Defense Secretary William S. Cohen was ahead of the public relations curve on a report on the mid-air collision of transports of the U.S. and German air forces. The report said a traffic-alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) on the Air Force C-141 might have averted the accident (see p. 59). The day before the report was released, Cohen announced the Pentagon would speed its effort to put TCAS, enhanced ground-proximity warning systems (EGPWS) and other safety devices on military transports and trainers. The Defense Dept.
Andy Toutt has been named director of programs and acquisitions for C-S Aviation Services Inc. of New York. He was a sales executive with British Aerospace Aviation Services.
U.S. Marine Corps planners are looking with great interest at a stealthy, new stopped-rotor aircraft that could serve as an armed escort for the unarmed MV-22 medium-lift transport. The aircraft, which would be capable of flying either as a helicopter or a fixed-wing aircraft, and using technology considered a leap ahead of current tiltrotor design, may be developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) and Boeing.
Researchers at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, are developing an aircraft paint that changes color when the metal beneath it begins to corrode. The coating reveals newly formed corrosion cavities as shallow as 15 micrometers, about 20% of the width of a human hair, according to Gerald Frankel, associate professor of materials science. Although not yet ready for commercial use, the paint could function as an economical alternative to laborious visual inspections of aircraft interior structures by maintenance crews using specialized sensors.
Go, British Airways' low-cost startup, is to start operations within two months from London Stansted airport to Rome Ciampino airport (May 22), Milan Malpensa (May 23) and Copenhagen Kastrup (June 3). The no-frills carrier will employ leased Boeing 737s on the routes, which will involve two flights per day. Although further destinations are planned to be introduced later this year, Go's initial routes will avoid cities served by its main competition--EasyJet and Ryanair.
Siegfried S. Hecker, senior fellow and former director of the Los Alamos (N.M.) National Laboratory, has been named the first Laboratory Director of the Year by the Federal Laboratory Consortium. He was cited for his work in partnership with industry and his support for technology transfer programs.
CANADIAN LT. GEN. G.E.C. Macdonald will take over as deputy commander-in-chief of the North American Aerospace Defense command on Apr. 8. He succeeds Lt. Gen. L.W.F. Cuppens, who has been responsible for day-to-day NORAD operations since August 1995.
The Chilean air force has begun inquiring about at least one more airborne warning and control aircraft, a smaller, cheaper AWACS to supplement its single, $160-million Boeing 707-based, Israeli-built Condor.
The four-company consortium engaged in development and construction of the EJ200 that powers the Eurofighter is preparing for series production of 1,500 engines under tooling, production and integrated logistic support contracts awarded in January. The contracts are worth about DM12.5 billion ($7 billion). Munich-based Eurojet comprises Rolls-Royce (36%), Daimler-Benz (DASA) affiliate MTU (30%), FiatAvio (20%) and ITP of Spain (14%).
Satellite navigation accuracy and reliability for civil users around the world will increase when the U.S. adds two new GPS signals. The second signal will give civil users many of the accuracy benefits that U.S. and allied military forces have always enjoyed. The third civil frequency will benefit scientists and surveyors, allowing faster solutions to position and timing.
Crossair is seriously considering becoming a launch customer for the new 70-seat regional jet proposed by Fairchild Dornier, which has also received interest from Lufthansa Cityline. The move would be a boost for the U.S.-German concern, which was formed in 1996 when Fairchild Aircraft acquired Dornier from Daimler-Benz Aerospace. The turboprop manufacturer announced its plans to move into the 70-seat jet market last year with the 728JET, to be followed by 55- and 90-seat derivatives.
Swissair's former chief executive, Otto Loepfe, died on Mar. 31. He was 62. After spending nearly 20 years with the carrier's technical department, he was promoted to chief executive in 1988. Loepfe played a critical role in the Swissair group's reorientation, including development of alliances with international partners. After taking early retirement in 1996, Loepfe remained on Swissair's board.
FAA inspections of airlines and repair stations are largely unstructured, incomplete and ineffective in providing early warnings of safety and security problems, according to a review by congressional auditors. When its inspectors do find and report problems, auditors for Congress' General Accounting Office said, the FAA often fails to follow up on whether an airline or repair station corrects those problems.
