The average employee working for a major U.S. airline earned $63,400 in 1997, a figure growing at about 3.7% annually. Worker productivity, measured in revenue ton miles, has been increasing at about a 4.5% rate each year since 1991, according to David Swierenga, chief economist for the Washington-based Air Transport Assn. Industry block hours also are near record high levels, averaging about 10 hr. a day per aircraft; and major U.S. carriers posted a 70.5% load factor for the year. ATA forecasts the U.S.
Boeing plans to roll out the first 717-200 aircraft this week in Long Beach, Calif., although first flight of the 100-seat transport is not expected until mid-September pending successful completion of a key fan-blade containment test. First flight of the regional jet originally was scheduled for this month, but the event has been pushed back about three months until engine testing is complete and BMW Rolls-Royce BR715 production engines have been delivered. Rollout is set for June 10.
DELIVERIES OF PW4098-POWERED Boeing 777-300s to Korean Air will be delayed about two months to December. The delay is being caused by the discovery of higher than desired stresses in the PW4098's compressor, a condition uncovered during engine tests at Pratt &Whitney in East Hartford, Conn. Pratt will reduce the stresses by redesigning some engine airfoils. Included in the redesign are the engine's compressor stators, some of which had cracked during the ground tests. Certification of the engine will be completed with the new components.
U.S. AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND transferred operation of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on May 29, merging military and civil weather satellite systems. The merger was ordered in May 1994 as a way to save about $1.3 billion. NOAA will operate DMSP and its own Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite system from a primary control site in Suitland, Md.
The FAA is managing UAV activity effectively in U.S. controlled airspace as it studies how to integrate these aircraft into future air traffic control operations, according to the agency. Although the FAA does not have any regulations governing operation of UAVs, the rulemaking process ``is underway'' based on recommendations compiled late in 1996 by a UAV Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC), said Jeff Griffith. He is FAA program director for air traffic operations. He said the aviation community will be involved in promulgating any regulations.
Automated passenger profiling by U.S. airlines is in full swing as the carriers prepare for the summer traffic increase. Many airlines have adopted the Computer-Assisted Passenger Screening (CAPS) system that was developed at Northwest Airlines under an FAA grant. Some carriers have had to modify the system to be compatible with their computer reservations systems. The CRS contains passenger information that the CAPS program uses to locate individuals who may pose as security risks.
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Irish carrier Ryanair has concluded agreements with 11 airports in continental Europe and is in negotiations with 20 more as it seeks to export its brand of low-fares and no-frills service outside its home market. Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told an Aviation Club gathering here last week that the airline was on pace to continue growing steadily by 25% a year. The airline carried 4 million passengers in 1997 and is on track to hit 5 million this year.
Hyundai's new Aircraft&Space Div. has opened a $428-million manufacturing complex here to build wings for the Boeing 717 and Israel Aircraft Industries' proposed Air Truck. The 8.7-million-sq.-ft. site is about 150 mi. south of Seoul on South Korea's west coast. Although the complex has three plants--one for wings, one for aircraft parts fabrication and an automotive transmission plant--the prize contract is a long-term agreement with Boeing to jointly develop and produce the main wing structure for the 717-200.
Heat created by inflight entertainment systems and in-seat power sources for laptop computers on modern transports is being calculated to equal 50% that of the heat created by a human in the same seat. The rise in demand for IFE and in-seat power supplies was a factor in Boeing's upgrade to new, bigger air conditioning packs on its stretched 767-400ER transport, according to Doug Ackerman, payloads manager for the -400ER. The aircraft also will have an increased 120-kVA electrical system, including backup-auxiliary-power-unit-generating capability.
The Airline Tariff Publishing Co. (ATPCO), which collects, processes and distributes airline fares and fare-related data from 600 airlines for the big global distribution and computer reservation systems, has signed a three-year ``multimillion-dollar'' contract with SITA for a wide range of integrated telecommunications services, including global voice and managed data network services. Besides serving as ATPCO's network provider, SITA is to integrate its new offices in London, the U.S., Singapore and Sao Paulo into a single global network.
ALASKA AIRLINES HAS ENTERED a marketing alliance with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines that expands on both airlines' longtime alliances with Northwest Airlines. The agreement, which took effect last week, provides for selected Alaska flights to be ticketed as KLM flights when connecting to KLM services from Los Angeles or San Francisco. It also extends to KLM service operated by Northwest Airlines and departing from Seattle. Pending government approval, passengers on Alaska's rapidly growing service to Vancouver also could be ticketed as if on KLM flights.
Despite a brave front, aerospace industry leaders concede privately that the odds for a successful merger of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have dropped as a result of a federal judge's denial of LockMart's request to see all classified documents about the government's decision to block the deal. However, one senior industry official said, ``There are still a couple of wild cards out there.'' The judge said that after discovery and before the Sept. 8 trial date, he will be open to ruling on requests to see at least some of the documents.
The FAA has certificated the Transponder Landing System developed and manufactured by Advanced Navigation&Positioning Corp. of Hood River, Ore. The TLS uses a computer base station that interrogates the transponders of approaching aircraft and calculates and broadcasts precision localizer and glidepath signals that allow a Category 1 landing. Only existing instrument landing system avionics, plus a transponder, are required on board the aircraft.
Boeing is studying a supersonic business jet (SBJ) and has had informal meetings with Russian manufacturer Sukoi and France's Dassault on the subject. Although any such project is ``a long way off,'' Boeing has years of both NASA- and self-funded supersonic transport research under its belt, according to Borge Boeskov, president of Boeing Business Jet. If and when a SBJ is economically feasible, Boeing intends to be at the forefront, Boeskov said. Dassault is evaluating a 3-engine, 8-passenger SBJ that would cruise at Mach 1.8 and have a nonstop range of 4,000 naut.
A waning strategic relationship between China and Pakistan has come back to life as a result of India's resumption of nuclear tests, Western analysts say. Although India has long complained of a China/Pakistan ``axis,'' some observers believed distance had been growing between Beijing and Islamabad for several years, said Michael Krepon of the Henry L. Stimson Center. In the wake of India's first nuclear tests in nearly a quarter century, however, ``China will now come to the aid of its beleaguered ally,'' he predicted. ``The distance is no more.''
THE U.S. ARMY'S AH-64 TARGET ACQUISITION Designation System and Pilot Night Vision System (TADS/PNVS) program will use Eagle-5M, a flat panel display produced by dpiX and Planar Advance at the gunner/copilot's seat. Planar Advance and dpiX earlier received a joint development contract for the Eagle-6 multifunction active-matrix LCD for the U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F and a production contract for Eagle-5 displays for the Royal Australian Air Force Hawk 100 lead-in fighter.
George H. Alvord, vice president-marketing and sales for Dobbs International Services Inc., Memphis, Tenn., has been named 1998 Distinguished Executive of the Year by the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is sponsoring the development of a more than 40-hr.-endurance unmanned helicopter system with an eye toward meeting U.S. Navy and Marine Corps requirements for littoral and urban warfare.
THE U.K. PLANS TO USE TWO GROUND-BASED tracking radars from Tracor Services Corp. during the test and evaluation of Eurofighter 2000. The Defense Evaluation and Research Agency is procuring the transportable G-Band RIR 799 range instrumentation radars under a $16-million contract. Tracor will install them at the Aberporth Range in Wales and the Royal Artillery Range in the Hebrides, where they will be used to automatically track a variety of airborne objects.
