Calls in Washington for ``rephasing'' NASA's Crew Rescue Vehicle for the International Space Station threaten to exacerbate the sometimes cantankerous relations between the U.S. space agency and its European ISS partners (AW&ST Feb. 26, p. 32). One issue is the number of shuttle flights--1.2 per year--allotted for European astronauts. ``We have not received the flight opportunities from NASA we expected,'' lamented Joerg Feustel-Buechl, ESA's director of manned spaceflight and microgravity.
In the spirit of ``out with the old, in with the new,'' the U.S. Navy is considering abandoning its current helicopter modernization plan and replacing it with one that buys new aircraft instead of refurbishing old ones.
The Allied Pilots Assn. must pay $45.5 million to American Airlines following a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court not to review the penalty imposed on the union after an illegal ``sickout'' early in 1999. An APA official said there is no timetable for paying the money, which would bankrupt the union. APA's net worth is $35-40 million. The total amount of the penalty, however, is close to $50 million including interest.
Partial privatization of Air India is proving more difficult than expected, thanks to the Indian government's insistence on retaining a 60% stake in the troubled airline. Such constraints in the last few days contributed to Air France's and Delta Air Lines' decision to abandon a plan to submit a joint proposal. Other European carriers such as Swissair and British Airways decided previously to give up bidding for a stake in Air India. Investors cannot own more than 26% of the company's shares unless they have an Indian partner.
EDITED BY BRUCE D. NORDWALLEDITED BY EDWARD H. PHILLIPS
EUROCONTROL MOVED A STEP CLOSER to the Aeronautical Telecommunications Network with the completion of factory acceptance tests of a reference platform that will be used to validate new ATN components and applications. ATN is the standardized network being developed for global aeronautical and ATC data communications by Eurocontrol and the FAA. The new platform, dubbed the common American European reference ATN facility (CAERAF), was developed by a team headed by Thales ATM, with ARINC, Thales Avionics and Sofreavia in France, in cooperation with the FAA.
The launch of Europe's first large element for the International Space Station, work to prepare the ISS for Canada's station arm and the exchange of the Expedition 1 and 2 crews, are the goals of shuttle mission STS-102 set for Discovery this week. The flight is also carrying the first major science instrumentation to be positioned on the ISS. Liftoff from Complex 39B is set for about 6:45 a.m. EST Mar. 8 for the 13-day flight that will also include two extravehicular activities (EVAs).
The U.S. Air Force is moving officially to launch a $250-million Defense Support Program missile warning satellite on the space shuttle Columbia as early as next year. NASA is facilitating plans for the launch. The mission would, at least temporarily, overturn a Defense Dept. policy made after the 1986 Challenger accident to avoid the launch of large military payloads on the shuttle.
Jay R. Grove (see photos) has been named vice president/general manager for the EMS Space&Technology Group of Atlanta and Michael L. Gulledge vice president-marketing of its wireless division. Grove was director of mobile satcom systems for ViaSat Inc. Gulledge held the same position at Glenayre Electronics.
It was inevitable that Europe would initiate an ambitious bid to wrest the leadership in aeronautics research from the U.S. The challenge came earlier this year with the European Commission and aerospace industry executives putting forth ``A Vision for 2020'' outlining goals for creating a world-class transport system in Europe and establishing the framework to conduct aeronautics research second to none (AW&ST Feb. 5, p. 30).
Japan's All Nippon Airways will cancel its five-times weekly services from Osaka to Kuala Lumpur after Mar. 24 because the routes are not profitable, according to a local ANA manager. Late last year, British Airways canceled its flights for the same reason. The lost services are hurting the reputation of Kuala Lumpur's $2.8-billion international airport at Sepang, 30 mi. outside the city.
The SAirGroup is reassessing investments in troubled Belgian and French affiliates and could decide soon to give up on its ill-fated external growth strategy and focus instead on domestic businesses. At stake is the fate of Sabena Belgian World Airlines, as well as the future of Air Liberte, Air Littoral and AOM.
A unique American-Russian partnership is set to launch the first free-flying solar sail late this year and plans a deployment test in space next month, finally trying a concept that has been discussed for more than 75 years. The ``Cosmos 1'' project will also feature the first submarine-launched rocket to orbit and will be the first privately funded space exploration-related mission, at a price 1/10 of what NASA envisions for a solar sail test.
The U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center is leading an eight-year research program aimed at building a Mach 15 hypersonic tunnel facility by 2015. Tom Best, chief of the Applied Technology Div. at AEDC, said team members of the Magnetohydrodynamic Accelerator Research Into Advanced Hypersonics (Mariah) project are studying the application of ultrahigh-pressure air, an electron beam and a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) accelerator to achieve test speeds of Mach 12-15.
