A PC-based trainer to Northwest Airlines to simulate the flight management system in a Boeing 757-200. The device is to simulate the full integration and emulate the functions of the FMS, autopilot and electronic flight instrument systems, but at a fraction of the cost of hardware trainer devices. The Burnsville, Minn., company is under contract to American Airlines, Federal Express and FlightSafety International for other PC-based systems. Touch-screen or a mouse input can be used.
United Parcel Service sought to keep its international air services aloft last week as a strike by the Teamsters union, supported by the company's Independent Pilots Assn., crippled the world's largest package distribution company. Competitors, including other package carriers, scrambled to pick up even some of UPS' normal business. UPS routinely delivers 12 million parcels and documents a day, including 80% of all domestic U.S. deliveries. About 1.6 million packages a day are delivered through its ``Next Day Air'' and ``Second Day Air'' services.
Office and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency have selected three teams for the first phase of an effort to develop a Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL). The goals are a family of increased-capacity/lower-cost common data links and increased data link competition. The interoperable digital links are to support both manned and unmanned airborne reconnaissance platforms, including Outrider, Predator, Reef Point, Rivet Joint, Joint-STARS and Airborne Reconnaissance Low.
Photograph: Company officials expect the Galaxy prototype, shown here undergoing wing mate operations, to make its first flight late this year. Alliance Airport near Fort Worth will become the new headquarters for Galaxy Aerospace Corp., and serve as the central hub for completion and product support of the new super mid-size cabin Galaxy business jet. Plans call for completing construction of a $12-million, 143,000-sq.-ft.-headquarters complex by the end of September, 1998, according to Brian E.
Federal Express' new ``next business day'' schedule is expected to expand its services from Japan to the U.S. (AW&ST Aug. 4, p. 15). But its greatest impact will be further down the line, at the origin points in Penang, Malaysia, and Singapore, which now have two-day turnarounds. For Taiwan, the extended service will allow pickups 2 hr. later. When the new Chek Lap Kok airport opens next April, FedEx will gain a $100-million terminal that will let it take advantage of the first 24-hr. operations available in Hong Kong.
Anthony W. Merritt has been promoted to director of government and military sales from global account executive for government sales for Emery Worldwide, Redwood City, Calif.
Four Sikorsky helicopters operated by Hong Kong's Government Flying Service fly in formation past the new Tsing Ma bridge, the longest road and rail suspension bridge in the world. The GFS flies six Sikorsky S-76A+ helicopters equipped for search and rescue (SAR) or utility use, plus three S-70 Black Hawk tactical police helicopters. Shown are the SAR version of the S-76A+ in orange and white, the utility versions in blue and red and the S-70 in gray livery.
Are assessing the impact of apparent oxygen and hydrogen leakage from the Titan 4B Centaur upper stage that is scheduled to launch the Cassini mission to Saturn Oct. 6. The small leakage was detected Aug. 5 during the vehicle's terminal countdown demonstration test at Cape Canaveral. Some previous Centaurs have had a similar problem when first fueled, and the test will be repeated to assess the significance and impact of the data.
Erickson Air-Crane, Central Point, Ore., has manufactured the first ``new'' Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane in more than two decades. The aircraft, total time 0.0 hr., became the 15th Skycrane in Erickson's heli-logging, heavy-lift and firefighting fleet in July. Erickson purchased the S-64 type certificate from Sikorsky in 1992 and plans to market the helicopter worldwide. Initial production capability is estimated at two a year, according to Lee Ramage, director of marketing and sales.
Lufthansa German Airlines and Finnair plan to terminate next October their 1991 ``regional agreement'' to jointly operate flights in the German-Finnish corridor. Lufthansa's decision to cancel the pact is a result of that carrier's initiative to forge a far-reaching alliance with Scandinavian Airlines System.
Photograph: Since service began in May, load factors on Mesa's Canadair RJ-200LR aircraft flying between Fort Worth and Houston have been less than 50%. ANDREW ABSHIER Facing load factors well below market forecasts for its regional jet service between Fort Worth and Houston, Mesa Airlines is implementing a fare sale, and plans to introduce service to San Antonio later this year. To attract more passengers, Mesa is reducing the normal, one-way fare of $84 to only $25, effective until Aug. 31 for travel by Nov. 15.
Photograph: A Martian sunrise is shown in false color image sequence (bottom to top) at 4-min. intervals, with the sky appearing darker after sunrise because of an exposure change on the imager. Pathfinder has completed its inital ``hibernation'' periods as the spacecraft moves from an operational phase of continous science observations to a somewhat scaled-down, long-term monitoring of the planet while attempting to preserve its limited power resources.
Photograph: The ACeS regional system, to be launched next year, will be the first to offer cellular services from geostationary satellites. While billion-dollar cluster satellites capture the industry's imagination, the day of the national or regional system is hardly over. In the vast expanse from India to Oceana, big and small Asia-Pacific nations are using satellites to help them gain the kind of communications infrastructure that the West takes for granted.
