The world's largest aluminum manufacturer, Alcoa, is to focus its research and development investment on the company's growing aerospace business. Alcoa claims it plans to spend most of this year's $150-million R&D budget on developments that it hopes will be found in production on Airbus' A380 transport.
U.S. operators of General Electric CF6-50s and CF6-80C2s will be required to replace shrouds on 1,106 engines under a proposed FAA Airworthiness Directive prompted by 61 uncontained low-pressure turbine (LPT) failures since 1993. According to the FAA, newly designed shrouds will improve LPT containment capability, preventing aircraft damage should the engine experience an LPT failure.
Major U.S. airlines' profitability, ``far short of where it needs to be'' in 2000, will drop 20-40% this year, predicted the Air Transport Assn. of America's chief economist, David Swierenga, last week. Because costs will increase faster than revenues, the industry's net profit will slip from $2.6 billion last year to $1.5-2 billion in 2001, Swierenga projected. The carriers netted about $5 billion per year in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Frederick Alimonti, who was a partner in the Holland&Knight aviation litigation practice in New York, has formed Alimonti Law Offices in New York and White Plains, N.Y.
Alcatel is poised to take full control of its space subsidiary as part of a plan to expand the company's growing satcom and government business and operating activities.
On a purely economic or cash-generating basis, Raytheon Co.'s operating profits were about in the middle of the pack in 2000 compared with those of its peer group. In the area of asset utilization, however, Raytheon ranked dead last, and it needs to employ its assets more efficiently to meet investors' expectations, as reflected in the current stock price, according to HOLT Value Associates, a Chicago-based financial research and consulting firm.
Jack Wohler has been appointed president of Raytheon Commercial Electronics, Lexington, Mass. He was senior vice president-international business development/chief operating officer of Raytheon International Inc. and succeeds Del Lippert, who will retire. Greg Shelton has been named vice president-engineering and technology and Timothy C. Oliver vice president-investor relations of the Raytheon Co. Shelton will succeed Phil Cheney, who is scheduled to retire Dec. 31. Shelton has been vice president-engineering for Raytheon's missiles business.
Tiger Century Aircraft has plans to convert single-seat Northrop F-5E fighters into two-seat TF-5 trainers aimed at the advanced lead-in fighter trainer market. Northrop Grumman has agreed to take a major role in the new design with Mojave, Calif.-based Tiger Century. Northrop Grumman would be responsible for engineering and assembly of the new forward fuselage that is the main element of the TF-5 conversion.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued emergency evacuation recommendations for Airbus A300-600s, stemming from the Nov. 20, 2000, American Airlines Flight 1291 accident at Miami International Airport that killed one flight attendant, seriously injured three passengers and left 19 others with minor injuries.
Richard Swingen has become president of DeCrane Aircraft Cabin Management Group member Audio International, North Little Rock, Ark. He was president/CEO of the S-Tec Corp., Mineral Wells, Tex. Jim Soleo has been named president of the DeCrane Aircraft Furniture Co. of San Antonio. He was general manager of the Montreal Completion Center of Bombardier. Jim Clough has become director of program management and Carl Christensen director of finance for Precision Pattern Inc., Wichita, Kan.
German military forces recently completed the 1,000th launch of the CL-289 reconnaissance UAV during a training exercise at the Bergen training range in Lower Saxony, Germany. The Franco-German CL-289 has operated for three years in Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia, flying 237 missions from December 1998-July 1999, for example. NATO has awarded EADs' Dornier unit a contract to equip 140 of the UAVs with ADA operational software as part of a plan to develop a crisis management and conflict prevention capability.
Southwest Airlines has become the launch customer for a CFM56-3 core engine upgrade kit that will increase the durability and temperature capability of the U.S.-French powerplant. Under the agreement reached by the companies, CFM International will certify the upgrades in early 2002 and begin delivering kits to the carrier several months later, around the middle of the year. Southwest plans to buy about 300 upgrade kits and should receive its last one in 2005. The cost of each kit is about $1 million.
Keith Mordoff has become senior vice president-communications of the Frederick, Md.-based Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn. A former bureau chief for Aviation Week&Space Technology, Mordoff was last director of communications for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga.
Jeffrey H. Ehlers (see photo) has become vice president-finance/chief financial officer of Galaxy Aerospace of Fort Worth. He was vice president-project management for the NTS Virginia Development Co.
The UAL Corp. board of directors has voted to authorize United Airlines to establish a business jet fractional ownership program. United Airlines will start negotiating with manufacturers for orders and options so it can have a fleet of 200 business jets by 2005.
Capt. William Hagan and his crew have won the IFALPA Polaris Award for airmanship and professionalism. They were crewmembers of a British Airways Boeing 747 that plunged 10,000 ft. after an armed intruder broke into the cockpit and tried to take control of the aircraft during a flight to Nairobi, Kenya. Hagan and his crew subdued the intruder and regained control of the aircraft.
In six months, the FAA plans to review procedures used by U.S. airlines to schedule pilot duty and rest time, and will deal ``stringently'' with any violations of federal requirements.
Morrie Goodman has become vice president-communications for Boeing Air Traffic Management in Washington. He was press secretary/director of public affairs at the U.S. Commerce Dept.
Despite the aerospace/defense industry's fast-moving consolidation, which recently reduced the number of major players in the U.S. and Europe, participation in next month's Paris air show will exceed the level of two years ago.
Whether NATO will ever have a free-flowing transatlantic arms market hinges mainly on allowing economic rationality to prevail over alliance politics, which is enmeshed in broad controversies ranging from government research subsidies to arms control and the structure of strategic forces.
Raytheon Co. could hardly be under more pressure to deliver on performance goals it promised to the financial and investment community--perhaps more so than for any other major aerospace/defense contractor today.
Barely four months into his first term, President Bush finds himself surrounded by opposition to his missile defense plan in Europe, Asia and North America, with little sign of headway in the Administration's diplomatic offensive to allay fears of a new arms race.
John Greet has become vice president-finance/chief financial officer, Thomas Bosshard vice president-aircraft completions, Kay Ardalan vice president-product support, Piotr (Pete) Wolak vice president-customer programs, Johanna Avery vice president-organization development and Jim McGowan vice president-government and fleet sales, all of Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd., Broomfield, Colo.
Messier Services has chosen Intentia's Movex Aviation enterprise resource planning system for its maintenance, repair and overhaul business. Intentia is now defining Messier Services' commercial, production and financial processes under a 3-million-euro ($2.6-million) contract, and expects the system will become operational in mid-2002. Messier said it selected Movex Aviation because it is proven in the MRO field, and Intentia's expertise provides good support. Messier Services handles Messier-Dowty landing gear and Messier-Bugatti braking and hydraulic systems.
ITT INDUSTRIES AEROSPACE/Communications Div. will upgrade 12 GPS Block IIR satellite payloads already under contract, adding a second civil signal and two new military signals. Lockheed Martin Space Systems awarded a $38.9-million contract to ITT for the effort. Under the new contract, modernization will begin in 2003, with all 12 improved IIRs in service by 2006, instead of 2015 as previously planned.
