Air Canada, in response to rising competition and consumer demand, recently announced plans for a summer launch of a low-fare, primarily short-haul carrier, Zip.
Dr. Alasdair Beatton, head of medical services for the airline Emirates, has received a fellowship from Britain's Royal College of General Practitioners. He was cited for his contribution to the development of general practice.
Korea Aerospace Industries/Lockheed Martin's T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer has completed its flight readiness review and is scheduled to take its first flight in June. An exact date has not been announced. Meanwhile, assembly of the second flight-test article has been completed and has entered ground testing. It was originally set to fly next year but may enter flight testing late this summer, KAI officials said.
South Korea's fighter choice of the General Electric-powered Boeing F-15K represents an important win for the two U.S. aerospace companies by keeping the strike fighter's production line open and offering an entree for the F110-GE-129 to the F-15E.
A recent airworthiness directive warns operators of Boeing 737-600/700/700C series aircraft not to extend speedbrakes at speeds in excess of 300 KIAS. According to AD 2002-08-522, this could result in a severe vibration that could cause ``extreme damage to the horizontal stabilizer.''
Africa's disproportionately high rate of accidents associated with the approach and landing phase of flight underscores an urgent need for African nations and airlines to upgrade infrastructure and implement or reinforce the use of proven safety procedures, according to a report by the Flight Safety Foundation.
The Galaxy IIIC communications satellite--the initial Boeing 702 spacecraft equipped with a redesigned solar array--is to be delivered this week for what will be the first Sea Launch system mission in a year. A combination of the commercial satellite market downturn and delays in spacecraft deliveries have kept Sea Launch vessels in their home port at Long Beach, Calif., for almost all of the past year. The last launch for the ocean-going system was in May 2001.
Not everyone is happy with the scope of U.S. government efforts to increase airline security. As of late last week, more than 12,500 signatures had been affixed to the ``Arm Our Airline Pilots Now'' petition posted Apr. 9 at the Allied Pilots Assn. Web site, www.petitiononline.com/apsa/petition.html. The APA, which represents 11,000 pilots at American Airlines and 2,300 TWA pilots, along with other pilot groups, plans to deliver the petition to President George W. Bush on May 2, the same day House Aviation Subcommittee hearings on the subject are scheduled.
France's Turbomeca has signed an agreement with Russian helicopter maker Kamov to offer a version of the Ka-226 twin-rotor aircraft with a new Arrius turboshaft engine.
The advent of ultra long-range revenue flights by international airlines is driving development of regulatory and operational initiatives that address safety issues in the cockpit and the cabin environment. At a recent meeting in Paris, 83 safety specialists from 14 countries met to discuss the development of recommendations and guidelines applicable to the conduct of ultra long-range (ULR) airline flights. The meeting was sponsored by the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) and Boeing, and was hosted by Airbus Industrie.
The executive branch collects information with the best of them but sometimes has trouble issuing it. Last September, when Congress passed the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act, it told the Administration to report by Feb. 1 on the financial status of the airline industry. Within weeks, the Transportation Dept. ordered airlines to submit elaborate and frequent data on their finances and operations (AW&ST Oct. 8, p. 30). The feds' report hasn't been issued yet, but a Transportation Dept. official says it should be completed soon.
General Electric has received type certification for three versions of its CF34-8 Growth powerplant. The engine family, which can generate up to 14,510-lb. thrust at takeoff, is slated to power three regional jets: the Bombardier CRJ900, the financially beleaguered Fairchild Dornier 728 and the Embraer 170/175.
Bonnie J. Dunbar, assistant director for university research and affairs at the NASA Johnson Space Center, is one of 10 new aerospace-related members of the Washington-based National Academy of Engineering. The others are: Farouk El-Baz, professor/director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University; Robert W. Galvin, chairman of the executive committee of Motorola Inc.; Jacques S. Gansler, professor/Roger C. Lipitz chair at the Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise in the University of MarylandSchool of Public Affairs; Adib K.
