Republican loyalists are pitching darts at President Bush for reneging on promises to fill defense coffers promptly and get moving with a national missile defense (NMD). Pro-defense lawmakers are upset that the White House budget office is shunning a supplemental defense funding bill. Particularly incensed are Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee, because Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested at his Jan.
Geoff Hunt has become acting president of Garrett Aviation Services subsidiary ElectroSonics, Columbus, Ohio, following the retirement of Robert Kauffman. Hunt has been vice president/general manager.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and the Senate Armed Services Committee have agreed his department should consider whether R&D is needed for a new series of nuclear weapons. The committee is concerned that the Clinton Administration gave little attention to the aging inventory, and Abraham recalled that the last evaluation may have been made as long as five years ago. His agency and the national weapons laboratories are responsible for the technical side of nuclear weapons, and Abraham voiced concerns about the brain drain.
The successful launch of a twin military telecommunications payload will reinforce Europe's defense and forward deployment capability, while highlighting continued difficulties in adopting a common approach to military space. An Ariane 4 booster last week orbited Sicral-1, Italy's first dedicated military satellite, along with Skynet 4F, the third and last unit in the U.K.'s Skynet 4 Stage 2 milsatcom network.
The much-needed expansion of EADS Airbus production facilities in Hamburg, Germany, is under serious threat following a local court's ruling in favor of lawsuits filed by local residents who oppose the changes. Several hundred residents had instituted proceedings against plans to extend the runway at the site and reclaim land from the river Elbe adjacent to the current facilities. The moves are linked to Airbus production plans for the 555-seat A380. EADS Airbus said it would not tolerate any more delays beyond Feb. 15.
Pentagon officials want to reduce aerospace and defense companies' excess manufacturing capacity to drive down overhead and program costs. A new Defense Dept. assessment has determined that the fixed-wing, rocket motor, satellite, and shipbuilding industries, and Army-owned ordnance fabrication facilities, have retained ``significant underutilized capacity'' at expense to the Defense Dept. and taxpayers. For example, the Pentagon could have reduced F-22 costs if production were not split between two Lockheed Martin sites and one Boeing facility.
Joseph Aron has been appointed vice president-North America of Servicios Aereos Profesionales, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was vice president-sales at Gulfstream International Airlines.
CAE has been awarded two upgrade contracts valued at $10 million, for updating the U.K. Royal Navy's Lynx Mk8 flight simulator and NATO's E-3A aircraft simulator based in Germany.
Washington Dulles-based Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA), a United Express and Delta Connection carrier, continues to be one of the faster growing regional airlines in the U.S. Passenger traffic results for January showed 98.5 million revenue passenger miles, a 40.6% increase over the year-earlier period. Available seat miles increased to 228.2 million for January, a 48.6% increase, while load factor dropped slightly to 43.2% versus 45.6% in January 2000. ACA boarded 283,121 passengers last month.
The next intercept attempt with an NMD system won't come until May or June--several months later than what the Pentagon was expecting after the latest test failure last year. The reason? A meticulous quality control process for each component has slowed everything to a crawl. Two past test failures were linked to problems government officials believe could have been caught--contamination of the kill vehicle's sensor coolant and a flaw with some government-furnished avionics.
Steps undertaken by the FAA and controllers' union to assess the seriousness of ATC errors and reduce the threat of punishment for minor controller errors could lead to long-term safety improvements in a modernized ATC system. Improvements are needed. The number and rate of operational errors are rising faster than air traffic, and the FAA has not been able to stem the tide. The recent memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the agency and the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. is a step in the right direction.
Patco Corp. polyurethane pressure sensitive adhesive tape--D9100--is a key component in minimizing corrosion and inhibiting moisture in tough-to-seal areas on and around aircraft flooring systems. It is used in aircraft ``wet areas'' on both commercial and freight aircraft. These would be galleys, lavatories and entry ways on commercial aircraft and entry ways, floor fittings and floor joints on freighters. The tape is more puncture resistant than PVC and polyethylene films. It meets FAR 25.853(a) 12-sec. vertical burn requirements for interior aircraft use.
A line of Willson lenses including FogBan, I/O Dual-purpose, light and shaded IR/PC offer user-specific advantages. These include resisting solvents, cutting glare from artificial and/or natural lighting, allowing differentiation between red, green and yellow lights and protecting against intermittent electric arcs. A breakaway adjustable flexicord retainer is available. The full line includes spectacles; impact and splash goggles; faceshields; welding goggles and helmets. Dalloz Safety, Second and Washington Streets, P.O. Box 622, Reading, Pa. 19603-0622.
Europe and the U.S. are moving to establish a common position in helicopter operating and heliport design rules that could lead to proposals to upgrade international standards.
Jean Paul Bernard (see photo) has been appointed vice president-Europe in the Military Engine Div. of Paris-based Snecma Moteurs. He was vice president-industrial and commercial affairs at the Rocket Engine Div.
The German aerospace industry association (BDLI) has warned that the nation's declining defense budget will lead to the loss of further jobs, as well as expertise, in the military sector.
U.S. airlines have improved their passenger service in the last six months, but fall short of what was promised a year ago when the carriers' voluntary 12-point program was launched. Such is the blunt message contained in the highly anticipated Airline Customer Service Report to be released this week by the Transportation Dept.'s Office of Inspector General (IG), according to sources who have read the 100-plus-page document.
In a surprise move, the Italian government is again considering a merger between Alitalia and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Last year, Alitalia/KLM's ``near merger'' was terminated in the wake of a controversy about Italy's fragile airport policy and continued operational difficulties at newly rejuvenated Malpensa 2000 airport, which is succeeding Linate as the main gateway for Milan. The Italian government's decision to restart negotiations with KLM precipitated the resignation of Domenico Cempella, Alitalia's chief executive.
U.S. Air Force leaders are reacting positively to a recent ``Space Commission'' report that recommended organizational changes in today's national security space infrastructure, according to the officer in charge of preparing a service response.
EADS' Dornier subsidiary has been awarded a $25-million contract to upgrade 140 CL-289 reconnaissance drones for the French and German armed forces. The upgrade includes new flight control software and an improved GPS-aided navigation system.
Russia's Volga-Dnepr and the U.K.'s HeavyLift have dissolved their decade-old joint venture in outsize air cargo, divided over investment strategy. Volga-Dnepr is going independent, deciding it could not attract enough investment for fleet expansion in association with the British company. The joint venture expired Feb. 1.
The union representing U.K. air traffic controllers said it would ballot its members on industrial action if the government failed to convince them that plans for partial privatization of National Air Traffic Services (NATS) would put safety before profits. The government plans to select one of three competing private consortia in March to run NATS under a public/private partnership scheme.
Kent L. Statler (see photo) has been named vice president-lean electronics for Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was vice president-maintenance operations for Collins Aviation Services. Statler succeeds Dan D. Chadwick, who has retired. Succeeding Statler is Mark Harris. Douglas C. Wagner has become manager of media relations. He was strategic marketing manager for Five Transportation and Parking.
