Some aerospace companies are mounting a vigorous campaign to attract and retain the smartest engineers they can find, although it remains to be seen just how well those efforts will achieve the desired results. They range from structuring enhanced compensation packages for individuals in greatest demand, to creating a more stimulating, less bureaucratic work environment. There is more aggressive use of referral bonuses, and some companies are hiring summer interns at an earlier age in hopes of cultivating lasting relationships.
Marjorie DeLong (see photo) has become Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport-based manager of marketing and sales for the Americas for GE Capital Aviation Training. She was senior manager of sales for SimuFlite Training International.
Britain's buy of four C-17s moved a step closer late last week when the Pentagon notified Congress about the potential sale. The deal for up to four of the aircraft would cost $210 million, the U.S. Defense Dept. said. They would fill Britain's Short-Term Strategic Airlift requirement.c
The Global VSAT Forum--a U.K.-based international non-profit group representing satellite operators, service providers and Earth station manufacturers--says it has taken the first step toward an industry-wide Mutual Recognition Arrangement. The MRA aims to eliminate redundancies in type approval testing for antennas, Earth stations and very small aperture terminals. The goal is to enable faster and more cost-effective use of VSAT-based services. An industry working group has chosen six organizations as ``approved test entities''--Cetecom, Comsat Laboratories, D.
IN THE WAKE OF THE OCTOBER 1999 CRASH of a Learjet 35 that killed golf champion Payne Stewart and five others, more attention is being focused on a pilot's ability to react immediately if a rapid decompression of the cabin occurs. Although the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has not determined what caused the accident, cabin decompression is suspected.
Fairchild Aerospace is delaying service entry of its 44-seat 428JET by six months, while Israel Aircraft Industries is to have more responsibility for manufacturing the aircraft than previously envisioned.
Some Wall Street market professionals think it is no coincidence that a recent pickup in the value of defense stocks has coincided very neatly with extraordinary volatility in the Nasdaq, which is heavily weighted toward ``New Economy'' technology issues such as Intel and Microsoft. Strong performance by United Technologies Corp., as well as rallies from recent lows for many other sector players, indicates investor interest is on the upswing and funds are flowing back into many ``Old Economy'' names, Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown analyst Christopher Mecray said.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO. HAS DELIVERED the first Citation CJ1 business jet to a customer. The CJ1 is based on the former CitationJet, and features a higher maximum gross weight and Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. The larger Citation CJ2 has accumulated more than 1,000 hr. in flight testing toward FAA certification, which is scheduled for next month. A Cessna official said there are three CJ2s in the flight test program, and customer deliveries are set to begin early in 2001.
There is growing Pentagon support to consolidate various small units of surveillance and intelligence-gathering aircraft, using a single airframe, while preserving the unique missions they perform. USAF officials want a single, flexible aircraft to take over from the aging RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, RC-135S Cobra Ball and EC-130H Compass Call, and perhaps supplement the E-8 Joint-STARS and other large platforms in 10-20 years.
The Milan airports authority has transferred, as long planned, most flights to the revamped Malpensa 2000 hub. Only limited operations will remain at Linate, which is close to the city's center. The European Commission's competition directorate nevertheless still has concerns about the government's initiative. According to foreign carriers serving Milan, the transfer unfairly favors Italian flag carrier Alitalia and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, its strategic partner.
Honeywell is continuing to refine its enhanced ground proximity warning system and expand its graphics to address a wider range of possible accident scenarios, as well as increase pilot situational awareness. First introduced into scheduled passenger service in 1996, more than 10,000 EGPWS units have been sold and 4,400 installations completed, according to Don Bateman, chief engineer for flight safety systems.
Boeing's achievements in the design and fabrication of the company's X-32 Joint Strike Fighter demonstrator vehicles strongly indicate that when properly applied, lean design and manufacturing techniques being introduced into the aerospace industry can dramatically reduce aircraft costs and manufacturing complexity while boosting first-time quality.
