Harris Corp., winner of the FAA's $331 million Data Communications Integrated Services (DCIS) contract in September, would like to accelerate the disbursement of $80 million in avionics aid for select airlines to begin demonstrating benefits of the data communications (datacomm) technology to the broader community by 2015.

David Davenport (see photo) has been promoted to VP and regional operations manager of New York LaGuardia Airport-based FlightSafety International from manager of the Savannah (Ga.) Learning Center. Fabio Miguez was promoted to manager of the Columbus (Ohio) Learning Center from manager of the Detroit Metro/Toledo Center. He succeeds Chip White, who moved to the Gulfstream Learning Center. Daniel MacLellan has been promoted to regional operations manager and will continue as manager of the Dallas/Fort Worth Learning Center.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) battle over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing drags on. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) office maintains in a Sept. 23 filing that NASA and U.S. Defense Department funding to Boeing that the WTO found to be illegal subsidies has been removed. The USTR added that the State of Washington is modifying tax credits to Boeing to bring them into line with the WTO ruling and that the City of Wichita is also changing industrial bond rates to comply.

Mark C. Cherry has joined Aurora Flight Services, Manassas, Va., as president and chief operating officer. He succeeds Aurora founder John S. Langford, who will continue as chairman and CEO. Cherry was VP-corporate strategy and synergy at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.

Roger Sherrard (see photo) has been promoted to president of Irvine, Calif.-based Parker Aerospace, succeeding Bob Barker, who is scheduled to retire at year-end after 39 years with the company. Sherrard has been president of Parker Hannifin's automation and instrumentation groups. Greg Crowe has been promoted to VP-operations from VP and general manager of the Fluid Systems Div. He has been succeeded by Guy Martin, who was general manager of the Seal Group's Engineered Polymer Systems Div. Frank Dubey has become VP and general manager of the Control Systems Div.

Sir Martin Sweeting, executive chairman of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. and director of the Surrey Space Center at the University of Surrey, England, has received the International von Karman Wings Award for his contributions to aerospace, presented by the Aerospace Historical Society and the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

As concerns about privacy and security begin to weigh on the launch of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in civilian airspace, the Senate is forming a bipartisan UAS Caucus to help smooth the industry's takeoff. Aviation enthusiast Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are heading the push to move the industry out of the civilian world and into the hands of businesses and state and local governments.

Women in Aerospace has recognized nine women for their contributions to the aerospace industry and the advancement of women in the field with its 2012 awards. The Outstanding Achievement Award went to Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX; Aerospace Awareness Award to Susan Anderson, public affairs specialist at NASA's Johnson Space Center; Aerospace Educator Award to Shella Condino, advanced-placement physics and chemistry teacher; Leadership Awards to Simonetta Di Pippo, ASI European Space Policy Observatory, and to U.S. Sen.