Paul Severin has been named executive vice president-repair and overhaul services, Clayton Lim executive vice president-aftermarket sales and Chuck Pappas executive vice president-operations, all of the Milwaukee-based Tracer Corp.
Transportation Dept. inspectors have turned their attention to the network of aircraft repair stations that fix commercial aircraft under an Inspector General audit launched last week. The four-pronged investigation will focus on whether the facilities, both domestic and international, provide adequate security around the out-of-service aircraft and whether the operators use qualified people and approved maintenance procedures to fix them.
Few details have emerged in the investigation of the simultaneous flameout of both CFM56-3 engines on a Garuda Indonesia 737-300 while it was descending from cruise during a heavy rainstorm. The unpowered aircraft crashed into the Bengawan Solo River in Java on Jan. 16, killing a flight attendant and injuring 13 others among the 61 on board. The flight attendant was seated in a jump seat in the tail where the aircraft broke apart.
IN 2001, THE ``BE A PILOT'' PROGRAM (BAP) attracted inquiries from 32,368 people, of which about 6,000 became student pilots. ``Be A Pilot'' is a national public education program aimed at promoting general aviation and flying. According to Drew Steketee, president and CEO, the initiative has drawn interest from 140,000 individuals, but how many completed their flight training, and earned a private pilot license, is unknown. Although responses temporarily plummeted 70% after Sept.
A year after inaugurating online brokering of airline fuel contracts, JET-A.com has upgraded its portal software to eliminate the need for buyers and sellers to manually key in critical fuel ticketing data. Jointly owned by Aeroxchange, Cordiem and five major oil companies, the site reports increasing usage. United Airlines, its first user, is issuing request for quotes online ``as much as possible'' and Delta Air Lines expects to buy some $2 billion in fuel through Jet-A.com in 2002.
Bell/Agusta Aerospace Co.'s AB139 helicopter, currently undergoing certification flight tests in Italy, is aimed at operators requiring more speed, mission flexibility, power margin and economy of operation than is available from competitors in its class.
The U.S. Army is getting ready to name the winners in the competition to develop the service's next-generation intelligence-gathering aircraft--a job that got a lot harder last year when the Pentagon canceled a key subsystem that was at the heart of the Aerial Common Sensor (ACS).
Riding the tide of popular support for the war on terrorism, President Bush's nearly $400-billion national security budget for next year is likely to sail through Congress unscathed. There will be, of course, the usual side skirmishes over the costs of missile defense, the best mix of fighter and bomber aircraft purchases and the right pace of military ``transformation.''
The U.S. Air Force has given the green light to upgrade the bulk of its F-15C fleet with a new radar and is beginning to explore whether it should do the same with its F-15E strike fighters. Following an extensive test program, Air Force officials have deemed the Raytheon-developed APG-63(V)1 production-ready and have started full-rate production and fielding of the radar, says Col. Anthony Zompetti, development system manager for the F-15.
French defense and industry officials remain confident that a $200-million contract to modernize navigation systems on Turkish F-16s is not dead, despite Turkish press reports saying it had been canceled. The contract was suspended last year following a French parliament declaration recognizing Turkey's role in the Armenian genocide. But after a recent visit to Ankara by French Defense Minister Alain Richard and Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, ``the period of cold relations is over,'' a defense spokesman said.
The aerospace and defense (A&D) manufacturing sector's investment in information technology (IT) bucked the flat-growth trend of other complex manufacturing industries in 2001, according to a recently released report by Michael J. Burkett of AMR Research. Still, hard times prompted the industry to slightly underspend what it committed to IT in 2000.
AgustaWestland has received major new military helicopter orders from Italy in a move that will further consolidate the new company's position as an industry giant but could aggravate an already pronounced imbalance between its Italian and British units. AgustaWestland is appearing at the Helicopter Assn. International convention for the first time as a joint company. It became operational on Feb. 12, 2001, just after the last meeting.
In the wake of Sept. 11, the Bush Administration and Congress reevaluated airport security. They moved to replace low-paid and poorly trained X-ray screeners with federalized ``security agents,'' reduce or eliminate curb-side check-in, increase random identification and weapon checks, and add air marshals and bomb-sniffing dogs.
The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is undertaking a quick, 90-day assessment to explore what options may exist to replace the AC-130 gunships with more capable systems. The performance of AC-130 gunships in Afghanistan has already wowed senior Pentagon officials enough to provide additional money to the Special Operations Command to convert four C-130Hs into AC-130Us. Now, the service is interested in improvements in a variety of areas, ranging from lethality, survivability and connectivity between aircraft.
