Phase 2 of the Washington Reagan National Airport revival will commence Oct. 26, according to the U.S. Transportation Dept., providing airlines implement ``further'' security measures at 18 additional destinations. The next phase will boost destination cities from eight to 26, including Denver, Seattle and Toronto, and participating airlines from six to 14. At the completion of phase two in mid-December, the airport will be operating at 57% of pre-Sept. 11 volume of 792 flights per day.
Harry C. Stonecipher, vice chairman of Boeing, has received the 2001 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Wings Club of New York. Stonecipher, who was president/CEO of the McDonnell Douglas Corp., was cited for accomplishments in his 40-year aerospace industry career including initiating that company's merger with Boeing in 1997.
Sam Addoms has been appointed chairman of Frontier Airlines. He succeeds LaRae Orullian, who will become a vice chair along with Paul Dempsey. Addoms has been president/CEO. Jon Bartram has returned in an acting capacity to his former position as vice president-maintenance and engineering. He succeeds Bill Schaudt, who has resigned.
In its bid to win the Joint Strike Fighter competition, Boeing promises it will be able to rapidly slash the time it takes to build each of the strike fighters and reduce its cost in parallel. Boeing and its competitor Lockheed Martin are in their final push to convince Pentagon officials they have the winning approach for JSF. The jockeying comes only days before the Pentagon's decision set for Oct. 26, regarding who should build the more than 3,000 aircraft.
Mark Weicher has been promoted to chief financial officer from controller of PartsBase Inc., Boca Raton, Fla. He succeeds Michael Siegel, who has become senior vice president-finance and administration of Heico Aerospace Holdings.
U.K. officials claim ``real successes'' in the allied air attacks to date on Afghanistan, but European skepticism about the efficacy of the bombardment is on the rise. Under Secretary of State for Defense Lewis Moonie said last week that terrorist camps had been damaged beyond use, command and control facilities put out of action, and early warning and air defense systems ``devastated.''
Raytheon Co. last week posted a third-quarter net loss of $285 million, or 79 cents a diluted share, compared with net income of $105 million, or 31 cents a diluted share, a year ago. Extreme weakness in the company's commercial businesses, especially aircraft, led to a charge of more than $700 million. On a positive note, Raytheon's core defense business showed solid gains, with Command, Control, Communications and Information Systems recording an 8% increase in operating income on 12% higher sales.
The post-Sept. 11 harmony between Washington and Moscow is revitalizing ideas for military ties that withered at the beginning of the Kosovo air war in 1999, says Bell. Around 1998, NATO and Russia's military were discussing closer cooperation. Among the proposed projects were demos to see if Russian tankers could refuel NATO aircraft and whether Russian airlifters, such as the An-124, could handle NATO's outsize-cargo requirements. Discussions ended with the Balkan foray. Now, Bell says, everything has changed.
Italian aerospace research organization Cira has inaugurated a unique plasma wind tunnel capable of simulating thermal conditions of space vehicles during the atmospheric reentry phase.
Senior Pentagon officials face a number of difficult choices and expensive options as they try to determine in the coming weeks how to replace the EA-6B Prowler support jammer.
Since converting its air traffic control network to a self-funded, commercial operation, Australia has developed one of the most modern, efficient and reliable ATC systems in the world.
Few if any airport infrastructure projects will be canceled due to the traffic downturn or to free up funding for additional security measures, FAA Administrator Jane Garvey believes. Some runway and terminal projects will be delayed, and airport authorities should both reevaluate traffic projections and reassess security needs, says Garvey, herself a former airport boss. ``I think it's wise to pause for a moment,'' Garvey told a National Press Club luncheon.
Bureau Veritas Quality International has awarded ISO 9002 and Aerospace Standard AS 9001 certification to Turbomeca Engine Corp. and Microturbo Inc. in Grand Prairie, Tex. The systems require stringent compliance with quality controls for both companies, which service, repair and overhaul turbine engines for military and commercial aircraft. The company is working toward obtaining ISO 9000 Version 2000 and AS 9100 certification within the next three years.
Most U.S. air traffic control facilities have little or no security measures in place, and the FAA should protect all of them with armed guards, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. The FAA says it has strengthened security at many facilities since Sept. 11 and will continue to do so.
A VERY SMALL THREE-AXIS MAGNETORESISTIVE SENSOR has been developed by Honeywell Solid State Electronics Center, with compass applications for portable systems and general aviation. It combines a two-axis sensor on a chip (HMC1052) with a new single-axis version (HMC1051Z). The two- axis surface-mount package is 3 mm. X 3 mm. X 1 mm. (0.12 X 0.12 X 0.04 in.). With the third axis gimbaled in a liquid-filled container, accuracy is 12 deg.
Bombardier Aerospace's two newest regional jets, the CRJ700 and CRJ900, are essential to its growing family of regional aircraft, which stems from the original 50-seat CRJ200. And they are entering service earlier than similar offerings from competitors.
NASA is looking to squeeze within a tight budget by eliminating jobs at its 10 field centers, a process--spurred by White House budgeteers and the post-Sept. 11 political landscape--that outgoing Administrator Daniel S. Goldin likened to ``throwing children to the wolves.''
Wadih El-Hage, a former personal secretary to Osama bin Laden, was one of four terrorists sentenced to life imprisonment without parole last week in a heavily guarded U.S. District Court in New York--located near the remains of the World Trade Center. El-Hage, Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, Mohamed Rashed Daoud Al'Owhali and Mohamed Sadeek Odeh, all linked to Al Queda, were convicted of conspiracy in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed more than 200 people.
Mesa Airlines says it will begin training its pilots to use taser weapons in the cockpit and is working with the FAA to get approval to carry the devices in flight. The handheld, nonlethal weapon uses compressed nitrogen gas to fire a set of probes at would-be attackers up to 15 ft. away, pumping a pulsating electric current from the base unit to the probes through attached wires. The jolt reportedly will immobilize an attacker for 15 min. So far the FAA appears to be an unwilling participant in the venture.
Carolyn Corvi, vice president-737 Programs for Boeing and general manager of the Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group, Renton, Wash., has won the Leadership Award for 2001 from Alexandria, Va.-based Women in Aerospace.
George Rietbergen has been named European director of e-commerce for the Goodyear Tire&Rubber Co. He was director of e-commerce and commercial development for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
European regional carriers are hoping they can benefit in the long term from a downsizing of the European airline industry, as they struggle to cope with the ongoing traffic slump.
Scott Dickson, who is president/CEO of Vanguard Airlines, also will be chairman. He will succeed Robert J. (Rocky) Spane, who will continue as a member of the board of directors and as a consultant.
Knock, thump or kick, and the door shall not be opened. Airlines have begun battening down the the flight deck (AW&ST Oct. 8, p. 63). JetBlue Airways' first aircraft with a reinforced door began service last week (see photo). The Kevlar-lined, bullet-proof, force-resistant door will be installed on the 18 aircraft now in JetBlue's all-Airbus A320 fleet by the end of the month. The 14 A320s scheduled for delivery by the end of next year also will be fitted with the fortified door, which costs about $10,000 to install.
