EADS has agreed to acquire a 26.8% stake in Finland's Patria Industries for an undisclosed sum. The state-owned aerospace and defense company has a workforce of about 2,200 and posted net sales of 193 million euros ($180 million) in 1999. EADS officials said they expect to close the deal, which will make it a strategic industrial partner with Patria, this summer. The Finnish government has been seeking to reduce its ownership in Patria to 50.1% and is expected to approve the transaction.
John D. Holum has become vice president-international and government affairs of Atlas Air Inc., Purchase, N.Y. He was U.S. under secretary of State for arms control and international security.
A key member of Congress and the world's largest association of travel agents want federal regulators to scrutinize or block the debut of Orbitz--an online ticket service that five major U.S. airlines hope to open in June. But owners of Orbitz, an Internet-based travel company designed to fetch the absolute lowest fare from domestic and foreign airlines--and fueled by $100 million in startup funds from the five airlines--insisted anticompetition fears are unfounded.
The microprocessor-based Model ED-520 Eddy Current Test instrument offers a pushbutton setup to inspect materials for flaws of most nonferrous metals and alloys, including aluminum, copper and brass. Calibration can be initialized and the instrument set in a matter of seconds. As the probe goes over a defect it is measured on a large meter. The instrument measures 5 X 9 X 6 in., weighs 5.3 lb. and is well-suited to rugged environments. Rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries provide up to 10 hr. of continuous operation on a single charge.
One member of the U.S. Coast Guard HH-60 crew that is slated to receive the Aviation Week&Space Technology Laureate award in the Operations category was incorrectly listed in last week's issue. The crewmember is AMT2 Lorne Green.
Victor M. Aguado has been appointed director general of Eurocontrol. He succeeds Yves Lambert, who has retired. Aguado was president of the International Civil Aviation Organization's air navigation commission.
Dale E. Wallis (see photo) has been promoted to vice president/chief financial officer/treasurer of The Aerospace Corp. of Los Angeles. He succeeds Margaret A. Anderson, who has retired.
Sabena won a temporary reprieve when its owners, the SAirGroup and the Belgian government, assented last week to more time for the ailing carrier to reach agreements with unions and employees on a cost-cutting plan. The shareholders said consensus had been met covering just over half the targeted goal. They postponed, however, a decision on a 250-million euro ($232.5-million) capital injection for the Belgian airline until Feb. 23.
Sikorsky Aircraft is poised to begin flight tests of the latest configuration of its S-92 helicopter using the fifth prototype, which has a modified empennage to alleviate a nose-up condition in some flight regimes and a wider cabin door to facilitate search-and-rescue missions.
As the new Bush Administration and Congress look to solve growing airline delays, the FAA has targeted ways to accelerate the construction of new runways to ease the flow of air traffic. But the runway-building task is challenging as evidenced by regulatory restrictions, byzantine environmental impact studies and lengthy approval processes.
Having completed key requirements in the F-22 test program, Air Force officials are encountering a new obstacle in initiating production of the stealth fighter, a move by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to conduct a major review of Pentagon policy and programs.
William L. Meaney has been appointed CEO of the Chicago-based Star Alliance, succeeding Friedel Rodig, who has retired. Meaney was executive vice president-alliances, network management and global sales for South African Airways. Other recent appointments were: Louise McKenven, vice president-marketing; Richard S. Merkatz, vice president-sales; Horst E. Findeisen, vice president-global network; and Brock Friesen, vice president-strategy.
Christine R. Deister has been promoted to senior vice president-finance/ treasurer from vice president/treasurer of Trans World Airlines. Kathleen A. Soled has been named senior vice president-human resources/general counsel. She was senior vice president/general counsel.
Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Logicon subsidiary will install and maintain a Cray MTA-2 supercomputer at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. The new unit, which will feature 112 gigabytes of memory and 28 processors, will support up to 128 RISC-like hardware streams per processor, a Cray official said. The naval laboratory will use the computer to expand the facility's computational capabilities, especially for memory-intensive operations, according to Logicon. Plans call for installation in the fourth quarter of 2001.
British Airways strategy of cutting capacity continues to bolster its bottom line. The carrier posted pretax profits of $101.4 million during the third quarter, ending Dec. 31, compared to an $88.2-million loss the previous year. Passenger traffic yield was up 8.3%, while capacity was reduced by 3.9%.
Ruger's hydraulic load lifting and material handling skills were utilized by Northrop Grumman when they picked the new Porta Loader II to place directional infrared countermeasures (Dircm) systems on aircraft. The crane's ease of setup and its ability to move quickly and lift objects to a pinpointed site were reasons for the choice. The segmented boom extends to 28 ft. with a range of motion from -5 to 75 degrees. It has a maximum lift capacity of up to 2,000 lb. and is powered with a 23-volt system with two deep cycle 6-volt batteries. The Porta Loader II is 58 in.
American Airlines has a rival in the bidding for bankrupt TWA. Jet Acquisitions Group of Scottsdale, Ariz., said it would bid $1 billion for the St. Louis-based carrier, about twice the size of American's bid. The group said it would retain the TWA workforce, pay $900 million for TWA to satisfy its creditors, assume $3.5 billion in debt and set out on an expansion program.
Intelligence officials are witnessing a disturbing new trend in proliferation in which countries that obtained weapons through outside assistance are turning around and now re-selling that capability to other states.
STG Aerospace is the leader in photoluminescent products for the aerospace industry. It holds U.S. FAA certifications for 19 various aircraft models and is the only photoluminescent system to have worldwide approval for safety evacuation for all aircraft types and operation modes. Its safety solutions are installed by more than 100 airlines on approximately 1,600 aircraft of more than 90 different types. They are working with Cranfield University in the U.K. to achieve comprehensive certification and to expand photoluminescence to the industry as a whole.
Day-Ray's EB2000 Series family of electronic ballasts for commercial aircraft lighting are all solid-state, universal ballasts that provide lightweight, cool-running and efficient solutions for a variety of lighting requirements. The Model 43-7-1 is designed for operation on the MD-80, DC-9, DC-10 and other aircraft utilizing 230 VAC for their cabin lighting systems. It will power one or two T12 fluorescent lamps from 14-40 watts, over a wide ambient temperature range of -15 to +70C.
Composite Design Technologies Inc. of Waltham, Mass., has changed its name to Vistagy. The company is best known for its composites design and manufacturing software FiberSim, which has been used by Sikorsky on the S-92 helicopter and Boeing on the Delta III launcher, among others. . . . Delta Air Lines has put its corporate discount ticket sales programs on the Web at delta.com. The Atlanta-based carrier said it tested the concept for nine months with select accounts. Corporate members can negotiate for discounted business travel tickets on select itineraries.
Ryanair is adding six new European destinations to its route network this summer. The Irish low-cost carrier estimates passenger traffic levels will reach nine million this year which would place it within the top 10 list of scheduled airlines in Europe. Revenues during the third quarter ending Dec. 31 were up 28% versus the previous year to $106.9 million. Aftertax profits rose 42% to $14 million. Internet transactions now account for more than 65% of Ryanair's sales.
