Most executives have no idea how expensive it is to use the airlines. Ask them how many passengers it takes to make a business aircraft economically effective compared to the airlines and their responses range from three or more to it cannot be done. Their estimates are much too conservative.

With Iridium LLC's survival in doubt and ICO Global Communications Ltd. experiencing problems of its own--a recent public offering failed to raise the $600 million management had targeted--some observers might be questioning what the future holds for satellite operators in general.

Facing barriers to entry stiffer than management initially anticipated, Litton Industries Inc. plans to bow out of the commercial mainframe outsourcing and professional services businesses.

A privately held company since 1907, employee-owned United Parcel Service of America Inc. is proposing to offer stock to the public, but not for the usual reason of raising capital.

Speculation about possible transatlantic mergers between major European and U.S. aerospace/defense companies may have been responsible for propelling the price of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s stock to 745/16--an increase of 5 points--last Wednesday.

The bible of damage tolerance compliance is FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 25.571-1C -- Damage Tolerance and Fatigue Evaluation of Structure. The definitions below are based on those found in that document. You will run into these terms in the maintenance manuals, service bulletins and other airworthiness documents associated with DT-certified aircraft.

Sometimes it can seem as if the skies in which we fly are unchanging and there's little we don't already know about weather, particularly as it pertains to aviation.

Just like its name, the philosophy behind the U.K.'s latest low-cost carrier, Go, is brief -- ``keep it simple, keep it good.''