Nick Franks has been appointed deputy chief executive/managing director of Matra Marconi Space U.K. He was managing director of GEC Marconi Aerospace Products.
MATRA MARCONI SPACE is marketing a geostationary comsat system designed to cover southern/eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The proposed Euro-African Satellite Telecommunications (EAST) system is based on the new Eurostar 3000 platform, which the French/British company is slated to qualify next year. The Eurostar 3000's built-in power growth capability is designed to generate up to 16 kw. The EAST system would involve one in-orbit satellite, one backup spacecraft, a network control center and gateways.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is scrutinizing the rudder and yaw damper systems of an Eastwind Airlines Boeing 737 after the aircraft rolled sharply to the right during a descent into Richmond, Va. The aircraft, an ex-USAir Boeing 737-200-series, was carrying 48 passengers and a crew of five when the incident occurred about 10 p.m. on June 9. Eastwind is a scheduled Part 121 airline based in Trenton, N.J. It currently operates only two aircraft (AW&ST July 1, p. 34).
Air Canada and All Nippon Airways are seeking Japanese approval for code-sharing on an Osaka-Vancouver route starting Aug. 1. The agreement will bring the beginning of daily services between the two cities and mark ANA's first transpacific route from Osaka/Kobe's Kansai International Airport. Air Canada's transpacific flights from Vancouver, which include services to Seoul and New Delhi, are expanding rapidly, according to Chief Operating Officer Robert A. Milton. Hong Kong and Osaka are the destinations most in demand.
John Watson, senior executive of British Airways, has been appointed director-general of SITA, the Paris-based air transport telecommunications and information technology cooperative. He succeeds Claude Lalanne, who will remain president of SITA Telecommunications Holdings.
Helicopter Assn. International has begun a nationwide push aimed at winning FAA and local zoning boards ``uncompromised authority'' to review and approve the siting of new, 200-ft. or higher towers for cellular phone and other personal wireless services. The Alexandria, Va.-based association believes language in the recently approved Telecommunications Act of 1996 will make it difficult for FAA, state and local governments to control construction of the rapidly proliferating antennas, which pose a hazard to low-level law enforcement and medical helicopters.
GAZELLE ESCORT HELICOPTERS EQUIPPED WITH short-range Air-to-Air ATAM Mistral missiles are entering operational service with the French army. The upgraded missiles are scheduled to be installed on 30 Gazelles within the next 18 months. ``The [new] Mistral is the most efficient helicopter-launched air-to-air missile available,'' Gen. Claude Battlo said. According to Matra Defense officials, the Mistral is scheduled to compete in the export market against the helicopter-launched versions of the U.S. Stinger and British Starstreak, which are under development.
Thomas J. Connolly , dean of aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., has received the Paul G. Brewer Trophy from the National Aeronautics Assn. He was honored in Little Rock, Ark., for national leadership and accomplishments in aviation education.
THE THREAT OF A British Airways-American Airlines alliance is providing impetus for KLM and Northwest Airlines to resolve disagreements. KLM plans to sell 6,654 shares of Northwest preferred stock back to the U.S. airline for about $378 million. In addition, the two carriers plan to initiate a series of new agreements in the next two months, according to KLM President/CEO Pieter Bouw.
Russia's most active launch vehicle, the 1-million-lb.-thrust SL-4 ``Soyuz,'' has failed twice in a row, slowing Russian military reconnaissance operations and jeopardizing the schedule for resupply of the Mir space station. The failures June 20 and May 14, both during the launch of military imaging satellites, have raised concerns about quality control on the 163-ft.-tall vehicle and the potential for impact to Mir station operations.
Trans World Airlines last week acquired two Boeing 747-100s and one 747-200, with an option for a second -200. These three aircraft will join the 9 -100s and 2 -200s in the carrier's 184-aircraft fleet. The 747s will enter service on overseas routes, and TWA plans to add a second daily flight to Rome and a second daily to Honolulu. The carrier's fleet modernization program includes 20 new Boeing 757-200s, the first of which is scheduled for delivery late this month.
JAPAN'S INSTITUTE OF SPACE and Astronautical Science has had to postpone the debut of its M-5 launch vehicle from Sept. 10 to the January/February winter launch window. The fault is in the vehicle's attitude control system. The 100-ft., three-stage M-5 is the largest all-solid propellant booster in Japan and is to replace the M-3S-2 for launching its planetary and science satellites.
Reflecting the upswing in business aviation, booth sales for the National Business Aircraft Assn.'s 1996 convention already have topped last year's record 2,831, which were occupied by 640 vendors. Aviation-related conventions typically experience their highest attendance and floor space sales at Las Vegas. Early reservations figures, however, indicate this year's convention, to be held Oct. 19-21 in Orlando, Fla., could add an additional 100 to last year's vendor total, NBAA said.
LHTEC plans to develop an FAA-certified, turboprop version of the Comanche helicopter's T800 turboshaft engine under a $31.9-million contract awarded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The 1,350-shp. CTP800 will be used to power the U.S. Army's RC-7B ABL (Airborne Reconnaissance Low) fleet. The RC-7B ABLs are intelligence and electronic warfare platforms derived from the de Havilland DHC-7 transport.
The FAA is investigating why the crew of a USAir Shuttle Boeing 727 departed Washington National Airport on June 24 amidst severe weather that included potential wind shear and the threat of tornado activity.
THE ONLY REMAINING PROGRAM to develop reactor power for space missions should be phased out unless NASA, the U.S. Defense Dept. and the Dept. of Energy are willing to support it. That's the conclusion of a new National Research Council study on the TOPAZ program, which began in 1991 when the U.S. acquired two of six Russian nuclear reactors built for use in space. TOPAZ is operated by the Defense Nuclear Agency under an $8.5-million budget. But the research council concluded it is not likely to be useful for U.S.
The House of Representatives has voted $36.8 billion for the Fiscal 1997 Transportation Dept. budget but defeated an amendment that would have trimmed internal gadfly Mary Schiavo's wings. Rep. James Oberstar (D.-Minn.) said he had discovered that Inspector General Schiavo's budget had an extra $1.6 million available. He proposed diverting that money to pay for additional FAA safety inspector training, but the measure narrowly failed. The House also denied funding for a U.S.
Growing use of Internet technologies for design development, parts selection and customer support promises to intensify competition among aerospace contractors and place that competition on a truly global scale, according to analysts and industry leaders.
High-ranking U.S. officials say the spreading potential of information warfare threatens the electronic disruption of everything from the nation's air traffic control system and banking network to powerplants and the Pentagon.
FOUR GROUND TEST crewmembers will in mid-July complete a 30-day stay in the Johnson Space Center's 20-ft.-tall advanced life support test chamber. The crew, three men and a woman from both NASA and Lockheed Martin, are managing regenerative air and water life support systems that could lead to similar systems for use on the Moon or Mars. All of the air and waste water, including urine, are being recycled. The crew is utilizing a total of about 230 lb. of water per day. They are also generating a total of 12-17 lb. of urine per day which is recycled after about 3 hr.
The U.S. has developed a voice ``spoofing'' system to intercept an enemy radio message, alter its meaning and retransmit the communication in the original operator's voice to confuse a foe's pilots, surface-to-air missile operators or even tactical ground force commanders.
Sheldon McGillawee has been named national cargo sales manager for Canadian Air Cargo, a division of Canadian Airlines International. He was manager of cargo sales and service in Edmonton, Alberta.
