A 52-min. electrical power outage at Denver International Airport (DIA) on Apr. 22 prompted the FAA to stop flight operations for about 45 min. More than 50 flights and about 5,000 passengers were affected by the failure--the first since DIA opened early in 1995. Backup generators kept the airport's safety systems in operation until service was restored. High winds during a fierce snowstorm may have induced ``galloping power lines,'' but investigations are underway to determine the exact cause, according to Exel Energy, which serves DIA.
Four U.S. aerospace companies will conduct $1-million studies for NASA on alternate ways to bring samples of rock and soil back from the surface of Mars for study on Earth. President Bush added $548 million to the Mars exploration program in his Fiscal 2002 budget request, which could advance a sample return mission to as early as 2011 (AW&ST Apr. 16, p. 29). Ball Aerospace, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and TRW will carry out the six-month studies to help guide mission development.
ROBINSON HELICOPTER CO. CAPTURED more than 61% of the North American commercial helicopter market in 2000, according to the Aerospace Industries Assn. Robinson delivered 390 new aircraft, including 264 four-place R44s and 126 two-place R22s. By comparison, Bell Helicopter Textron delivered 143 aircraft and MD Helicopters delivered 41 units. The R44, priced at $299,000, has outsold all other four-place helicopters for the past three years, a company official said.
Consolidation among business aircraft manufacturers has been stalled in recent years, even though there are at least a dozen airframe builders that compete in at least one, and in some cases, multiple market segments. But that situation may soon change.
Udo Rieder, vice president-engineering and planning of Delta Air Lines, has been named chairman of the Air Transport Assn.'s Engineering Maintenance and Materiel Council, starting in June. He will succeed Kenneth J. Hylander, vice president-quality, reliability and engineering for Northwest Airlines.
U.S. regional carriers of tomorrow will be larger, but fewer in number because of the expected consolidation of the airline industry. Those that remain must keep their costs in line as demand for larger regional jet equipment and salaries grow. The scope clause protecting mainline pilots will continue to be a determining factor in the regionals' growth, several industry experts believe.
With the prospect for new manned combat aircraft programs disappearing until about mid-century, Northrop Grumman is aggressively moving to win a pole position in the race for development of unmanned aircraft. One of the company's unmanned reconnaissance aircraft just last week completed the first transpacific flight to Adelaide, Australia, where it will be used in military roles and to monitor illegal immigration and smuggling operations in that country's sparsely populated north.
THE GROWING DEMAND FOR AIRBORNE SATELLITE communications equipment was highlighted recently when the 2,000th Honeywell/Thales multichannel airborne satellite communications (Satcom) system was delivered to Singapore Airlines. The airline, which has 76 of the systems, was the launch customer. Honeywell and Thales jointly developed the three-, four-, six- and seven-channel systems, which are used by airlines, business jets and military aircraft.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL AND BOMBARDIER Aerospace have opened new training facilities at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The 110,000-sq.-ft. FSI building has 16 simulator bays and is similar to another new center opened recently in Atlanta to handle pilot training for business jet operators and regional airlines. Bombardier's facility, which is collocated with SimuFlite Training International, includes 81,800 sq. ft. and will house simulators for the Learjet 31A, 45 and 60 series aircraft, as well as the Challenger 604 and new Continental business jet.
Roy Bridges, director of the Kennedy Space Center, has received the 2001 Dr. Kurt H. Debus Award from the Florida Committee of the National Space Club in recognition of his ``progressive, visionary leadership and contributions to space technology and exploration.'' The award honors achievements and contributions made in Florida to the U.S. aerospace effort and is named for the first KSC director.
Randal E. Morger (see photos) has been promoted to vice president from director of communications of the Information and Electronic Systems Integration Sector of BAE Systems, Nashua, N.H. Richard E. Ashooh has been promoted to vice president from director of public affairs for the Information and Electronic Warfare Systems unit and Alan Mertz to director of the infrared countermeasures (IRCM) product line from program manager for the advanced threat IRCM/ common missile warning system line.
ON APR. 23, AN AMERICAN AIRLINES 767-300ER demonstrated the first communication over the Aeronautical Communication Network (ATN) between an airborne production-ready ATN avionics suite and an operational ATC center, according to Arinc. The aircraft, airborne over Oklahoma, successfully exchanged messages via controller to pilot data link communications (CPDLC) with the Maastricht Upper Air Center, Netherlands.
THE ASIAN BUSINESS AVIATION ASSN. is set to meet and draw up its by-laws and mission statement May 8 in Shenzen, China. The organization is being formed to promote business flying in the region. Three sites--Hong Kong, Macau and Malaysia--are under consideration for ABAA headquarters.
Peter Kellner has become director of communications for Europe for Fairchild Dornier, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. He was head of corporate communications for DaimlerChrysler's MTU Aero Engines.
Ann D. Davidson has been appointed vice president/general counsel of Alliant Techsystems of Minneapolis. She has succeeded Daryl L. Zimmer, who has retired. Davidson was associate general counsel/assistant secretary of the Parker Hannifin Corp. of Cleveland.
Pentagon officials are expected to assign at least some blame to three participants in an exercise in Kuwait during which an errant bomb caused six deaths earlier this year. Army Gen. Tommy Franks, head of U.S. Central Command, is expected to recommend punishment for a Navy F/A-18 pilot who dropped the bomb, a Navy F-14 aircrewman who was an airborne forward air controller and an Air Force forward air controller on the ground who was monitoring the exercise. The pilot mistook the observation tower for his target which was actually a mile away.
Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Integrated Systems Sector has won a $23.6-million, fixed-price contract from the U.S. Navy to produce 78 BQM-74E aerial targets and associated kits. The contract includes options for three additional years of production. The potential total value is $107 million.
Setting the scene for airports to analyze their infrastructure and airlines to reexamine their peak-hour scheduling, the FAA documented last week what has been obvious to air travelers for the past couple of summers--flight operations often exceed capacity at the nation's most congested airports.
General Dynamics' $2.1-billion cash offer to buy Newport News Shipbuilding represents the company's second bid in two years to absorb its main competitor and become the U.S. Navy's chief supplier of aircraft carriers and submarines. The proposed deal, tentatively set to close in the third quarter, would include assumption of $500 million of debt accumulated by Newport News Shipbuilding. Although the boards of both companies have approved the plan, it is subject to government and regulatory review.
With a new Administration in the White House, lighter-than-air proponents are rolling out some new ideas. NORAD is pitching the demonstration of an airship that in large numbers would offer early warning of attack by aircraft or missiles. BMDO is considering missile-carrying airships to fend off cruise missile attacks.
Titan Corp. received an indefinite-delivery/quantity follow-on contract by the U.S. Navy for technical and software engineering services in support of satellite communications systems improvements. The potential value is $127 million over the next five years.
