Continental's replacement of its DC-10-30s with new Boeing 767-400s will ``change the dynamics'' of the airline, according to its chairman and CEO, Gordon Bethune. The carrier, which took delivery of its first 767-400 late last month, said the stretched 767 can fly the same routes and same passenger loads as the DC-10-30 at 17% less cost. This will allow Continental to transform ``barely profitable routes into extraordinarily profitable'' flights and should significantly boost the airline's Newark to South America operations, Bethune said.
Joint Strike Fighter officials are tackling the massive problem of delivering the multirole JSF combat-ready early in its development program. Rather than gradually adding software to achieve an operational system toward the end of its development, Pentagon officials have challenged JSF developers to provide limited combat capability for the highly integrated stealth aircraft with the first major block of software. The move could alleviate the operational risk facing the Marine Corps when its AV-8B Harriers retire before the replacement JSF is fielded.
The Russian Satellite Communications Co. has selected Japan's NEC to build the payloads for three new Express AM satellites, part of an ambitious space segment renewal plan to be put in place in the next four years.
Mark Schwab has become vice president-Pacific North and Mike Navares general manager of operations in Honolulu for United Airlines. Schwab was London-based vice president-international of US Airways. Navares was manager of ramp and cargo functions.
Rick Juster has been promoted to vice president-purchasing and United Airlines representative to the carrier's Internet venture with airline partners American, Delta, Continental, British Airways and Air France. He was United's Y2K officer and director of maintenance purchasing.
Christian Mari (see photo) has been appointed vice president-research and technology of Snecma Moteurs. He was head of research and technology, aeronautic programs and the control systems division.
Agneta Lundin-Carlsson has become director of information and public affairs for Ericsson Microwave Systems. She has succeeded Henrik Brehmer, who is now vice president-internal communications.
The Pentagon has decided to plug a hole in its satellite communications architecture by setting aside money for a third Wideband Gapfiller spacecraft. The three Gapfiller satellites are designed to help in the transition from Defense Satellite Communication System and Global Broadcast System satellites to a next-generation system, the Advanced Wideband architecture, which could be a largely commercial system. But the Air Force didn't have the $170 million to pay for the third Gapfiller that would feature X- and Ka-band broadcast, and two-way Ka-band service.
Singapore Airlines says it will decide shortly on its super jumbo requirement. According to a spokesman, SIA will make a decision within the next few months between competing Boeing and Airbus. SIA says the Asian recovery has been faster than expected and the airline now faces capacity problems. Boeing has made a bold bid with its 522-seat stretched 747XS to keep SIA's business in the face of a lucrative offer from Airbus for its 555-seat A3XX. An order of up to 16 units is expected.
Lockheed Martin Corp. is scheduled to open an advanced Propulsion, Thermal and Metrology Center in autumn 2001 at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Research and development activities at the 220,000-sq.-ft. facility will focus on production of propulsion systems such as thrusters, thermal control systems such as tiles, and measurements aimed at improving the calibration of test equipment and tools. The facility will create about 270 jobs.
Boeing's Joint Strike Fighter design is fitted with two Raytheon infrared sensor systems that give it a search-and-track capability that was eliminated from the F-22 because of high cost. One of the JSF systems--the distributed infrared sensor, or DIRS--will spot the launch of enemy missiles, track their flight and warn the pilot if he is the target. A second IR system--the targeting forward-looking infrared, or TFlir--will pick out, identify and pinpoint ground targets.
The U.K. has finalized its lease contract with Boeing for four C-17 transports, which are due to start arriving next summer. All four are to be delivered by September 2001. Within the next month, RAF pilots and maintenance personnel are scheduled to come to the U.S. for training. Maintenance and spare parts management are also being provided to the RAF under separate U.S. Foreign Military Sales contracts signed in June and valued at an estimated $210 million.
A major upgrade has increased the power of radio station WWVB to 50 kw., making the signal usable throughout most of North America for high-level applications including network time synchronization and frequency calibration. WWVB broadcasts time and frequency signals (no voice) at 60 KHz. for systems that automatically synchronize with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) cesium frequency standard, or atomic clock. Atomix Corp.
