Firefighting--a new use for the Russian Mi-171 helicopter--is scheduled to be demonstrated at Pontoise-Cormeilles Airport near Paris this week. Helion Procopter, a German/Russian joint venture, will equip the military cargo helicopter with a set of avionics developed for the FAA's Capstone demonstration in Alaska to enhance bush-pilot safety by displaying terrain warnings and the locations of other aircraft on a cockpit display (AW&ST Sept. 18, 2000, p. 68).
An inexpensive disaster monitoring satellite constellation Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) is building for a consortium of developing nations could have a role alongside more expensive spacecraft developed on the Continent in the proposed European Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) system, according to Britain's top space official.
The A380 is facing an uphill battle against weight, yet is supposed to have 20% lower operating costs. How can it be cheaper if it's going to be heavier? The higher empty weight per passenger comes from engineering basics--the square-cube law--and new certification rules that do not apply to its nearest competitor, the Boeing 747-400. But it turns out that weight is not that important to direct operating cost, at least by Airbus' calculations.
SKF Aero Bearing Service Center has launched a CF6-6/-50 and -80 gearbox/accessory bearings overhaul service. A division of SKF USA, the service center will provide Level 1 and II bearing overhaul support for operators of Pratt&Whitney, GE and Snecma/CFM International aero engines. CF6 mainshaft bearing support is offered by the MRC Jamestown, N.Y., remanufacturing business unit. The CF6 gearbox/accessory program is the company's second recent one, following the launch of a PWA JT8 mainshaft/gearbox program. Two more programs are expected by fall.
C. Jim Stewart, 3rd, vice president-marketing of Stewart&Stevenson Services Inc. of Houston, has been appointed to the board of directors. He fills the seat vacated by Brian H. Rowe, who is the new chairman of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings.
John Scelfo has become chief financial officer of Sirius Satellite Radio of New York. He was vice president-finance of the Asian operations of the Dell Computer Corp.
Airbus is betting that size matters, and while the A380 will be the largest passenger jet in the world, there are more important issues here than just physical size or an impressive maximum takeoff weight. Like the euro, the mega-transport is a symbol of Europe's economic unification and political transformation because it shows how the partner nations can develop world-class products in critical industry segments. And with sales underway, the A380 has already started cutting into Boeing's lucrative 747 monopoly on the high end of the market.
Just as the need is increasing for airlift capability that can move large numbers of troops and mountains of supplies from the U.S. to anywhere in the world, the number of bases with room for giant transport aircraft is shrinking.
The European Union Military Staff, consisting of 135 officers, was established as a permanent body on June 11. It is intended to provide the EU with situation assessments of potential crises and carry out strategic planning for activities ranging from humanitarian missions to military intervention. While it will not have an operational planning function, the EU is still working to define arrangements with NATO that would allow it access to the alliance's planning capabilities.
The Red Crown line of pencil probes are designed to help reduce shop-floor dimensional problems. An alternative to conventional LVDT and Half Bridge transducers, the Red Crown pencil probe is available in 52 standard models covering a measurement range of 0.5 to 5 mm. Designed as two modular components, the probe provides easy repairability. This will allow customers who have large inventories of traditional probes to reduce repair and replacement costs. The probes are supplied with either LVDT or HBT transducers, making them adaptable to most existing electronics.
Michael McGowen has become general counsel of Seattle-based Teledesic. He was a partner in the Seattle law firm Perkins Coie. McGowen succeeds Dennis James, who will remain president. Len Quadracci has been promoted to vice president from director of system engineering.
David J. Mason has been named vice president-public affairs and Michael McHenry director of technology and commercial development of Kaufman Holdings, Fords, N.J. Mason was vice president-regulatory affairs. McHenry held the same posts with subsidiary Hatco Corp.
Aerolineas Argentinas continues to melt down. Late last week, the Buenos Aires-based airline indefinitely suspended service to seven international destinations-- all long-haul flights except to Madrid. SEPI, the Spanish state industrial holding company that owns 90% of Aerolineas, has balked at putting more money into the debt-ridden carrier, which is also beset with labor problems.
