An Ariane 44L booster last week orbited two direct television broadcast satellites. V102 was the European booster's 30th consecutive successful launch. The payload comprised Sweden's Sirius 2, the biggest telecommunications satellite ever built in Europe, developed by Aerospatiale Space and Defense Div., and Indonesia's Cakrawarta-1 built by the U.S. Orbital Sciences Corp.
Airbus Industrie is preparing to significantly boost production to about 260 aircraft/year in the wake of stronger than expected sales. Since Jan. 1, Airbus concluded firm orders for 426 aircraft. For the first time ever, its backlog exceeds 1,000 aircraft, valued at $69.2 billion, a milestone that gives more credence to the European consortium's quest for a 50% share in the commercial transport market.
Ivory Coast-based Air Afrique, jointly owned by 11 West African states--although hampered by the region's slow economic growth and political instability--demonstrates that alliances involving multiple partners can work efficiently. Air Afrique was established in the early 1960s, long before the airline industry gradually set the pace for globalization.
Two months after BE Aerospace Inc. and Harris Corp. unveiled their joint venture to deliver live broadcast television to airline passengers on narrow-body commercial aircraft, team members remain hopeful that they will be able to announce a launch customer by year-end. BE Aerospace isn't the only major supplier pursuing the in-seat video entertainment systems market for standard-body aircraft.
Stacey Moye has been promoted to director from manager of special projects for the National Assn. of State Aviation Officials, Silver Spring, Md. James P. Price, Jr., has been appointed manager of the Min-K Div. of Thermal Ceramics, Augusta, Ga.
Lockheed Martin officials visiting here revealed a little about the F-22's future capabilities when discussing the fighter's weight growth of 200-300 lb. LockMart's Paul Schlein said the weight would be compensated for by margins in performance and would not be an obstacle to upgrades such as installation of side arrays. These active/passive side arrays are to be located behind the forward radar. When active, they would increase the radar's field of regard and boost power for finding targets on the aircraft's beams.
Rolls-Royce has been selected to provide the engines for American Airlines' Boeing 777 fleet. The engine maker will supply $290 million worth of Trent 892 engines for the 11 777-200 increased gross weight aircraft American now has on order. Nine are to be delivered in 1999 and two in 2000. Under the agreement with Rolls-Royce, American will choose Trent engines for any version of the 777 family it procures to meet future requirements.
THE FBI SUSPENDED its criminal investigation last week into the July 17, 1996, crash of TWA Flight 800. FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom said in a letter to relatives of the crash's 230 victims the 15-month probe ``found absolutely no evidence'' of a criminal act.
Sony Trans Com is hoping that its recently introduced Passport will be able to accomplish what most other fully interactive inflight entertainment systems have failed to do: measure up to airlines' expectations. Whether it will achieve this distinction remains to be seen. The industry is littered with similar attempts that began with equally high hopes and ended in disappointment--not to mention millions of dollars of lost sales.
Scheduled Airline Traffic Offices (SATO), owned and operated by 11 major U.S. airlines, has won its breach of contract suit in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., with software developer Objective Inc., but not the $4.1 million it sought in damages (AW&ST July 21, p. 60). SATO said Objective failed to deliver a fully operational travel reservation system. Objective countersued, alleging fraud and violation of trade secrets on SATO's part, including the assertion that SATO had misrepresented Objective's system as its own.
Airlines have joined together in partnerships for decades, ranging from interline relationships--allowing passengers to be ticketed for connecting flights around the world--to servicing each other's aircraft at far outposts and sharing spare parts, developing joint marketing programs, fixing fares, setting capacity and sharing revenues on individual routes, often with government backing. The latter ended in Europe by law only in the '90s.
Boeing last week won key orders of commercial transports worth up to $2-billion, including a sale launching the 737-900. Alaska Airlines' order for 10 737-900s, plus two 737-400s and three 737-700s, could total more than $1 billion if options for 10 additional -900s are realized. American Airlines also added another four 777s and four 767s--worth a combined $1 billion at list prices--to Boeing's firm order backlog.
Joseph Kent Walker and Shawn W. Vick have been named senior vice presidents-international sales and North American sales and administration, respectively, for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga. Vince Hrenak has become vice president-material.
FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY William Perry has joined Boeing's board of directors. Perry, a proponent of the defense industry consolidation that eventually included the merger of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, left his post as Defense Secretary in January after almost a three-year term. Boeing will add a 13th position to its board for Perry.
Jim Burk has been named vice president-aircraft sales, C. Lynn Plumb director of exhibitions and events, and Nita L. Scrivner director of publications and materials, all for Fairchild Dornier, San Antonio, Tex. Burk was vice president-corporate and special purpose sales and Plumb manager of communications and public relations for the Asset Management Div., both for British Aerospace Inc. Scrivner was director of marketing communications for Learjet Inc.
THOMSON-CSF HAS BEGUN flight-testing the first production version of the RBE2 multitarget radar that will equip Dassault Aviation's Rafale multirole combat aircraft. The RBE2, jointly developed by Thomson-CSF and Dassault Electronique, passed acceptance tests earlier this year. Last month, it began flight tests on a Falcon 20 twinjet testbed and, recently, on a Mirage 2000 fighter. Initial tests involve the air-to-air mode, the only one which has yet completed development, according to a Thomson-CSF official.
Canada is facing the same shortage of inspectors as many other nations, a union leader said last week as ICAO delegates discussed the lack of qualified inspection personnel worldwide. Canada's Dept. of Transportation lost 40 civil aviation inspectors in the last year largely due to government budget cutbacks and new approaches to inspections, according to Wayne Foy, national chairman of the Aircraft Operations Group Assn., a union representing approximately 500 government inspectors and pilots.
William S. Ayer has been named president of Alaska Airlines. He has been senior vice president-customer service, marketing and planning. Ayer succeeds John F. Kelly, who remains chairman.
Stanley J. Hill has been named president/CEO of the Kaiser Aerospace and Electronics Corp., Foster City, Calif. He was corporate vice president/group executive. Hill succceds H.J. Smead, who remains chairman.
Fortner Software has introduced a new version of its science data mining and visualization software, Noesys 1.1. It includes an enhanced hierarchical data format (HDF), a new import facility for storing meteorological data and an ability to work with data sets of virtually any size or dimension, according to President George Brandt. Noesys is used by Earth scientists, geologists, oceanographers, physicists and engineers to access, organize, analyze and visualize the vast amounts of data they collect in research.
An Israeli company, Human Resources International Ltd. ([email protected]), has developed software to pre-screen air traffic controller and pilot candidates that brings to bear some of the hand-eye coordination and quick-thinking characteristics of the video games that youngsters are so good at. ATCScreen is being used in Singapore, Ireland, Cyprus and Denmark but, ironically, not in Israel, where a big supply of experienced military air traffic controllers is available for commercial operations.
Airlines throughout Central and South America are forging partnerships to increase their sway over suppliers, expand their route networks in ``open skies'' markets and improve the safety of their operations. The Taca Group is teaming with LanChile and TAM of Brazil to acquire 200 medium-range, narrow-body transports. The carriers' evaluation team is expected to make its recommendation on buying Boeing's 737-700 or the Airbus Industrie A319 early next year.
