Joseph F. Wambolt (see photo) has received the Trustees' Distinguished Achievement Award, the highest honor of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif. He was recognized for ``sustained, outstanding management and technical leadership of the highly successful Medium Launch Vehicle programs.'' Wambolt's contributions have spanned 40 years and included support for Scout, Delta and Atlas boosters carrying weather, communications, navigation, space exploration, experimentation and national security spacecraft.
Needed or not, the Airbus A3XX will become a reality when Singapore Airlines receives its first of 10 in 2006. At more than 1 million lb., this 555-seat, three-deck behemoth could revolutionize international air travel or become a financial disaster for Airbus.
The Global Aviation Information Network is accelerating efforts to expand the collection, analyses and dissemination of operational data that can be shared and used by the world's airlines to increase safety margins.
France Telecom and Europe Star have agreed to establish a satellite joint venture, Stellat. Manufactured by Alcatel Space Industries and based on the Spacebus 3000 B3 platform, Stellat is scheduled to be launched by April 2002 and positioned at 5 deg. W. Long.
Motoren- und Turbinen-Union has established a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) subsidiary in Brazil aimed chiefly at the growing fleet of airline aircraft in Latin America powered by the IAE V2500 engine. Located in Campinas, Sao Paulo, the company has two 15-year contracts to service the powerplants and Rolls-Royce Tay 650 engines for Brazilian airline TAM. MTU also has MRO facilities in Zhuhai, China, and Vancouver.
It's going to be a hectic end of year for F-22 officials (see p. 48). ``They've got an enormous amount of work to do, and they're right up against the stops as far as the schedule goes,'' says Philip Coyle, the Pentagon's chief of operational testing and evaluation. Aircraft No. 4001 goes to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, to be the victim of live-fire testing, 4002 continues weapons ejection tests, 4003 will continue flight tests. The first representative stealth aircraft, 4004, will fly to Edwards AFB, Calif., to begin tests Dec. 13. That, Coyle warns, gets close to a Dec.
Russia has moved to shore up its deteriorating Glonass global navigation satellite network with the launch of three Urgan-type satellites on Oct. 13. The satellites, launched on a Proton-K booster from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, are expected to become operational next month. The $2.4-billion Glonass system was designed to have a constellation of 24 satellites. But funding shortages have left it well short of its full complement. By the end of September, only eight satellites were operational.
The Boeing X-32A Joint Strike Fighter demonstrator had completed 14 flights for a total of 9.1 flight test hours as of Oct. 19, meeting 13% of the test objectives. The aircraft's first flight with fully retracted landing gear was on Oct. 12 after minor hardware changes to the main and nose gear systems (AW&ST Oct. 16, p. 22).
Forecasters say the world cargo business will nearly triple and its fleet double in the next 20 years as it meets the challenges of a competitive global marketplace seeking faster, efficient service. According to the International Air Transport Assn.'s Freight Forecast published in October 1999, air freight will reach 20.7 million tons by 2003 from 15.9 million tons in 1998--an increase in a five-year period ending in 2003 that reflects an average yearly growth of 5.5%.
Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, his son Roger and chief aide Chris Sifford were killed last week in the crash of a twin-engine Cessna 335 near Festus, Mo., 30 mi. south of St. Louis. The aircraft, No. 8354N, piloted by the Democratic governor's son and operating under an IFR flight plan, departed Parks Airport at Cahokia, Ill., at 7 p.m. en route to New Madrid, Mo., where a campaign event was scheduled. According to the preliminary accident data, the aircraft was at 6,500 ft. when the pilot reported a gyro problem.
Yasmin Seyal has become corporate treasurer of GenCorp., Sacramento, Calif. She was director of treasury and taxes for subsidiary Aerojet and assistant treasurer/director of taxes for the corporation.
OFFICIALS OF THE NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSN. expect the FAA to publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking early next year governing operation of fractional ownerships. The new Subpart K to FAR Part 91 regulations would be based on safety standards practiced by established corporate operators. In addition, the rule would amend FAR Part 135 by allowing qualified charter operators to access the same airports under the same weather conditions as fractional ownerships.
Frederic Delakupeian has been named head of marketing and sales promotion of Turbomeca. He succeeds Guillaume Giscard d'Estaing, who has become managing director of London-based Turbomeca Ltd. He succeeds St. John Williamson, who is now managing director of Turbomeca Australasia.
The Israeli Defense Force said its Arrow missile system is now fully operational and capable of intercepting surface-to-surface missiles. The air defense unit in charge of the system was said to have recently received ``operational'' Arrow missiles. The announcement last week, which came amidst the most violent Israeli-Palestinian clashes in several years, appeared to be a warning to Iraq and others who might seek to take advantage of the turmoil.
Dassault Aviation is evaluating Raytheon's business aircraft enterprises but has not reached a conclusion as yet on the merits of such a potential external growth initiative, according to Dassault Chairman/CEO Charles Edelstenne. During the first half, the French manufacturer secured orders valued at $1.14 billion (including 75% in the export market), its revenues increased a healthy 29.2% to $1.41 billion and net profit rose to $84.1 million, up from $68 million.
Lockheed Martin President and Chief Operating Officer Louis R. Hughes, who was appointed to his current job less than six months ago, will step down at the end of this month. He will be replaced by Chief Financial Officer Robert J. Stevens, who will continue as CFO for an interim period.
Joseph M. DeSarla has been promoted to executive vice president from senior vice president-operations of Boeing Satellite Systems, El Segundo, Calif. Succeeding DeSarla is Alexis Livanos, who was executive vice president-operations at Space Systems/Loral. Ronald C. Maehl has been promoted to senior vice president-business development from vice president-strategic development. David Lillington has been appointed president of affiliate Spectrolab Inc., Sylmar, Calif. He succeeds Dieter Zemmrich, who has retired. Lillington was vice president-solid state products.
Critics of the National Missile Defense (NMD) program who have argued that the Pentagon hasn't been forthcoming with details on its performance are likely to be even more frustrated in the future. The Defense Dept. is seriously considering clamping down on information, says Lt. Gen. John Costello, commander of the Army's Space and Missile Defense Command. There is a feeling among some Pentagon officials that too many details have seeped out about how NMD could defeat enemy ballistic missiles.
Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok must improve its transport and related links with the booming economy in the adjoining Pearl River Delta if it is to maintain its status as a dominant air cargo hub in Asia.
Boeing and the U.S. Army have signed a five-year, $2.3-billion option contract for the remanufacture of 269 additional U.S. Army AH-64A Apaches into AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters.
The European Commission cleared the way for the creation of the Airbus Integrated Co. The new company, which will combine the Airbus-related assets of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. and BAE Systems, is expected to become operational early next year.
The prospect of continued spending constraints and soaring funding requirements is pushing the European Space Agency to pursue increased collaboration with other agencies.
Airbus' double-deck A3XX would seat as many as 880 passengers in a no-frills version if it were configured to serve Japan's busiest domestic routes. But Japanese carriers say they don't need it, at least for now, or the 555-seat three-class version that the European manufacturer is marketing most intensely.
NASA's Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle imaging camera recorded a view of Jupiter at a distance of 52.3 million mi. on Oct. 1 (see photo). The spacecraft is closing in on Jupiter and will pass closest to the planet on Dec. 30 for a gravity-assist on its way to Saturn. Closest approach to Jupiter in December will be by a distance of about 6 million mi. Some of the images obtained during approach and flyby will be studied in parallel with those returned by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, which has been orbiting Jupiter since late 1995.