Agency is funding NewMonics Inc. of Ames, Iowa, under a $1.3-million contract to extend its real-time software for a variety of military applications, which could include data communications, telecommunications and missile guidance systems. The company's new real-time Java software--Portable Executive for Reliable Control (PERC)--is used to develop software for embedded systems. It gives embedded-Java developers more precise control of central processors and memory.
Malcolm R. Currie, former chairman/chief executive officer of the Hughes Aircraft Co., has become chairman of the board of directors of Constellation Communications Inc., Reston, Va. He succeeds Bruce D. Kraselsky.
Asia has become the top market for U.S. aerospace industry exports. Today, U.S. sales to Asian customers currently represent 13% of total industry sales and 41% of U.S. exports, according to the Washington-based Aerospace Industries Assn. Before 1993, Europe was the U.S. aerospace industry's largest export partner, David Vadas, director of AIA's research center, said. However, over the past four years U.S. sales to Asia have averaged $1 billion higher per year than those to the European Union. In 1996, U.S.
Alberto F. Fernandez has been appointed chairman/chief executive officer of Construcciones Aeronauticas S.A. (CASA) of Spain. He succeeds Raul Herranz. Fernandez was senior vice president-administration and finance of Airbus Industrie.
Said the company is accepting orders for its OE-600 aluminum block V-8 engine pending final certification by Transport Canada and the FAA later this year. The 600-hp., liquid-cooled Orenda powerplant already has received a $20-million order for 140 engines from Stevens Aviation in Greenville, S.C. Stevens is the sole North American supplier of a Supplemental Type Certificate currently under development by Orenda. It would replace PT6 turboprop engines in older Beech King Air aircraft with the more powerful OE-600.
Steven R. Loranger has been appointed president of AlliedSignal Engines of Phoenix. He was president of AlliedSignal Automotive's Truck Brake Systems. Loranger succeeds Greg Summe, who has been promoted to president of the AlliedSignal Automotive Products Group.
Nine orders for full flight simulators from Boeing, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. A 737-700 simulator will be operated by the recently created joint venture FlightSafety Boeing Training International. Delta has ordered one 737-200, one new-generation 737 and two Boeing 767-300/300ER/400 simulators for delivery beginning by mid-1998. Delta also placed orders for eight flight training devices for its Boeing fleet. The order from American is for two 737-800, one 777-200 IGW and one 767-300 simulators. Deliveries are to begin in mid-1998.
Photograph: Bell 204B sets air conditioners precisely in position on a factory rooftop in El Segundo, Calif. Turn time for each of the 3,000-lb. units averaged about 1 min. Airlift Construction Services is experiencing increasing demand for heavy-lift helicopters due to its low cost structure and a strengthening Southern California economy. The two-year-old firm, based in Long Beach, operates similarly to so-called ``virtual'' companies to effectively compete in the cyclical heavy-lift market, according to Glenn J. Smith, owner and chief pilot.
Was sworn in as the 14th administrator of the FAA on Aug. 4, filling a spot vacated by David R. Hinson on Nov. 9, 1996. Barry L. Valentine, assistant administrator for policy, planning and international aviation, had been acting administrator of the FAA since January, 1997. Prior to being named to her new post, Garvey was acting administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, where she served as deputy administrator from April, 1993, to February, 1997. Before that, she served as director of Boston's Logan International Airport.
Photograph: Two highly elliptical orbital planes would cover northern hemisphere. Others would cover the southern and equatorial regions. Orbital Sciences Corp. will design and build the first-generation Ellipso mobile communications satellites and invest in the ``Big LEO'' network's developer, Mobile Communications Holdings Inc. (MCHI). The contract, announced last week, is worth at least $400 million, the companies said. It includes possible roles for Orbital in providing launch services and manufacturing handsets for the system.
Photograph: Chart: AIR TRANSPORT The Accident Aircraft Boeing 747-3B5 Registration: HL-7468 Fleet No.: 605 Delivered: Dec. 12, 1984 Powerplants: Four Pratt&Whitney JT9D-7R4G2s Hours: 49,526 Cycles: 8,340 Last week's crash of a Korean Air 747-300 may spur safety investigators to scrutinize the U.S. FAA's design and maintenance of instrument approach courses to airports as well as the training and performance of the airline's flight crews. The Aug.
An-30 twin-turboprop aircraft equipped with aerial cameras was allowed to photograph launch pads at the U.S. Air Force Cape Canaveral Air Station and Patrick AFB, Fla., Aug. 1, under the U.S./Russian Open Skies agreement. The Russian photography included the USAF Launch Complex 40-41 facility where a Titan 4A booster is being prepared for the launch of a National Reconnaissance Office/Hughes sigint/elint spacecraft by late August or early September. For its Aug.
