BFGoodrich Corp.'s early start toward developing landing gear concepts for the Airbus A380 paid off with its selection to provide body and wing assemblies for the mega-transport, said Roger Wright, president of the company's Cleveland-based Landing Gear Div.
NASA plans to make a decision in the next few weeks whether to repair the 16-ft. Transonic Tunnel at Hampton, Va.-based Langley Research Center or close down the aging facility. The tunnel was severely damaged last month during testing of a modified, full-scale F-15 engine inlet. The model was being tested under conditions equivalent to Mach 0.80 when a deflection of the inlet overloaded the model. It diverged, separated from the mounting and damaged the sting and its support before being caught by the safety/catch screen, a Langley official said.
Cellular telephone pioneer Craig McCaw's satellite holding company has entered talks with Ellipso Inc. that could lead to a strategic alliance or merger aimed at reviving the struggling nongeostationary mobile satellite industry. Discussions between ICO-Teledesic Global Ltd. and Ellipso, which would use highly elliptical orbits to give its low-cost relay spacecraft more time over the U.S. and other lucrative markets, is aimed at ``stabilizing'' the industry, according to a joint statement by the two parties.
The NASA Mars Odyssey spacecraft (see photo) is entering final test and integration at Cape Canaveral in preparation for its scheduled Apr. 7 launch on a mission critical to rebuilding the U.S. Mars exploration program after back-to-back failures in 1999. The spacecraft is to be launched on a Boeing Delta II and arrive in Martian orbit in October. The $151-million Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Lockheed Martin spacecraft has been fueled, and last week was put through a simulated launch countdown.
The FAA will seek public comment soon on ``congestion pricing'' to reduce delays at New York's LaGuardia Airport, Administrator Jane Garvey tells a House Appropriations subcommittee. The idea is to charge higher landing fees during peak, over-scheduled periods. Another possibility is an auction for LGA slots, a successor to the ``slottery'' last November in which airlines drew straws for landing slots. Charles Barclay, president of the American Assn. of Airport Executives, gives the subcommittee a preview of airport skepticism on congestion pricing.
Following months of wrangling, the U.S., Germany and Italy are expected to sign an agreement within the next few weeks to proceed with the cooperative Meads air and missile defense system that may be the first step to larger transatlantic cooperation in this area.
Astrium has received a $50-million order from Snecma to supply Vulcain 2 thrust chambers and cryogenic valve systems for 20 Ariane 5 boosters. The Vulcain 2, an upgrade of the Vulcain engine that powers the Ariane 5 main stage, will provide a 30% increase in thrust and an identical decrease in cost compared with existing engines, according to Astrium.
Louis J. Giuliano (see photo) has been named president/chief executive of ITT Industries, White Plains, N.Y. He was president/chief operating officer. Giuliano succeeds Travis Engen, who has become president/CEO of Alcan Inc. of Montreal.
Jim Hansen, chief of the Goddard Space Flight Center's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York and cofounder of the NASA Institute on Climate and Planets, has received a Heinz Award ``for his exemplary leadership in the critical and often-contentious debate over the threat of global climate change.'' He also was cited for work to recognize ``the need and the potential for researchers to influence science education.''
French space agency CNES and Spot Image have agreed to make Spot satellite data available to the scientific community throughout the European Union at low cost. The agreement follows a similar partnership last year, covering French scientists only, that led to a fourfold increase in scientific use of Spot imagery, CNES said. The accord will also apply to demonstrations undertaken under the European GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) initiative.
CFM International's airframe customers have vetoed the engine maker's proposals to pursue development and certification of advanced, new centerline engines at this time, citing customer satisfaction with the company's current stable of offerings. The rejection of new centerline powerplants means that technologies developed and matured under CFMI's three-year Tech56 effort are likely to be banked against future emerging needs. The engine maker had planned to use them in the near term to develop new powerplants and to freshen its current product line.
Jennifer J. Bleakney (see photo) has become vice president-global distribution for the International Rectifier Corp., El Segundo, Calif. She was vice president-strategic business development for Future Electronics.
Christopher Kubasik has been promoted to chief financial officer from corporate controller/vice president of the Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md. He succeeds Robert Stevens, who is now president/chief operating officer.
