Educator-in-space Barbara Morgan will probably get a flight assignment before the end of the year, according to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, who saw his ``vision'' for the agency overshadowed by his announcement that the late Christa McAuliffe's backup was finally going into orbit. Morgan will be followed by other citizen-astronauts, O'Keefe says, but they'll have to contribute something to the mission and not just be tourists.
Insolvent U.S.-German aircraft manufacturer Fairchild Dornier is facing an even more uncertain future after one of its key customers canceled a major order for the 728 regional jet, but at the same time continues to hope Boeing will step in as a strategic investor.
Two months of analysis and experiment have produced a ``core unit'' of passenger-screening hardware and personnel at Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) that the Transportation Security Administration intends to adopt at or adapt to all but the smallest U.S. airports.
Helicopter builders are teaming to penetrate the growing Latin American market. AgustaWestland will work with Chile's Enaer to support the European manufacturer's products. More than 100 AgustaWestland aircraft operate in the region. And Russia's Kazan will team with BAE Systems to market upgrades of Mi-8, Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters. A cockpit mockup of the Mi-24 was on BAE's stand at the FIDAE air show in Santiago.
The collapse of the Dutch government as of last week left its selection of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in limbo pending Parliamentary approval. This had been anticipated by mid-April, but with elections due in May, a final decision on the F-35 could be some months away.
Neal Cohen has become executive vice president-finance/chief financial officer of US Airways. He was senior vice president/treasurer of Northwest Airlines. Michelle V. Bryan will be executive vice president/general counsel. She was senior vice president-human resources. Jerry Glass, previously president of a transportation labor relations consulting firm, is now senior vice president-employee relations. Gregory T. Taylor, who was senior vice president-planning, has become president of US Airways Express. B.
Attempting to reverse a downward spiral of research-and-development expenditure, the British government's latest budget, unveiled last week, includes a tax break for industry. The tax credit, equivalent to 7.5% on R&D outlay, was welcomed by the British lobby group the Society of British Aerospace Companies.
Herley Industries Inc. has received the second-year release of a five-year $16.5-million contract to deliver tactical landing systems for the U.S. Navy's F-18 E/F Super Hornet aircraft.
EDWARD H. PHILLIPS, FRANCES FIORINO, ANTHONY L. VELOCCI, JR., and BRUCE A. SMITH
Restructuring Ahead for US Airways US Airways Group aims to restructure in the second quarter--and to implement the plan, it expects to apply for an Air Transportation Stabilization Board loan guarantee, although President and CEO David Siegel said he ``wasn't prepared to state the size of the loan.'' US Airways intends to work with all stakeholders to complete a preliminary draft of the restructuring plan by the end of this month or early May.
IRVINE SENSORS HAS DELIVERED a new miniature infrared video camera. The CAM-NOIR thermal video system is sensitive to 0.1C, operates on battery power (1.5 watts) and does not need temperature stabilization or periodic recalibration. The real breakthrough for this camera, developed for the Defense Dept., is rapid response from power application to first image, which allows operation as a ``snapshot'' thermal camera. Applications include UAVs, head-mounted cameras, weapon sights and Flirs. The 1.5 X 1.72 X 2-in.
After initially hesitating to approve a relatively inexpensive basic traffic avoidance system (TAS) suitable for rotary-wing and general aviation aircraft owing to concern about its sensitivity, Japan's Transport Ministry has given the go-ahead. TAS uses a transponder with a Mode C altitude interrogation system. It warns pilots of a potential airspace conflict but does not issue them such flight directions as--``Climb!''--as a traffic-alert and collision avoidance system II (TCAS II) does.
The sink rate for Kansai International Airport, which was built on a man-made island in Osaka Bay, appears to be slowing. Since it was built a decade ago, the island has settled 11.9 meters (39 ft.), including 2.1 meters since the airport's single passenger terminal and runway opened in September 1994. Last year it sank 19 cm. (7.5 in.), an improvement over the 22 cm. it sank in 2000. The airport's directors forecast that the island will continue to settle over the next 40 years, but the rate will slow dramatically to reach a total of 12-12.5 meters.
