Interstellar dust collection continues on NASA's Stardust spacecraft. Its Sample Return Capsule (SRC) was deployed last month. Project scientists expect to obtain approximately 100 particles from the interstellar dust stream during two capture periods using the collection device, which is about 0.1 meter square. The second collection period will be conducted in about two years. The sample is scheduled to be returned to Earth for detailed scientific analysis in 2006 after a return capsule lands on the Utah Test and Training Range.
Four people died Mar. 9 when a Cessna 152 and Cessna 172 collided on a runway at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport about 50 mi. south of Tampa, Fla. One aircraft was taking off while the other was holding on the same runway. A U.S. NTSB official said there were two people in the 152 and two in the 172. There was a large post-crash fire, he said. There are more than 1,000 runway incursion incidents in the U.S. each year involving a collision hazard between one aircraft and another or a vehicle, person or object on the ground.
Testing of new and upgraded U.S. fighter aircraft shows that their next-generation radars are performing even better than required by the Air Force--offering an average of about 15% more range than specified.
Louis Lee has been appointed director of the Bangkok-based Asia Pacific Partners Div. of Amadeus. He was head of Cathay Pacific Airways' Internet booking program. He succeeds Johan van Wegen, who will work at Amadeus' Madrid headquarters.
Caio A. Ferreira, principal engineer for the Vehicle Systems Group of Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems and Aerostructures, El Segundo, Calif., has been named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
El Al officials met with their counterparts at Tower Air last week to discuss the possibility of cooperation or an investment by the Israeli airline in the troubled U.S. carrier. New York JFK-based Tower Air, which operates scheduled passenger and charter passenger and cargo services to a number of destinations, including Tel Aviv, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Feb. 29. An El Al official said the talks were at an early stage to see what kind of relationship might be built between the two carriers.
THE FATAL ACCIDENT RATE FOR GENERAL AVIATION declined 6.3% to 342 from 365 in 1998, for a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 flying hours, according to preliminary information from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. In 1999 there were 1,908 total accidents (all types), while total hours flown rose 1.1% to 27.08 million. Accidents during flight instruction decreased 9.1%, but midair collisions increased to 18 from 15.
Pratt&Whitney has delivered the JSF119-614 engine that will support flight tests of the conventional takeoff and landing version of Boeing's X-32 Joint Strike Fighter. Qualification tests for the powerplant, and for the JSF119-611 engine scheduled to power the CTOL version of Lockheed Martin's X-35 JSF contender, should be completed late this spring. Successful conclusion of the qualification tests will clear the way for JSF flight testing to begin this summer.
This is a pivotal week for the Iridium communications system, which must move quickly to find an investor to continue operations or face the possibility of an unprecedented deorbiting of its expansive satellite constellation. The Iridium system currently has 66 operational satellites in its network and another eight in-orbit spares that were the result of an aggressive and fast-paced launch campaign by the company.
Dennis Eittreim has been named vice president/general manager of U.S. operations for Dynamex of Dallas. He was president for the Americas of BAX Global.
Dean C. Nitz has been named senior aviation consultant to the aviation program of Reynolds, Smith and Hills Inc., Flint, Mich. He was manager of the Detroit office for the FAA.
US Airways flight attendants last Friday planned to release an initial list of city pairings and routes that will be targeted for random, unannounced strikes if a contract contract isn't reached by Mar. 25.
Robert E. Weil has become vice president-finance/CFO of Mesaba Holdings Inc. of Minneapolis. He was managing director of finance for ground operations at Northwest Airlines.
THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE HELICOPTER PILOTS in the U.S. decreased 28% to 19,239 in 1996 from 26,766 in 1987, and is projected to decline another 30% by 2010, according to a report by the Sierra Academy of Aeronautics. Historically, the military has supplied commercial operators with 85-95% of the helicopter pilots they need, but that task is shifting to civilian schools. In addition, more than 50% of pilots employed by major operators are at least 55 years old, according to the report.
EUROCOPTER HAS AWARDED the first series production contract for the electronic warfare suite for Tiger attack helicopters to DaimlerChrysler Aerospace's Airborne Systems operating unit. Valued at 48 million euros ($47 million), the contract covers the first 160 integrated EW systems out of a total of 427 required for France and German Tiger helicopters. An identical EW suite is planned for the NH-90 helicopter. DASA would like to interest Switzerland, which is considering adding an EW suite in its new Super Puma helicopters, and Spain and Australia.
The fuselage for Sino Swearingen Aircraft Co.'s first production SJ30-2 business jet has been completed in preparation for wing mate operations scheduled to begin in April. Jack Braly, president and CEO of the San Antonio, Tex.-based company, said the fuselage is the first to conform to production specifications. Wing panels are scheduled to arrive this month from Gamesa Aeronautica in Spain in preparation for final assembly this summer. Gamesa also builds the fuselage, which is manufactured in three sections.
Graham Austin, formerly head of training at New York-based FlightSafety International, has been named chief executive of the Cabair College of Air Training, Cranfield, England.
EIICHIRO SEKIGAWAMichael Mecham contributed to this report from San Francisco.
In the third major aerospace consolidation this year, NEC and Toshiba Corp. said last week they intend to merge their satellite manufacturing operations into a 50/50 partnership, a move some in the industry see as the first step toward creating a single spacecraft builder in Japan.
As air traffic continues to grow, Europe and the U.S. are struggling with increased urgency to come to grips with congestion and flight delays. In the Oct. 25, 1999, issue, a wide range of topics involving ``Air Travel in Crisis'' was explored. Now, in the following three articles, several recent developments are highlighted. First, the U.S. appears to be making progress toward data link communication between pilots and controllers. Meanwhile, in Europe, where national rivalries have been a stumbling block to airspace consolidation, privatization might offer a new path.
UPS will reportedly demand that the European Commission require the German post office (Deutsche Post) to split up its commercial and public service activities. The EC is investigating the postal service under a complaint alleging unfair competition in the parcel post sector, filed by UPS in 1994. The post office has spent nearly $5 billion during the past two years to build up its parcel express business and is said to be discussing an alliance with Lufthansa Cargo and DHL (AW&ST Feb. 28, p. 21).
Paul E. Brotto has succeeded Kevin Benson as president/CEO of Canadian Airlines. Brotto was senior vice president-business development of Air Canada. Benson will continue as a member of Canadian's board of directors.
ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DISPLAYS (OLEDs), once thought impractical for mass production, could be for sale and challenging LCDs next year, according to the U.S. Display Consortium. OLEDs can be manufactured like film on plastic rolls, giving lighter weight displays with low power consumption but good color resolution. Stanford Resources predicts the OLED market will grow from $3 million last year to $715 million in 2005. A U.S. film manufacturer has an OLED display prototype that's only 2.4 in. square and 1/16 in.
Martin Kaiser has become managing director and Seven Domke head of marketing and sales/deputy CEO of Shannon (Ireland) Aerospace. Kaiser was head of production and has been succeeded by Tom Caffrey, who was deputy production head. Domke was manager of materiel stores and supplies for Lufthansa Technik.