James R. Stanley has become president/CEO of the Greenwich, Conn.-based Howmet Castings unit of Alcoa Industrial Components. He was senior vice president/chief operating officer. Stanley will succeed David L. Squier, who will remain as an adviser.
Australian safety authorities are reviewing the pressurization alert system of the Raytheon Beechcraft Super King Air 200, in the wake of a Sept. 5 accident that resulted in the deaths of a pilot and seven passengers.
Texas-based Legend Airlines last week inaugurated nonstop flights between Dallas Love Field and New York LaGuardia Airport--the first such service since 1974. The startup, which began service this spring catering primarily to business travelers who like being pampered, initially will offer four daily round trips. Legend will be able to fly up to nine round trips, based on the 18 slots awarded by the Transportation Dept. The New York route dovetails two new ventures that Legend is introducing to customers this month. The airline offers gourmet meals on all its flights.
USAF Col. (Ret.) Peter Knauth, who was lead security manager for all low-observable programs, is among 12 people recently inducted into the Pioneers of Stealth. Others include Jim Kinnu, B-2 program manager; Steve Smith, Tacit Blue program manager; Dick Thomas, chief test pilot and Tacit Blue first flight test pilot; and Yu Ping Liu, low observables engineering development director, all for Northrop Grumman. Also, Dave Lynch, LPI radar development director for Hughes; USAF Brig. Gen. (Ret.) J. Keith Glenn, B-2 program director; USAF Col.
Celerity Systems' distortion measurement test set, the CS29010, has applications for wide-band, mixed signal design and development for components, sub-systems and systems in a single box. It meets test and measurement requirements of all communications or data link systems in complex multichannel and multisignal environments. The system features the widest bandwidth (45 MHz. @ 12 bits) high-performance arbitrary waveform generation, RF up/down conversion and recording capability with deep memory (4 GB RAM). L-3 Communications, 3916 Calle del Sol, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Tom Hughes and Glenn Ballman have been appointed to the board of directors of Seattle-based Avolo. Hughes, founder/ former president of PhotoDisc Inc. and Northshore Publishing, is a partner in Cedar Grove Investments. Ballman is founder/CEO of Onvia.com.
Garrett E. Pierce has been named executive vice president/chief financial officer of the Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, Va. He succeeds Jeffrey V. Pirone, who will be resigning but remaining as a consultant to the company. Pierce has held a similar position with the Sensormatic Electronics Corp., Boca Raton, Fla. Gary E. Payton has become vice president-engineering and operations of the Orbital Imaging Corp. He was deputy associate administrator for space transportation technology at NASA.
China launched a large new electro-optical imaging spacecraft Sept. 1 into polar orbit on board a Long March 4B fired from the Taiyuan Launch Center in northern Shanxi province. The spacecraft was placed into a 295 X 306-mi. orbit inclined 97.4 deg. and could be an all-Chinese version of the China/Brazil Earth Resources Satellite launched earlier.
Suzanne Jenniches, vice president of Northrop Grumman Corp. Communications Systems, and Dawne E. LeKang, senior software engineer for Northrop Grumman's Logicon information technology sector, have won the Achievement Award of the Society of Women Engineers. Jenniches was cited for leadership in manufacturing innovation and setting standards of excellence in producibility engineering. LeKang was honored for developing programs in her company and community that provide support networks for women engineers.
In a ground-breaking political move, China Cargo Airlines, based in Shanghai, has received approval to sell a 25% stake to Taiwan's China Airlines. China Eastern, one of China's most successful carriers, has a controlling stake in China Cargo Airlines.
The launch of Italy's MegSat 1, initially set for Aug. 25 but postponed due to a propulsion system electrical failure on the Dnepr booster, has been rescheduled for Sept. 27. The small private spacecraft will carry aloft a remote metering system, a solar wind/Earth magnetic field experiment and an educational payload.
Gilles Dufault has been named vice chairman of the Canadian Transportation Agency with responsibility for air travel complaints. Bruce Hood has been appointed travel complaints commissioner and Debra Ward independent transition observer.