USAF GPS navigation satellite launches at Cape Canaveral are being delayed by USAF concerns about the quality of Boeing work to install new automatic destruct systems on Delta II boosters. A GPS launch that had been planned for May 8 has been delayed by at least a month, and the postponement will have a ripple effect on one or two other GPS missions. The problem has also delayed the Delta II launch of the NASA Aqua spacecraft from Vandenberg AFB from mid-April to at least early May.
The U.S. Air Force has identified 10 of its highest profile modernization programs as test cases to develop them in bite-sized increments to avoid cost, schedule and other problems that have beset more traditional efforts. The goal is to avoid programs that remain in development for years, take on inordinate risk, and fail to perform on cost and schedule. In the process, the service may refocus its technology research and development.
Further evidence of how e-marketplaces are reaching out to infotech service providers can be seen in the agreement of Avexus Inc., makers of Impresa maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) software, to team with Aeroxchange, the online marketplace founded by 13 Asian, European and U.S. carriers. The intent is to create a larger market for parts procurement by giving Impresa users access to Aeroxchange's online marketplace. The integrated product is to be available in the third quarter.
House appropriators and Transportation Dept. officials have locked horns over a $4.4-billion budget boost this year for the Transportation Security Administration in order to meet deadlines mandated by the Aviation and Transportation Security Act.
Trying to make up for what it terms ``significant inequities,'' the Transportation Dept. has set aside $35 million of its $4.5 billion in Sept. 11 airline grant money for small operators. The grants are doled out on the basis of capacity flown during August 2001, the only criterion so far, and compensate air taxi, commuter and regional carrier applicants with less than 310,000 available seat miles (ASMs)--there are 143 to date--for only about 6% of their claimed Sept. 11 losses.
TRW Inc., spurning a sweetened Northrop Grumman bid to buy the company, effectively hung a ``for sale'' sign on its Cleveland headquarters' front door last week by indicating it was willing to open its books to any potential buyer.
Germany and France are preparing to add their first Tigers to Europe's rapidly growing arsenal of new-generation attack helicopters, although ultimate purchase levels are now liable to be far below original figures.
U.S. Army officials are looking for tools that will help troops get updated national and tactical intelligence while they are being airlifted to a combat area. Without such inflight information, troops could land and find themselves with out-of-date information on the enemy, hindering a timely setup and jeopardizing the outcome of an operation. ``We can't have any cold starts,'' said Lt. Gen. Robert W. Noonan, Jr., the Army's deputy chief of staff for intelligence. But that alone won't be enough.
Exostar, the Internet-based global exchange, has selected Evincible's Privacy Platform to assure security of Exostar's ForumPass collaboration suite. Jeff Nigriny, Exostar's security manager, said Evincible's system was selected because it assured a ``far higher level of security'' by reaching ``all the way to the user's desktop.'' . . . Researchers at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Sandia National Laboratories report building a portable cluster computer using off-the-shelf embedded systems that can easily fit in the overhead bin of a commercial aircraft.
Yvon Turcot has been promoted to senior vice president from vice president-public affairs of Bombardier Inc. of Montreal. Richard Bradeen, who has been vice president-corporate audit and risk assessment, is now vice president for amphibious aircraft, defense services and the Belfast (Northern Ireland) City Airport. He has been succeeded by Carole Lamarche, who was vice president-finance. Dominique Dionne has been promoted to vice president from director of public relations and communication.
Stephen Brettel (see photo) has been named resident manager of the NASA/ Lockheed Martin Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. He was space shuttle external tank upgrades manager.
The U.S. Transportation Dept.'s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has ordered 300 explosive detection systems and 100 more component kits worth a total of $148.6 million from InVision Technologies Inc. as part of the agency's planned security upgrade for U.S. airports. Close to 200 machines have been installed, and the TSA says an additional 2,000 may be needed. Also, L-3 Communications' Security Systems Div. will supply 100 Examiner 3DX 6000 explosive detection systems to the TSA.
