An investigation into the failure of two Russian Proton heavy boosters in July and October has found that the second-stage engines which failed were both out of a batch produced in 1993 in a Voronezh plant that had just resumed operations after nine months of inactivity. The plant's staff and production tools had not, however, been recertified for engine work after the down time. Seven remaining Proton second stages all have engines from the potentially bad batch and must be rebuilt before they can be flown.
Singapore's Changi airport has stepped up competition among Asian hubs by giving transit passengers a tax break. Starting on Dec. 1, passengers who spend less than 24 hr. in Singapore will not have to pay the S15 ($9.38) ``passenger service charge''--a.k.a. a departure tax--regardless of where they spend their stopover time. Departure taxes are commonly collected in Asia when passengers check in for flights. Passengers in transit can avoid the tax by not leaving the airport, but that is no help for those who want a rest stop on transcontinental flights.
Gilles Ouimet, who is president/chief operating officer of Pratt&Whitney Canada, Longueuil, Quebec, is scheduled to become president/CEO on Apr. 1, succeding L. David Caplan, who plans to retire then.
A flight training device, born of military simulator technology and due to enter the general aviation marketplace in early 2000, could make a ``significant'' impact in the drive for safer skies. The General Aviation Trainer GAT II's motion capabilities would aid in training pilots to better recognize, recover from and prevent accidents related to spatial disorientation.
Blake E. Larson has become president of the Alliant Power Sources Co., Horsham, Pa. He was director of Sense and Destroy Armor and Advanced Programs for the Alliant Integrated Defense Co.
The FAA has completed its upgrade of workstations for en route air traffic controllers with the installation of the Display System Replacement (DSR) at Indianapolis Center. All 20 of the agency's en route centers have received the upgrades, which are produced by Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management. Indianapolis officially accepted the DSR more than seven weeks ahead of schedule. The next step will be for the center to transition its daily operations from the existing 25-year-old equipment to DSR. Half of the en route centers have completed that transition.
Japan Air System has signed a 10-year agreement, worth up to $150 million, with Pratt&Whitney Engine Services for maintenance of the airline's 63 JT8D-200 powerplants on its MD-80 aircraft.
MICHAEL A. TAVERNAEdward H. Phillips contributed to this story from Dallas.
European aviation authorities are proposing new rules for helicopter training as well as training system design and approval that would make simulation an integral part of rotorcraft pilot flight qualification.
Investigators lack key aerodynamic and systems data on the final moments of EgyptAir Flight 990, but seem convinced that the actions that led to its crash were intentional by its copilot. U.S. officials, at the urging of their Egyptian counterparts, have squelched the leaks that in the last several weeks singled out reserve crewmember, Gameel el-Batouty, as the leading suspect in the 767-336ER's accident. The Oct. 31 crash off Nantucket, Mass., killed all 217 onboard (AW&ST Nov. 22, p. 41).
Out-the-window visual scenes and realistic sensor displays that draw on actual imagery databases augmented by computer-generated models have extended the application of advanced simulators from traditional training to operational mission previews.
Lockheed Martin's next-generation cruise missile, the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), made its first powered flight last week at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., after being dropped from an F-16. At the time of separation, the launch aircraft was flying at Mach 0.7 at 15,000 ft. The JASSM deployed its wings and tail, started its engine at about 8,000 ft. and completed a 22-min., 180-naut.-mi. flight during which it carried out attack mission maneuvering (including climbs, dives and course changes) and received GPS navigation updates.
Seeking an edge in the high-profile Washington shuttle market, US Airways will use its new Airbus A320s to launch 6 a.m. flights starting in February between Reagan Washington National Airport and New York's LaGuardia Airport. The A320 has a noise-emissions ``footprint'' of 75 dB. That's quiet enough to allow the earlier flights. Federal rules prohibit noisier aircraft such as the 727s--still the mainstay of both US Airways' and competitor Delta Air Lines' shuttle fleets--from using National before 7 a.m. or after 11 p.m.
CAE's Commercial Simulation Div. will supply the world's first Airbus A319-100 aircraft simulator to Lufthansa Flight Training GmbH. CAE's MAXVUE Plus will be installed at Lufthansa's Frankfurt facility and is scheduled to be operational in June 2001. Lufthansa already has two CAE A320 simulators and one A321, and has ordered 17 CAE simulators, including this one.
