Germany and Italy, partners with France in the original Dassault/ Breguet Atlantic ASW/ASuW and maritime patrol aircraft program, have agreed to collaborate in defining requirements and procurement proposals for replacing their fleets of the plane over the next few years. Ger-many and Italy each operate 18 Atlantic ATL1s. Having replaced its original fleet of Atlantics with 28 new-production Atlantique ATL2s between 1988-98, French Naval Aviation has no parallel requirement, although it is planning an early mid-life upgrade.
General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE) and Enigma Inc. have teamed to create and implement a software package that gives airlines real-time ability to find a repair procedure, locate and order the parts the procedure requires, and track the parts to the receiving dock, all via the airline's own private Extranet connection with GE. GE's Customer Web Center has been in active evaluation use since January, with Delta Air Lines as its first customer. By February, more than a dozen other U.S. and international carriers were using the system.
A team of former aviation executives has formed aviationX Inc. to build what it says will be the first neutral, dynamic business-to-business electronic marketplace. The new company planned to debut a prototype of the system at the Singapore Air Show as O&M was going to press, with a Phase 1 launch to beta users -- likely to be from the regional airline industry -- in the second quarter and full launch in the third quarter of 2000.
Pratt&Whitney Canada and China National South Aero-Engine Co. (SAEC), China's leading manufacturer of small gas turbine engines, have opened a joint venture manufacturing facility in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, China. South Pratt&Whitney Aero-Engine Company, a 51/49 joint venture with SAEC holding the majority, will manufacture engine parts for P&WC.
Lockheed Martin Corp. was awarded $28.5 million contract to modify a C-130J to the C-130J-30 configuration for the U.S. Air Force. Contract was awarded by Wright-Patterson AFB's Aeronautical Systems Center, and includes spares, test support, and data. Expected contract completion date is Dec. 31, 2001.
US Airways named William Bozin vice president-safety and regulatory compliance. Bozin will be in charge of all US Airways' safety programs and the airline's relationship with U.S. government agencies on safety issues. He previously was senior director, safety, for the Air Trans-port Association (ATA).
Jet Aviation inaugurated its Love Field facility, which includes 62,000 sq. ft. of hangar space and 103,000 sq. ft. of ramp area. Jet Aviation Dallas is an authorized Cessna Citation service center, and also provides heavy maintenance on all models of Learjets, as well as engine line maintenance up through hot sections for P&W Canada PT6 and JT15D engines.
Spanair will install Messier-Bugatti Sepcarb III carbon brakes on 25 Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft it ordered, as well as Messier-BFGoodrich brakes for eight A321s. The brake program will be charged on a cost-per-landing basis.
BFGoodrich Avionics Systems named Dan Stearns southeast region account manager for the aftermarket Sales Group. He will be responsible for aftermarket sales to authorized BFG Avionics Systems dealers and corporate operators in the southeastern U.S.
Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) is part of a University of Dayton Research Institute contract team that has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force Material Command to provide engineering and high-level technical services in support of all AFMC weapon systems, components and support equipment. The multi-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract is valued at $5 million to CSC if all options are exercised during the five-year contract.
Russell Adams Ltd. (RAL), a U.K.-based aviation software supplier, reported that the value of its software sales grew 25% in 1999 from 1998. New users of the company's products include Volvo and Shannon MRO, RAL said.
DeVilbiss Sherwin-Williams is offering Neutra-Green neutral pH cleaner/degreaser to clean virtually any hard surface without caustics, butyl ethers, chlorinated solvents or other harsh ingredients. This biodegradable cleaner recently passed all testing requirements for Boeing BAC 5763, Type I and ASTM F 945. Neutra-Green is designed for use in dip tanks, spray washers, non-abrasive cleaner and tumbler systems, and in spray-and-wipe application.
Headline-grabbing air crashes are a stark reminder that man and machines are not perfect. Yet beyond the media spotlight that surrounds these rare events, the efforts made to forever banish air accidents are extreme, focused and determined. None more so than the people who quite literally pick up the pieces -- the air accident investigators -- whose job it is to root out the causes and stop the same circumstances happening again.
Northrop Grumman won a $39 million contract from Warner-Robins ALC, Ga., to provide 39 AN/ALQ-131 ECM Block II conversion kits for the Egyptian Air Force.
Piedmont Hawthorne opened its newest fixed base operation at Harrisburg Inter-national Airport, giving the company three FBOs in Pennsylvania, 10 in the Northeast and 31 overall, including three in Canada.
Israel Aircraft Industries and Boeing delivered two MD-11 airplanes modified from passenger to freighter configuration to Korean Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. Boeing Airplane Services also took delivery of two additional MD-11 aircraft for cargo conversion from Gemini Air Cargo. One will be modified in Wichita, the other by IAI. Both will be delivered in May.
Aeroinfo Systems Inc. signed an agreement with Embraer to implement an advanced collaborative reliability management system (CRMS) for the Brazilian airframe OEM. Embraer will use Aeroinfo's CRMS to create digital aircraft maintenance programs.
Elbit Systems Inc. was awarded a contract to supply ANVIS/HUD Night Vision Systems for Korean Army and Air Force helicopters. Under the contract, awarded by South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, Elbit will supply the systems to equip UH-60, CH-47 and AH-1 helicopters. Initial value of the contract is more than $6 million and may be expanded to include more than 200 additional systems.
U.S. Air Force selected WPDS GOLD software to continue development of its Integrated Maintenance Data System (IMDS). GOLD, already part of the design baseline IMDS, will be part of the next major increment release, which is in-tended to demonstrate the core capabilities of the new system. WPDS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bowthorpe plc, a U.K.-based international technology group.
Texaco enrolled two Gulfstream IV-SPs into Chicago-based Jet Support Services, Inc.'s Gulfstream ServiceCare Program. JSSI, which began offering hourly cost maintenance programs for engines a de-cade ago, launched a ``tip-to-tail'' program last year.
Boeing named Frederick W. ``Rick'' Sine vice president of Boeing Airplane Services, reporting to Joe Gullion, president. Sine formerly was vice president of line maintenance for US Airways.
