euphon will operate and support the system under an agreement concluded earlier this year (AW&ST Aug. 6, p. 21).
Machinists union members at Pratt&Whitney began returning to work on Dec. 13 after agreeing to a new three-year contract that provides some enhanced job and retirement security. Both sides made concessions. About three-fourths of District 91 members who voted on the company's proposed offer voted to end the week-long strike.