British Airways is in talks with Taitbout Antibes BV about the sale of its ailing French subsidiary Air Liberte. Air France had expressed an interest in the carrier. Taitbout Antibes, a European financial institution registered in the Netherlands, is controlled by Marine Wendell, which is a partner of the SAirGroup that includes Swissair. Marine Wendell has a 51% stake in another French domestic carrier, AOM, with SAirGroup holding the remaining 49%.
NASA's Glenn Research Center has opened a ballistic impact facility to test materials for aircraft engines and other components. Equipment includes a 40-ft.-long gas gun that can expel projectiles at speeds of up to 1,500 ft. per sec., or more than 1,000 mph. An associated high-speed camera can capture 2.5-million images per sec. One of the center's main tasks will be testing materials for aircraft engine housings.
Lufthansa Cargo and German postal service Deutsche Post have agreed to a strategic alliance in which they will combine their respective stakes in Brussels-based DHL International.
THE LARGEST FACILITY ON THE EAST COAST dedicated to housing business jets is scheduled to begin operations in September at Stewart International Airport, located about 50 mi. north of New York. The 100,000-sq.-ft. building is being constructed by Rifton Aviation Services, a fixed-base operator at Stewart. According to company officials, the hangar will be capable of accommodating up to four Boeing Business Jets or Airbus A319 Corporate Jetliners, as well as smaller aircraft.
Production of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' F-2 fighter will ramp up over the next four years as F-1, F-15J/DJ and F-4EJ fleet strengths are cut back. The F-2 program, which will be in flight testing through the end of summer, will dominate the Japanese Defense Agency's aircraft procurement budget through 2003.
Airline pilot hiring continues at record pace, with 1,643 new positions filled in March, according to Air Inc., an airline career information services company. Of the 214 airlines/operators that report data to the Atlanta-based company, 191 hired pilots. Activity was greatest at the major airlines, which hired 453 new pilots. The number of pilots on furlough at the end of March had increased to 188 from 145, or 0.2% of 89,896 active airline pilots, according to Air Inc. The Atlanta-based company predicts 19,740 pilot jobs will open up this year. Further, Air Inc.
Randy Nelson has been named director of projects and Brad Thress program manager for the Cessna Citation Sovereign. Nelson will continue as head of Citation CJ2 development and certification. Thress was marketing manager for the Citation X and Sovereign.
The U.S. may be losing its edge in space as its investments dwindle and adversaries try to counter U.S. systems and expand their own in-orbit capabilities.
Honeywell is flight testing a vertical navigation profile capability added to the lower portion of an EGPWS or cockpit multifunction screen that would increase pilot situational awareness during approach. An initial version could be certified and in service by late this year in association with a Honeywell flight management system, according to Don Bateman, chief engineer for flight safety systems.
Rolls-Royce has been selected by British Midland Airways to provide Trent 772 engines to power the new Airbus A330-200s the carrier will start receiving next April. British Midland, which wants to begin transatlantic services next year, has ordered four of the aircraft and placed options on a further eight. An order for engines, plus spares, for all 12 aircraft would be worth $350 million for Rolls-Royce.
BFGoodrich Co. plans to divest its Performance Materials division. Proceeds from the sale will be used to expand the corporation's remaining aerospace and industrial businesses, an ongoing stock buyback program, and to lower debt. Management has indicated it believes the company can get more than $1 billion for the operation.
THE NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND wants to evaluate the military utility of civil ADS-B and has selected Rannoch Corp. for a research contract. Military aircraft (not in a threat area) would broadcast their position information continuously using a Mode S extended squitter as the data link to improve the situational awareness of pilots and the command-and-control system. Cargo Airlines Assn.'s tests last year in the Ohio River Valley, in which a Navy P-3 participated, showed that ADS-B helped pilots maintain safe separation (AW&ST Sept. 27, 1999, p. 50).
Despite numerous complaints that passenger electronic devices (PEDs) have caused electromagnetic interference (EMI) with aircraft systems, researchers are having a hard time duplicating the anomalies during flight and ground evaluations. Boeing had up to 245 laptops, electronic games and compact CD players operating simultaneously during related tests of in-seat power systems and found no airplane susceptibility. However, some PED emissions were found to be very noisy (up to 40 dB. above airplane equipment emission limits).