The large transmit-and-receive antenna reflector Astro Aerospace is to build for the Thuraya communications satellite will provide up to 200-250 transmission beams, each of which will have a diameter of 400-450 km., on the ground to provide regional communications services. The 12.25-meter-wide (40-ft.) antenna is the primary change on the HS-GEM product line at Hughes Space and Communications. The new model is designed to support 16,000 simultaneous telephone calls and up to 2 million subscribers.
Alan Haworth has become manager of repair and overhaul sales and Brian Nilsson airline service manager for Piedmont Aviation Services, Winston-Salem, N.C.
U.S. FAA Administrator Jane F. Garvey was in Europe last week to gather ideas as she moves ahead with a strategy of developing a focused and achievable agenda for the short term that will prioritize safety initiatives and move ahead with air traffic control modernization efforts.
The FAA has certificated an AlliedSignal integrated cockpit alerting system for Boeing 777 transports that links the operations of various safety systems and harmonizes and prioritizes their aural and visual warnings. The first transport equipped with the new system, a British Airways 777, was delivered in late March.
GROUND HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR THE FIRST ASR-11 digital airport surveillance radar, which will be installed at Eglin AFB, Fla. Raytheon Systems Co. is responsible for development and installation of the terminal area ATC radar, which will provide primary surveillance coverage to 60 mi. and monopulse secondary surveillance radar coverage to 120 mi. Following testing at Eglin, the FAA's first ASR-11 will be installed at Stockton (Calif.) Municipal Airport. The contract options permit up to 213 systems over seven years.
The Pentagon should develop a plan to replace its bomber force of B-1Bs, B-2As, and B-52Hs, the Welch panel also said. One of the alternatives is a variant of the B-2 that would incorporate stealth and maintainability upgrades. Another is developing advanced technologies for a better next-generation bomber. Last year, the National Defense Panel recommended the Pentagon begin working on a B-X, the next bomber. Right now, there is no basis to decide on the future bomber force, the panel said, so a high-priority demonstration program is needed.
A BOEING AH-64 APACHE attack helicopter fitted with two Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 turboshaft engines completed initial ground runs last week at the company's facilities in Mesa, Ariz. The aircraft is scheduled to begin flight testing later this year, and the engines will be equipped with a full-authority digital electronic control. The British Army Air Corps has ordered 67 WAH-64 versions powered by the optional RTM322 engine.
A Swissair initiative has formed the Qualiflyer Group. The pan-European alliance is to establish close business links between the Swiss carrier, Air Portugal, Austrian Airlines, Sabena Belgian World Airlines, Turkish Airlines and AOM, a French independent carrier. ``Alliances are the sine qua non condition of our growth,'' SAirGroup chief executive Philippe Bruggisser said last week. Swissair, which already owns a major stake in Sabena, in the longer term may seek to acquire equity in Air Portugal and AOM.
A preliminary report by the Philippines' Air Transport Office has ruled out a criminal act, mechanical failure or weather as cause of the Feb. 2 crash of a Cebu Pacific DC-9 and is focusing on pilot error as the cause. The aircraft was 2 mi. off course when it crashed into Mt. Sumagaya while on descent to Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao (AW&ST Feb. 16, p. 33). According to ATO chief Carlos F. Tanega, the findings specified pilot error as the most probable cause of the accident.
Expect an increased push toward digital information on maintenance and related services. Cost-pressured airlines have cut ``soft,'' non-safety-related expenses such as sales costs and now are focusing on maintenance, according to Pierre Jeanniot, director-general of the International Air Transport Assn. The switch to digital data allows significant productivity improvements while upgrading safety, Jeanniot said.
MIDSCO, AN INTERNATIONAL JOINT VENTURE COMPANY, has delivered the first low-volume terminals for the next generation of Link-16 tactical, secure, jam-resistant voice and data communication systems to the U.S. Defense Department. The Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) will be interoperable with Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS), the earlier Link-16 system. France, Germany, Italy and Spain are participating in the development. The current engineering and manufacturing development phase has funded 108 terminals.
