China's aviation leaders have signaled that Boeing should not expect much of a payoff in terms of new aircraft orders when President Clinton meets with China's President Jiang Zemin late this month. Although they expect record deliveries this year and next, Boeing's representatives in China said they are uncertain how many new orders Clinton's visit might spark. Based on Chinese statements, they have previously estimated the country could buy as many as 50 transports this year.
THE NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE Office selected a Lockheed Martin Atlas 3A over a Boeing Delta 3 to launch a classified payload from Cape Canaveral at an unspecified date. The contract was unique because the NRO used a commercial bidding process instead of its typical practice of sole-sourcing the launch. The first Atlas 3A is slated to fly in early 1999.
Troika, a joint venture of Russia's NPO PM and France's Aerospatiale and Alcatel Espace, has finalized a contract with the Russian Space Agency and the State Committee for Telecommunications to supply three Express K telecommunications satellites to replace the existing Gorizont system. The venture and another team--led by Energia and GazProm--were selected earlier this year to provide a new network of satellites. The first Troika-built spacecraft is slated to be orbited in 2000 and will use an Aerospatiale Spacebus 3000 platform.
Loral Orion Network Systems has leased transponders from Intelsat and Mabuhay Agila 2 satellites from the Philippines to break open the Asia-Pacific market for expanded Internet services while it awaits the planned launch of Orion 3 in November. The new spacecraft, a Hughes HS 601HP, will provide 33 Ku-band transponders and 10 C-band transponders for Internet, business and voice communications for customers in Southeast Asia, India and Oceana.
Daimler-Benz Aerospace has awarded an initial $3.6-million contract to Jamco for advanced pultrusion (ADP) carbon epoxy fin box stringers for the Airbus A320 and A330/A340 families. The Japanese manufacturer, best known for making galleys and lavatories, already makes ADP stiffeners for Airbus. It is looking for the combined stiffener and stringer contracts to reach $70 million within five years. Jamco developed the continuous molding method, which is five times faster than using traditional hand-layup pre-preg tapes (AW&ST Sept. 2, 1996, p. 43).
Craig Fahning has become vice president-corporate aircraft sales of Fairchild Dornier. He was regional sales manager for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga.
Frank Weaver (see photo) has become Washington-based director of business development for satellite services for Boeing. He was associate FAA administrator for commercial space transportation.
ANSETT AUSTRALIA and Ansett International are expected to implement a range of operational and marketing strategies to enhance their international operations after Australian regulators gave draft approval of their alliance with Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines (SIA). The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said the alliance is a move to counter dominance of Qantas and British Airways in flights to and from Australia. Ansett, Ansett International, Air New Zealand and SIA are linked to the Star Alliance.
Boeing is focusing on minor upgrades to its transport aircraft and attacking niche markets as ongoing 737, 747, 757 and 767 derivative programs progress toward first-flight status. In addition to a fourth addition to its next-generation 737 family, the -900, and a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) version, the company has committed to producing the 737-700QC ``quick change'' transport, according to Joseph W. Ozimek. He's director of product marketing for the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group.
United Airlines has expanded its Denver-based Flight Center to accommodate rapid internal growth, as well as increased business from more than 200 other carriers who train flight crews there. Ten new simulators were added as part of the upgrade. The 593,000-sq. ft., $340-million training facility now has 36 simulator bays, more than 600 instructors, and 104 class and briefing rooms. More than 1,000 United employees operate the facility 24 hr./day, seven days a week.
AFTER A REVIEW OF TWO ACCIDENTS, Transport Canada has imposed a requirement that all commercial aircraft be equipped with an emergency locator transmitter (ELT), which broadcasts a signal on a monitored radio frequency. The ELT in the Pilatus PC-12 that glided without power to a landing near Clarenville, Newfoundland, had been removed for maintenance on May 18, the day of the incident (AW&ST June 8, p. 37). Under the previous rule, aircraft were permitted to operate up to 90 days without an ELT while the device was being maintained.
Robert J. (Jeff) Wilson has been promoted to vice president-procurement of the Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md., from vice president-operations of Lockheed's Electronics Sector.
With technology making the Civil Air Patrol's primary search-and-rescue mission more efficient, the organization is using its resources to assist federal agencies in congressionally directed counter-drug efforts. In 1997, 5,000 specially trained adult CAP members flew almost 6,600 counter-drug flights and provided reconnaissance information that assisted in the confiscation or eradication of more than $2.6 billion in drug crops, according to Col. Glen Atwell, director of operations.
Garry Print has become CEO and Peter Stauffer vice president-sales and marketing of the Hermetic Aircraft International Corp., Holtsville, N.Y. Print was vice president-operations and Stauffer commercial director and manager of government programs.
John R. Fowler has been named executive vice president-technical operations and system control, William F. Weaver staff vice president-maintenance and engineering and Gregg A. Saretsky vice president-marketing and planning, all of Alaska Airlines. Fowler was senior vice president-technical operations and Weaver assistant vice president-maintenance. Saretsky was vice president-passenger marketing of Canadian Airlines.
Japan's Transport Ministry is studying recommendations from the Aviation Council, a government advisory committee, that foreign aircraft be subject to ramp safety inspections beginning next year. The recommendation follows the 1994 crash in Nagoya of a China Airlines A300 and the 1996 crash in Fukuoka of a Garuda Airlines DC-10. Inspectors would look for safety-related certificates and maintenance records, as well as perform maintenance audits.
DARKSTAR'S FINAL FLIGHT-readiness review ``went well'' and only revealed minor problems, none of them associated with the causes of the crash two years ago, according to program officials. They say the first flight of the redesigned Lockheed Martin long-endurance UAV could come as early as June 20. However, procedural red tape has regularly delayed UAV operations at Edwards AFB, Calif. Unmanned aircraft can only fly on weekends when the flight tests of manned aircraft eases.
The 1,000th production Hawker business jet is in final assembly at Raytheon Aircraft Co.'s facilities in Wichita. The Hawker 800XP is scheduled to be delivered to the Gainey Corp. in Grand Rapids, Mich., late this year. The 800XP evolved from the de Havilland 125, which flew in 1962, through the Hawker 700 that debuted in 1976. The first Hawker 800-series jet was delivered in 1984. Raytheon acquired the program from British Aerospace in 1993 and modified the design to the 800XP configuration.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected key portions of a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) patent for a low-power ultrawideband radar, possibly triggering a congressional investigation into technology commercialization practices at the lab.
BOEING IS CONSOLIDATING the sales, marketing and overall management of its transport modification and engineering services into a single entity that will look for expanded commercial airplane business. The new unit, which will be part of Boeing Enterprises and have about 1,200 workers, is aimed at ensuring focused and coordinated efforts with customers. Called Boeing Modification and Engineering Services, it will be comprised of Boeing's main center in Wichita, Kan., and Douglas Products Div. Modifications Services in Long Beach, Calif.
David C. Miller has been appointed president of the Airtron Div. of Litton Industries, Woodland Hills, Calif. He succeeds Robert Lagno, who is now director of business development for the Electronic Components and Materials Group. Michel Ennesser has been named chairman/CEO of Servair. He succeeds Philippe Lazare.
