Richard Teza, Patrick Manning and Cris Gross have been appointed senior managing directors for sales for Aviall Inc. of Dallas. Teza will oversee Eastern U.S. and Canadian sales, Manning international sales and Gross Western U.S. and Latin American sales.
NASA is in the midst of a period of intense flight operations this week as it prepares to launch the space shuttle Columbia on a unique Spacelab reflight mission July 1, while also preparing for the Pathfinder Rover's planned July 4 landing on Mars. In addition, this week NASA is continuing to assess problems with the Russian Mir space station and data from the Near spacecraft's June 27 flyby of the asteroid Mathilde (see p. 23).
Thomas M. Cook, former president of Sabre Decision Technologies, has been named president of the Sabre Group's new combined information technology divisions in Fort Worth. Bradford J. Boston, who was president of Sabre computer services, will be executive vice president of the new division.
ARIANESPACE HAS SUCCESSFULLY completed its fifth 1997 mission, orbiting the second eighth-generation telecommunications satellite for Intelsat with an Ariane 44P booster. Intelsat 802--the 15th Intelsat payload orbited by Arianespace--will provide dual C-band transmission, along with satellite newsgathering services and compatibility with Intelsat 7 and 7A series satellites. The next mission, Flight 98, is scheduled for Aug. 7, with a PanAmSat PAS-6 payload.
Photograph: Aircraft lighting systems are virtually synonymous with Grimes Aerospace, and if AlliedSignal's acquisition of Grimes is approved, it will dominate that market segment. JOHN BEATTY AlliedSignal Aerospace Co. is counting on a new strategic alliance with Caterpillar Logistics Services Inc. to maximize the revenue and earnings potential from future acquisitions, such as the company's proposed purchase of Grimes Aerospace.
Malcolm B. Armstrong has become vice president-corporate safety and compliance for Delta Air Lines. He held the same position at US Airways. Armstrong succeeds John Lauber, who heads the Miami training center of Airbus Industrie of North America.
John V. Moore has become regional sales manager for Asia, the Pacific Rim and North America, Eric Brocklesby acting chief of sales and marketing and Jerry Head controller, all for Trilecton Industries Inc., a subsidiary of Heico Aviation Products Corp., Hollywood, Fla.
Photograph: As the primary contractor for PC-12 pilot training, SimCom conducts most flight instruction in customer aircraft. A PC-12 simulator will be available this fall. PAUL BOWEN SimCom International Inc., which provides pilot training for all Pilatus PC-12 customers, is developing a Level 6, FAA-certified, fixed-base simulator derived from a former marketing mockup of the single-engine turboprop. The flight training device should be incorporated into the PC-12 training syllabus this September.
Illustration: Diagram: Interdependencies: New Risks and Vulnerabilities Threats to the U.S. infrastructure are real and growing. It's only a matter of time until the country could experience an electronic Pearl Harbor, said Retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Robert (Tom) Marsh, head of the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection. Potential sources of cyber threats include foreign countries, terrorists--both international and domestic--organized crime and disgruntled individuals.
Boeing fitted a new 747-400 transport with a fifth engine prior to its delivery flight to British Airways earlier this month. The engine, temporarily installed on the port wing between the inboard engine and fuselage, was a spare being transported to BA maintenance facilities. No technical reconfiguration was required to fly the all-passenger aircraft, but a slower cruise speed was necessary. BA now operates 69 747s, the world's largest active 747 fleet.
In celebration of Britain's handover of Hong Kong to China, Cathay Pacific has unveiled a Boeing 747-200 in a special ``Spirit of Hong Kong 97'' livery (see p. 40). The fuselage's design is based on the airline's ``Heart of Asia'' print advertising campaign with a Chinese brushstroke depiction of Hong Kong's skyline and the Chinese symbol for ``home.'' Cathay selected the 747-200 because it serves the airline's regional and Middle East routes, thus giving it a lot of exposure. The aircraft is configured in two classes with 69 business seats and 336 in economy.
Iranian and Iraqi military forces are increasingly active, says the U.S. Central Command chief, Army Gen. J.H. Binford Peay, 3rd. Iraqi MiG-23s have been flying at night for the last seven weeks. And while one Republican Guard division has been diverted to Saddam Hussein's personal protection, the other six have been beefed up to about 80-85% of the capability of a U.S. division. Iran has its third submarine operational, traveling farther from port and staying submerged longer than ever.
