Peter Somaglia has been named chief executive of Swissair Cargo. He was head of Swissair Cargo in Central Europe. Somaglia will succeed Ernst Funk, who has become head of Market Intercontinental.
THE FAA COMPLETED certification of the Chinese Y-12 Harbin regional transport to Part 25 standards, paving the way for China to sell the 19-seat aircraft to U.S. operators. The turboprop-powered Y-12 is produced by the Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. located in the northern Chinese city of Harbin. FAA officials have been overseeing the Chinese certification system for three years to ensure compliance with U.S. regulations. The agency also certified production of Chinese aircraft tires that can be sold in the U.S.
Lawmakers continue to snipe at the need for the U.S. Air Force's F-22 fighter, its performance and its $71-million flyaway cost, while eyeing the stealth aircraft as a target for raids to fund other defense programs.
CROSSAIR'S DGPS EVALUATION PROGRAM is scheduled to begin this year--and may become the framework for one of Europe's first GPS-based IFR approach systems, according to the carrier. The two-phase program will be run by U.S. companies Interstate Electronics Corp. (IEC) and Airport Systems International, which formed a partnership last year to develop GPS aircraft landing systems.
First production Raisbeck Engineering aft-fuselage stowage locker for the Lear 36 jet will fit up to six pairs of skis with poles or two golf bags. The 8-ft.-long bay will accommodate 300 lb. of unpressurized, unheated cargo, according to James D. Raisbeck, company chief executive officer.
Introducing the new-technology MD-11 posed a challenge for FedEx pilots and mechanics, but their trials of recent years have paid off with an innovative training technique. FedEx has taken the unusual step of merging mechanics' training with that of pilots on the new automated equipment entering the fleet.
Russia has agreed to supply 30 new, advanced MiG-29 fighters worth $1.25 billion to India in late 1995 to modernize its force of Soviet-designed fighters and attack aircraft.
A BEARINGLESS JET ENGINE is closer to reality following a test in which a gas turbine shaft was magnetically suspended and then spun at 36,000 rpm. SatCon Technology Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., said the noncontact magnetic bearings eliminate the engine's lubrication system, allowing the turbine to run faster, cooler and more efficiently. The test, conducted under contract to the U.S. Army's Power Systems Div. as part of the Small Business Research Innovation program, involved a 30.2-lb. rotor.
John Sauers has been named assistant director of standards for regulatory compliance, Bonnie Hendrix director of maintenance training and Jack Young director of training, all at FlightSafety International's Greater Philadelphia/Wilmington Center.
Sam Galeotos has been named vice president-operations and customer service for Worldspan of Atlanta. Sue Powers has been named vice president-product marketing and John Such vice president-sales.
MICHAEL ARMSTRONG, chairman of Hughes Electronics Corp., said he believes his company's proposed joint venture with Raytheon on further development of the Navy's Standard Missile offers a ``creative new alternative'' to consolidation in the U.S. defense industry. The proposed Standard Missile Co. would have a separate board of directors, although production contracts could ultimately be competed between the two companies. He said the Pentagon supports the collaborative effort which is now being reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Dept.
Egypt is softening its opposition to the indefinite extension of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but the global pact's fate remains uncertain as a 171-nation vote looms within five weeks. Officially, Egypt continues to reserve its position on whether it will sign in order to maintain pressure on Israel, a non-signatory long suspected of having a nuclear capability (AW&ST Mar. 20, p. 21). But following a White House meeting last week with President Clinton, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak declared, ``We will never withdraw from the NPT.''
David H. Mobley has been appointed chief engineer at NASA headquarters in Washington. He was technical assistant to the director for space station activities at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
The flight crew's failure to recognize wind shear and initiate a prompt escape maneuver caused a USAir Douglas DC-9-31 to crash at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in July, 1994, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
Lars Kirchhoff has been appointed regional marketing manager for Pemco World Air Services Unit in Copenhagen, a division of Precision Standard, Inc., Birmingham Ala.
The SVME/DMV-163 is a 68040-based single board computer with better performance, increased memory and enhanced input/output capabilities, compared with earlier members of the DY 4 family. It incorporates the MAXPack mezzanine module system to augment the functionality of the base board with additional I/O, memory or custom data acquisition functions. Air-cooled and conduction-cooled versions are available. The card is available with up to 60 megabytes of parity-protected dynamic random access memory. DY 4 Systems, Inc., 1475 S. Bascom Ave., Suite 202, Campbell, Calif.
European and Asian space markets will approach a combined value of $70-80 billion through 2005 as major new commercial, military and science initiatives mature. The number of geosynchronous communications satellites serving the Asia/ Pacific region is expected to increase substantially in just the next three years.
Photograph: New first-class seats on American's Boeing 767-300 aircraft recline and have a four-way electronic lumbar support system. Seats in other sections are being upgraded. American Airlines is upgrading its 41 Boeing 767-300 aircraft, used mostly on transatlantic routes, as part of a concerted effort to expand its profitable international services.
The DataSYS 940 is a four-channel, digital storage oscilloscope that combines low noise inputs with a bandwidth of 350 MHz. An application specific integrated circuit amplifier keeps noise levels low. The 350-MHz. bandwidth is guaranteed on all input sensitivity ranges from 5 v. per division to 2 millivolts per division. Applications include digital system development and analog circuit noise debugging. Display modes include refresh, persistence, roll, X/Y and live zoom. The 940 allows waveform analysis, automatic measurements and long-term archiving.
This lithium thionyl battery can produce 10 times the energy of carbon-zinc batteries and triple the output of alkaline cells. The active components are metallic lithium, an electrolyte that serves as a liquid cathode and carbon that acts as a catalyst. A DD-size battery will produce 30 amp-hr. of electricity at rates of up to 750 milliamps constant current in ambient temperatures of -40-150C (-40-302F). Open circuit voltage is 3.6 v., and shock resistance is 1,000g.
BOTH ENDS OF PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE ARE WORRIED about cracks in the international space station coalition. Now that Canada appears certain to stay involved, attention has shifted to Europe. France seems more interested in upgrading the Ariane 5 launcher than continuing to invest in the station. ``I think it may be a big problem,'' Presidential Science Advisor John H. Gibbons predicted last week. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and House Science Committee Chairman Robert S.
The Kobe earthquake has prompted new studies of the seismic safety standards of offshore airports that use reclaimed land and navigation aid facilities in Japan. It also has forced Japan Airlines to postpone new domestic services because of a shortage of aircraft. In the first two months after the quake, JAL flew 822 emergency flights.
