Aviation before World War I was a laboratory, open primarily for the self-motivated engineer, rich hobbiest or gifted amateur enthusiast. Largely absent were the military, industrial or commercial interests to overcome technological problems with the brute force of large bankrolls. As a result, the years between first powered flight and the start of World War I produced a meandering course of development and experimentation, badly coordinated, often ill-conceived and always under-financed when compared with the fast approaching four years of war.
The dawn of the 20th century witnessed the initial, tentative attempts by man to fly. The first steps toward that elusive goal had been taken late in the previous century by visionary pioneers such as Germany's Otto Lilienthal, who had made thousands of successful flights in frail gliders and paved the way for others to follow. But at the beginning of the 20th century, technical solutions to the many problems of flight seemed unattainable, and thwarted man's ancient dream of navigating the sky at will.
Cathay Pacific will raise its Airbus A330-300 fleet to 15 aircraft with an order for three more of the twin-engine transports. Delivery is set for the first quarter of 2001.
The 1930s ushered in significant advancements in aviation that would have far-reaching implications not only for the war-torn decade of the 1940s to come, but also in the post-war era. These include initial development of the turbojet engine, the overall integration into new designs of retractable landing gear systems, constant-speed, full-feathering propellers, wing/propeller deicing systems, gyroscopic flight instruments, all-metal construction and more powerful engines.
The shuttle program was set to return to flight late last week after being grounded for four months due to wiring problems, but new assessments are raising broader concerns about shuttle quality control and the ability of the program to meet its pending aggressive flight schedules in the wake of cost cutting and personnel reductions.
Disagreement between the Pentagon and State Dept. about reforming the licensing process for weapon and satellite exports may need White House arbitration, said Jay Davis, director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The two departments have been trying to resolve their differences, but State Dept. officials, on several occasions, have not attended scheduled meetings. It is still unclear whether the White House views the issue as important enough to get involved.
In the wake of the apparent loss of Mars Polar Lander, NASA has formed a blue-ribbon Mars Program Assessment Team (MPAT) to examine the entire Mars exploration effort and provide a final report to Administrator Daniel Goldin in mid-March.
Boeing Commercial Aircraft Group added 198 new jet transports to its orderbook last week and hinted it might close on more sales by year-end. The orders brought the company's sales totals for the year to 368, while Airbus was reporting about 420. The announcement deflated Airbus' claims that it was outselling Boeing by a 2-1 ratio in 1999.
Arianespace has ordered a follow-on batch of 20 Ariane 5 heavy launch vehicles from Aerospatiale Matra, for delivery starting in 2001. The launchers will include a mix of Ariane 5 E/CA, E/S and SV models, all of which will feature more powerful Vulcain 2 first-stage motors. E/CA models will have a cryogenic upper stage and SV variants, a restartable upper stage motor (AW&ST Dec. 13, p. 61).
Portugal has agreed to become the 15th member state of the European Space Agency. It aims to contribute to satellite navigation, remote sensing and telecom programs, in addition to space science and technology. In a related move, Poland has decided to join Eumetsat, Europe's weather satellite organization.
Privatization of Spain's Iberia began in earnest last week when investors formally agreed to terms on the purchase of a 40% stake in the state-owned carrier for $1.10 billion. Five Spanish corporate investors are acquiring 30%, while industrial partner British Airways will take a 9% stake and have the largest say. American Airlines has 1%. BA's purchase, however, is linked to the Spanish government approving a public stock offering for an additional 54% share of Iberia next year.
Wing manufacturing problems at BAE Systems Airbus will delay deliveries of single-aisle aircraft during the first half of next year. Problems with a newly installed automated ordering system have led to shortages of a number of manufacturing detail components that BAE Systems Airbus produces at its Filton, England, facility. Company officials said the shortages will result in delays of roughly three weeks in wing deliveries for A320 family aircraft to Airbus Industrie partners starting early next year.
After almost two decades of neglect, aircraft development again went into high gear with the approach of World War II. The 10 years from 1939-49 took pilots and aircraft builders from biplanes to jets and through the sound barrier.
The U.S. Air Force launched its first Block 5D-3-series Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on Dec. 12, updating the Pentagon's strategic and tactical weather constellation. The new series of spacecraft can accommodate a larger sensor payload than earlier generations and has a solid-state data recorder and a more powerful computer.
British Airways was fined 40,000 pounds ($64,400) and ordered to pay court costs last week for illegally transporting a chemical oxygen container in the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft flying from London Gatwick to Dallas. The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority also won separate prosecutions it brought against British Midland and Britannia Airways for incorrectly packing chemical oxygen generators which were intercepted before they were loaded onto aircraft.
A ratification vote on the START 2 arms control treaty with the U.S. has been left to a new assembly of the Russian Duma following elections for the lower house of parliament on Dec. 19. The previous Duma refused to consider the issue during its last session despite the urgings of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Lockheed Martin has completed installation of a Pratt&Whitney JSF119-611 flight-rated engine in its X-35A Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator aircraft in preparation for initial runs in the first quarter of next year.
Two airplanes that collided while coming in to land at an uncontrolled airport in Plant City, Fla., continued piggyback to a safe touchdown on the grass. Alan Van Gee, the instructor pilot in a Cessna 152, said his student was flying about 150 ft. above touchdown on Dec. 11 when a Piper Cadet landed on top of his aircraft and the nose gear broke through the windscreen. He took control and piloted the plane to a safe landing.
The 1960s were dominated by two long-running events--the Vietnam War and the exploration of space--that both began in idealism and optimism but began to diverge and take the nation's collective psyche with them. Space programs rapidly evolved from Mercury to Gemini and to the manned lunar landings of Apollo. Project Mercury provided the initial foundation for U.S. manned flight, proving that astronauts could act as pilots in space. The Soviet Vostok program took a different approach, with cosmonauts acting only as passengers.
Russia says the International Space Station's long overdue ``Zvezda'' service module now may not be launched until May. That's because more time is needed to iron out problems with the Proton booster's second stage, which failed twice this year.
Europe's long-delayed NH-90 transport/frigate helicopter program is set to slip once again, but the new delay is not likely to affect initial deliveries, program officials said here. The contracts had initially been set for signature in early 1999, after the submittal in late 1998 of a revised bid by NH Industries, the Eurocopter-led consortium that is developing and building the NH-90 (AW&ST Nov. 2, 1998, p. 46).
The International Civil Organization, European Civil Aviation Conference, International Air Transport Assn. and Eurocontrol jointly established a Brussels-based European Year 2000 Coordination Unit to monitor flight operations on Dec. 31/Jan. 1 and during the following days. It is estimated that late on Dec. 31, 50 commercial transports will be operating in the European airspace, according to Eurocontrol officials.
Russia launched a Topol-M (SS-27) ICBM from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on Dec. 14 which reached its target 24 min. later at a range on the Kamchatka peninsula, the ninth in a series of tests of the single-warhead ICBM. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin boasted the launch showed ``Russia retains its status of the powerful nuclear state.'' Industry officials, however, were doubtful that a mobile version of the missile would be flight-tested by the end of the year, as recently announced. The Ministry of Defense acquired and deployed 10 Topol-Ms in 1999.
Airbus Industrie gained another customer last week when Scandinavian Airlines System said it would order four A330-300s and six A340-300s, and place options for a further seven. They will be the first Airbus aircraft in SAS' fleet, now dominated by Boeing and McDonnell Douglas products, in more than 10 years. Boeing had offered its 777. The deal is worth an estimated $1.2 billion. The Airbus aircraft, to be delivered from 2001-04, will replace Boeing 767s on SAS' long-haul routes.
