The 7,000-lb. Alcatel/Eutelsat W4 launched May 24 on board the first Atlas III is itself an unusual satellite designed to provide major new Internet and television services to Russia and parts of Africa. The Spacebus 3000 satellite (right) carries a unique communications payload, said Alcatel Vice President Bernard Molesti. The W4, built in Cannes, France, cost about $150 million.
Pentagon planners are trying to stanch an expected hemorrhage of its best-trained senior air traffic controllers during the next decade as they are lured away by the better-paying FAA.
U.S. Air Force and Navy officials accepted the first T-6A Texan II for the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System on May 23 at Randolph AFB, Tex., and expect to attain Initial Operating Capability with the airplane in 2001 and 2003, respectively.
While European carriers--supported by European Union officials--are eager to proceed as quickly as possible with proposals to create a common transatlantic aviation area, U.S. airlines and the Transportation Dept. are less enthusiastic.
Congress is fashioning a nearly $310-billion military budget for next year, augmenting what the White House requested, but short by as much as $30 billion in weapons purchases. Avoiding a repetition of last year's F-22 spat, House and Senate defense leaders boast that their respective authorization bills for Fiscal 2001 will provide about 4.4% above this year's appropriated level. The House has authorized $309.9 billion, the Senate Armed Services Committee $309.8 billion.
Mark Schodowski (see photos) has become vice president-operations, Nick Antonelli vice president-development and John Fritskey vice president-engineering, all for Voss Aerospace of Cleveland. Schodowski was director of operations and Antonelli manager of tooling and new product development. Fritskey was manager of engineering.
Tecstar Demo Systems of Moorpark, Calif., has begun deliveries of an updated PMAT 2000 system to Boeing and American Airlines. The original Portable Maintenance Access Terminal is used on the 777 transport for data loading, to host digital maintenance documentation and access onboard systems for fault information. Intended for other airplane types, the PMAT 2000 adds a LoadStar application, which controls the configuration of airplane-loadable software for an entire transport fleet, and supports electronic transfer of aircraft software updates from airline networks.
The Boeing X-32A Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator successfully completed low- and medium-speed taxi testing last week in preparation for first flight, which is set for this summer. Katy Fleming, Boeing JSF assistant test director, said the aircraft reached a speed of about 30 kt. during low-speed tests and of up to 55 kt. in medium-speed tests on May 23, with no significant problems reported. The tests were intended to verify integration of systems such as steering, braking and engine controls.
The market for numerical control software and related services grew 7.7% to $1.2 billion in 1999, according to data from CIMdata Inc., an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based research and consulting firm. The NC market has grown steadily from a base of nearly $600 million in 1992, but it has slowed lately. The total market is expected to rebound to a 12% growth rate this year to reach $1.4 billion. Declines in equipment sales in the U.S. contributed to last year's softening of NC's usual double-digit rate. Software sales growth continues to lead revenue generated through services.
Sectra Wireless Technologies and CNS Systems AB have received a $2.19-million order from the Swedish Board of Civil Aviation to develop air traffic control system transponders.
Bell Helicopter Textron's twin-engine Bell 427 has received FAA approval for dual-pilot IFR and Category A flight operations. Day/night VFR certification occurred in January of this year. The company has orders for 80 aircraft.
Boston Logan and Philadelphia International airports will be the first to get high-speed Internet kiosks under an arrangement between ICTS International, which provides services to about 100 airports in Europe and the U.S., and Global Digital Media.com, which makes the Digital Media Hub kiosk. The Internet link will operate up to 200 times faster than the standard 56K modem, and users will either connect with wires or go wireless up to 900 ft. away. The high speed can carry streaming digital television.
Tests by the U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority have confirmed that the use of mobile phones can interfere with an aircraft's flight deck or avionics bay equipment. They showed that mobile phones produced ``interference levels that exceed the certification levels for some equipment,'' according to the CAA. The tests were conducted in February at Gatwick airport with parked British Airways 737-200 and Virgin Atlantic 747-200 aircraft certified before 1989, when requirements for the protection of avionics from interference were tightened.
Elan Training Equipment will manufacture hardware simulation components for two Airbus A320 FNPT II simulators for British-based Intersim Ltd., under a $270,000 work order.
Flir Systems will supply its Ultra 7000 airborne image systems for four U.S. Coast Guard Agusta A109 helicopters. The system will be used by Helicopter Tactical Sqdn. 10 for surveillance and search and rescue missions.
Wing mating to the fuselage was conducted on the first 737-900 transport at Boeing's narrow-body factory earlier this month. The 124-ft.-long fuselage is almost 10 ft. longer than that of the 737-800. Rollout is planned for July 23 with first flight in August. The aircraft will be delivered to Alaska Airlines next spring.
Latin American airline CEOs made it clear last week why the U.S. drive for open skies has been stymied in the southern Western Hemisphere. Under a no-holds-barred free trade regime, they see their airlines, already strapped financially, becoming vulnerable to predatory pricing and capacity dumping. The failure of the open skies negotiations between the U.S. and Colombia can be directly traced to Colombia's concerns over predatory pricing, according to Bob Booth, president of Aviation Management, the Miami consultancy which sponsored the CEO gathering.
The successful first flight of the 173-ft. Russian-powered Atlas III here May 24 is pivotal to Lockheed Martin's future in launch operations and demonstrates that joint U.S./Russian programs can advance in the face of daunting technology-transfer hurdles. It also gives Lockheed Martin a new leg up against Boeing in the growing competition for space operations between these two industry giants.
Primagraphics has won a development contract from BAE Systems to supply audio-visual equipment that will analyze video signals from Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft test flights.
Edward Mathieu (see photo) has been named director of marketing and business development, Rob Barden senior product marketing manager for radio test systems and Jerry Mendez head of the technical services group for IFR Systems Inc., Wichita, Kan.
Loren Neuenschwander has been named director of financial performance of Delta Connection Inc. He was director of finance and planning for the Atlantic Region for Delta Air Lines.
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 7th Bomb Wing became the first of the supersonic bombers to exceed 5,000 flight hours. The airplane, based at Dyess AFB, Tex., is the 92nd B-1B built and was delivered to the Air Force in February 1988. It is scheduled to undergo a special inspection this summer at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker AFB. The B-1B fleet has accumulated 339,000 hr. since the first aircraft was delivered in June 1985.
Jurgen Gassen has been named general manager of Ametek Precision Instruments Europe, Meerbush, Germany. He was managing director for sales and marketing of Bopp&Reuther Messtechnik.
The Defense Dept. is watching the emerging aerospace electronic commerce ventures with great interest, but isn't willing to commit to working with them until it sees more details on the various business plans. Several aerospace companies have announced e-commerce initiatives, but the Pentagon isn't rushing to spur them on. ``We are still learning about them and figuring out how they integrate with and impact'' the Defense Dept., said Stan Soloway, deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition reform.
The TRW/Northrop Grumman team has been chosen for a Discoverer II Core Phase 1B $6-million, five-month contract option to provide concepts for the Discoverer II space-based radar technology demonstration program.
