The FAA and the U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) this month jointly approved STG Aerospace's emergency floorpath guidance system for long-haul aircraft. The SafTGlo system, formerly known as Pathfinder, is based on specially treated strontium aluminate photoluminescence technology. Following short-term exposure to ambient lighting, the system emits an intense glow. According to the U.K.-based company, a leader in the development of photoluminescent technology for evacuations, the system is nonradioactive and nontoxic.
A U.S. government decision to approve export sales of the new AIM-120C5 configuration of Amraam to allied air forces is ``imminent,'' according to Raytheon executives at ILA 2000. Currently only the ``B'' version is available to foreign customers. The AIM-120C5 has an extended rocket motor, improved warhead and clipped wings and fins to facilitate internal carriage. The 5-in. rocket motor extension is accommodated by a shortened actuator unit.
Jon Beesley, a Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. test pilot since 1986--when the company was General Dynamics--has won the Chuck Yeager Award from the Engineers Council for his work on the F-22, F-16 and F-117 programs. The award honors career dedication to the progress of aerospace technology.
The U.S. Air Force is preparing to drop bombs from an unmanned aerial vehicle--an undertaking that for a long time was considered off-limits because of the 1988 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. The experiment, slated to be conducted by USAF's UAV battlelab at Eglin AFB, Fla., would involve an RQ-1A Predator UAV and a version of the small smart bomb, a 250-lb. class, GPS-guided munition the Air Force has developed. Initially, Air Force officials plan to limit the test to inert weapons.
Delta Air Lines Chairman and CEO Leo F. Mullin has been appointed chairman of the board of governors of the International Air Transport Assn. for a one-year term. Mullin foresees IATA facing three major issues--industry safety, global aircraft noise standards and ATC system constraints.
Gunnar Eklund, general manager for the Americas of Icelandair, has received the Airline Professional of the Year Award from the Baltimore chapter of The Academy of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality.
Lockheed Martin has agreed to transfer an autoclave and associated equipment to Enaer of Chile, enabling the government-owned aircraft manufacturer to build advanced composite parts for commercial and military aircraft. The transfer, part of a long-term cooperation between the two aircraft builders, is aimed at improving manufacturing efficiencies and technologies at Enaer's facility in Santiago. It also boosts Lockheed Martin's chances of selling its F-16 fighter to Chile.
A U.S./Russian agreement to open a joint warning center in Moscow by mid-2001 for the exchange of information on missile and space launches is good as far as it goes, but shared data should be more detailed, American analysts say. Designed to deal quickly with any ambiguous situations arising from data generated by each other's systems for early warning of launches, the Joint Data Exchange Center (JDEC) is supposed to lead eventually to the maintenance of a unified database for the multilateral exchange of such information.
Air transportation between the U.S. and Portugal is expected to rapidly increase following the completion of an open skies accord that replaces an outdated, restrictive bilateral agreement. The accord is to be implemented in the next few weeks, pending the Portuguese parliament's ratification. Portugal, which is the 10th European Union member state to conclude such an accord with the U.S., firmly supports the European Commission's proposal to negotiate a Transatlantic Common Aviation Area covering free market access and a joint safety policy.
Airbus Industrie, which hopes to deliver the first A318 twinjet in the fourth quarter of 2002, is developing extended-range versions for its smallest commercial transport. The consortium has 127 firm orders and 56 commitments for the 107-117-seat A318, a shortened-fuselage derivative of the 125-seat A319, said Colin Stuart, vice president of marketing. Launch customers include America West, Frontier Airlines, TWA, GATX Flightlease and the International Lease Finance Corp., Air China, Air France, British Airways and Egyptair.
Legend Airlines is scheduled to begin four daily nonstop, round-trip flights from Dallas Love Field to New York LaGuardia on Sept. 6. Legend, which began revenue operations in April, has received 18 slots at LaGuardia as well as slots for two flights daily between Love Field and Chicago O'Hare International Airport. No inaugural date has been set for the Chicago service, according to airline officials. Competitor American Airlines operates 24 flights daily between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and LaGuardia.
Rannoch Corp. has received a contract from a consortium of companies to supply a second AirScene system for Japan. The system provides surveillance from high-density airports to feeder and general aviation airports. The system will be deployed in southern Honshu Island this summer.
A Russian/U.S. program to use demilitarized Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack bombers as airborne launchers of spacecraft has been restructured, significantly reducing the estimated costs of orbiting a 2,500-lb. payload.
Belgium's Barco has been selected by Boeing Phantom Works to supply high-resolution, rugged-color flat panel displays. They will equip an unmanned combat air vehicle's mission control station.
The International Air Transport Assn. (IATA) and European aviation trade associations are, again, urging governments and Eurocontrol to significantly cut flight delays in Europe's airspace. According to IATA Director General Pierre J. Jeanniot, air traffic control-related delays cause an overall loss in fuel efficiency of 6-12% and also results in a negative environmental impact. Such criticisms are emphasized by financial concerns: In 1999, the airline industry reeled from the shock generated by a 200% increase in fuel prices, Jeanniot said.
GE Engine Leasing has detected an airline trend toward leasing rather than owning spare engines. The trend has developed as cost pressures on airlines continue to grow and airlines tend to operate with fewer assets, General Manager John Abbott said. Sale and lease-back contract provisions also provide welcome cash to the carriers. Abbott predicts that leased spares, now 20% of the 5,500 engines in the marketplace today and valued at $14 billion, will grow to about half of the total number of spare engines in 2008.
A new Internet online auction service has been created to help fill empty seats on deadheads, or empty return legs, flown by charter jet operators. The real-time booking engine, Skyjet.com, allows preregistered members to log on and inspect available flight listings posted by 235 participating charter operators, who fly more than 1,300 jets, turboprops and helicopters. They can then bid on any flight that meets their travel needs.
Roland Bopp has been appointed vice president-international business development for Astrolink LLC, Bethesda, Md. He was New York-based regional director for the Americas for Deutsche Telekom.
The Indian Ministry of Defense and Russia Aviaexport foreign trade association have signed a contract for the delivery of 40 Mi-17-1V helicopters to India within 13 months. The cargo helicopters are to be converted into military transports under a separate contract signed with the Russia Promexport Federal Enterprise. Thecontracts are worth $170 million.
Mark Burns has become vice president-customer program management at the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp, Savannah, Ga. He was director of information services.
Kellstrom Industries' Certified Div. will provide to international customers, spare parts and component repairs for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics' P-3 Orion aircraft under a 10-year agreement.
U.S. laser projects are growing in international popularity. The Israeli Defense Force has recently had ``people all over'' Boeing's advanced tactical laser project, a weapon designed to be carried by V-22-size aircraft or a large-payload unmanned air vehicle to attack cruise missiles, missile launchers and, perhaps, buildings (which would mysteriously burst into flames). TRW's high-energy tactical laser, which is already slated for Israel, shot down its first Katyusha nonguided artillery rocket (see p. 33).
The FAA has initiated a Departure Spacing Program to improve traffic flow in the congested New York area. Based on an FAA prototype and developed by Computer Sciences Corp., the data-sharing and decision support aid has been in operation since mid-April at the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center and Philadelphia approach control, as well as control towers at LaGuardia, Newark, Kennedy and Philadelphia airports. DSP spaces departures more evenly by using existing airport traffic and flight plan information and automating several procedures.
Advancements made by Sandia National Laboratories in microelectromechanical system design and fabrication are spawning breakthroughs in the development of compact weapons, nanosatellites and optical telecommunications. In particular, an ability to combine electronic circuits with mechanical systems on the same piece of silicon has opened many intriguing possibilities, according to lab engineers.