Photograph: The specter of Boeing marketing its own aircraft as well as Douglas commercial jets has helped put Europe's aerospace industry on a defensive footing as never before. JOHN C. BEATTY The Boeing Co. is adamant about continuing to pursue long-term agreements with airlines to be their sole supplier of commercial jets. At the same time, however, Boeing is exploring possible compromises with the European Commission to win EC approval of the company's proposed merger with McDonnell Douglas Corp.
Photograph: The Tiger production tooling contract, signed at the Paris air show, will give a big boost to Eurocopter, which has been hit hard by a decline in European defense orders. The new Socialist-led government in France has dispelled any uncertainty about its intentions with respect to major new military helicopter procurement programs by approving production tooling contracts for the Franco-German attack-escort Tiger, and confirming that it will do the same next year for the four-nation NH-90.
Macau International Airport and local hotel and ferry groups are hustling to take advantage of the record crowds expected for ceremonies returning neighboring Hong Kong to China this week (see p. 40). The groups jointly put together a package for airlines and tourists unable to find landing slots or hotel rooms in Hong Kong. High-capacity ferries leave Macau as often as every 15 min. for the brief trip to Hong Kong. Macau's new airport recorded more than 418,000 passengers during the first quarter of 1997, up from less than 160,000 in the same period a year ago.
Photograph: GFS operates from a base adjacent to Kai Tak's runway in the business/residential district of Kowloon. It will move to Chek Lap Kok when that airport opens next year. Localization and cooperation with the air force of the People's Liberation Army are on the agenda of Hong Kong's Government Flying Services after China takes control of the British colony. But for the moment, painting is the bigger event.
Rolls-Royce and Turbomeca are developing a new, lower-maintenance version of the Adour 871 turbofan which powers the British Aerospace Hawk and McDonnell Douglas T-45 jet trainers. The Adour 900 will incorporate a new high-pressure compressor, long-life combustor and the latest single-crystal airfoil technology. A full-authority digital electronic fuel control system (FADEC) will be optional. The modifications also can be customized and retrofitted to existing versions of the Adour, which will remain in production.
Photograph: Ansett, which flies Airbus A320s, has been considering A330s and Boeing 767s to expand its fleet--but the alliance with SIA could shift it to the A340. Ansett Australia Airlines, Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines have reached preliminary agreement on the biggest alliance in Southeast Asia and Australia, but it will require belt-tightening at Ansett to work.
Photograph: Executive Jet expects the Citation 10 business jet to be the most successful aircraft type in its fractional ownership program. It recently placed an order for 10 more. Taking its cue from customers doing business globally, Executive Jet Inc.'s NetJets fractional ownership program intends to expand to the Middle East by the end of the year, and then on to Asia/Pacific in 1998. The U.S.-based aviation-services firm has established an equity partner in the Middle East, just as the company did early last year in advance of expanding to Europe.
AirOne, an Italian startup, is seeking to acquire a major market share on its first international route, Milan Linate-London Stansted, which was inaugurated earlier this month. AirOne operates two daily round-trip flights on the route. In addition to offering increased flexibility to business travelers, AirOne concluded a partnership agreement with Air UK. Last year, 1.1 million passengers traveled between Milan and London.
One of the last steps of Britain's withdrawal from Hong Kong was taken last month when six Royal Air Force Westland Wessex helicopters from the 28th Sqdn. were sold to Uruguay's air force for an undisclosed sum. The 28th Sqdn., which is being disbanded, had been stationed at the Sek Kong military base in the northern New Territories for the past 48 years. The 33-34-year-old Wessexes have fairly low hours and will be useful for Uruguayan search-and-rescue operations.
THE COUNCIL OF THE INTERNATIONAL Civil Aviation Organization has approved tentatively the concept of an expanded Safety Oversight Program. The council called for the directors general of civil aviation of ICAO's 185 nations to convene Nov. 10-12 in Montreal. The agenda will focus on the implementation of ICAO safety and security standards and a broadening of the program.
Barbara Cohen has been named senior vice-president-finance for British Airways' North American headquarters in New York. She was vice president-financial planning and alliances.
Taking advantage of advances in telecommunications and switching technology, Alaska Airlines is studying the breakup of its reservations center into ``pods'' scattered about the Seattle area. The airline's reservation center near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is at capacity with more than 400 workers, and finding a larger facility will be difficult. By using small, scattered reservations pods, the airline believes it will have access to a greater number of potential employees while cutting commute times and providing less-crowded work spaces.
