Rodney Gunther has been named vice president/general manager of Southwest Commercial Operations in Phoenix for the EFTC Corp. He was director of operations.
Smiths Industries' takeover of the TI Group was approved by the European Commission, as well as a British High Court last week. The merger is set to be completed by this week when the new entity will start operating under the name Smiths Group plc.
The Great Slot Lottery will bring 13 airline operators at New York's LaGuardia Airport to FAA headquarters this week. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs LGA, endorses the FAA's innovative scheme to ease congestion and delay problems at the airport. The lottery involves two airline groups that are allowed additional flights under the AIR-21 legislation signed into law this year--those permitted to operate unlimited services to under-served markets and startup airlines.
Russian officials say they're going to lend China two airborne radar surveillance aircraft for three years and then sell them advanced, $200-million versions of the airplane in a deal similar to that offered by Israel which the U.S. fought hard and believes it has killed. Delivery of up to six advanced A-50E airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) to China is to be completed by 2005, according to both U.S. and Russian officials. The deal was finalized during a November visit to China by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, they said.
The Belgian defense ministry next year will conclude an order for seven A400M airlifters set to replace aging Lockheed Martin C-130Hs, according to government officials. Airbus Military Co.'s A400M program is tentatively scheduled to be launched in a few months.
Russian air force Tu-95 bombers have been deployed recently to air bases in eastern Siberia, the Pentagon said last week. Two of the aircraft have been temporarily stationed at a facility called Anadyr air base, with another three deployed to Tiksi air base. The Pentagon expects the move to be followed by flights of the bombers near Alaska, similar to missions flown earlier this year. They follow a pattern of increased Russian air activity during the past year.
Allen E. Dukes has been appointed president of the Redwood Shores, Calif.-based Microwave Communications Div. of the Harris Corp. He succeeds Samuel D. Wyman, who has resigned. Dukes was vice president of Harris' Aerospace and Ground Communications Systems.
Bruce Coffey has become president of L-3 Communications' Aviation Recorders Div., Sarasota, Fla. He succeeds Charles Grouse, who is retiring. Coffey was vice president-finance and administration.
Volvo Aero has entered into an agreement with Snecma to take a portion of the French manufacturer's 24% stake in the General Electric GE90 engine. The Swedish company will produce components for the high-pressure compressor section of the GE90-115B that has been selected to power the Boeing 777-200LR/300ER transport.
Jeff Black has become director of marketing and sales for Lamar Electro Air, Wellington, Kan. He was vice president-marketing and operations for the Davco Corp.
With both houses of the incoming Congress closely split between the two major parties, the erstwhile decidedly minority Democrats may wield more clout. At least two are firing warning shots about the proposed United Airlines-US Airways merger. Oberstar, who criticized it as soon as it was proposed, says he won't be swayed from his opposition by a rumored Justice Dept. ``compromise'' in which more US Airways assets would be divested than those currently proposed to start up a new carrier, DC Air, and/or limitations would be imposed on the merged carrier's operations.
Eurocopter's upgraded Super Puma Mk.2+ transport helicopter made its maiden flight on Nov. 30. It is equipped with a five-blade, composite-materials main rotor and anhedral-profile parabolic blade tips. The Mk.2+, which is powered by two 2,448-shp. Turbomeca Makila 14A turboshafts, is scheduled to obtain European Joint Aviation Authorities certification by the end of 2002.
Energia and Spacehab need an additional $106 million to provide a solid financial start to the large Enterprise module the Russian and U.S. companies would like to build and position on the International Space Station in place of Russia's earlier ``transport cargo vehicle module.'' Spacehab, which has its own financial problems, has already poured $10 million into the program. The module, which would be launched by about 2005, would have the capability to support 64 electrically active experiment packages and another 100 passive investigations.
Dassault Aviation in the next 10 years expects to secure export orders for 250-350 Rafale multirole combat aircraft, according to company executives. The French manufacturer, however, will be facing fierce competition from the EF2000 Typhoon, upgraded derivatives of Lockheed Martin's F-16 and, in the longer term, Joint Strike Fighter.
Anthony Bauckham (see photo) has become executive vice president of Evergreen International Airlines, McMinnville, Ore. He was London-based vice president-sales and marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Miguel A. Montanez, Sr., has become director of information technology for Lear Siegler Services Inc., Annapolis, Md. He held a similar position with the Crown Central Petroleum Corp.
David W. Dorman, CEO of Concert, and Pamela B. Strobel, executive vice president of the Unicom Corp., have been named to the board of directors of the Sabre Holdings Corp. of Fort Worth.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON HAS MATED ENGINE NACELLES to the wing of the first Bell Agusta BA609 civil tiltrotor at the company's facilities in Arlington, Tex., and was scheduled to assemble the wing to the fuselage last week. Plans call for completing final assembly in March with first flight tentatively set for mid-August, according to Arthur D. Gravley, director of the BA609 program. A second aircraft would fly early in November 2001.
Five new products from Sabre Holdings are being introduced to expedite airport passenger check-in. Sabre curbside check-in will let skycaps generate boarding passes and update passenger name records and will replace handwritten with automated baggage tags. A Windows-based gate reader system will show available seats and allow agents to manually add or remove passengers without first scanning a ticket. When problems arise, the system can print flight vouchers.
Gerry McRae has been promoted to manager of the Toronto Training Center of FlightSafety International from assistant director of standards. Chuck Gallagher has been promoted to assistant manager of the San Antonio Learning Center from assistant director of standards and Eugene Cromartie to assistant manager of the Houston Center from ATR 42/72 program manager.
Pat Gaines (see photos) has been appointed executive vice president and Capt. Paul Hinton vice president-flight training and international operations for FlightSafety Boeing Training International of Seattle. Gaines was vice president-corporate operations and Hinton managing director of flight training operations.
