Singapore's Asian Aerospace exhibition is one of the industry's most important, but the Changi Exhibition Center where it is held, on the backside of the country's international airport, is unlikely to win any industry accolades. The tarmac will not support large aircraft, so they must be kept off-site. Their parking place is near the Changi Prison, which prompts some decidedly unfriendly requirements for manufacturers wanting to show customers their planes.
Dassault Aviation is studying how the Rafale fighter could be used as a flight leader to direct and coordinate an attack by Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs) and also to control unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
ATA (American Trans Air) scheduled passenger service is expanding. The Indianapolis-based subsidiary of Amtran Inc. claims to be the largest operator of commercial and military charters worldwide as well as the 11th largest U.S. passenger airline. Beginning Apr. 2, ATA will increase nonstop service between New York LaGuardia and Chicago Midway from three to five flights daily on Boeing 757s and 727s. On Apr. 3, ATA will begin offering thrice-daily, nonstop 757 service between Midway and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
In April, Japan's Maritime Safety Agency will become the ``Coast Guard'' because foreigners identify ``Maritime Safety Agency'' chiefly with rescue operations at sea. In fact, the organization's tasks also include traditional activities such as guarding against smugglers, stowaways and poaching, as well as cleaning up oil spills.
Vanessa Paris has been named corporate communications/public relations administrator of the Cleveland-based Ohio Aerospace Institute. Paris was market management and communications specialist for Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Despite the turmoil in defense procurements caused by Australian budget pressures, the country's air force chief continues to articulate a need for a broad range of airlift, from small tactical transports to C-17-sized aircraft. Australia's peacekeeping experience in East Timor has caused military planners to realize they need an aircraft larger than the C-130. But RAAF chief Air Marshal Errol McCormack insists that the new requirement hasn't undermined the need for small transports for which the Alenia/Lockheed Martin C-27J and CASA-295 are competing.
British Airways said it will invest $160 million on a variety of e-business initiatives in the next two years, including a plan to launch an Internet travel agency portal in conjunction with other European airlines. Chief Executive Robert Ayling said the airline was in advanced discussions with several other carriers, including Air France and Swissair. BA also plans to expand the online activities of its Air Miles customer-loyalty program and launch a ``lifestyle'' portal this summer.
Matra Marconi Space's U.K. arm has acquired NRSC, a major commercial provider of aerial and satellite Earth-observation data and products. Takeover of NRSC, formerly the U.K. National Remote Sensing Center, will give MMS a vertically integrated Earth-observation capability and provide access to the fast-growing applications market. NRSC employs 130 people and generates annual sales of 6.5 million pounds ($10.4 million).
The FAA should set minimum safety and operational standards for fractional ownership aircraft and allow smaller airlines to fly under those rules if they meet specific requirements, an industry advisory panel has recommended. On Feb. 23, the rulemaking panel presented FAA Administrator Jane F. Garvey with proposals for a new Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) aimed at resolving disputes over whether existing rules give fractional ownership operators an unfair advantage over small airlines in attracting high-yield passengers.
The location of the home base of Italian startup carrier Gandalf Airlines was incorrectly stated in a story on p. 60 of last week's issue. The airline is based at Orio al Serio airport, close to downtown Bergamo, Italy.
Boeing's board of directors is expected to give a go-ahead for the twin-engine 777X programs on Feb. 28, sparking a new wave of competition with Airbus' four-engine A340-500/600 family for the 300-360-seat long-range market.
Eric J. Zahler has been elected president and chief operating officer of Loral Space&Communications, putting him in line to succeed Chairman and CEO Bernard L. Schwartz.
The next 20 years of defense technological development will certainly include faster computers, more maneuverable missiles and increasingly autonomous munitions and submunitions, a Brookings Institution forecast says. But neither jet aircraft nor engines will become radically faster, lighter or more fuel efficient by 2020, nor will sensors and munitions improve enough to hold deep underground targets at risk, according to the report, Technological Change and the Future of Warfare (see p. 70).
Are engineering's best and brightest being sucked up by the dot.coms and software developers? Neil Armstrong doesn't seem especially worried. Touting a list of the top 20 engineering achievements of the 20th century, as selected by a National Academy of Engineering (NAE) panel, he tells the National Press Club, ``There's a lot of bucks out there . . . so I think that will continue for some time.
More than 330 high-density tape cassettes with 12 terabytes of data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission are beginning nearly two years of conversion into map products at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and National Imaging and Mapping Agency following the landing of Endeavour here on Feb. 22. The flight's high-resolution elevation map of most of the world's terrain is ``one of the most valuable accomplishments in the history of space flight,'' shuttle Mission Control radioed Endeavour.
Sylvia A. de Leon, a senior partner in the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer&Feld, has joined the board of directors of Atlanta-based flightserv.com.
MiG Russian Aircraft Corp. has released details of two-seat naval MiG KUB fighters targeted for the Indian navy. The aircraft, derived from the MiG-29K rejected by the Russian fleet, feature folding wings and horizontal stabilizers to permit stowage in a space less than 6 meters (20 ft.) in width and 5.5 meters (18 ft.) in height. A larger vertical stabilizer with increased fuel capacity and an inflight refueling system are planned to increase range. MiG officials said an Indian buy of up to 30 aircraft could be announced ``within weeks.''
NASA's Microwave Anisotropy Probe, which is scheduled for launch this autumn, is designed to investigate deep space and detect temperature variations that may be related to the origin of the universe. The satellite is the first to be tested in the Mark I Space Chamber at Arnold AFB, Tenn., following a major, $1.5-million modification program. The upgrades are being funded by Loral to help meet rising demand for testing of commercial satellites in a simulated space environment.
Crossair plans to convert options on 10 Embraer ERJ-145s to firm orders pending approval by SAirGroup's management board which meets on Mar. 3. The move brings the total number of aircraft on firm order with Embraer to 85 and will allow the Swiss regional carrier to renew its fleet quicker than planned. Crossair saw its profits decline to CHF 50.7 million ($31.38 million) from CHF 63.5 million in 1998 despite a 14.5% increase in revenues and an 11% increase in passenger traffic.
A lack of resources, not foot-dragging, has slowed the integration of military space capabilities with air, sea and terrestrial forces, according to the former chief of U.S. Space Command. Consequently, a congressionally mandated commission might consider several alternatives to setting up a separate U.S. space force, suggested Gen. Richard B. Myers. He transferred leadership of the unified space command, Norad and Air Force Space Command to Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart on Feb. 18.
South Korea has selected the Raytheon MK 31 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Guided Missile Weapon System for its KDX-2 destroyer program. It was chosen over two competing systems: the Israeli Barak and the French Crotale VT-1.
Deborah McElroy is scheduled to become president of the Washington-based Regional Airline Assn. on Mar. 31. She will succeed Walter Coleman, who will be retiring. McElroy has been vice president.
Embraer has selected Honeywell's Primus 1000 integrated avionics for its entire line of regional jets. In addition, Honeywell's enhanced ground proximity warning systems (EGPWS) and combined flight data and cockpit voice recorders will be used. The value of the orders over the next 13 years exceeds $180 million. In Australia, Qantas Airways has selected EGPWS for its 98 aircraft, an order worth $3.5 million.
Carol Carmody may get a seat at the National Transportation Safety Board after all. Plans are in the works for the Senate Commerce, Science and Technology Committee to hold a hearing Mar. 1 on her nomination to the board. Republicans may be wary of giving away a patronage plum like a board seat on the eve of a presidential election they hope to win. But NTSB Chairman Jim Hall wants to exit once the investigation into the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 is concluded, hopefully in June.
