PanAmSat joined forces with Britain's BT Broadcast Services to distribute digital video, enhancing the Hughes-owned satellite service provider's European presence as it seeks to give customers worldwide distribution for their content. PanAmSat will distribute video programming through BT's teleports and fiber network, while BT will gain access to video service delivered by PanAmSat.
Rod Hullaby has been promoted to station manager for Norfolk (Va.) International Airport from manager of training and employee resources at Baltimore-Washington International Airport for Southwest Airlines.
George Mikelsons, who founded American Trans Air 29 years ago, resumed daily control of the Indianapolis-based major airline last week, replacing a youthful CEO and pledging to pare down expenses to fit with the impoverished revenue environment. Mikelsons said his main task will be ``wrestling down the cost alligator.'' Reducing expenses offers the only option for American Trans Air (ATA), he said. Carrier officials are in discussions with Boeing and leasing companies about delivery delays for 737-800 and 757-300 aircraft.
Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has directed the Ministry of Finance to evaluate how the government can reacquire shares in Philippine Airlines so it can once again control the recently revitalized carrier, according to a ministry official. The official, who sought anonymity, said the buy-back from businessman Lucio Tan is regarded as necessary if the Philippines is to liberalize the local travel industry and boost tourism. ``The plan to regain ownership of PAL was being evaluated in line with the open skies policy that is pending with the U.S.
Low-cost carrier Ryanair appears to continue to defy financial gravity, releasing another set of even better than expected earnings last week. However, its market environment is growing ever-more competitive, U.K. flag carrier British Airways only days earlier suggesting its foray into the cut-price arena was beginning to bear fruit. The no-frills carrier saw its first-quarter profit climb 68%, to 39 million euros, over the same quarter for the previous year. Passenger numbers rose 38%, with load factor figures up 6% to 83%.
Leslie J. Cohen (see photos) has been appointed senior vice president-sales, marketing and business development, Lawrence L. Butt senior vice president-operations and William A. Timmerman senior vice president-finance, all at Hitco Carbon Composites of Los Angeles.
Organizations such as airports that want to put mobile users on a private data network over a large, harsh area can look at the Safari Network SR-7100 by NavCom Technology of Redondo Beach, Calif. The mobile unit has a 9.6 X 6 X 5-in.-high radio module to place on top of the vehicle and a 6 X 4.25 X 2-in.-high ``port expander'' to connect to the computer inside, using several protocols ranging from RS232 to Ethernet, with other protocols in development. Range of the 2.4-GHz.
The Expedition 5 crew on the International Space Station is preparing for extravehicular activities on Aug. 16 and Aug. 22. Both will be performed in Russian space suits and led by Russian mission control. During the Aug. 16 EVA, station commander Valeri Korzun and astronaut Peggy Whitson are to install six space debris shields on the ISS Service Module. On the Aug. 22 EVA, Korzun and cosmonaut Sergei Treschev will install several components on the station's exterior.
Gary Hammes has been named director of maintenance and engineering, based at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, for DHL Airways. He was director of maintenance operations at Evergreen Aviation.
The Pentagon's planned B-1 bomber retirement and rebasing program appears to be on-track for completion by Oct. 1, 2003, despite resistance from congressional and local leaders in affected states. The last three Boeing B-1B Lancers operated by the 184th Bomb Wing at McConnell AFB, Kan., left the base on Aug. 4, bound for Ellsworth AFB, S.D., and Dyess AFB, Tex.--which ultimately will be the only two bases flying B-1Bs (see photo). The Kansas Air National Guard (ANG) unit's nine bombers are being replaced by 10 KC-135R air refueling tankers.
Middle East airport upgrades are expected to bring $7.8 billion in spending to the region through 2005. Building plans include a $3.3-billion expansion of the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah airports in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait's Airspace System and a new terminal at International Airport in Muscat, Oman. Projects in Egypt include a $500-million expansion of Cairo International Airport and a $200-million program at Sharm El Sheikh airport, as well as the building of six new domestic facilities.
The World Trade Organization's delay of a key ruling on U.S. export subsidies has bought the Bush administration and Congress time to try resolving differences with their European Union counterparts. But so far, Washington is still in a quandary about how to abide by the trade regulations without harming U.S. industry. The WTO last month once again put off a decision over whether the EU is entitled to impose $4 billion in retaliatory sanctions against the U.S., or whether the figure should be no more than $1.1 billion, as Washington contends.
By DAVID A. FULGHUMBy DOUGLAS BARRIE ( WASHINGTON LONDON)
With Congress' decision to hold hearings on whether war with Iraq is justified, top U.S. military officials have rethought their stance on a possible invasion. They now believe the military needs public approval in advance from Congress. The decision has two political goals: to obtain unequivocal support for the operation from Congress, which controls the Pentagon's purse strings, and to force opposition Democrats into declaring their support or opposition early so there is little partisan sniping once hostilities begin. ``The Pentagon paid attention to the [Sen.
