Northwest Airlines Corp., which lost money during a normally prosperous second quarter, reported a $19-million third-quarter net profit on the strength of a $248.5-million rescue grant from the federal government.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. and a subsequent chemical plant explosion here cast a pall over the 50th-anniversary International Astronautical Federation congress, keeping many U.S. attendees at home and blanketing the congress site in this picturesque medieval city with tight security.
The Northrop Grumman Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (Laircm), recently selected to outfit Air Mobility Command's C-5s and C-17s to protect against shoulder-fired infrared guided missiles, could find application on international commercial carrier aircraft to protect against terrorist attack (AW&ST Oct. 15, p. 23).
Pilots of an American Airlines MD-82 that crashed and burned after overrunning a rain-slicked runway in Little Rock, Ark., fell victim to a chain of events triggered by poor decision-making, fatigue and weather-induced stress, according to a finding by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Commercial aerospace suppliers already know demand for their products will be sharply reduced for months to come, although companies are still trying to figure out just how severe a downturn they're facing.
With so much attention focused in recent weeks on airlines' survival and the impact their struggle is having on commercial aviation suppliers, it's easy to forget that the weak U.S. economy is playing no small role in eroding some companies' performance.
The campaign against terrorism appears to be providing a much-needed boost for Europe's A400M airlifter. Top executives at EADS, whose Airbus unit would be prime contractor for the aircraft, said recently that a financing deal to cover a budget shortfall in Germany was close to being finalized. A French defense ministry official said a contract is expected to be signed on Nov. 16. The program may be started without Italy, if necessary.
Swiss regional carrier Crossair was struggling late last week to secure SF1 billion ($610 million) in additional funds to be able to proceed with the integration of Swissair's European network by the end of the month.
Itzhak Nissan, general manager of the MBT Div. of Israel Aircraft Industries, has received the Israel Industry Award for 2001. He was recognized for ``management excellence, combined with initiative and an innovative approach to development of new technologies and remarkable marketing capability.''
The 2,270-lb. QuickBird commercial imaging spacecraft built by Ball Aerospace for the DigitalGlobe company of Longmont, Colo., was launched Oct. 18 into a 250-mi. polar orbit from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on board a Boeing Delta II 7320 version with three solid rocket boosters. The spacecraft is to have the highest resolution for any commercial spacecraft with 2-ft. resolution for black and white pictures and 8 ft. for color pictures.
Mary Carroll Linder has been named senior vice president-corporate and brand communications for Northwest Airlines. She was senior vice president-corporate communications.
Linda S. Cook (see photo) has been appointed vice president/director of Advanced Extremely High Frequency Projects within the Atlanta-based EMS Technologies Space&Technology Group. She was director of engineering for EMS Wireless.
Slowing demand continues to be felt throughout Asia. Air India is closing 20 ticket agencies in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia and laying off 52 employees. . . . Cathay Pacific has cut 4% of its Asian and transpacific flights. . . . All Nippon Airways is increasing flights into South Korea and China to try to counterbalance the 30% drop in demand on transpacific routes. . . . Delta Air Lines will terminate daily service between Los Angeles and Nagoya, Japan, and Tokyo's Narita Airport on Dec. 1 and plans to eliminate Tokyo -New York JFK services until March. .
Raytheon is offering to sell its business units in Waco, Garland and Greenville, Tex., where the company works on special-mission, intelligence-gathering aircraft. Boeing, L-3 and Northrop Grumman are the three top contenders, according to sources.
Of the many proposals to enhance aviation security in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., none may be more controversial than arming aircrews. To explore the pros and cons, Aviation Week&Space Technology turned to two veteran airline captains. On the left, Tracy W. Price, who flies Boeing 737s for a major carrier, argues in favor. On the right, Roger Waldman, a U.S. citizen who flew for Air Canada, argues against firearms on the flight deck.
Paul Cofoni and Mike Laphen have become corporate vice presidents of the Computer Sciences Corp., El Segundo, Calif. Cofoni and Laphen are presidents of CSC's Federal Sector and European Group, respectively.
The Pentagon's National Imagery and Mapping Agency has trumped the old debate about high-resolution commercial reconnaissance satellites compromising U.S. military operations. For $1,912,500 a month, NIMA has bought exclusive rights to all images of the Enduring Freedom area of operations collected by the Ikonos commercial satellite operated by Denver-based Space Imaging. That effectively gives the U.S. military ``shutter control'' of the 1-meter-resolution spacecraft for cash. If NIMA actually uses Ikonos pictures, it must pay another $20 per square km.
The National Technical Information Service has released a report assessing the strategic consequences of globalization and its implications for U.S. national security and defense policy. ``The Global Century: Globalization and National Security'' recommends an increased interagency coordination in Washington, closer ties with European and Asian allies, and a flexible and adaptive military force structure with a wide spectrum of capabilities. Check www.ntis.gov/product/featured/terrorism.htm for details.
Pierre Beaudoin has been appointed president and chief operating officer of Bombardier Aerospace. Previously, he was president of the business aircraft division and president and COO of Bombardier Recreational Products. He succeeds Michael Graff, who plans to pursue other interests in the U.S.
ST MICROELECTRONICS RESEARCHERS will describe the smallest manufactured NMOSFET (Negative-Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor) at the 2001 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEEEDM) in Washington, Dec. 3-5. Using a polysilicon notch technique, they have achieved a 16-nanometer gate with conventional lithography, producing transistors, which, at one-fifth the size of state of the art today, are the smallest gate length reported, using conventional bulk Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor transistors.
The use of missile-firing Predator unmanned aircraft in Afghanistan has achieved ``good success,'' said a Pentagon official familiar with the CIA-led activity.
About 600 New Zealanders last week protested a government decision to disband the air force's combat wing, after more than 100 termination letters were received by service personnel at Ohakea air base. The defense minister, Mark Burton, told protesters that tough fiscal decisions had to be made, and other military units would be better equipped as a result. Opponents claimed New Zealand is simply adopting an isolationist stance, and is relying on other nations for its defense.
SAAB AVIONICS AB, WHICH SUPPORTS SAAB AEROSPACE in electromagnetic interference (EMI) for aircraft including the Gripen, is turning to automobiles for insights to prevent EMI problems. The increasing variety of electronics packed in the small volume of a car creates more complex EMI challenges than in aircraft, according to Saab. Plus, the automotive side spends more money on research to find solutions.
The slowdown in cargo shipping that followed the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks has prompted a closer look at the realities of just-in-time (JIT) shipping. Ford, which had to shut down plants for lack of JIT parts, is evaluating whether to move to warehousing of strategic parts, according to ARC, a consultancy. A slowing economy will open capacity and could cause a shift away from air cargo, ARC said. That raises questions about the use of third-party logistics suppliers for air shipments.