The U.S. Air Force Museum broke ground this month for the construction of a $16.6-million, 190,000-sq.-ft. hangar on the grounds of Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio. The hangar represents phase one of the museum's Cold War Expansion, the largest of three new facilities envisioned. Museum Director Charles D. Metcalf said the hangar is scheduled for completion in 2003, coinciding with events commemorating the Centennial of Flight. Expansion plans include a tower to house the collection of intercontinental ballistic missiles and a new space gallery.
Capt. Larry B. Edeal has become director of flight standards for TAG Aviation USA of San Francisco and Lance R. Fera vice president-client services based in White Plains, N.Y. Fera was director of sales and marketing for Honeywell Commercial Electronics Systems.
The U.S. Air Force's selection of Boeing's avionics modification program to upgrade its fleet of C-130 transports is a major setback for Lockheed Martin, but a significant win for Boeing's growing military services business.
Frontier Airlines on May 31 reported record net income for its 2001 fiscal year, but one day later it warned that the current quarter won't be as rosy. The Denver-based carrier earned $54.9 million in fiscal 2001, which ended Mar. 31, more than doubling the previous year's net as revenue grew 43.4% to $472.9 million. For the quarter ending June 30, it expects earnings per share between 28 and 38 cents, down from 57 cents a year earlier.
The FAA has turned to the TV cameras. Real-time airport delay information from the FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center's Web site, www.fly.faa.gov, last week began airing as a ``ticker'' across TVs tuned to the CNN Airport Network. The move is a joint effort of the FAA, CNN and the American Assn. of Airport Executives.
The Pentagon's new leadership intends to seek incremental spending increases for defense science and technology programs that combined would receive about $8 billion a year versus the current $7 billion plus, backed by a special fund to speed the transition of new weapons technologies into the field.
General Dynamics Corp. last week completed its acquisition of Galaxy Aerospace Co., which had been a joint venture of Hyatt Corp. and Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. The purchase price was $353 million in cash, but the former owners could receive up to an additional $315 million through 2006, depending on whether certain revenue targets are met. Galaxy, which is now part of GD's Aerospace group, is expected to generate revenues of $635 million in 2002.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has scrapped plans to spin off its domestic operations. The idea was broached last year because the carrier's domestic service suffers from poor yields. The government has not approved a fare hike since 1992. MAS has said it needs at least a 50% average jump to make the routes profitable. MAS' new managing director, Mohd Nor Mohd Yusof, said losses on domestic services contributed significantly to the airline's $350-million loss in fiscal 2000. He hinted that significant domestic fare hikes are coming, but they will need cabinet approval.
Workers at Boeing's military aircraft and missile systems facilities in St. Louis approved a new, three-year labor contract June 3, averting an impending strike. The International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), which represents about 3,200 employees at the factory, and Boeing hammered out a pact that provides job protection in exchange for increased productivity. Boeing has agreed not to lay off workers unless a ``catastrophic'' change occurs, such as the loss of a major contract.
As the Bush Administration proceeds with its reviews of U.S. defense needs, it would do well to remember the defense industry serves two masters: the government and shareholders. For decades, defense contractors have been widely viewed as part of a vast military-industrial complex, as though they were captives of the Pentagon. And to a large extent, that's how they were managed. But last summer's abandonment of aerospace/defense stocks by Wall Street was a poignant reminder that defense contractors will enjoy no free ride just because they are patriots.
Air Transport Assn. member airlines have added to their contracts of carriage 12 customer service measures that they have been observing voluntarily during the past year. The change makes the carriers legally liable for providing the measures, which were recommended initially by Transportation Dept. Inspector General Kenneth Mead. Announcing the initiative June 7 at a press conference in Washington, airline CEOs and House Transportation Committee Republican leaders said consumer-protection legislation isn't needed.
