Paul Casner, Jr., has been appointed executive vice president/chief operating officer of DRS Technologies, Parsippany, N.J. He was president of DRS' Electronic Systems Group.
In the wake of the British government suspension of the Concorde's airworthiness certificate last week, British Airways officials continued to express complete confidence in the future of the aircraft while British pilots came to the defense of the beleaguered SST. The airline is still selling Concorde tickets for early September departures. The French government also suspended the Concorde's airworthiness certificate, but Air France and its pilots have been relatively quiet in comparison to their British counterparts about the aircraft's future.
Matthew Beirne has been promoted to vice president-new aircraft programs from equipment officer and Michael Walling to vice president-technical group from technical consultant of CIT Aerospace in New York. Christophe Chicandard has become vice president-airline marketing.
Ed Klonoski has been promoted to center manager from director of training at the FlightySafety International's training facility at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. He succeeds Ken Hesse, who is retiring. David Davenport has been promoted to assistant manager of the Atlanta center from director of CAA training at the FlightSafety Flight Academy, Vero Beach, Fla.
Anticipating this week's safety board hearing on the TWA Flight 800 crash, industry groups have proclaimed the fuel tank systems of the world airline fleet to be ``soundly designed,'' adding they ``do not tend to degrade'' as aircraft age. The conclusion comes after a three-year design review and fleet inspection program voluntarily undertaken by aviation groups led by the Air Transport Assn. (ATA) and the Aerospace Industries Assn. (AIA).
The market for commercial aviation support services will exceed $2.6 trillion over the next 20 years, considerably more than that for new airplane sales, according to Boeing's latest market forecast, released in late July. In 1999 alone, airlines spent about $330 billion on operating expenses, with roughly $87 billion of that going to support services.
Bombardier Aerospace has received three firm and 27 conditional orders for 50-seat CRJ Series 200 aircraft from Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings. The three-aircraft order's estimated value is $66 million.
The newly incorporated European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. seeks to rapidly unify corporate governance rules, eliminate duplications and achieve significant cost cuts. The cross-border group, however, is leading the European aerospace industry into uncharted management territory. Uncertainties surround EADS' capacity to smoothly overcome the absence of congruent European laws, reconcile divergent French, German and Spanish labor agreements and retirement plans and create a genuine corporate identity.
Ibis Aerospace plans to deliver late next year the first Ae-270 single-turboprop, a 6-9-seat utility aircraft. It will also be offered in corporate, combi and all-cargo configurations, according to company executives.
General Electric and Allison Advanced Development Co. have successfully completed the first runs of their F120 engine core. The tests, which lasted several hours, were conducted at AADC in Indianapolis. The F120 has been selected as the alternative engine for production versions of the Joint Strike Fighter.
Limtek is a compact system for position, velocity acceleration, straightness, squareness, parallelism, angles and flatness measurements. It provides dimensional metrology calibrations, internal multi-axis meas-
Aircraft manufacturers have mixed feelings about the effects of a tide of regulatory- and safety-inspired reforms sweeping over China--a proposed consolidation of its airlines, a ban on the use of Russian- and Chinese-built transports for commercial service, and a freeing of aircraft-ordering restrictions.
Kaman Instrumentation's KD-5100 is a noncontact position measuring system with two precisely matched sensors per channel for resolution to a nanometer. It is a differential measuring system that provides superior thermal and long-term stability of 5 X 10-6 in./month or better and frequency response to 22 KHz. At 2 X 2.12 X-0.75-in. thick, it is well suited for limited-space applications.
The growth in airline alliances, predicted to reach up to 80% market coverage, might cost mega-lessors influence and customers, according to Dietmar Kirchner, senior vice president for purchasing and properties at Lufthansa. As alliances mature and move to group aircraft purchasing they would have the volume to encourage Airbus, Boeing and regional transport manufacturers to offer lower cost ``no-frills'' aircraft and standardized purchase contracts.
CHC Helicopter Corp. subsidiary, Scotia Helicopter Services Ltd., has won a five-year contract to provide search and rescue helicopter support and personnel for the Irish Coast Guard, based in Shannon, Ireland.
THE SWEDISH DEFENSE MATERIAL Procurement Agency has awarded a $38-million contract to Rockwell Collins to provide more than 250 airborne and ground data link terminals. The Time Division Multiple Access-based voice and data link network will provide secure, antijam communications and situational awareness for the Gripen fighter, Argus Erieye AEW aircraft and air defense centers. The Ra90 system displays threats and friend/foe identification, position and status information in near-real time to network participants.
Srinivasan Shankar has been named president of Sermatech Technical Services, Limerick, Pa. He was chief operating officer and former vice president-international technology.
Air carriers are experiencing government friction in setting up their own online travel agency. Dubbed Orbitz, the airline-owned Internet startup might well benefit the flying public with a wider range of fares and less costly flight bookings, federal authorities agree. But Orbitz comprises just five major carriers--American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United--which the government views as a potential cartel.
Biztravel.com has paid out ``a few hundred thousand dollars'' in refunds to customers since the online corporate travel service first offered an airline performance guarantee last May. ``We're happy with the results so far,'' said Justin Shaw, vice president and general manager of the Rosenbluth Interactive subsidiary based in Philadelphia. ``It was somewhat of a risk, but it got plenty of attention and definitely helped sales on the Web site even in the slower summer season.''
Dick Schultz has been named chief flight instructor at the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
Orbital Sciences Corp. (OSC) is on track to generate $1 billion in sales and a backlog of $5 billion--up nicely from 1999--by the end of this year. But that favorable news belies trouble at OSC. The company's Orbimage subsidiary is grappling with manufacturing and launch issues. In addition, margins in the infrastructure business plummeted by about half in the second quarter and the stock last Wednesday sunk to its lowest level in years (down 3/8, to close at 9 5/8).
