Researchers at MER Corp. of Tucson, Ariz., and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate have successfully produced a 1-ft.-long test sample of graphitic foam. The ultrastiff, ultralightweight carbon composite shows promise for use in aircraft structures and as a replacement for aluminum and graphite honeycomb core (AW&ST Mar. 3, 1997, p. 13).
The U.S. Transportation Dept. has implemented three unprecedented initiatives in an effort to build international air service to Alaska. First, the department has granted exemption authority to virtually all foreign carriers to combine Alaska services with those to other U.S. cities for which they hold authority. It also is inviting foreign airlines to serve new U.S. points on an extrabilateral basis, provided those flights also serve Alaska. Finally, the Transportation Dept.
Dismayed over a decision by Germany's DaimlerChrysler Aerospace to stop buying U.S.-made components, Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre said delays in export licensing are disrupting America's alliances. ``We have made it very hard for alliance operability when it's so hard for U.S. companies to export their components and put them into systems overseas,'' Hamre said in an address to a group of defense and industry officials in Washington last week.
Edward J. Fierko (see photo) has been named president/chief operating officer of Osmonics Inc., Minnetonka, Minn. He was vice president/general manager of the company's fluid controls and valves, and standard equipment and pumps units.
Lockheed Martin Corp. has gone on a virtual crisis footing in a frantic attempt to reverse the company's downward spiral, which has driven employee morale to an all-time low and resulted in the loss of nearly two-thirds of the defense contractor's market capitalization in the last 12 months.
The shadow of the Martian moon Phobos was captured on the surface of the planet by the Mars Orbiter Camera on board the Mars Global Surveyor space-craft. The images show the shadow as an elliptical figure in each frame as it was cast upon western Xanthe Terra Aug. 26 about 2 p.m. local time on Mars. The images (from left) show wide-angle red, blue and composite views of the shadow. The image, illuminated from the left, covers an area about 155 mi. wide.
Rudi Beichel, a rocket pioneer credited with many technology breakthroughs, died Oct. 25 in Sacramento, Calif. He was 86. Beichel was a member of Werner von Braun's German V-2 rocket team during World War II, and accompanied von Braun to the U.S., where they helped develop the nation's guided missile and space programs. Beichel worked first in the U.S. at what is now the White Sands Missile Range, N.M., and later was a lead test engineer at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala.
The U.S. Navy has received final bids for its vertical takeoff and landing unmanned reconnaissance aircraft competition. Bell Helicopter Textron, Northrop Grumman and Sikorsky are vying to build the approximately 100 UAVs, industry officials said. The winning contractor will be selected in February. The Navy and Marine Corps want an initial operational capability in 2003.
ROCKWELL COLLINS' AIRBORNE Collision Avoidance System II (ACAS II) has received an FAA Technical Standard Order certifying that it has met the agency's design criteria. Change 7.0 to Collins' TCAS II software permits it to meet Europe's collision avoidance requirements. The European requirements include improved advisory reliability, added escape maneuver logic and increased safety margins while allowing closer separation tolerances.
Japan's National Space Development Agency completed its final rendezvous and docking experiments with its seventh engineering test satellite in late October. Launched in 1997, the ETS-7 mission involved chaser and target satellites operating in geosynchronous orbit and was intended to help NASDA master autonomous docking techniques for the Japanese Experiment Module on the International Space Station and other missions. The ETS-7 program suffered a setback when the Comets data-relay satellite was lost in a subsequent launcher failure, so NASDA relied on the U.S.
Brian Miller has been promoted to executive vice president of Martin-Baker America Inc., Alexandria, Va., from head of marketing for England-based Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd.
Aerospace officials from across the country say Lockheed Martin's headhunters and corporate directors are looking hard outside the company for a new chief operating officer, and the list of those contacted is growing. Those considered are being told the new COO would be in the job only about six months after which the new hire would be expected to take over Lockheed Martin's top spot from current Chief Executive Officer Vance Coffman. Former COO Peter Teets resigned earlier this month after the release of grim earnings predictions for the company.
