Peter J. DeFronzo has been named vice president/general manager of the Petroleum Equipment Div. of Stewart&Stevenson Services Inc. of Houston. He succeeds Tommy Wall, who has resigned.
EchoStar will gain access to valuable technology for delivering interactive service to U.S. television sets from its new ``strategic alliance'' with Vivendi Universal, along with $1.5 billion in cash to help finance its proposed merger with Hughes.
A clash is looming between the makers of two of the Pentagon's premier unmanned surveillance aircraft to fight for supremacy of the high-altitude UAV market. The previously cordial coexistence between General Atomics' Predator and Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk is nearing an end. The breakdown comes as General Atomics is moving forward on its Predator-B, an upgrade that blurs the lines between the two established systems.
Citing commonality advantages with its AWACS aircraft, Japan's National Security Council has endorsed the selection of the Boeing 767 to fill the country's first aerial refueling role. Japan's Defense Agency had down-selected the 767 and the Airbus A310 as candidates to fill a four-aircraft requirement in its fiscal 2001-05 defense plan. As expected, defense officials favored the 767 for operational and maintenance commonality with the four 767 airborne warning and control system aircraft that the air force already operates.
Raytheon Co. recently launched ReliabilityAnalysisLab.com to put advanced electronic component analysis services into the hands of design engineers, manufacturing organizations and testing laboratories. The Web site provides Raytheon customers with 24-hr. access to product reliability reports and in-process analyses performed by the lab on a wide range of electronic products--from microprocessors to discrete components.
Germany's BGT has carried out the first test firing of the Armiger antiradar missile. The test vehicle, rail-launched from a ground firing system, contained a solid rocket booster but not the final ram rocket motor.
David Strucke has been named president/CEO of Navtech Inc., Waterloo, Ontario. He was chief financial officer. Strucke succeeds Duncan Macdonald, who has resigned but will remain as chairman.
David M. Risley has been appointed to the board of directors of the Vari-L Co. of Denver. He is senior vice president/chief financial officer of La-Z-Boy Inc. and was vice president-finance/chief financial officer of Aeroquip Vickers Inc.
A new sensor is emerging for the Global Hawk UAV that could address two of the Pentagon's most pressing problems: detecting humans trying to hide in caves and offering an alternative to the Space-Based Infrared System-Low that has come under fire in Congress.
Ronald Allen, former CEO of Delta Air Lines, has been appointed chairman of the board of directors of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
Flight frequencies between the U.S. and the U.K. fell more than 20% in the weeks following Sept. 11, but are projected to rebound within 6% of last summer's levels by July 2002, according to a filing made by American Airlines and British Airways to the U.S. Transportation Dept. The carriers are applying for immunity from antitrust laws as part of their proposed alliance. According to the filing, service frequency in 40 market combinations did not decline and is forecast to remain at the same level through next summer.
John Daegele has become vice president-science and technology of TRW Inc. of Cleveland. He succeeds Pete Staudhammer, who is scheduled to retire Dec. 31. Daegele was director of indium phosphide programs at TRW Ventures.
The FAA has lifted restrictions on so-called ``enhanced Class B'' airspace put in place around 30 major U.S. cities following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The action restored visual flight rule privileges for general aviation pilots and businesses throughout the country and also lifted or reduced the size of no-fly zones in Washington, New York and Boston.
FedEx Corp. reported better-than-expected financial results for its second fiscal quarter that ended Nov. 30. Including a $116-million federal grant compensating it for losses stemming from terrorist attacks in September, the company logged $433 million in operating income and $245 million in net income on $5.14 billion in revenues. Domestic package volume was down 10% year-over-year and international volume was down 6%, but company officials expect a rebound in the third quarter. In addition, work for the U.S.
When President Bush sought to reassure fliers in a speech at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Sept. 27, more than a few eyebrows raised in aviation circles as he posited ``technology to enable controllers to take over [a] distressed aircraft and land it by remote control.'' It's not always easy to tell the boss he has a farfetched idea, but there are diplomatic ways.
President Bush established a presidential emergency board Dec. 20 to recommend contract terms in United Airlines' stalled negotiations with the International Assn. of Machinists, which represents its mechanics. The mechanics had authorized a strike and would have been free to walk off the job Dec. 21 in the absence of presidential action. Bush acted to avoid travel disruptions during the holidays. The board will have 60 days to develop a finding, and United said it and the union will ``continue intensive efforts to conclude a new contract'' during that period.
The auxiliary power unit in the tail of the American Airlines Flight 587 wreckage was found to be in good shape, with no signs of burst, fire or hot air leaks. But tests will be conducted to measure how APU operation heats the carbon composite fin of the Airbus A300-600R, which fell off in flight Nov. 12. The maintenance log shows that the yaw damper and a pitch trim control would not engage during a preflight check on the morning of the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The computer controlling these functions was reset, which resolved the problem.
The malfunction of an attitude control reaction wheel in the Hubble Space Telescope will delay launch of the orbiter Columbia on its planned Hubble servicing mission--by at least two weeks--to late February. The extra time will allow the ground checkout of a replacement reaction wheel assembly, its integration with the rest of the servicing hardware already at the Kennedy Space Center and extra training for the STS-109 crew for installation of the hardware. The flight had been scheduled for a Feb. 14 liftoff.
Aloha and Hawaiian airlines plan to merge. The new carrier would be led by Greg Brenneman, a former president of Continental Airlines, and operated by Aloha Holdings Inc. The deal would include Aloha subsidiary Aloha Island Air, which operates independently. Pilots for both carriers met last week to discuss integrating seniority lists. Aloha and Hawaiian pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn. The two airlines are experiencing financial problems stemming from the downturn in tourism following terrorist attacks in September.
Tour operator Thomas Cook plans to create a new Belgian-based charter airline to serve Egypt, the Canary Islands and other destinations in the Mediterranean region. The company, formed by the merger of Lufthansa affiliate C&N Touristik and British charter carrier Thomas Cook/JMC, already operates as a major tour business in Belgium. It had previously considered buying bankrupt Belgian airline City Bird, but was repelled by harsh conditions imposed by bankruptcy courts.
Textron Inc. has sold its Composite Material Products business, a unit of Textron Systems, to Specialty Materials Inc., a subsidiary of Fiber Glass Industries of Amsterdam, N.Y. Composite Material Products manufactures engineered materials such as continuous boron and silicon carbide filaments to the aerospace, defense, industrial and sports markets. The sale is part of Textron's broader strategy to gradually divest noncore assets.
Pratt&Whitney Aftermarket Services recently signed a 10-year agreement with Japan Air System Co. Ltd. (JAS) to provide a fleet management program for the airline's PW4074-powered Boeing 777-200s. The agreement covers 18 engines and has an estimated value of $204 million. The full-scale overhaul and maintenance work will be performed at Pratt&Whitney's Cheshire, Conn.-based Engine Center. JAS was the first Japanese airline to purchase and fly the PW4000 engine.
