On the eve of President Clinton's trip to Beijing, the Administration has quietly shelved its plans to rescind quotas for the launching of Western satellites by China, Russia and Ukraine. The pullback comes amid an expanding political controversy here over U.S satellite launches on Long March rockets--one that last week had four congressional committees holding public hearings and several others pursuing investigations.
The life-extending upgrade of Northwest Airlines' 183 DC-9s is being reviewed by the FAA, which also is investigating its Certificate Management Office (CMO) at the airline. FAA officials said the inquiry was a routine response to allegations about main- tenance practices. The allegations originated with a former Northwest employee, a current one and an FAA employee. The allegations were regarded as credible but officials declined to be specific.
Unionized U.S. air traffic controllers are weighing the terms of a five-year contract with the FAA that would increase their ranks slightly, pay them based on the complexity of aircraft and airspace they manage--and could require them to perform training and other duties when their workloads ease.
Robert A. Barrett (see photo) has been named vice president of EG&G Inc., Wellesley, Mass. He remains president/ general manager of EG&G's Aerospace and Engineered Products, Beltsville, Md.
CASA has opened an office in Seoul as the agent for Europe's Eurofighter in the South Korean FX competition. The FX has vaguely been defined as an ``F-15 class'' fighter, but it has a lower budget priority for the Korean air force than the KTX-2 primary trainer and, probably, an acquisition of an airborne early warning aircraft capability. Still, as the lead representative of the four-nation Eurofighter consortium in South Korea, CASA has already given a presentation to the air force on the Eurofighter. The air force flies 12 CN-235 medium-size freighters.
Layoffs of 37% of its staff and the firing of most of its pilots has forced Philippine Airlines to operate just 20% of its normal schedule as it fights for economic survival by returning the majority of its aircraft to leasing companies.
Alan R. Bender, an associate professor of aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has been a student of U.S. airlines for more than 20 years. He wrote this article for Aviation Week& Space Technology.
A FAIRCHILD METROLINER operated by Propair, a commuter and charter carrier, crashed at Mirabel airport in Montreal on June 18, killing two crewmembers and nine passengers. The passengers were General Electric Co. engineers involved in the hydroelectric turbine business. A fire broke out after the twin turboprop departed Dorval airport in Montreal and an emergency landing was made at Mirabel, but the aircraft exploded and veered off the runway, coming to a stop 150 ft. away.
Raytheon Co.'s selection of Daniel P. Burnham to succeed outgoing chief executive Dennis J. Picard strongly suggests the company is prepared to embark on significant cultural change, with a focus on greater efficiency.
Paul Graziani, CEO of Analytical Graphics Inc., Malvern, Pa., has been named 1998 Aerospace Professional of the Year by the Greater Pennsylvania Section of the AIAA.
Low-Earth orbit satellite operators should be able to order a launch in 30 days or less within the next decade, and geosynchronous operators within two decades, predicts USAF Maj. Gen. Robert S. Dickman, the Defense Dept.'s outgoing space architect. His recent ``Launch on Demand'' study says that once one U.S. launch operator offers quick availability, competing launchers will follow. The commercial sector would value quick access to space to replenish multisatellite constellations, while the Defense Dept.
This artist's rendering of the new 767-400 cockpit illustrates its close resemblance to the 777. The six 8-in.-sq. liquid crystal flat panel displays are laid out two in front of each pilot plus over and under center panel screens for engine instrumentation, weather radar or back-up in event of failure. Lower parts counts increase dispatch reliability and lower maintenance costs. Software-loadable formats allow quick conversion to match display layouts of other Boeing transports in an airline's fleet, reducing training requirements, Boeing said.
Bombardier in August plans to begin conceptual development of a new, mid-sized business jet with key suppliers. Projected launch date is January 1999. The aircraft would resemble an early model Avco-powered Challenger and have transcontinental range with a reduced fuselage diameter of about 84 in. Power would be provided by either new AlliedSignal 900-series or Pratt&Whitney PW308 engines, a choice which will be made prior to the start of concept development.
Helen M. Wood (see photo), director of the Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has received the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award. She was cited for leading numerous interagency and international partnerships that have allowed U.S. agencies to gain access to data from foreign environmental satellites.