Tonya Cunningham and Alfred Awani --engineers for Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems--and Anthony Thornton and Andre Thornton, engineers for the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, have received 2001 Black Engineer of the Year Awards. Cunningham is a software engineer at the St. Louis facility who found a way to save resources in the building and testing of visual integrated display systems for aircraft simulators.
Continental Airlines has dropped its opposition to American Airlines' acquisition of bankrupt TWA after American gave assurances in a Delaware bankruptcy court that it would save most of the jobs of TWA employees and protect benefits of retirees. A Continental spokesman said, ``We have stated repeatedly that we would step aside if American unconditionally guaranteed that it would fulfill its promises to hire substantially all of the TWA employees.'' At the same hearing, TWA asked the court to approve American's transaction by Mar.
More changes are ahead for the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) program. The first launch of one of the early warning satellites is being delayed from Fiscal 2004 until the following year. That may sound like a significant slip, but all it really means is the launch of the first of four SBIRS-High geostationary satellites will move from September 2004 to October. It's a budgetary gimmick. The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle has to be bought two years before launch, and the Air Force won't have the money in Fiscal 2002. The SBIRS-Low effort is also undergoing changes.
A number of Boeing facilities were closed for at least one day by the strong Feb. 28 Seattle earthquake, including Kent, Renton, Plant II, Boeing Field, the Developmental Center and company headquarters on East Marginal Way. The runways at Boeing Field were damaged, and officials were not sure late last week when the airport could reopen for heavy aircraft. The control tower at Sea-Tac airport was evacuated after windows broke (photo), and almost all flights were canceled on Feb. 28 and restricted to half-rate on Mar. 1.
The U.S. seeks fair access to Tokyo Narita's 7,000-ft.-plus runway--Narita's second runway--when it opens in mid-2002 and would like permission to operate passenger charters from Tokyo Haneda airport. According to U.S. government officials, these were but a few of the topics discussed when U.S. and Japanese aviation officials met recently in Washington on liberalizing the bilateral agreement. The meeting, a follow-up to last November's negotiations, also discussed lowering landing fees of U.S.
EDO Corp. last week turned in what may be the strongest performance of any of the defense industry's small-capitalization contractors in the fourth quarter of 2000--a 132% increase in net earnings on a 123% rise in revenue, before merger-related costs. The company merged last year with AIL Technologies Inc. ``EDO is positioned to emerge as one of the industry's primary suppliers,'' JSA Research analyst Peter Arment said.
The Greek government has delayed the opening of the new Athens International Airport at Spata to Mar. 28. The airport was originally scheduled to open on Mar. 1, but several key infrastructure projects, particularly access roads, were unlikely to be finished in time. The International Air Transport Assn., which wanted the opening pushed back by six months, welcomed the decision. However, the move from Hellinikon airport to the Spata site by March may be impossible, as the summer timetable, with more daily movements, will already be in effect.
The situation in the dilapidated and demoralized Russian air force continues to worsen with hundreds upon hundreds of aircraft rusting into the ground, few changes in Soviet-era doctrine or tactics and thousands of pilots receiving little or no flight time. The Russian air force is in a downward spiral from which there is little hope of recovery without more massive cuts than contemplated in both aircraft and personnel, according to about a dozen experts and close observers of that air force who met recently with Aviation Week&Space Technology.
Capt. Joe Burns has become director of the Flight Operations Technology Dept. and Capt. Brad Thomann managing director for flight standards and training of United Airlines' Denver Flight Center. Burns was automation manager at the United Flight Training Center and succeeds Capt. Bill Cotton, who has retired. Thomann was chief pilot for United at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) that oversees NASA space and aeronautics is giving the agency's aeronautics program mixed grades. In its latest report, the panel said it is concerned that NASA's Aerospace Technology Enterprise aimed at future space transportation technologies ``has significantly reduced resources for the aviation sector.'' But the panel also said it is ``encouraging'' that the agency's Aviation Safety Program has been maintained and has tackled safety-related aspects of programs canceled in other NASA aeronautics sectors.
The five crewmembers of the 1975 U.S.-USSR Apollo-Soyuz space mission are scheduled to be inducted into the International Aerospace Hall of Fame at the San Diego Aerospace Museum on Mar. 24. The crewmembers were: Americans Thomas P. Stafford, Vance D. Brand and the late Donald K. Slayton; and Russians Alexei A. Leonov and Valeri N. Kubasov. Astronaut Gene Cernan is expected to be the keynote speaker.
Senate heavyweights are increasing the political pressure against airline mergers, following the example of their House counter-parts (see p. 47). To shore up competition, the Transportation Dept. would have the power to reallocate a carrier's gates, facilities or other assets before a merger was approved, under a bill introduced last week by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.), chairman and ranking Democrat, respectively, of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
