General aviation requires a fresh approach to flight training and the infusion of new and existing technology if it is to fly safely while its role in industry undergoes tremendous expansion. Such were the general conclusions drawn by industry experts participating in the National Transportation Safety Board's General Aviation Accident Prevention Symposium Sept. 21-22 in Washington, which met to discuss ``the operational, airworthiness and maintenance issues that affect the safety of general aviation flying,'' according to board Chairman Jim Hall.
Thomson-CSF, Alcatel and Cogema are studying combining their information services activities. The new entity would include Thomson's Syseca unit that is part of Alcatel's TITN Answare, and Euriware, a Cogema affiliate. It would benefit from the strong international focus at Thomson-CSF; sales are projected to reach FF5 billion ($714 million). Half of Syseca's sales of FF2.8 billion last year were to international customers.
The effects of aging on aircraft raised safety concerns, when results of intrusive inspections of wiring on six recently retired aircraft were submitted to the Aging Transport Systems Rulemaking Advisory Committee. Under the FAA's Aging Aircraft Program, six aircraft, each 20 years old or more, were tested. Wiring at certain locations of the aircraft was sprayed with high levels of moisture and ``breaches'' or points though which electrical current could escape (and provide a source of ignition) identified. The L-1011 in test had 4.17 breaches per 1,000 ft.
U.S. Navy has awarded a contract to Rannoch Corp. to install an airport surface monitoring and surveillance system at the NAS North Island in San Diego.
Roger L. Wieting (see photo) has been named vice president/general manager of the Rockaway, N.J., electronics products facility of VertexRSI. He held the same positions at the Vertex Control System Div.
Jennifer Jennings (see photo) has been appointed sales manager of the QuickTurn Div. of SimuFlite Training International, Grapevine, Tex. She was coordinator of SimuFlite's Raytheon program.
The high-altitude Global Hawk endurance unmanned reconnaissance aircraft is getting special Pentagon attention with plans to spend as much as an extra $1 billion in the next five years to buy additional aircraft and position it to take over the duties of the manned U-2. The goal is to give Northrop Grumman's UAV a reconnaissance and signals-intelligence-gathering capability comparable to that of the latest-model U-2S. To that end, the Air Force is planning a series of upgrades to turn the Global Hawk to a true multi-intelligence collector.
US Airways Group and Trans World Airlines--neither of which have hedged their jet fuel expenses--posted substantial losses for the three months ended Sept. 30. The big difference between the two is that analysts expect US Airways to return to profitability within the next 3-6 months, while TWA is likely to remain in the red indefinitely.
Lockheed Martin has won a contract to upgrade the AH-64 Apache's forward-looking infrared sensor. The Arrowhead system is an evolution of the Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (TADS/PNVS) now used on Apaches. Raytheon was the losing bidder. The initial development contract is worth about $78 million, although the total program value is more than $1 billion to equip 743 U.S. Army helicopters.
British Airways plans to run random employee alcohol and drug tests early next year in what would be the first such program at a major European airline. The move follows the suspension of five pilots now under investigation after allegations of excessive drinking prior to flying were outlined in a television documentary. Six other BA pilots and three cabin crew cited in the piece have also been removed from duties pending hearings.
Terry Kerber has been appointed vice president-line and base maintenance for American Trans Air. He was managing director of technical operations for aircraft business for the Republic Financial Corp.
The Frankfurt Airport company has acquired a stake in Brisbane International, Australia's third largest airport. Brisbane is operated by a consortium led by the Schiphol Group of the Netherlands. Schiphol and Frankfurt signed a strategic alliance in 1999, and this will be their first overseas collaboration.
Singapore Airlines, in keeping with plans to enhance its cargo operations, last week placed an order for 15 Boeing 747-400 freighters. The deal, valued at $1.3 billion, is for six firm orders including spares and spare engines, plus nine options, with deliveries to begin September 2002-05. The nine options were part of 11 transferred from a 1994 order for 22 747-400Fs. The other two were converted to firm orders, according to Michael Tan, SIA executive vice president, commercial, and are to be delivered at year-end and in 2001.
Korean Air has opened its new $102-million dedicated cargo terminal at New York JFK International Airport. The state-of-the-art facility has a capacity to handle 200,000 tons per year and simultaneously offload three Boeing 747-400s from a 9-acre aircraft ramp. It also offers 180,00 sq. ft. of warehousing space. The terminal will allow expansion of the carrier's cargo services to East Coast markets including Toronto, Atlanta and Miami--which is part of Korean Air's growth strategy for the next decade.
The International Space Station is ready for its first crew and installation of U.S. solar arrays following a complex assembly mission by the U.S./Japanese crew of Discovery. Launch of ``Expedition 1'' from the Baikonur Cosmodrome is set for Oct. 31.
Larry Kellner, executive vice president/chief financial officer of Continental Airlines, has won the 2000 CFO Excellence Award in the information/ knowledge management category. He is the first three-time winner in the history of the awards, which are sponsored by CFO magazine and Arthur Andersen. Kellner was cited for his role in leading the company's turnaround. He ``not only revamped Continental's IT systems, he used them to help pull the airline out of its steep fiscal nosedive.''
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is continuing to test inflatable structures that could be used for a variety of functions on spacecraft. Marshall officials said the large, thin-walled membrane structures show promise for future space applications because of their light weight and minimal volume when deflated and stowed. Uses envisioned for such objects include communications antennas, solar power collectors and telescope mirrors. Continued evaluation at Marshall is intended to aid in development of testing methods for ultralight structures.
Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Integrated Systems Sector has received an additional order valued at $5.2 million for replacement structural assemblies for F/A-18 Hornets for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and Canadian Forces.
THE NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC and Atmospheric Administration will pay Raytheon $34 million for a new supercomputer for hurricane forecasting. NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., will use the new computer to study simulations of the behavior of the atmosphere and oceans as complex fluid systems. Silicon Graphics will supply the key computing hardware--eight 128-processor and two 64-processor Origin 3800 systems.
SIMUFLITE TRAINING INTERNATIONAL IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN a new business aviation training facility in the northeastern U.S. next year. Both pilot and maintenance training would be available, and the operation would include up to six FAA-approved Level D simulators. Three locations are being studied for the site, and a decision is scheduled within 60 days, according to the company.
Arianespace has recorded another batch of new orders, as it prepares for a busy end-of-the-year launch schedule. The European firm revealed a pair of launch contracts last week--one for N-Star C, a mobile telephony satellite ordered by NTT DoCoMo of Japan, the other for Stellat, a multimedia satellite purchased by a joint venture formed last month by France Telecom and Alcatel.
The Czech government plans to issue long-awaited requests for proposals for 24-36 new fighters by the end of next month. The Saab/BAE Systems Gripen, Dassault's Mirage 2000-5, the Eurofighter, Boeing's F/A-18 and Lockheed Martin's F-16 are the contenders to replace the Czech air force's fleet of aging MiG-21s.
