A new National Reconnaissance Office spacecraft crucial for the development of advanced laser communications and other military space relay capabilities is set for launch this week from Cape Canaveral on a Boeing Delta II. The GeoLITE mission is largely secret, but is part of an NRO initiative to demonstrate advanced military space communications--especially laser systems--that will eventually provide greater ``information superiority'' capability to U.S. forces.
Deeply discounted airline fares are likely to be the rule this summer as carriers attempt to rebound from the worst first-quarter passenger loads since 1997, says the Air Transport Assn. ATA reports 125,256,000 first-quarter enplanements in the U.S., down 9% from last year and 3% lower than first-quarter 1998 results. ATA spokesman Michael Wascom said: ``The numbers have dipped because business travel has dipped.'' He says fare slashes like AirTran's 35% summer sale and Delta's worldwide spring sale are attempts to recover from the year's sluggish start.
The flight of space tourist Dennis Tito has raised the ire of powerful U.S. senators on the appropriations panel that funds NASA, but more tourists are waiting in the wings and there's a chance Russia will sell them seats on future Soyuz ``taxi flights'' to the International Space Station. Russia's unilateral decision to send Tito to the ISS acted as a lightning rod for members of the Senate Appropriations Committee already weary of Russia's performance on the international project.
Jim Dempsey has been named director of planning, schedules and programs and Ken Haynes program manager for the C-20 engineering support contract at the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga. Dempsey was Gulfstream V entry-into-service program manager, while Haynes was contract logistics support manager for the C-37A, the military designation for the G-V.
Joseph B. Spear (see photos) has been promoted to vice president-corporate business services from vice president-purchasing and logistics for TriPoint Global Communications, Gastonia, N.C. George Watson has been appointed director of procurement and Lou DiNunzio vice president-corporate quality. Raymond M. Szull, Jr., has been named director of national account sales for affiliate CSA Wireless. Watson was procurement director of Prodelin, while DiNunzio was corporate director of quality for Oberg Industries. Szull was regional vice president-sales for SimplySay Inc.
To warn pilots of potentially dangerous cabin altitude and pressure conditions, this dedicated off-the-shelf altitude alerter is fully RVSM compliant and has been field proven in aircraft requiring cabin pressurization. It issues three types of warnings: it flashes cabin altitude on its LCD; it annunciates a caution light located within its integral pushbutton; and it triggers audio alerts. The altitude alerter function has four user-selectable operation modes: altitude alerts, minimum descent altitude, static air temperature and cabin altitude.
Paul Lindsey has become vice president-process improvement for BAE Systems North America, Nashua, N.H. He was vice president-engineering of the BAE Systems Aerospace Sector, Austin, Tex. USMC Gen.(ret.) Thomas Zinni, Robert Prestel and Robert Fitch have been named to the board of directors. Prestel was deputy director of the National Security Agency. Fitch is vice president-marketing and government relations.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has decided to develop in-orbit refueling and electronic upgrades as the main objectives in its Orbital Express program.
Air Canada Technical Services takes pride in having what its president calls a ``state-of-the-art'' infotech package that handles all aspects of running its business from the boardroom to the shop floor. The division also takes pride in the fact that the system was created at home.
Northwest Airlines has introduced several rebooking features for customers using the Internet or the self-service kiosks at airports. Customers using nwa.com, wireless.nwa.com or check-in at an airport e-service center can now change their flight plans within 24 hr. of departure.
The Clarke-Hess/Powertech Model GP102 gain phase analysis incorporates impedance, power, complex voltage/current and harmonic analysis over a frequency range of 10-2 MHz. Discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is the backbone of the GP102 and is used in most of the measurements. DFT means that the unit can selectively measure amplitude and phase angle of signals buried in noise and distortion, a likely scenario in many power conversion and AC servo applications. The GP102 is fitted with an RS232 interface as standard, IEEE-488 interface as an option.