Materials of tungsten carbide with 17% cobalt and tungsten carbide with 10% cobalt and 4% chrome applied with the HVOF thermal spray process are increasingly replacing chrome plate. The carbide coating performance could meet or exceed performance of chrome in properties such as substrate fatigue life and wear and corrosion resistance. From general hardware applications to fatigue-critical components such as landing gear, the coatings may be used on a range of substrate materials and all types of steels and superalloys.
Take Off! by Ryan Ann Hunter, with illustrations by Edward Miller, is a child's introduction to flight. From man's earliest inclinations to fly to the exciting present--with tantalizing glimpses of an even more exciting future--this book tells, in simple, descriptive language, about the world of aviation in bold broad strokes that will stoke the imagination of almost any child 3-7 years old. The accuracy of the information will be unobtrusive to young children, but well appreciated by aviation-minded adults who present this book as a gift.
Andre Viljoen has been appointed chief executive of South African Airways, effective Apr. 1. He will succeed Coleman Andrews, who is expected to retire. Viljoen has been executive vice president/financial director. Don Ncube, who has been chairman of Real Africa Holdings, will become chairman of SAA. Ncube will succeed Bheki Sibiya, who will remain a member of the board of directors.
China, Taiwan and South Korea--which sustained a total of 11 airline crashes in 1997-99--are investing millions of dollars to enhance civil aviation training programs to boost safety, reliability and profitability. With China working toward gaining admission to the World Trade Organization, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has strengthened requirements for airline pilots and air traffic controllers. Candidates must now undergo longer and more closely supervised training.
Jerry W. Cosley worked at Trans World Airlines for 27 years, beginning as a union baggage handler in Dayton, Ohio, and rising to a variety of management posts. He now works for an energy company in Kansas City.
The first U.S./Russian long-duration crew for the International Space Station is to return to Earth this week on the orbiter Discovery while the new Expedition 2 crew begins a range of expanded operations on the ISS using cargo delivered by the Italian Leonardo module.
A recently declassified 1982 document confirms a Los Alamos National Laboratory computer model supported the conclusion that a low-yield nuclear explosion occurred off the coast of South Africa in September 1979. Some government officials maintain the event could have been an Israeli nuclear weapons test conducted with South African knowledge or assistance (AW&ST July 21, 1997, p. 33).
Operators may quickly access quality-of-life data about their in-service aircraft engines and reap safety and economic benefits from early diagnosis of powerplant problems with Jet-Care International's ECHO or Engine Condition Health OnLine software package. Jet-Care International President David Glass says ECHO is the first online aircraft engine monitoring software package to provide customers with a detailed picture of an aircraft engine's status.
Walter Kross has been named president/CEO of Flight Explorer, a subsidiary of Dimensions International Inc., Alexandria, Va. He was a partner/managing director of KPMG Peat Marwick.
The Middle East tinderbox is once again starting to smolder with the resurfacing of Iraq as a major policy concern of the new Bush Administration and the ongoing deterioration of Israeli-Palestinian relations. At the same time, despite recent efforts toward peace, the regional arms race shows little sign of abating. Countries are still willing to pay millions of dollars each year on weaponry despite their poor domestic economies. And Iran, Iraq and Syria continue to be among the front-runners in the race to develop a ballistic missile capability.
The Trizact 366 FA belt is coated on a sturdy waterproof Y-weight cloth backing. It has the ability to do light dimensioning as well as grinding and polishing. The belt's rugged appearance is a departure from the typically smooth tract surface, but it delivers consistent cut rates and finishes over the life of the belt. The product is designed for medium- to high-pressure application and is effective in centerless applications.
Many attempts have been made to copy Southwest Airlines' model of a low-cost, no-frills carrier, but few have succeeded, with the possible exception of JetBlue in the U.S. and Easy Jet in Europe. The latest experiment, GOL Airlines, is operating in Brazil. The airline made its inaugural revenue flight, from Brasilia to Sao Paulo, last January. GOL's president and CEO, Constantino Oliveira, is the scion of his family's Aurea, a powerful conglomerate that owns 38 companies and operates 13,000 buses.