Clifton A. Moore, executive director of the Los Angeles Airports Dept. from 1968-93, died Apr. 2 in Lancaster, Calif. He was 80. Besides heading construction of the present-day Los Angeles International Airport, Moore was a leader of the international airport community, serving as president of the Airport Operators Council International and twice as president of the International Civil Airports Assn. In 1975, the FAA gave Moore its Award for Extraordinary Service for his pioneering work on noise mitigation.
Doak Medchill has been appointed vice president for the U.S. West and Southwest for AirNet Systems Inc., Columbus, Ohio. He was vice president of Eagle Global Logistics.
The U.S. nuclear weapons community is embarking on activities that could yield new designs and broaden efforts to stem the flow of non-weapons-grade radioactive materials. The laboratories in charge of developing nuclear weapons have established a number of advanced concept groups who are supposed to foster thinking about how to leverage advances in technology. The technology incubators also serve as a mechanism to join seasoned design engineers with new talent to ensure that the existing knowledge base is handed off as older employees retire.
Pascal Senechal (see photos) has been appointed chairman/CEO of France-based Hispano-Suiza. He was vice president-military engines of Snecma and has been succeeded by Jean-Luc Engerand.
The Pentagon's unified command plan unveiled last week establishes Northern Command and assigns it responsibility for Norad, but leaves unanswered some key questions. On the unresolved list is what will happen to U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Strategic Command. The Pentagon won't decide until later this year whether the two will be combined. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says even if the shotgun marriage happens, facilities probably won't be consolidated.
The crash of an Air China Boeing 767-200ER in foul weather on an approach to the Kimhae International Airport near Busan, South Korea, on Apr. 15 will likely focus attention on upcoming worldwide mandates for improved terrain awareness equipment in large commercial transports. Flight 129 from Beijing, carrying 155 passengers and 11 crewmembers, smashed into rising terrain at 730 ft, 2.2 naut. mi. north of the airport at 11:23 a.m., killing 126 and injuring 38 including the captain. Two passengers are still missing.
Northrop Grumman Corp. has won a $38.4-million contract to produce the 17th E-8C Joint-STARS aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. Conversion work on the former USAF EC-18 advanced-range instrumentation aircraft began this month.
Midwest Express Airlines has finalized a firm order for 25 Boeing 717-200 aircraft, five more than the airline said it intended to order in April of last year. The deal includes the firm order for 25 twinjets, with a list value of $940 million, and options for an additional 25 717s. The Milwaukee-based carrier, which now operates 23 DC-9s and 12 MD-80s, is to begin receiving the 717s in February 2003. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed in 2005. Boeing has a total of 162 orders for the 717, including those from Midwest.
Future versions of the Anglo-French Scalp EG Storm Shadow cruise missile family are emerging as possible applications for Rolls-Royce's Small Unmanned Air Vehicle Engine (Suave) concept now in the study stage. A propulsion upgrade of the Storm Shadow is touted for around 2010, according to guided-weapons manufacturers. The upgrade would be aimed at increasing range performance by reducing fuel consumption.
Antarctica has a new white-ice runway certified for year-round use for wheeled military cargo planes. Until now, the only aircraft that could operate during the entire ``summer'' season were ski-equipped LC-130s from the New York Air National Guard, which used the ski-way at Williams Field near McMurdo.
Boeing posted a $1.25-billion loss during the first quarter of this year, the first since 1997, primarily due to an accounting change that resulted in a charge of $1.83 billion. The loss compares to a $1.24-billion profit during the first quarter of 2001. The accounting changes largely related to Boeing's acquisition in October 2000 of the former Hughes Space and Communications organization, part of Boeing's plan to offset the cyclical nature of the commercial aircraft market.