Eurocontrol is using Sita to provide a high-speed Internet protocol for access to its CFMU, the central flow management unit that processes data on air traffic demand and capacity throughout the organization's 30 member nations. . . . Korean Air has selected Sabre Aircrews software to manage its crew scheduling, rostering and Internet access needs. . . . Aircraft Technical Publishers has signed a licensing agreement with MD Helicopters Inc. to distribute CD-ROMs for the MD900, 369E/FF/H, 500N and 600N model helicopters. . . .
THE DANGER OF STRIKING ELECTRICAL WIRES OR CABLES is a constant threat to both civilian and military helicopter pilots. Safe Flight Instrument Corp. has developed a detection system that produces an aural alert and triggers a red warning light on the instrument panel when an electromagnetic field is sensed. The alarm increases in intensity as the aircraft approaches the powerline from any direction. The company has tested the system on a Eurocopter SA341G Gazelle, and recently received FAA approval for the installation.
China's cabinet has given formal approval to the sweeping consolidation plans of the Civil Aviation Administration of China that will make China Southern Airlines of Guangzhou, Air China of Beijing and China Eastern of Shanghai the three giant carriers of the country. The plan has been controversial for two reasons: doubts that it will be successful and resistance by six regional carriers to being pulled under the wing of the Big Three. The plan means the three groups will control about 80% of China's domestic traffic.
Japan's National Space Development Agency has received a second endorsement of its plans to join commercial space-faring nations by successfully launching its redesigned H-IIA medium-weight launch vehicle on Feb. 4 from NASDA's Tanegashima Launch Center about 620 mi. south of here.
Michael Piscatella has become group president for Aerostructures and Aviation Technical Services of the Goodrich Corp., Charlotte, N.C. He succeeds Graydon (Bud) Wetzler, who has retired. Piscatella has been group president for Electronic Systems. He will be succeeded by Jack Carmola, who also will remain group president for Engine and Safety Systems.
Despite a moderate demand for twin turboprops and a low production rate, Avions de Transport Regional has attained long-overdue profitability, according to company executives. ``After cutting overall costs by as much as 20%, we had our best results and foresee achieving significant profits in 2002,'' ATR Chief Executive Jean-Michel Leonard said. He added that the company's financial break-even point could be lowered to 18 aircraft per year. EADS and Finmeccanica/ Alenia Aeronautica each own 50% of the Toulouse-based Franco-Italian joint venture.
USMC Gen. (ret.) Joseph Paul Hoar, former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Central Command, has been appointed to the board of directors of Millennium Jet Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.
Boeing is examining ways to conduct flying testbed experiments that will closely mimic the buried engine installation called for by the company's Sonic Cruiser design. Discussions with engine-maker Pratt&Whitney are exploring whether the proper test data could be gathered by flying the test apparatus on the wing of a carrier, such as a 747, or in a fuselage-mounted configuration at the rear of the testbed. Officials say a decision is still months away.
Italy's civil aviation authority is investigating whether Panaviation, a Rome-based aviation broker, recently sold unapproved Airbus A300B spare parts to U.S. distributors. An FAA Suspected Unapproved Parts warning covers components coming from six disassembled aircraft previously operated by Alitalia. If the suspected parts can be traced and properly documented, the precautionary alert will be lifted. But the multinational effort has shown that tracking down bogus parts is a top-priority mission.
Patrick Cipriani has become chairman of the Paris-based Sofreavia Group. He succeeds Nicolas Durieux, who has retired. Cipriani was managing director. Mike Humphreys has been appointed acting CEO of London Stansted Airport-based FLS Aerospace. He succeeds Stephen Henderson, who has resigned but who will remain on the board of directors. Humphreys has been group vice president-strategic planning.
AgustaWestland completed its first year of operation by delivering 112 helicopters, of which 55 were accepted by the military and 57 by commercial operators. The company is owned equally by Italy's Finmeccanica and GKN in the U.K. For the first time as a new enterprise, AgustaWestland is exhibiting a number of helicopters at this week's Heli-Expo in Orlando, Fla. These include an A109 Power in a new VIP configuration and an A119 Koala fitted for utility missions. The company will be a coexhibitor with partner Bell Helicopter Textron at the Bell/Agusta Aerospace Co.