In a letter sent last week to the Interior Dept., the National Transportation Safety Board stressed the need for a joint government agency effort to minimize the threat of bird strikes. It is calling for Interior to join an FAA-convened task force that would establish a permanent bird strike working group. The group would be tasked with resolving conflicts among aviation safety agencies and wildlife conservation interests.
Subscribers to direct-to-home satellite TV services will finally be able to get local channels. A bill permitting direct-to-home systems to carry local stations has cleared Congress and was on President Clinton's desk last week awaiting his signature. EchoStar's Dish Network was ready to switch on local broadcasts in 13 major markets, with plans to expand to 30 markets by the end of 2000. DirecTV planned to immediately offer local stations in New York and Los Angeles for $5.99 a month, adding service in five more markets by the end of the year.
British Aerospace is offering potential customers an anti-ballistic missile defense radar dubbed EWACS (Early Warning and Control System). The radar is developed from the company's Multi-Function Electronically Scanned Adaptive Radar (MESAR 2) technology which is behind the Sampson family of air defense sensors which will be employed on Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers. BAe is already under contract with the U.K. Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Dept. of Defense to provide its core MESAR 2 technology as a ballistic missile defense demonstrator.
As have so many others, LMS International has migrated its CADA-X portfolio of noise and vibration testing tools to Windows/Windows NT platforms. The Leuven, Belgium-based firm's ``NVH'' (noise, vibration and harshness) analysis tools are used by Boeing, Lockheed Martin, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Cessna, besides the automotive world. . . . NASA Ames Research Center has increased its software independent verification and validation (IV&V) contract with AverStar Inc. by $47.5 million.
E-business is part of Continental Airlines' turnaround, Senior Vice President Janet Wejman says. The airline's chief information officer, Wejman gives two examples: electronic ticketing and flight crew scheduling. The airline did not even have e-mail four years ago when it was in the doldrums and she began work under new Chairman Gordon Bethune. Getting that fixed was one of her early priorities. Starting e-ticketing was another. In 1997, Continental did $16 million in electronic ticketing transactions, but its pace was accelerating. Last year, it did $130 million worth.
With slightly more than a month to go before New Year's Day, AlliedSignal Aerospace's Year 2000 team leader, David Almond, says it is not too late to begin contingency planning. His advice: Focus on mission-critical issues to assure shareholders, suppliers, customers and employees that a plan is in place to deal with contingencies that may crop up in your own company or beyond your control, such as power outages or transportation disruptions. A good 1-hr. planning session can identify the 10-15 most vulnerable issues.
Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems (LMTAS) is using advanced, laser-based ultrasonics to perform detailed inspections of complex, composite parts such as large fuel tanks and assemblies for the F-22 and Joint Strike Fighter.
For at least a year, Pentagon officials from the Defense secretary down, have expressed the need to find a way to allow U.S. and NATO defense contractors to merge. As separate U.S. and European mergers have taken place during the last few years, the prospect of Fortress America and Fortress Europe has grown precisely at the time most officials think the need for integration has increased. Combined military actions such as Kosovo make it more important that each country have sophisticated knowledge of armaments being used by allies.
Maria Sastre, vice president-customer satisfaction for United Airlines, has won the National Salute to Excellence Award from the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement. The award recognizes the accomplishments and scope of responsibilities performed by Hispanics in executive positions, plus contributions to the growth and development of other Hispanics within their communities and companies.
The long-awaited competition to replace Australia's 71 F/A-18A/Bs, 21 F-111C and 14 F-111G strike aircraft has been unofficially launched at the country's recent Control of the Air Conference in Canberra. ``They've blown the whistle and the game has started,'' Air Commodore Garry Bates said in describing the launch to reequip the frontline aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He is director-general of aerospace combat systems at Australian Defense Headquarters (ADHQ) and spoke after the mid-November conference.
A Cambridge, Mass., company is creating a global technology exchange site on the Internet to promote improved technology transfer. Today's tech transfer process is limited by the difficulty licensers and licensees have in identifying one another and available technologies, according to Bruce Gretz, director of business development for yet2.com. As envisioned, the service will offer free registration for individuals looking for technologies, as well as free initial searches. At least 14 major U.S.
