A software failure curtailed the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) on Oct. 19 for 4 hr., affecting an area covering the lower half of California, one-third of Nevada and Arizona, and a small part of Utah. The failure caused aircraft that were going to use that airspace to be held on the ground around the country. The ARTCC radar data processor failed at 6:50 a.m. PDT after new software was loaded, and was revived at 8:30 a.m., the FAA said. It failed again at 9:00 a.m., and was revived at 11:15 a.m. with the old software.
What national security crises might embroil the next presidential administration? If King Fahd dies, that could trigger a Saudi succession struggle and the monarchy's collapse, even a general Middle East upheaval destabilizing Egypt, Jordan and Persian Gulf states, jeopardizing Western oil supplies. Other possibilities? ``Colombia is the sleeper issue,'' says Brookings Institution's Richard N. Haass, who served on President George Bush's National Security Council. The Bogota government could be overwhelmed, the Andean region upended, Venezuela engulfed.
Delta Air Lines, which plans major expansion of services in the Northeast U.S. over the next 20 years, has proposed a $1.6-billion terminal redevelopment project at New York JFK International Airport. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is reviewing the plan under which Terminal 3 will be demolished and Terminal 2 expanded from 10 to 20 gates, mainly for regional jet services, with construction to begin in June. Delta would expand JFK's new Terminal 4 by 1.5 million sq. ft.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill to reauthorize the National Transportation Safety Board through 2002. In addition, the bill would increase funding, require withholding of voice and video recorder information for all modes of transportation and provide authority to establish reasonable rates of overtime pay for NTSB employees.
BFGoodrich Aerospace Avionics&Lighting Systems will supply Electronic Standby Instrument System Model GH-3100 and Electronic Bearing Distance Indicator Model EBDI-4000 for the Gulfstream V-SP aircraft.
Teconnex Ltd. has received a contract valued at 750,000 pounds ($1.09 million) from the TI Group's Dowty Aerospace Wolverhampton to supply Eurofighter accessory gearbox clamps.
Robert Sutton has become vice president/director of enterprise development for the Systems Div. of ITT Industries of Colorado Springs. He was director of air defense systems for ITT's Gilfillan Div.
Fixed satellite services (FSS), a market in which the barriers to entry have actually come down thanks to technology, is drawing a spate of new entrants able to launch more capable satellites in record time. And the implications for established players, such as PanAmSat, aren't good.
The Air France Concorde accident and deep uncertainties about the future of the Franco-British aircraft have not undermined Europeans' faith in a next-generation supersonic transport. Although funding remains minimal, the French arm of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS) and France's Onera aerospace research agency continue to explore new SST concepts while pursuing long-term technology readiness programs.
The Pentagon needs to reorganize its science and technology spending and organization to fix shortfalls that have emerged in recent years, a high-level panel has found. A Defense Science Board (DSB) assessment urges the Defense Dept. to increase its use of nongovernmental research and development institutions and boost its S&T funding. It is the latest in a series of government and nongovernment reports bemoaning the decline in military S&T.
The death knell sounds for Mir, Russia's aging space station. MirCorp announced Oct. 12 that it would make an initial public offering of stock to raise $117 million. But it would come too late, Energia chief Yuri P. Semyonov told Aerospace Daily the same day. Energia owns 60% of MirCorp. ``We missed the train,'' he told the Aviation Week newsletter, adding there is not enough time to procure the hardware necessary to keep Mir going, as the company tries to turn the station into a viable commercial venture. It means U.S.
Embraer expects to nearly double its firm orders to 45 from the current 25 for its super-midsize Legacy business jet by the end of the year. The $19-million aircraft is derived from the ERJ-135 regional jet and was launched at the Farnborough air show in July.
Business aviation appears to be closing in on what may be the Holy Grail of this industry sector: a quantifiable, direct relationship between the use of business aircraft and a company's operational and financial performance.
Anthony M. Cacace, who has been CEO of the GKN Westland Aerospace divisions in Montgomery and Tallassee, Ala., also will oversee the facility in Wallingford, Conn.
Polar routes between North America and Asia are feasible and would benefit both the airlines and traveling public, according to a year-long joint study by Nav Canada and the Federal Aviation Authority of Russia. Limited commercial demonstration flights have been approved by Russia until the end of this month, and could be extended. A New York-Hong Kong flight would save 5 hr. and cost almost $33,000 less, the report says. Finances are the next hurdle.
The U. S./Japanese crew of Discovery is well into its complex STS-92 International Space Station assembly mission this week, as ISS managers continue to plan for the launch from Russia of the station's first expedition crew. Discovery was launched on Oct. 11 from Pad 39A at 7:17 p.m. EDT on the 100th flight of the space shuttle. Plans are also proceeding for launch of the U.S./Russian Expedition 1 crew from the Baikonur Cosmodrome as early as Oct. 30.
The lively business aircraft market is encouraging manufacturers to bring out new wares, with Raytheon announcing an all-new Hawker 450 jet for the light-medium segment, Dassault creating a Falcon 2000EX version with different engines and more range, and Gulfstream bringing out the GV-SP with a new cockpit and more high-speed range and usable cabin volume.
The U.S. Army and Sikorsky Aircraft expect to convert some 1,217 aging UH-60A and UH-60L aircraft to the upgraded UH-60M standard, with induction of the initial prototype aircraft expected in the second quarter of 2001. Conversion of the Black Hawk will improve its high-altitude/hot-day lift capability, reduce pilot workload and increase flight crew situational awareness.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has agreed to lend 9.4 million euros ($8 million) for the construction of a state-of-the-art cargo terminal at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport. The 10,700-sq.-meter (11,513-sq.-ft.) terminal will be capable of handling up to 35,000 metric tons of cargo per year initially, but ultimately will be expanded to process 90,000 tons. Pulkovo handled 22,500 tons last year, barely one-third the amount processed at Moscow's Sheremetyovo Airport. The facility will be managed by Lufthansa affiliate GlobeGround.
Russian companies continue to assist Iran in developing ballistic missiles, the spooks say. Although the Russian government took steps in January 1998 to curtail such assistance, an intelligence community assessment indicates the effect has been limited. ``Weak enforcement of export control legislation has facilitated some Russian companies' efforts to circumvent export controls,'' says John A. Lauder of the intel community's Nonproliferation Center.
Thomson-CSF will supply secure airborne radios and data links for 60 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 60 fighters ordered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The company also is providing similar equipment for installation in UAE Mirage 2000-9 aircraft. The $45-million order comes in the wake of recent awards to supply electronic warfare systems for Turkish F-16s and modular receivers for Danish F-16s. Thomson plans to sell its Crouzet automatic systems division to Schneider Electric for about $200 million as part of a plan aimed at jettisoning noncore assets.
Walt Braithwaite has been named president of Boeing Africa, with offices in South Africa and Ghana. He was vice president-company offices administration.