Faced with stagnant earnings, Japan's third-largest carrier, Japan Air System, will cut staff and flight pay, transfer services to a low-cost subsidiary, and possibly delay deliveries of new aircraft.
Jeffery Snyder has been appointed director of domestic general aviation sales at Aerospace Products International, Memphis, Tenn. He was director of sales for Stevens Aviation and president of the Raytheon Aircraft Parts and Distribution Co.
The General Electric Co. plc. of the U.K. is changing its name to Marconi plc. at the end of this month, leaving the General Electric Co. in the U.S. with the GE name all to itself. British Aerospace agreed to acquire the defense and aerospace businesses of GEC earlier this year (AW&ST Jan. 25, p. 30).
An aggressive approach to upgrades is being credited with helping Singapore Airlines buck the Asian recession and report a 23.2 % rise in interim net profit and a 5% increase in yield for the first half of the year. Revenue was up 15.1% to $3.98 billion. But the carrier says sustained growth will hinge on how well the region does, especially Japan, and the strength of the U.S. economy. The carrier was an early user of seatback videos and committed $300 million to cabin upgrades last year as other Asian carriers were retrenching.
Eastern Airways, a British regional carrier, has leased two Jetstream 31s and Spain's Air Europa four ATP twin turboprops from British Aerospace Asset Management.
Unlike certain airline accidents in recent years whose cause remains shrouded in mystery because of insufficient flight data, the loss of an EgyptAir Boeing 767-336ER on Oct. 31 could be resolved more swiftly if information contained in the aircraft's flight data recorder (FDR), which monitored a minimum of 55 parameters, is intact.
Boeing last month completed the last fuselage for a ``classic'' 737 transport at its Wichita, Kan., facility. After assembly at Boeing's Renton, Wash., factory, the aircraft will be delivered to Czech Airways in February. There were 1,986 Boeing 737-300/400/500 models produced, plus earlier 100/200 versions. The Wichita facility also builds the fuselage and other parts for Boeing's next-generation -600/700/800/900 series.
Russian Khrunichev launch vehicle personnel at the recent Telecom 99 conference in Geneva, provided a detailed public briefing on the new Angara booster--Russia's equivalent to the U.S. evolved expendable launch vehicle (EELV) program. The briefing was part of the International Launch Services (ILS) presentation at Telecom, but caught ILS by surprise because it provided so much new information on the Russian program. Khrunichev, ILS and Lockheed Martin managers, who are all part of the ILS group, must adhere to precise U.S.
Joanne McKenzie has been named vice president-software and John Allarie vice president-sales/general manager for airline products at AD OPT Technologies in Montreal.
Airlines expect the U.S. Transportation Dept. will soon report a sharply increased number of complaints against them when the next monthly figures are announced. Summer delays were up dramatically and the Air Transport Assn. expects passenger complaints to rise accordingly. The ATA contends the top complaint among passengers is delays and these are being caused by an inadequate air traffic control system. ``Without an immediate and extensive overhaul of the air traffic system, more delays are on the way,'' said Carol Hallett, president and CEO of the organization.
Boeing will roll out the first 125-ft. long Delta IV Common Booster Core (CBC) shortly after the first of the year in preparation for the start of static test-firing scheduled for the second quarter of 2000. The 16-ft. wide stage has been joined at Boeing's new Decatur, Ala., facility.
Newly merged Hamilton Sundstrand will supply several integrated systems for Embraer's new ERJ-170/190 regional jet family, but not as part of the aircraft's Honeywell Primus Epic avionics system. The decision could mark the beginning of a shift away from new multitasking, processor-controlled avionics systems, according to industry sources. Epic is built around two or more redundant modular avionics units with up to 40 ``slots'' that accept slide-in processor cards to control various aircraft systems and functions.
The Middle East and surrounding region are shaping up as the next big battleground for commercial air transport manufacturers, as local economies improve, deregulation advances and ``pariah'' states in the region move to end their isolation.