One of the last surviving elements of the Russian air force's once-grand plans for its future combat aircraft fleet is running into further difficulty--the cause being the perennial problem of inadequate funding. Sukhoi is working to complete development of the Su-27IB, a heavily modified bomber derivative of its Su-27 Flanker fighter aircraft. When the Su-27IB program was conceived in the early 1980s, it was expected to become the mainstay of the air force's tactical-strike capability from around 1995 onward.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a series of recommendations on the dangers of opening emergency exit doors when the aircraft is on the ground and the cabin remains pressurized. The action stems from the NTSB's ongoing investigation of an accident on Nov. 20, 2000, that killed an American Airlines flight attendant/purser at Miami International Airport. Another flight attendant died in October 2001 in Tunisia. Both aircraft involved were Airbus A300s.
The next bomber the Pentagon builds should probably be able to fly supersonic, be smaller than the B-2, and certainly cost less, Aldridge believes. Although there are no near-term plans for a new bomber, Aldridge says when it is conceived it should probably carry 16-20 250-lb.-class Small-Diameter Bombs, not more. The problem with carrying too many bombs is that when a stealthy bomber opens its bays, it is easily detectable by radar, so dispensing hundreds of bombs makes little sense.
Europe's EADS has hired Ralph D. Crosby, Jr., as the chairman and CEO of its North American operation headquartered in Washington, effective Sept. 1. He will report directly to EADS Co-CEOs Philippe Camus and Rainer Hertrich, who said Crosby's appointment was intended to send ``a strong signal of our commitment to the U.S. market.'' Crosby, who most recently was president of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems Sector, will oversee EADS' efforts to expand its business, develop industrial partnerships and strengthen customer relationships in the U.S.
The Adelok is designed to aid in the assembly of clamped components by holding itself closed and in place during installation. The ``self-restraining'' or heel lock technology permits technicians to install several clamps at one time on a single attach point, and allows for single-handed accessibility and clamping in hard-to-reach places. Designed for drop-in and replacement of all loop clamp requirements, the Adelok replaces and is interchangeable with M85052, MS21919 and similar clamp designs.
By NEELAM MATHEWSBy DOUGLAS BARRIE ( NEW DELHI LONDON)
BAE Systems is close to signing off on two key deals for its Hawk jet trainer--one would bring to an end India's epic procurement saga; the other would see a new model of Hawk for the British Royal Air Force. After dragging on for the better part of 18 years, India has effectively concluded negotiations with BAE Systems to purchase 66 Hawk trainers for an estimated $1.5 billion to replace its trainer fleet of Kirans and Iskras. Delivery is to begin within the next three years. One reason for the delay is that BAE sources components from U.S.
Some Wall Street professionals are applauding a recent decision by EDO Corp. management to certify the company's financial results, even though they weren't obligated to do so under a new Securities and Exchange Commission edict that applies only to much larger corporations. (EDO's 2001 revenues were $260 million.) ``Their willingness to voluntarily do this sends a strong positive signal to investors,'' said Stephen Levenson, an analyst at Gerard Klauer Mattison, whose stock research is intended mainly for institutional investors.
An engine turbine that overheated and literally melted led to the crash of a 1978 Aerospatiale SA 315B Lama helicopter that was dropping water on a northern Colorado forest fire, according to investigators. The July 30 accident killed Gordon Knight, a pilot for Geo-Seis Helicopters Inc. (AW&ST Aug. 5, p. 49). NTSB officials have yet to determine why the engine failed, but an industry expert said the Lama's Turbomeca Artouste engine has been known to overheat under certain operating conditions, causing the turbine blades to melt.
Designed to guard against electromagnetic interference in electronic products, the company's products include magnetic shielding lab kits, photomultiplier shields, ImageGuard II CRT monitor shields, magnetic field evaluator probes, gaussmeter, Helmholtz coil assemblies, cryogenic and vacuum shields and wall shields. Over the years, high-profile applications for these products include the shields for the Explorer IV satellites that discovered the Van Allen belts and shielded containers for the Apollo Moon missions. Also used on board U.S.
A listing of production overrun optics includes more than 2,500 parts in a variety of sizes, made from sapphire and other materials, which can save users up to 20% over custom fabrication for prototype development. The catalog features more than 1,000 sapphire parts and 1,500 others made from CaF2, fused and crystalline quartz, laser glasses, silicon and germanium. The list includes lenses, mirrors and various substrates ranging from 1/4-2-in. in diameter, and from 0.5-4 mm. thick. Parts usually have 10-5 to 80-50 scratch-dig surface finishes.
