James R. Stanley has been promoted to senior vice president/chief operating officer from senior vice president-North American operations of Howmet International Inc., Greenwich, Conn.
After much neglect, even senior Defense Dept. officials are now recognizing that the Pentagon's electronic warfare efforts are in serious trouble. The latest twist is an Air Force decision to cancel a major upgrade of the B-1B's EW suite that the service has wanted for a long time.
The U.S. Air Force is looking for 135 ex-pilots and a few navigators--primarily majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels--to rehire as civilians in the Pentagon and for major command staffs from Hawaii to Germany. If the experiment works, they may expand the hiring to 335 rated ex-officers. A shortage of 1,400 pilots and a decision to cut staffs 20% have drained some staffs to the point they are in danger of becoming dysfunctional, said Maj. Gen. Susan Pamerleau, the air staff's director of personnel force management.
United Parcel Service, campaigning in support of its application for cargo authority to serve China, said one new UPS job is created for every 40 additional international packages the company delivers each day. From Boeing's annual report: An airplane that sells for $100 million, whether commercial or military, will generate $125 million or more in services and related revenues during its useful life, including maintenance, spare parts, modification, training and other upkeep.
Vice Adm. William J. Hancock (USN, Ret.) has been appointed an associate and director of logistics and infrastructure practice for Technology Strategies and Alliances of Washington. Other recent appointees are: Rear Adm. Norman T. Saunders (USCG, Ret.), and Michael F. Canino, principals; James W. Boggins and Arthur J. Bruckheim, associates; and Robert S. Meyer, researcher-analyst.
Carol Roudebush has been named vice president-sales and marketing, Wendy Cook sales and marketing account executive and Kimberly Plaskett manager of marketing and corporate communications, all of Legend Airlines. Also, Joe Moses, director of engineering and maintenance; Robert Achenbach, controller; Jim Hughes, chief of airline security; and David Coward, director of team resources.
Garrett Aviation Services is holding discussions with parent company General Electric to join the CF34 maintenance and repair network. Garrett already services some of General Electric's smaller engines, and is in the midst of a study aimed at exploring new business opportunities, particularly in regional aircraft. The company recently moved into the avionics area with the acquisition of Electrosonics. Sales are expected to reach $630 million this year, a 5% increase over 1999, officials said last week.
Michelle Bauman has been appointed director of customer service of Atlantic Coast Jet, an affiliate of Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings (ACAH). She held a similar position at affiliate Atlantic Coast Airlines. Judy Shelton, an economist, writer and television commentator, has been named to the ACAH board of directors.
The Franco-Italian Avions de Transport Regional consortium expects to continue to secure an average 20-30 orders per year despite the twinjets' supremacy.
The new 4-in. CTU4 CarvLock Cluster Tower is similar to, but smaller than, the CTU6. It is well suited for smaller machining centers including horizontals or vertical machining centers with fourth axis. It maximizes multiple part workholding for best spindle utilization, reducing tool change time and machine travel from part to part. The tower is made from ductile iron to dampen cutter induced vibration. Kurt Manufacturing Co., Industrial Products Div., 1325 Quincy St. N.E., Minneapolis, Minn. 55413.
Debate swirls about the best way to protect the Internet from hostile attacks and may affect the future of the multi-agency National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC), which was formed two years ago for that task. One conflict is that many industry experts think better encryption is needed to protect the Web, but the FBI, which leads the NIPC, doesn't want it available for fear that the bureau will no longer be able to decode criminal transmissions, according to a recent report by the Los Angeles Times.
Australian regional carrier Impulse Airlines has committed to lease of an initial five 717 aircraft to launch a no-frills attack on the country's two domestic airlines. The June 5 launch is expected to spark a savage fare war. But the stock market effects have already been felt with Qantas shares losing 30% of their value and Air New Zealand, which owns Ansett, shedding more than 50% of its share price since Richard Branson announced in November that his Virgin Express operation would be set up in Australia.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has finally realized its ambition of taking equity stakes in major Southeast Asian airlines, spending $NZ140 million (US$69 million) to secure a 8.4% stake in Air New Zealand (Air NZ), which will spark major aircraft buys. Small by SIA standards, the buy is just the start of a near-term goal of obtaining a 25% stake and a longer-term objective of up to 40% of the New Zealand airline.
