A new system for noninvasively detecting chemical agents in air-delivered weapons could deflate protests that disarmament inspectors are engaging in industrial espionage and compromising the secrets of a nation's pharmaceutical and chemical industries. It also will speed up monitoring processes, improve the reliability of findings and protect inspectors from deadly nerve agents.
The FAA is considering several new requirements aimed at making air travel safer than ever, but some of the initiatives have sparked concerns about whether small U.S. regional carriers can afford to comply.
Brazil's Embraer has rolled out the first prototype of its RJ-135 regional jet as the company's financial picture continues to improve. The 37-seat RJ-135, a derivative of the 50-seat RJ-145, marks another step in Embraer's ambitious push into the regional jet market, and the rollout came a week after the company announced a key sale of 25 of the new jets to Continental Express. The new jet is set to make its first flight in July, with FAA certification and first delivery expected a year later. A second prototype is set to fly in October.
MIG-MAPO, Russian arms export firm Rosvoorouzhenie and Germany's Daimler-Benz Aerospace are planning an intensive campaign to sell the MiG-29SMT multirole fighter upgrade package to Central European countries. The campaign is expected to be kicked off at this week's ILA '98 air show in Berlin, where an SMT standard fighter is to be presented for the first time in Western Europe, MiG General Manager Mikhail Korzhuev said.
U.S. regional airlines scored impressive gains in traffic growth, productivity and aircraft utilization last year, with all signs pointing to another record year in 1998.
Richard Kershner, the first head of the Space Dept. at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, has been inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs posthumously. He was cited for his role in developing satellite navigation science and the technology used for GPS.
Labor relations took a step forward at the FAA last week during a discussion-panel briefing on the agency's new airline safety oversight system (see p. 37). Nerves got the better of a representative from the Professional Airways System Specialists (PASS), the FAA inspectors' union, when he interjected a point, and addressed his top boss, FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, by her first name.
AMERICAN AIRLINES HAS DROPPED code-sharing with Canadian Airlines International on 14 of 35 cross-border routes after objections from American's pilots union. The Allied Pilots Assn. invoked a related contract clause because it feared that Canadian was capturing too large a share of the cross-border market at the possible expense of U.S. pilot jobs. American owns 33% of Canadian, but its share of cross-border flying has dropped from 95% to about 50% since 1995 as a new open skies bilateral has fueled new routes and frequencies.
Dennis J. Signorovitch (see photo) has been named vice president-marketing and communications of AlliedSignal Aerospace Marketing Sales and Service, Torrance, Calif.
Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems is building an advanced, laser ultrasonic facility capable of testing complex composite parts for the F-22 and Joint Strike Fighter 10 times faster than 20 conventional machines, according to system engineers.
Michael A. Curto has been appointed vice president/general manager of the AMR Combs facility at Bradley International Airport, Conn. He was assistant vice president-operations. Curto succeeds Ray Fitzgerald, who has retired.
A CONSTELLATION OF 63 low-Earth orbiting satellites could be launched starting in 2003 to place a civil navigation satellite service in space if approval and funding is forthcoming. The vice-president for air navigation of Alcatel, Alain Bories, revealed last week that the company, along with European and possibly non-European partners, has tentative plans to have a Global Navigation Satellite System 2 operational by 2004. Alcatel and others are awaiting a formal decision by the European Commission in 1999 to move forward.
A law restricting the level of foreign ownership of U.S. airlines to 25% was under attack by a foreign airline chief for the second time this spring. Echoing the comments of Virgin Atlantic Chairman Richard Branson in March, Lufthansa President Frederick W. Reid last week told the Economic Strategy Institute that the 25% U.S. limit was one of the most restrictive. In Germany, the limit is 49%. The big international alliances are ``a creative way to work around the limitations'' on transnational ownership, Reid said.
SKYSOURCE INC., AND Northwest Airlines signed an agreement under which SkySource, a joint venture of ARINC and AvInt, will distribute Northwest's global turbulence forecasts to other aviation users. Using forecasts of areas of turbulence, thunderstorms, wind shear and other weather hazards from its meteorology department since 1968, Northwest consistently has had a low rate of turbulence incidents and accidents. SkySource will distribute the forecasts to major and regional airlines and other commercial aviation users via the company's extranet and Internet.
The Hughes commercial communications satellite being recovered from a failed launch attempt passed within 3,883 mi. of the Moon's surface during a gravity-assist boost that swung the spacecraft back toward Earth with an improved orbital inclination. The former AsiaSat-3 satellite had been placed in a highly elliptical Earth orbit inclined 51 deg. from the equator on Dec. 25, 1997, when the fourth stage of a Proton booster failed on its second burn following launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome (AW&ST May 4, p. 38).
Under discount fare pressure from United Airlines, Northwest and Delta, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways are offering 46-48% off on round-trip economy fares from U.S. cities to Japan. JAL is now offering an $875 Chicago-Tokyo round-trip economy fare, compared to the standard $1,600 rate. San Francisco-Tokyo is $675 compared to the standard $1,250--all of which match a new fare structure from United. Delta and Northwest have similar offerings.
Joseph C. Anselmo, space technology editor of Aviation Week&Space Technology, has been elected to the board of governors of the National Press Club in Washington.
SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION 88, the first shuttle flight to assemble the International Space Station, will not be launched until at least December under new planning dates generated last week at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Additional Russian service module delays could push the launch into January 1999.
The United Arab Emirates' $7-billion order for 80 Lockheed Martin F-16s represents not only a strong vote of confidence in the aging but potent lightweight fighter, but strengthens its position in a number of upcoming international competitions and keeps production lines active through at least 2004.
Items on the 1998 agenda for the Air Transport Assn.'s technical committees include the measuring and tracking of fuel energy content from the various Jet A producers. U.S. airlines use about $8 billion in jet fuel a year and a small difference in energy content could mean substantial savings. Also, ATA's Maintenance Operations Committee is seeking to develop a ``human factor algorithm'' that captures the cost savings and cost avoidance of additional training and related improvements.
Competition in Turkey's $3.5-billion project to procure 145 attack helicopters is heating up as bidding companies seek to win a spot on a list of two or three finalists now set to be selected in September.
