NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe is reworking the agency's overall space commercialization policy that was being put in place last fall when the terrorist attacks sidetracked its release, followed by the retirement of Daniel Goldin as administrator. The policy proposed much broader NASA space program participation with commercial projects, if those projects could help further the aims of NASA. But O'Keefe believes the plan should be simplified.
Thales is studying the possibility of spinning off part or all of its information services affiliate. The subsidiary no longer fits the defense contractor's IT strategy, now centered on secure communications and positioning services. Union sources said that with annual sales of 500 million euros ($440 million), the unit does not have sufficient economies of scale to prosper on its own, and that spinoff to a joint venture is the preferred option. A company official said no decision had been made to either sell or spin off the unit.
The NTSB examined fluids siphoned out of the six fuel tanks of the Boeing 307 Stratoliner as it was being lifted out of Elliott Bay, Wash., after the Mar. 28 ditching (AW&ST Apr. 8, p. 65). About 45 gal. of gasoline were found in the water, or enough for 15 min. at cruise power. The length of the day's flight, from takeoff at Boeing Field to ditching, was updated to be 46 min. See www.aviationnow.com/content/publication/awst/20020408/aw65.htm.
Norman R. Augustine, chairman emeritus of the Lockheed Martin Corp., has received the first Gen. James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award from the Space Foundation. He was honored for commitment to education, aerospace engineering and the future of the industry and nation, and for accomplishments at Lockheed Martin.
This S-shaped Safety Hook is manufactured from glass-reinforced polyester, and is used to keep the workshop floor free of obstacles by suspending cables, hoses and wires. The hook is heat resistant, nonconductive of heat and electricity, lightweight and nonflammable. In addition to helping to clean up the workshop floor, the hook protects cables and hoses from stress damage, yielding longer runs. For the most part, it eliminates the need for tape, rope or cable ties. Color coding and custom imprints define specific applications. It is offered in three sizes: 6 in., 9 in.
Jacques Mignot has been named managing director of the Aircraft Equipment Div. of France-based Messier-Bugatti. He was head of the division when it was owned by Labinal. Mignot will remain chairman/CEO of subsidiaries Technofan and Sofrance.
To free up money, U.S. Navy officials want to discard some old equipment that is no longer used but still requires funding to maintain. Among the items on the Navy's ``disinvestments'' list is the long-range AIM-54 Phoenix that can be carried by F-14s. The missile hasn't been used in a long time, but just keeping it around eats money for technical publications, spare parts and upkeep, says Vice Adm. Joseph W. Dyer, commander of the Naval Air Systems Command. Reducing the inventory is not enough, because most of the bills remain.
The Indian Space Research Organization will include a satellite-aided search and rescue (Sasar) payload on Insat-3A to be launched in the third quarter of 2002, and is working toward establishing a national search-and-rescue policy.
NASA's Inspector General dings the agency for the way it has purchased International Space Station spare parts from Boeing, the ISS prime contractor. The IG found that while ISS managers at Johnson Space Center properly justified its non-competitive procurement of $334 million of station spares through modifications to the Boeing contract, ``it did not negotiate for separately-priced spare parts or develop a pricing history for use in purchasing additional spare parts.'' As a result, NASA has no way of knowing if the prices paid for the parts were reasonable.
Supporters of the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter are worried Congress will slash the project's funding because the Army is again restructuring the development. Congress returns from a two-week break this week, and defense committees are planning to quickly take up the Pentagon's Fiscal 2003 spending request. House members hope to start tweaking the defense budget on Apr. 22. However, the Army isn't ready to roll out its latest Comanche plan because it won't be final for several more months.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is investigating the use of smart materials to create shape-changing, multi-mission aircraft and bring about a leap in low-observable design. The long-term vision is ambitious. ``Can we take a 40-ft.-wingspan reconnaissance vehicle and actually physically change its shape to act more like a small delta wing to go and be able to do some attacks?'' posed Darpa's program manager Ephrahim Garcia. The focus will be on technologies for unmanned aircraft.
Small communities in the U.S. experienced a 19% decline in commercial air service between October 2000 and October 2001, both as a result of the lagging economy early last year and cutbacks following the terrorist attacks, according to a report by the General Accounting Office. On the average, the number of daily departures dropped from nine to six, investigators found, with the majority of those flights being turboprops. Conversely, communities served by jet aircraft had flight frequencies that largely stayed the same.
Thomas R. Pilholski has been promoted to senior vice president/chief financial officer from vice president for Cincinnati-based Eagle-Picher Industries Inc. and parent Eagle-Picher Holdings Inc.
For the second time in a year, Raytheon is protesting the FAA's attempt to modernize the en route ATC automation system (Eram). A year ago the agency announced it would award a sole-source contract to Lockheed Martin, which has been the dominant en route ATC supplier in the U.S. Raytheon protested, the FAA fell back and structured a competition. Bidding are Raytheon and LockMart, which has assembled an all-star team of big players--Boeing, Computer Sciences Corp., Harris and Northrop Grumman.
Patricia Park Montanino has been appointed vice president-human resources of the Atlantic Research Corp., Gainesville, Va. She was director of compensation and benefits.
Snecma and MTU are multiplying their participation in engine component ventures to increase the amount of specialized spare parts and repair work they perform and help offset cyclical civil engine sales.
Six bidders are queuing to compete for the Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft project being run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Army. The system should be survivable and able to attack masked ground targets autonomously. The weapons suite, including missiles, rockets, guns and non-lethal subsystems, is projected to cost 60-80% less to buy than the RAH-66 Comanche and 50-80% less to operate and maintain than the AH-64 Apache. Likely competitors are Boeing, Bell, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Sikorsky.
Richard F. Rouse has been appointed director of quality assurance, environment and safety, and Don Ehler director of sales for St. Louis-based Thunder Aviation Inc. Rouse was manager of procurement quality assurance for the Sabreliner Corp., also in St. Louis. Ehler was a marketing and sales executive for Alliance Systems and Programming Inc.
American Airlines and Finnair have applied for antitrust immunity with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation. The two carriers want to cooperate on scheduling and pricing to improve the codeshare arrangements they already have. Both are members of the Oneworld alliance. An American official said the two carriers have no overlap in service. Finnair has daily service from Helsinki to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport, where American wants to expand after the completion of a new terminal. The U.S. and Finland have an open skies agreement.
Competitors for the U.S. Navy Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft, the P-3 and EP-3 replacement, are busy highlighting their respective strengths in the multi-billion dollar race. Boeing is fighting the perception its two-engine, 737-based solution may be less than ideal for low-altitude anti-submarine operations. It has flown Navy officers on the aircraft, cutting an engine at 200 ft.
Activity is increasing surrounding Brazil's expected purchase of 12-24 fighter aircraft under its $700-million F-X BR program, with executives of some of the competing companies saying a downselect could come as early as the end of next month.
The Rectodyne Model R-400 ground power unit features high currents for accurate turbine spooling and regulated DC power for avionics and lighting system services. This three-phase 28-VDC rectifier has 50/60Hz., 208, 230, 380 or 460-VAC input power. Power is applied through a manually adjustable input voltage selector and power input control circuit connected to a three-phase power transformer. It includes a heavy-duty thermostat for overload protection and an airflow sensor that shuts the GPU down in the event of fan failure. Christie, Div.
The MRO industry is beginning to emerge from the aftermath of Sept. 11, but maintenance providers are grappling with an intensely competitive business climate that demands diligent management of assets to attain and maintain revenue streams.
