Dan P. Komnenovich has been appointed executive vice president/chief operating officer of Aviall Services Inc. of Dallas. He was a principal of the Kincaid Capital Group.
Montenegro is likely to produce a crisis, but it would be far different from those that convulsed Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, predict Pentagon planners. NATO would have fewer options for preventing or correcting any untoward developments. NATO will not take action to prepare for another military confrontation with Serbia over this fall's elections in Montenegro, one senior official says. Nor does NATO ``have a great stomach for going to war.'' A Western force could quickly isolate a Serb army and destroy it, but the political issues confound U.S. planners.
The U.S. aerospace industry booked $32.4 billion in firm orders in June, surpassing the previous record of $20.7 billion in November 1997, according to the Aerospace Industries Assn. The value of the June orders pushed the total for the second quarter to $51.7 billion. Additionally, the backlog of unfilled orders jumped $14.4 billion, to $208.7 billion--the highest level since January 1999. AIA believes the surge is due, in part, to Asia's recovery from an economic recession of 1997-98.
Lawmakers are enmeshed in qualm and quandary as they brood about how to soothe legions of irate airline passengers, and stabilize the nation's fractious aviation industry. The puzzlement on Capitol Hill stems from the extraordinarily mixed signals coming from the flying public. Flight delays were the summer's cause celebre, but legislators do not detect even a hint of an organized consumer rebellion.
Luxembourg has agreed to participate in the European Space Agency's Artes telecom R&D program. The measure will allow local firms, specifically telecom operator SES/Astra, to benefit from, and contribute to, Artes research, particularly in broadband technologies. Luxembourg--which is not an ESA member--will initially provide 4 million euros in funding for the program.
American Airlines' candor about overscheduling (see p. 23) draws praise here and spotlights tactical measures carriers can take to help relieve the problem. ``I commend American Airlines CEO Donald Carty for his straightforward acknowledgment that `the accusation that airlines overschedule is absolutely true,''' Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater testified at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing.
India's Ministry of Civil Aviation has approved the establishment of three new domestic airlines: Crown Express, Ahmedabad Academy of Aviation and North Star, all Delhi-based. Most likely to launch this year is Crown Express, which is expected to acquire an all-Boeing 737 fleet.
With only a few months and lots of work left before a critical Pentagon review of the F-22 stealth fighter, the U.S. Air Force is being forced into some last-minute adjustments to its test program to meet key milestones.
Louis F. Harrington has been appointed CEO, effective Oct. 1, and Klaus Peter senior vice president/chief information officer for Fairchild Dornier, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Harrington was senior vice president-commercial products for the former McDonnell Douglas Corp. He will succeed Chairman Charles P. Pieper, who also has been serving as CEO. Peter was manager of management processes and information technology for Eurofighter.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University President George Ebbs took advantage of discussions in the Senate on air traffic delays last week to talk about new degree programs at the Florida and Arizona school. During a dinner at the National Air and Space Museum, Ebbs cited the projected loss of 50% of the nation's 15,000 air traffic controllers to retirement within the next decade. During the same timeframe, the number of airline passengers is expected to double. Embry-Riddle is going to offer degrees in meteorology, safety science and air traffic management.
Roscoe Musselwhite (see photos) has been named executive vice president and Jeff Green chief financial officer for AirLiance Materials of Chicago. Musselwhite was vice president-marketing and sales for AirLiance, while Green was manager of marketing and planning asset management for United Airlines.
The Air Transport Assn. is offering an ``alertness management initiative,'' but the Air Line Pilots Assn. charges that the major carriers' trade group isn't really interested in initiating anything. The ATA wants to set up a scientific advisory board to cull fatigue literature and try to develop solutions to the problem of pilot fatigue. But ALPA President Duane Woerth tells Aviation Week newsletter Aviation Daily the union believes it is just a stalling tactic.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in the next few months will operate a combined 49 additional weekly flights to Paris. The Transportation Dept.'s authorization to boost capacity to the French capital results from the April 1998 U.S.-France accord that is gradually leading to Open Skies-like liberalization, set to be fully implemented in April 2003. Seven of the newly authorized frequencies, however, are replacing Tower Air flights.
As part of its strategy to become a major player in space subsystems (AW&ST Apr. 10, p. 74), BFGoodrich Co. has acquired the electro-optical sensor business of Corning OCA Corp. As a result, the company will offer star tracking systems that can determine and maintain a satellite's proper orientation in deep space. Other new products stemming from the acquisition include elements for optical payload programs such as the Hubble Space Telescope, GEO Stationary Operational Environmental Satellite, Geo Science Altimeter System and the experimental Lidar-in-Space project.
The U.S./Russian crew of Atlantis will return to Earth this week after outfitting the International Space Station for its first long-duration mission and wiring its exterior.
Erwin Hudson has become vice president-space systems, Barbara Brannen vice president-human resources, David Bukovinsky vice president-program management and Tony Gonsalves vice president of consumer marketing, all for iSKY of Denver. Hudson was vice president-mission engineering with Space Systems/Loral, and Brannen vice president of human resources at Qwest Communications. Bukovinsky was vice president-broadband services for CableLabs Inc., while Gonsalves was vice president/chief marketing officer of eOutlets.com.
ROBERT W. MOORMAN/BRUCE D. NORDWALL/FRANCES FIORINO
It has been a frustrating summer of delays for airline passengers in the U.S. and Europe despite efforts by government regulators, air traffic control organizations and carriers to improve the flow. An Aviation Week&Space Technology special report, with analysis of what's going wrong and what can be done, starts on p. 46. Airlines are beginning to change scheduling practices to counter the mounting delays, and some improvements are moving ahead. But this can hardly be termed the light at the end of the tunnel for major reform of the air travel system.
People frequently look to science alone to solve problems using the latest in computers and miniature avionics. But in the world of air traffic control, that dream is misplaced. New technologies alone won't solve the problems of air traffic congestion and delays. The solution will require a holistic approach, with better procedures, more timely sharing of information, and capital investments in airports, as well as technology improvements.
Thomson-Racal Defense Ltd. subsidiary Short Missiles Systems has received a $87-million follow-on order for launcher systems for Starstreak air defense missiles from the U.K. Ministry of Defense.
The U.S. Army's Tactical High-Energy Laser (Thel) advanced concept technology demonstrator missed one of two Katyusha rockets on two occasions on Sept. 11. During two separate multiple firing tests, the Thel demonstrator engaged and destroyed one of the two rockets fired nearly simultaneously. Army officials said the Thel system did not engage the rockets that were not destroyed because of insufficient tracking data. Additional testing planned last week was postponed as a result of the problem, although testing was expected to resume before the end of the month.
With first flight of a Joint Strike Fighter imminent, the selection of a prime contractor--a decision expected to significantly enhance the reputation and financial rewards of the winning company--is now expected to slide about five months to September 2001, the end of the next fiscal year.