Kevin Smith has been named group managing director for new business at British Aerospace. He was deputy managing director. Other new managing directors are: Mike Rouse, military aircraft and aerostructures; Mike Donovan, British Aerospace Defence Systems; and Tony Rice, commercial aircraft. Steve Mogford has been appointed managing director for military aircraft and aerostructures, effective Aug. 1, succeeding Rouse. Ray Wilson has become managing director of product operations for British Aerospace Airbus.
Supporters of the U.S. Air Force's small fleet of Northrop-Grumman E-8 Joint-STARS draw an analogy between the long-range airborne ground-surveillance aircraft and a gifted child. Its talents first have to be recognized by others and then properly cultivated to fully develop its great potential.
Defense and Justice Dept. lawyers have nearly lined up all of the witnesses they need for the planned Sept. 8 court battle with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The planned merger between the two companies is in serious doubt. The government is hanging tough, claiming that any Lockheed Martin proposal to date is not even close to what the government will consider to allow the merger to go through. As one Defense Dept. official said, ``It is going to be a long hot summer for Lockheed Martin's lawyers.''
The U.S. Army successfully tested a guided version of its Multiple Launch Rocket System at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., last month. The ``screw-on'' GPS guidance nose section is intended to improve accuracy, so up to 90% fewer GMLRS rounds will be needed to defeat a target compared with conventional MLRS, according to Allan Gamble, program manager at the Army's Missile Research Development and Engineering Center at Huntsville, Ala.
In an unusual marketing initiative, United Airlines and Eurostar are planning to combine their frequent traveler programs. Beginning on July 1, travelers crossing the Channel between London, Paris and Brussels on board Eurostar's TGV high-speed trains and United's transatlantic passengers will obtain Mileage Plus and Voyageur Frequent (frequent traveler) free miles. In the same vein, SNCF French railways, SNCB Belgian railways and British Airways have concluded an agreement to jointly manage Eurostar UK, the British section of the trans-Channel TGV route.
LAPTOP COMPUTERS WITH BUILT-IN CELLULAR PHONES could greatly increase airline problems with interference from passenger electronic devices. A proposed global specification for wireless electronic devices that will talk spontaneously, named ``Bluetooth,'' is being developed by the team of Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba. The Web page (www.bluetooth.com) touts the user's ``forbidden message'' ability to compose e-mail on a portable PC while in an aircraft, and switch on the portable phone for automatic transmission as soon as the aircraft lands.
Anticipating the pending launch of Space Imaging's Ikonos 1 and other new-generation Earth-imaging satellites, Eastman Kodak's Commercial&Government Systems Div. in Rochester, N.Y., is developing software that will allow users to fuse multiple images. Called Laser (for Large Area Soft Copy Exploitation Resource), the tool is an outgrowth of work that Kodak has previously done for classified programs. Besides finding new applications for old data imaging tricks, Kodak's aim is to make them more affordable and accessible.
FIRST DEVELOPMENT MODEL OF THE ALQ-212 Advanced Threat IR Countermeasures (ATIRCM) system and its Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) recently was demonstrated by Lockheed Martin/Sanders for representatives of the three services and the Pentagon. During the demonstration, a target simulating a missile launch was detected by a CMWS sensor, which oriented the ATIRCM laser-jam head (turret) so its laser and Xenon-lamp radiation were directed at the target. The entire sequence from detection to jamming occurred in less than 1 sec., according to Sanders.
The current operational E-8C Joint-STARS system is in a Block 0 configuration, and it is still considered a test and evaluation aircraft. By Fiscal 2006, five of the aircraft are expected to be in a Block 50 configuration with all the baseline systems on board that will allow them to operate as a battle management aircraft, designate targets for attack, guide other reconnaissance aircraft to investigate ambiguous targets or direct aircraft and missiles to strike known targets. Joint-STARS will be improved roughly in the following order:
The U.S. Air Force has tested an antijam Global Positioning System module that appears to offer a low-cost counter to jamming of GPS guided weapons and could also have applications for civil aviation. As an added bonus the Boeing system uses commercial off-the-shelf parts. This could drive the cost down to about $3,000 a system for buys of 72,000 or more, said USAF Program Manager James M. Moore.
