China's leaders have hardened their view that the country's international situation is deteriorating and distanced themselves from more positive assessments made only two years ago, when they said military crises were on the wane. Moreover, the government's third white paper, ``China's National Defense in 2000,'' has fingered U.S. policies as the culprit. The result, say regional analysts, will be an increase in China's military spending to improve the country's ability to defend itself.
The European space agency says extremely precise orbital injection has enabled engineers to double the initial service life of Cluster II to four years. Cluster II, a quartet of spacecraft intended to investigate the interaction of solar winds with the Earth's magnetosphere, was launched by a Soyuz/Fregat booster on July 16 (AW&ST July 24, p. 75; July 10, p. 31). Its package of 11 instruments is to be commissioned in December.
Jupiter will be the subject of studies by two NASA spacecraft during the next few months, as Galileo and Cassini join forces to observe the planet's moons, atmosphere, magnetosphere and thin rings. Galileo has been orbiting Jupiter since late 1995 and is to pass close to the moon Ganymede on Dec. 29. Cassini, launched in 1997 on a long and complex trajectory to Saturn, is scheduled to make a gravity-assist flyby of Jupiter on Dec. 30. Cassini's closest approach to the planet will be at a distance of 6 million mi.
The U.S. Navy is juggling many technical and operational options for unmanned aircraft, but it contends that this reflects a broad interest in such aircraft that is tempered by slim budgets. However, there is no confusion about the basic need for such vehicles. The service wants, in this order: -- A shorter range tactical UAV for reconnaissance of the battlefield and designating targets. Currently, the Navy is developing the vertical takeoff UAV (VTUAV), based on a helicopter airframe, for that mission.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans denied the Allied Pilots Assn. a delay in paying a $45.5-million fine to American Airlines. The penalty was levied against the union for a ``sick-out'' in February 1999 that cost the carrier more than $220 million in lost revenues. When and how the fine will be paid has not been determined, according to an APA official. In addition, union President Rich LaVoy and Vice President Brian Mayhew resigned late last month after pilots rejected a one-year contract extension in September.
William L. Baker has been named chief scientist for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate at Kirtland AFB, N.M. He was senior scientist for the directorate's High Power Microwave Div.
Data from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board indicate that the same percentage of helicopters were involved in midair collisions during the 1990s as were airplanes, and that vigilance in the cockpit remains the first defense against colliding with another aircraft.
Louis Larouche has been appointed executive vice president/chief operating officer of Mindready Solutions Inc. of Montreal. He was managing director for professional services for Bell Canada.
Scott Reichhelm has been appointed regional vice president-aircraft sales for TAG Aviation, White Plains, N.Y. He was vice president-aircraft sales for Jet System, also of White Plains.
An Ariane 4 has orbited the first satellite for an Alcatel-Loral joint venture, EuropeStar. It was the 59th straight successful launch for the booster. EuropeStar will be located at 45 deg. E. Long. where it will serve Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and southern Africa. The venture started business this summer with a satellite provided by Korean Telecom, Koreasat-1. Renamed EuropeStar B, this spacecraft is operating at 47.5 deg. E.
Kathy Kopf (see photos) has been named color systems manager and Mary Keefer operations manager for the aerospace service and training facility of Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings, Andover, Kan. Kopf was color group manager, while Keefer was customer service manager.
Robert Lee Murrer has become director of product development for Carco Electronics of Pittsburgh. He was chief engineer of the Kinetic Kill Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulator at Eglin AFB, Fla.
Nick Lockwood has become director of sales and training and Vaughan Dow director of European training, both based in London, for GE Capital Aviation Training, Stamford, Conn.
There appears to be a surprisingly large market for gyroplanes, based on sales and options Groen Brothers Aviation has garnered. As of late October, GBA held cash deposits on 148 Hawk gyroplanes, and an unsecured order for another 200--plus an option for 300 more--from the Shanghai Energy and Chemical Corp. of China. Twelve dealerships have been established in the U.S. and Costa Rica.
Col. Carlo Landi, a navigator/weapon systems officer, has succeeded Col. Gabriele Salvestroni as head of Reparto Sperimentale Volo, the Italian air force's experimental test flight wing.
Anew international airport to complement Paris-Orly and Charles de Gaulle has been approved by the French government, however, a specific plan is being postponed because of a lack of political consensus. The French government's timid go-ahead is a fragile compromise designed to reconcile an urgent need for more runway capacity and the Greens' opposition to unlimited air traffic growth at Paris airports.
I am pleased to announce Aviation Week's fourth annual Aerospace Expo has expanded in size and scope. Consisting of three management conferences and an exhibit hall, Aerospace Expo is a leading resource for all levels of aerospace management in every discipline. The theme for Aerospace Expo 2000 is ``To Lean and Beyond . . . Setting a Course for Operational Excellence.'' Here are some highlights:
A potentially large international market for a low-cost utility aircraft that blurs the lines between helicopter and fixed-wing air vehicles motivated a small Salt Lake City-based company to revive the gyroplane concept.
Precision Castparts subsidiary Scaled Technology Works will build up to 400 single-engine airplanes for Liberty Aerospace under a four-year work order valued at more than $60 million.
Pratt&Whitney and CFM International will use Enigma Inc.'s CommerceSight software to automate the procurement and sale of spare parts through each company's Internet-based portals. These will allow Pratt and CFM customers access to pricing information for both OEM and refurbished parts cataloged on their sites, as well as electronic access to life-cycle data, service bulletins, repair manuals and illustrated parts publications. CFM will offer parts for seven versions of its CFM56 engines through its portal.
Allan E. Cook, who has been group managing director for programs at BAE Systems and managing director for its Eurofighter involvement, is leaving to become deputy chief executive of Cobham plc. Later next year, Cook is to succeed Gordon Page as chief executive. Page is slated to become executive chairman following the retirement of Sir Michael Knight.
This week, the American people will elect a new President and commander-in-chief of the armed services, and a Congress to work with the new chief executive.
Jeffrey A. Fordham (see photos) has been appointed vice president-engineering and John Wilbur vice president-custom systems business for MI Technologies of Atlanta. Fordham was engineering project manager and succeeds Syed Tariq, who has been named vice president-applications engineering. Wilbur was director of business management.
