John Reardon has been named president of the DISH Network subsidiary of the EchoStar Communication Corp., Englewood, Colo. He was president/CEO of TCI Music.
Rockwell Collins has completed the critical design review for its Pro Line 21 avionics system being prepared for the Bell Boeing 609 civil tiltrotor, a program that has 61 firm aircraft orders.
U.K. DEFENSE MINISTER George Robertson unveiled a proposal last week to create a new defense diversification agency to promote civil applications of government-sponsored defense technology. The new organization would be set up within the Defense Evaluation and Research Agency which receives about 500 million pounds ($825 million) per year from the Ministry of Defense for research. Although the U.K.'s defense industry has shrunk considerably since the end of the Cold War, Britain is still the second largest exporter of military equipment behind the U.S.
NASA HAS RELEASED new data that it says provide conclusive evidence of the presence of water on Earth's Moon. Scientists say the data show there is water ice in cold, shadowed regions at the north and south poles.
A survey of international launch users ranked Europe's launch site at Kourou, French Guiana, and Cape Canaveral closely in overall user performance, but both finished lower than Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The Launch Site Engineering Co., which performed the study for the Florida Space Business Roundtable and Enterprise Florida Inc., noted that the way the survey was conducted may have artificially skewed points toward Vandenberg, which launches relatively few missions.
China says its carriers will add 18 routes to its international schedule in July, bringing a total of 124 routes that its 10 international carriers operate. The new routes are being added in Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Malaysia, North Korea and Macau. He Jinri, a director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China's Transportation Dept., said that with the new routes, Chinese carriers will serve 62 foreign cities in 32 countries. Last year, a total of 5.05 million passengers traveled overseas on Chinese carriers, 14.7% more than in 1996.
RTCA has endorsed the FAA/industry National Air Space Modernization Task Force's recommendations to rein in the FAA's overly ambitious and underfunded ATC modernization effort. The RTCA support appears to show an industry/user/government consensus that has not always been present. But the RTCA response is not a call to go slow. As many critics have said--even thinking the FAA should go slower is laughable. RTCA sees an urgent need to improve NAS performance, citing studies that predict near-gridlock in the sky by 2005.
Baan has overhauled its software for company-wide ``enterprise resource planning'' (ERP), making it modular so customers can choose a tailored system, and to simplify upgrades of individual components. Previously, customers had to buy the entire system and upgrade it all at once. The new ``Baan ERP'' software replaces the Baan 4 suite and gives twice the functionality with 20% less code, the company said.
Upgrades at six major airports and greenfield construction at six more sites are included in a 19.2 billion rupee ($500 million) program by the Airports Authority of India to improve the country's infrastructure. The new airports are expected to be completed by 2000 at Lengpu and Tura in the northeast, Androth in the Lakshwadeep Islands, and Kargil, Kishtwar and Rajouri in the north.
David Smukowski has become president of FlightSafety Boeing Training International of New York. He has been deputy president and was director of business strategy and development for Boeing Enterprises. Bob Stout has been named corporate director of human resources for FlightSafety International. He was vice president-human resources for Sanofi Inc.
The Boeing Co., Hexcel Corp., Sime Darby Berhad of Malaysia and Malaysia Helicopter Services (MHS) have agreed to form a joint venture to manufacture commercial aircraft composite parts in Malaysia. Negotiations are continuing on key contractual terms and are expected to be completed in the next few months. The venture, which will be known as Asian Composite Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., will produce parts for secondary structures.
Phogtograph: BOEING'S STEALTHY ENTRY for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile is shown during separation tests from an F-16D earlier this year at Eglin AFB, Fla. The missile is designed to attack the most heavily defended targets without warning after being launched from well outside the approximate 100-mi. range of the most lethal air defense weapons. The simulated flight pictures show the stealth design's beveled nose and canted flanks that channel radar reflections above, below and to the sides. The weapon's 60-in.
Technology is sharing the spotlight with procedural changes in the FAA's Free Flight action plan, according to Jeff Griffith, program director for Air Traffic Operations. Airlines are already benefiting from some procedural enhancements which do not have to wait for new developments. The lessons learned may shape the way new technologies are implemented.
NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel is concerned about the status of software development for the International Space Station (ISS) and has told NASA that it must be ``willing to delay the ISS development if necessary rather than potentially sacrifice safety.'' The agency also does not have adequate plans for the long-term maintenance of software development tools being used to produce ISS software, the safety panel said.
BFGOODRICH AVIONICS SYSTEMS' GH-3000 Electronic Standby Instrument System (ESIS), previously certified for a number of fixed-wing aircraft, has been certified for helicopter use. American Eurocopter received a supplemental type certificate for the Aurocopter AS365N-2 helicopter, the first ESIS certified as a helicopter standby instrument, according to BFGoodrich. The GH-3000 is designed to replace electromechanical standby attitude, altitude and airspeed instruments with a single 3 ATI-size, 3.5-lb. active matrix liquid crystal color display, with a 3.25 X 3.25-in.
RTCA HAS APPROVED MINIMUM aviation system performance standards for two technologies important to Free Flight--Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) (DO-242) and guidance for initial implementation of cockpit display of traffic information (CDTI), DO-243. Aircraft will use ADS-B to broadcast positions over a data link for use by controllers and pilots to ensure aircraft separation. The CDTI document recommends ways to present surveillance information to pilots. RTCA is a not-for-profit organization that advises the FAA on aviation issues.
James T. Dillon has been named CEO of W.R. Carpenter North America Inc., Selma, Calif. He was vice president/general manager of its UpRight Inc. subsidiary. He has been succeeded by Barris Evulich, who was vice president-engineering.
British Midland, eyeing the likelihood of an Open Skies agreement between the U.S. and the U.K., is looking to restart transatlantic services after a 15-year absence from long-haul operations. The airline has applied to the U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority for route licenses to operate from London Heathrow to 10 U.S. cities--Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington. The move would add a third U.K. competitor to the lucrative transatlantic market in addition to British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
Experience gained during the six-month, 31-flight NASA/Boeing X-36 test program will find immediate application to a new Defense Advanced Research Agency/Air Force-sponsored study of unmanned combat air vehicles.
Asia's premier air exhibition, Asian Aerospace, was subdued last week, reflecting the economic crisis that has gripped Asia. The show was a study in contrasts: crowds and total exhibitor counts were down but industry participation included the largest exhibits ever in Asia for many manufacturers, including Airbus, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Many airline customers either stayed away or sent minimal delegations because of travel restrictions in light of their currency problems.
Contamination and corrosion caused by fluids leaking into the electronics bay of a 737-200 likely triggered roll and pitch movements that forced the aircraft into a 7-min. uncommanded Dutch roll, according to safety investigators.