The eight CM1553-3 models provide price performance options for testers, developers, manufacturers and users of mil-std-1553 by offering a commercial off-the-shelf solution for 1553 operational and test applications. The PC card form factor permits the CM1553-3 to be moved and shared among desktops and laptops throughout the office or on the flight line. The models are available in a rugged milled aluminum Type III or Type II case.
Boeing The First Century, by Eugene E. Bauer, delivers a comprehensive history that scrutinizes its corporate culture from the beginning, and pinpoints the product decisions made by Bill Boeing and the eight subsequent presidents. The crises they met are chronicled as well as exhaustive coverage of the myriad personalities woven into the unfolding of aviation history. The decisions of Boeing's major competitors are examined as well. The book draws heavily on Boeing in Peace and War by the same author. Well-illustrated in B&W. TABA Publishing Inc., 24103 S.E.
Don Wilkins (see photo) has been named director of Lockheed Martin liaison for Rolls-Royce North America Inc., Reston, Va. He succeeds Darrell Hinder, who has returned to the U.K. to work in the company's helicopter unit.
Sir Richard Evans, chairman of BAE Systems, will be honored with the 13th presentation of Aviation Week&Space Technology's John Curtis Sword. The presentation to Evans will be a featured event at the Society of British Aerospace Companies' Farnborough International dinner on July 25.
Cirrus Design Corp. has orders for 557 of its four-place SR20 lightplane and is working toward a production rate of one airplane per business day by late this year. The Duluth-based company has delivered 24 aircraft since production began last year. In late March, the FAA completed an audit of the company's production procedures at its Duluth and Hibbing, Minn., and Grand Forks, N.D., facilities as well as all of its suppliers. The audit was part of inspections aimed at eventually issuing Cirrus a production certificate for the SR20.
A thorough review of performance requirements governing certification and operation of Transport Category jet airplanes in Europe and the U.S. may benefit safety, according to a report issued by the Flight Safety Foundation. Although existing regulations have worked well for nearly 50 years, the majority were established at the dawn of the Jet Age following World War II.
Lawmakers and safety officials are at odds over cockpit video recorders, but they do agree aviation's English language skills need to improve (see p. 74). All airspace users should bolster their proficiency in English as international flight operations multiply, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman James E. Hall told a House panel. A report is due later this year to the member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization to update ICAO's standard phrases and its Handbook on Radiotelephony Procedures.
Robert L. Bowers (see photo) has become general manager of Wellman Dynamics, Creston, Iowa. He was senior consultant with Manufacturing Development and Engineering International Inc., Jackson, Mich.
More than 2,200 members of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers went on strike against Lockheed Martin last week at its production complex near Fort Worth. The factory builds the F-16 and major structural assemblies for the F-22. The workers want pay increases that are at least equal to that of their counterparts at Boeing, who make $2.56 more per hour. As of late last week, Dain Hancock, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., told IAM leaders the company planned to withdraw its final contract offer Apr. 17 unless workers approved it.
t to purchase Empressa Nacional Santa Barbara de Industrias Militares S.A. of Madrid, as well as Santa Barbara Blindados S.A. of Seville. The Spanish company produces combat vehicles and munitions. The operation had 1999 sales of approximately $95 million and a funded backlog of about $2 billion.
Groupe Dubreuil will acquire a 70% stake in Caraibeenne des Transports Aeriens, a French Caribbean holding company that consolidated Air Martinique, Air Guadeloupe, Air St-Martin and Air St-Barth to form a unified carrier dubbed Air Caraibes. Last year, its 20 aircraft carried 600,000 passengers. Air Caraibes soon plans to implement a far-reaching restructuring plan to streamline operations and establish a hub-and-spoke route system. Groupe Dubreuil previously owned Regional Airlines, which was recently acquired by Air France.
Jeffrey R. Kelly has been named president/chief operating officer of the Kelly Aerospace subsidiaries Consolidated Fuel Systems, Montgomery, Ala., and Electrosystems, Fort Deposit, Ala.
