American Blimp Corp.'s fourth production airship has passed the 10,000-hr. flight time mark. The 5-seat A-60+ model was placed into service in November 1992. All told, the 17 5-seat and 10-seat ABC airships in service worldwide have accumulated almost 100,000 hr., according to the Hillsboro, Ore., manufacturer.
Mexican accident investigators have transferred flight data and cockpit voice recorders recovered from the wreckage of a Transportes Aereos Ejecutivos DC-9 that crashed Nov. 9 to the U.S. NTSB for analysis (AW&ST Nov. 15, p. 38). A safety board official said, however, that as of late last week it remained uncertain when the recorders would be subjected to a detailed analysis. The board also has assigned one investigator from its regional office in Los Angeles to assist Mexican authorities.
Work has begun on a controversial $2.85-billion airport in Kobe, Japan. The single runway airport is being built on an artificial island in Osaka Bay and is scheduled to open to domestic traffic in 2005 (AW&ST Mar. 10, 1997, p. 51). Although close by Osaka's two major airports, including the new Kansai International, local Kobe politicians seem hopeful the new facility will eventually attract overseas flights.
Lockheed Martin has completed one of the most extensive launch pad modifications in the history of Cape Canaveral to convert Complex 36B here for Atlas III flights. A major challenge for the Atlas team was modifying Pad B while also keeping it open for Atlas-Centaur missions, said Adrian A. Laffitte, director of Atlas programs for Lockheed Martin. The adjoining Complex 36A Atlas-Centaur pad is being retained in its Atlas IIAS configuration.
Raytheon has received a $30-million contract from the U.S. Army's Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command to develop the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer-Aviation Reconfigurable Manned Simulator program.
Hamburg-based Lufthansa Technik VIP Center was chosen to customize the cabin interior of an Airbus A319 Corporate Jetliner acquired by the Italian government. The aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in January.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) finally conducted a successful Y2K simulation flight test last week after missing a government deadline to be ready by the end of September. The airline tested its year 2000 computer readiness on an Airbus 320. All systems functioned normally, an airline official said. PAL started working on its Y2K compliance program in 1996 and spent $22 million on the project.
NASA technicians were assessing whether they would have to delay the Dec. 6 launch of space shuttle Discovery after detecting minor damage in the insulation of wiring between the shuttle and its external fuel tank. Discovery's crew is to service the Hubble Space Telescope and replace failed gyroscopes that have crippled science operations. Technicians were assessing the shuttle wiring damage to determine whether a delay was needed. If Discovery cannot be launched by mid-December, the mission is likely to be delayed into January.
European carrier Gandalf received delivery of its first Fairchild 328JET last week. The carrier has a firm order for four 328JETs with options for five more and currently operates three Fairchild 328 turboprops. Gandalf is to operate the regional jet three times daily between Milan Bergamo and Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Richard Aarons, editor-at-large for Business&Commercial Aviation magazine, which is an Aviation Week publication, has received the 1999 Flight Safety Foundation Cecil A. Brownlow Publication Award. It recognizes contributions to aviation safety or aviation safety awareness through journalism. Aarons was cited for his ``Cause&Circumstance'' column, which ``demonstrates excellence in communicating practical lessons from aircraft accident/incident investigations.''
Kuwait Airways awarded Messier Services an $8-million contract for repair and overhaul of landing gear for the carrier's fleet of Airbus A300-600, A310-300, A320 and A340 aircraft.
SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has agreed to pay $195,000 to each of 20 families of victims of flight MI 185 that crashed Dec. 19, 1997. General Manager Mak Swee Wah said the families had accepted or indicated they would accept the recent offer. The airline had earlier agreed to settle with 26 other families, who accepted Singapore's $144,000 per victim. All 104 people on board the Singapore-Jakarta flight died when the aircraft dived vertically under full power into the Musi River near Palembang, Indonesia.
Engineers for NASA's Hyper-X program are conducting a series of scramjet engine propulsion tests in the Langley Research Center's 8-ft. High-Temperature Tunnel in preparation for the first flight of the X-43 vehicle next May or June.
A U.K. parliamentary committee has labeled the Ministry of Defense's plan to privatize government research laboratories as ``fatally flawed.'' Noting Pentagon warnings, the panel said the move would jeopardize cooperative work with the U.S. as well as other European countries and ``should not proceed as planned.''
Moody's Investors Service has downgraded its long-term debt ratings of Raytheon to reflect the likelihood that the company's intermediate-term profits and cash flows will be low while its debt levels and financial leverage will remain high. The action also reflects uncertainty that management's reorganization program will significantly improve Raytheon's financial and operating performance. Moody's also noted the ``probability'' for additional operating difficulties as the company tries to fully assimilate major acquisitions of the last 2-3 years.
Michael Lesyna has become vice president-strategic marketing of Trimble Navigation Ltd., Sunnyvale, Calif. He was a principal in the operations management group of Booz Allen and Hamilton.
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace signed two agreements with the United Arab Emirates, including one on possible collaboration on the German company's Mako trainer/light attack aircraft, part of a German government effort to boost its presence in the region.
The U.K.'s Defense Aviation Repair Agency has received a contract from Boeing for inspection and repair work on CH-47 Chinook helicopter transmissions in Europe.
The Navy's clandestine airborne special operations units are likely to get a budget boost and more equipment, Vice Adm. Conrad Lautenbacher, the deputy chief of naval operations for resources, warfare, requirements and assessments, tells us. As part of a broad effort to improve intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, he says, the Navy is searching for enough money to add a third, highly modified intelligence-gathering P-3C to each of the service's two special projects squadrons--VPU-1 and VPU-2.
Philippe Berterottiere (see photo) has been appointed vice president-commercial affairs of Arianespace and its subsidiaries. He was vice president-sales.
