Susan E. Dong has been named vice president-human resources of the Tracor Inc. subsidiary GDE Systems Inc. of San Diego. She was vice president-business development and planning.
Investigators are assessing what role a captain's use of ``monovision'' contact lenses played in the short landing and crash last October of an MD-88 at New York's LaGuardia Airport.
Boeing is studying the retrofit of the glass cockpit developed for its ``next-generation'' 737-600/700/800 transport family to E-3 AWACS aircraft. The newest 737's Honeywell flat panel displays would slide nicely into the cockpit of the militarized 707-320B transport, according to Jim Singer, Boeing U.S. programs manager for AWACS. There are a total of more than 60 E-3 AWACS aircraft in operation with the USAF, NATO, the U.K., France and Saudi Arabia.
McDonnell Douglas Aerospace has selected Virtual Prototypes' VAPS software for developing its embedded cockpit displays. VAPS allows rapid prototyping and code generation of a cockpit display format and connects the prototype to aircraft data. It tests the operation on a Silicon Graphics workstation in real time. . . . Jeppesen will provide its Maintenance Information Service to Embraer so the Brazilian manufacturer can transition from paper maintenance manuals to electronic document management and distribution.
Leon R. Drake, 2nd, has been appointed treasurer of the Nylok Fastener Corp., Rockville Centre, N.Y. He succeeds James Walsh, who retired as vice president-finance.
Don Darwin (see photo) has been named vice president-information systems of the Seattle-based Boeing Defense and Space Group. He was director of Southern California information systems for Boeing North American Inc. Darwin succeeds Terry Milholland, who is now chief information officer for Boeing.
Washington State is attempting to control the certification, licensing and regulation of independent, FAA-licensed Designated Engineering Representatives (DER). The state board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors believes ``being certificated by the FAA does not exempt a DER from state requirements to be a registered, professional engineer.'' The problem stems from the use of the word ``engineering'' in the DER title and the state's misunderstanding of the DER's job, according to local DERs fighting the proposal.
Singapore Technologies Aerospace and Changi International Airport Services see high growth at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport for domestic and international operations, so they are joining with Filipino investors to form a new ground handling services company, Orbit Air Systems, for the international gateway. The two companies have formed Changi Aviation Services, which will hold 40% of Orbit Air Systems and help run its operations. Its remaining shares will be held by Filipino investors.
THE NASA/MCDONNELL DOUGLAS X-36 TAILLESS DRONE has made its first two flights, demonstrating good handling that is similar to preflight simulations. The 18.2-ft.-long aircraft made a brief first flight on May 17 (shown above) that was cut short by rising engine bay temperatures. Many of those test objectives were achieved during the second flight on May 22, which stopped at 17 min. due to data link dropouts. Both flights had successful landings at Edwards AFB, Calif.
The June 15-22 Paris air show is expected to outline the world aerospace industry's new contours and mirror its restored vitality, according to the show's organizers. Although few all-new aircraft are scheduled to be displayed for the first time, as many as 220 military trainers and fighters, commercial transports, helicopters and business jets will be parked on Le Bourget's apron or participate in the daily flight demonstration program.
John C. Mather, a senior astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for his achievements in original research. He was selected for his work as project scientist for NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer spacecraft. Mather currently is study scientist for NASA's Next Generation Space Telescope and a senior fellow in Goddard's Space Science Directorate.
Kristine L. Estes has become manager of technical affairs and operations for the Washington-based General Aviation Manufacturers Assn. She was manager of government and industry affairs for the National Air Transportation Assn.
China, Singapore and five European aircraft manufacturers plan to launch an all-new regional twinjet transport in early 1999. According to a far-reaching agreement completed earlier this month in Beijing, the AE31X, formerly known as the AE-100 Air Express, will be jointly developed and produced by Aviation Industries of China (AVIC), Singapore Technologies (STPL), Airbus Industrie's four partners and Italy's Finmeccanica-Alenia.
British Airways officials are expected to meet soon with competition officials from the European Union to discuss their objections to the carrier's proposed alliance with American Airlines. Karel Van Miert, EU competition commissioner, reiterated his objections to the deal as it now stands in a meeting in London last week with Margaret Beckett, the Labour government's new Secretary for Trade and Industry. Beckett is awaiting a report from the U.K.'s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) before ruling on the alliance.
John Hoos has been appointed vice president/deputy director for space surveillance programs for GenCorp Aerojet, Sacramento, Calif. He was payload program manager for the Hughes/TRW Space-based Infrared System.
McDonnell Douglas has decided to build two white-tail C-17 military transports to provide a more steady production ramp-up as the yearly rate increases to 15 in 2000 from the current eight. The two aircraft being built on speculation are in anticipation of C-17 orders from non-U.S. governments as well as commercial customers for the planned MD-17. The start of work on the unordered aircraft also would allow McDonnell Douglas to avoid layoffs in the midst of increasing production efficiencies, company officials said. The C-17 program is about 45 days ahead of schedule.
The McDonnell Douglas Delta 2 returned to flight at Cape Canaveral May 20, with the successful launch of a $150-million Hughes/Telenor Norwegian communications satellite mission. Commercial project managers, however, had sharp criticism of U.S. Air Force secrecy during the investigation into the January accident that grounded the Delta for four months. The launch also inaugurated a new $45-million Delta launch control center to replace the blockhouse abandoned after the Jan. 17 low-altitude explosion (AW&ST Jan. 27, p. 31).
Norman R. Augustine, chairman/chief executive officer of the Lockheed Martin Corp., has been named to receive the National Medal of Technology, the U.S.' highest honor for technological achievement, this year. He will be cited for ``visionary leadership of the aerospace industry, identifying and championing innovative technical and managerial solutions to many challenges in civil and defense aerospace systems, and his contributions to solutions to . . . issues upon which the future of Amica's technological capabilities depend.''
Robert J. Basso has been promoted to vice president from director of personnel and Armand J. Priore to corporate controller from controller of the Dassault Falcon Jet Corp., Teterboro, N.J.
Andrew M. Todhunter has become a principal of the Canaan Group Ltd., Park City, Utah. He headed development of the firm's aviation maintenance forecasting activities.
THE KAZAKH IL-76 was responsible for the mid-air collision with a Saudia Boeing 747 last November near Delhi International Airport, the Airport Authority of India alleged to an Indian court of inquiry. Air Commodore N.A.K. Sarma, AAI's counsel, told the court that air traffic control had asked the Il-76 to maintain an altitude of 15,000 ft., but it descended below its assigned level, colliding with the Saudia 747, which had been cleared for an altitude of 14,000 ft. The Kazakhs contend the Il-76 descended owing to turbulence.
