Both Lockheed Martin and Boeing have completed the Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstration phase. With a single winner scheduled to be chosen late next month, a review of program goals since contracts were awarded in November 1996 should provide insight into this key decision.
Ronald D. Sugar became president and chief operating officer of the Northrop Grumman Corp. on Sept. 19. Sugar held the same title at Litton Industries, which was acquired by Northrop Grumman in April.
Sir Roy McNulty has been appointed chairman of Britain's Civil Aviation Authority. He was chairman of National Air Traffic Services Ltd. McNulty succeeds Sir Malcolm Field.
Michael Morgan (see photo) has become vice president-advanced systems development of the Avidyne Corp., Lincoln, Mass. He was integrated flight deck program director for general aviation for Honeywell, based in Olathe, Kan.
Steve Davis has become vice president-Boeing commercial programs for Vought Aircraft Industries of Dallas. He was vice president-Dallas site operations.
Messier-Bugatti is planning to test prototype wheels and brakes for the two new Longer Range 777-200 and -300 derivatives by year-end. Machining of the parts for the prototype brakes is nearly complete in preparation for the evaluations, which will include rejected takeoffs and brake stability testing. The company already supplies wheels and carbon brakes for 767-200/300 models, and has been selected by Boeing to equip the USAF C-17 transport.
William J. Allison has been appointed vice president/general manager of the Navigation Systems Div. of the Northrop Grumman Corp., Woodland Hills, Calif. Allison was president of Litton Industries' Integrated Systems Div., Northridge, Calif.
Trying to do in days what normally would take months--and seeking consensus on what usually would provoke heated debate--the Bush Administration and Congress labored last week toward a package of grants and other measures intended to rescue U.S. airlines from financial collapse.
Boeing plans to set up combined marketing for space launch services on its commercial Delta rockets and on the Zenit launch vehicles used by its Sea Launch partnership. Wilbur Trafton, the current Sea Launch president, will head the new organization being created under Boeing Launch Services Inc. A separate organization will handle government sales of Delta launch services.
Gil Key (see photos), who has been vice president-operations, is now vice president-sales for the Americas for Boeing Business Jets of Seattle. He succeeds Lee Monson, who is now BBJ president. Key will be succeeded by Steve Hill, who has been vice president-special projects.
European government and industry officials are struggling to assess the magnitude of the terror attacks on the airline industry here. But the first steps are already being taken to avert a financial bloodbath and tighten security. The financial community is bracing for continued uncertainty with regard to both airlines and airports. ``Nobody can ascertain what the effect is going to be,'' said Chris Tarry, an analyst at Commerzbank.
Susan M. Morgan has been appointed director of strategic planning and Charles A. Royce has been promoted to vice president-sales and marketing for the Western U.S. from business development manager for the Americas for Houston-based Oceaneering International Inc.
MTU Aero Engines and Fiat Avio are negotiating a possible strategic alliance, industry sources said. The companies already cooperate in a range of engine programs. MTU's parent DaimlerChrysler declined to comment, but an outright merger or sale is unlikely given the companies' many transatlantic and European commitments. The idea of setting up a closely linked system of European engine manufacturers that would leave each member room for development has industry-wide support.
Albert Koszarek has been appointed vice president-operations, Toshimasa Mori vice president-corporate planning and strategy, David Smith vice president-business development, Mark Tedone vice president-product development/chief technical officer and Mark Williams chief financial officer, all of Aeroxchange. Koszarek was executive vice president of Avport Inc., Mori director of corporate planning for Japan Airlines and Smith director of finance at Legend Airlines.
Aerodynamicists often have to use several different software packages to work computation fluid dynamics problems. The workhorse CFD program is fed by a separate mesh-generating program, and results are analyzed by other separate software. To put the pieces together, CFX, which makes CFD software, is working with ICEM CFD Engineering, which makes the pre- and post-software. CFX is now selling a ``CFX-Hexa'' mesh generator as an integrated option to some of its CFD programs. CFX-Hexa is based on ICEM CFD's Hexa mesh generator.
Rene P. Visscher has beecome vice president-technical operations and Carol Fischer vice president-customer service for Spirit Airlines. Visscher was vice president-technical operations for Emery Worldwide Airlines and later an aerospace operations consultant. Fischer was director of product marketing for Northwest Airlines.
H. Patrick Swygert, president of Howard University in Washington, has been named to the board of directors of the United Technologies Corp., Hartford, Conn.
U.S. senators, in an effort to boost public confidence in the airline business, are calling for the creation of a highly trained FAA-managed civil service security force to screen passengers. The action comes in response to the four terrorist attacks on U.S. airliners Sept. 11 and numerous General Accounting Office audits outlining flaws in today's airline-funded airport screening services.
Air transport pilots--infuriated by what they see as inadequate short-term government and airline safety measures--are taking ad hoc, crew-by-crew action to protect themselves and ensure their aircraft do not become ``manned cruise missiles'' capable of destruction.
Flight testing is underway for the first prototype of the Sikorsky SH-60K antisubmarine helicopter, which rolled out last month at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' plant in Nagoya, Japan. A second prototype is to be flying soon. The ``K'' (for improvement) may be a temporary designation, but distinguishes the aircraft as an update of the SH-60J that MHI builds under license from Sikorsky. The Japanese navy has 98 -60Js but how many -60Ks will be built is unclear.
Aeroflot-Russian Airlines, in an effort to improve passenger services, plans to build a new terminal at its main hub, overcrowded Sheremetyevo airport, near Moscow. The Russian flag carrier intends to use a $30-million loan it secured this month from Western banks to initiate phase one of the Sheremetyevo 3 terminal project, which is expected to cost $250-300 million. The new terminal is expected to increase capacity to 3 million passengers a year by October 2003 (AW&ST Aug. 6, p. 53).
Markos I. Tambakeras has been appointed to the board of directors of ITT Industries Inc., White Plains, N.Y. He is president/CEO of Kennametal Inc., Latrobe, Pa.
Honeywell is building on positive feedback to the dot.com connection its BendixKing avionics business unit has made with the general aviation community by extending the same Web portal concept to executive jet and regional aircraft operators.
With Reagan Washington National Airport the only major airport in the U.S. to remain closed, locals are smarting even more from the post-attack economic squeeze and fearing it could mortally wound Arlington, Va.-based US Airways. No technical security or operational case has been advanced for closing the airport, complains the Washington Airports Task Force.