Boeing has begun marketing software to its airline customers that gives pilots with a laptop computer access to the five paper-based documents needed to calculate takeoff performance for any of the aircraft the company produces from any runway at any commercial airport.
A Spectrum Astro/Northrop Grumman-led team completed its System Design Review (SDR) of the U.S. Air Force's Space-Based Infrared System-Low (SBIRS-Low) in late April. This review was the seventh milestone under a 38-month Program Definition and Risk Reduction contract awarded in August 1999. The team will now concentrate on detailed design, analysis and risk-reduction efforts in preparation for the SBIRS-Low Preliminary Design Review, scheduled for early next year. A competing team led by TRW/Raytheon completed its SDR in March (AW&ST Apr. 30, p. 40).
Gen. William J. Begert on May 4 assumed command of Pacific Air Forces and has become the air component commander for U.S. Pacific Command at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Begert was assistant vice chief of staff at USAF Headquarters in Washington. He also was vice commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe during Operation Allied Force.
Southwest Airlines has been making the pitch to Wall Street that its stock is still a good investment, despite the economy's hammer blows that have softened even the carrier's traffic numbers. James F. Parker, the general counsel who will be vice chairman and CEO beginning on June 19, told some Wall Street airline analysts, ``We are not recession-proof but we are recession-resistant.''
Gary Kawahara has been promoted to general manager from engineering manager and Mark Drey to engineering manager from program manager at Pressure Systems Inc., Commerce, Calif.
The mounting controversy surrounding France's airport policy is further delaying the government's decision on Paris' proposed third airport. Transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot abandoned an earlier plan to select a new airport site in early summer and is now tentatively targeting a decision for October. Environmentalists and residents fiercely dispute the need for an additional hub, despite the airline industry's growth in traffic and Air France's double-digit expansion.
Modernization of Ben-Gurion International Airport is back on track with the selection of an Israeli construction firm to complete work on the new terminal, which will feature three concourses and 24 gates. Israel Airports Authority had awarded the contract to a Turkish company, but it ran into financial difficulties and the contract was terminated last October. The project, which was started in May 1999, is now set to be completed in March 2003. The first phase, including new road construction, will cost $730 million.
With a fleet of 155 turboprop- and turbojet-powered aircraft scattered among 50 worldwide locations, the management, administrative and reporting challenges facing TAG Aviation are fast paced, to put it mildly. In just the past year, the fleet of this TAG-Group subsidiary has grown by a third--an extra 44 aircraft--and another 12 were added in the first quarter of this year. ``We experienced a 35% increase in international travel when the Concorde was grounded,'' said Carole D. Helms, vice president of marketing.
Judy M. Stark has been promoted to manager of exhibits and promotions from special promotions coordinator for the Dassault Falcon Jet Corp., Teterboro, N.J.
The U.S. has OK'd acquisition of the Silicon Valley Group by ASM Lithography Holding NV of the Netherlands for $1.3 billion. The U.S. company specializes in lithography technology used in surveillance satellites and other sensitive defense applications. Government threats to block the deal, owing to Defense Dept. concerns that the technology could find its way to China or other destinations to which high-tech exports are restricted, almost led to a diplomatic incident (AW&ST May 7, p. 27).
The Sea Launch system boosted the second of two spacecraft into orbit for XM Satellite Radio last week. The Boeing Satellite Systems 702 spacecraft lifted off its floating launch pad at 3:10 p.m. PDT on May 8 from a position of 154 deg. W. Long. on the equator, bound for a geostationary orbital position at 85 deg. W. The first signal was acquired 1 hr. and 10 min. later, as planned.
An automated traffic management system developed by NASA Ames Research Center to ease congestion at the nation's airports is now available for commercial applications. NASA engineers tested the Traject software tool at Atlanta Hartsfield airport for the 1996 Olympics, and it has been used there ever since. Jon Hagstrom of Ames Computational Sciences Div. said Traject could save airlines ``tens of millions of dollars annually'' by reducing airport taxi times.
