A VERY SMALL THREE-AXIS MAGNETORESISTIVE SENSOR has been developed by Honeywell Solid State Electronics Center, with compass applications for portable systems and general aviation. It combines a two-axis sensor on a chip (HMC1052) with a new single-axis version (HMC1051Z). The two- axis surface-mount package is 3 mm. X 3 mm. X 1 mm. (0.12 X 0.12 X 0.04 in.). With the third axis gimbaled in a liquid-filled container, accuracy is 12 deg.
Bombardier Aerospace's two newest regional jets, the CRJ700 and CRJ900, are essential to its growing family of regional aircraft, which stems from the original 50-seat CRJ200. And they are entering service earlier than similar offerings from competitors.
NASA is looking to squeeze within a tight budget by eliminating jobs at its 10 field centers, a process--spurred by White House budgeteers and the post-Sept. 11 political landscape--that outgoing Administrator Daniel S. Goldin likened to ``throwing children to the wolves.''
Wadih El-Hage, a former personal secretary to Osama bin Laden, was one of four terrorists sentenced to life imprisonment without parole last week in a heavily guarded U.S. District Court in New York--located near the remains of the World Trade Center. El-Hage, Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, Mohamed Rashed Daoud Al'Owhali and Mohamed Sadeek Odeh, all linked to Al Queda, were convicted of conspiracy in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed more than 200 people.
Mesa Airlines says it will begin training its pilots to use taser weapons in the cockpit and is working with the FAA to get approval to carry the devices in flight. The handheld, nonlethal weapon uses compressed nitrogen gas to fire a set of probes at would-be attackers up to 15 ft. away, pumping a pulsating electric current from the base unit to the probes through attached wires. The jolt reportedly will immobilize an attacker for 15 min. So far the FAA appears to be an unwilling participant in the venture.
Carolyn Corvi, vice president-737 Programs for Boeing and general manager of the Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group, Renton, Wash., has won the Leadership Award for 2001 from Alexandria, Va.-based Women in Aerospace.
George Rietbergen has been named European director of e-commerce for the Goodyear Tire&Rubber Co. He was director of e-commerce and commercial development for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
European regional carriers are hoping they can benefit in the long term from a downsizing of the European airline industry, as they struggle to cope with the ongoing traffic slump.
Scott Dickson, who is president/CEO of Vanguard Airlines, also will be chairman. He will succeed Robert J. (Rocky) Spane, who will continue as a member of the board of directors and as a consultant.
Knock, thump or kick, and the door shall not be opened. Airlines have begun battening down the the flight deck (AW&ST Oct. 8, p. 63). JetBlue Airways' first aircraft with a reinforced door began service last week (see photo). The Kevlar-lined, bullet-proof, force-resistant door will be installed on the 18 aircraft now in JetBlue's all-Airbus A320 fleet by the end of the month. The 14 A320s scheduled for delivery by the end of next year also will be fitted with the fortified door, which costs about $10,000 to install.
In a study concluded before Sept. 11, Cahners In-Stat predicted that information technology spending in 2001 will be 13-18% below levels estimated in 2000--the first drop in business IT spending in a decade. ``The unfortunate reality is that many businesses overinvested in IT products and services in 2000, creating conditions for sluggish demand in 2001,'' said Kneko Burney, director of In-Stat's eBusiness Infrastructure&Services research. The Sept.
Sikorsky Aircraft and Korean Air will cooperate on developing multimission helicopters in a bid to supply South Korea with new aircraft under that nation's evolving Multi-Purpose Helicopter program. The companies forecast that the program, now in its early stages, could result in South Korea eventually procuring ``hundreds of aircraft'' to renew an aging military fleet. The firms previously collaborated on Black Hawk helicopters now in service with South Korea's armed forces.
The Blair government is formulating more security steps for aviation, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the National Criminal Intelligence Service prepare to tighten the noose on the international terrorist financing suspected behind last month's aircraft hijackings in the U.S.
Washington's reluctance to share Joint-STARS' critical radar technologies has prompted NATO to come up with a new strategy to design and build an airborne ground-surveillance (AGS) system. NATO has decided to have radar houses Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Thales and EADS team to develop the best possible system ``not involving any crown jewels,'' says Bob Bell, NATO's assistant secretary general for defense support. The alliance hopes to field a system by 2010. A NATO group also is studying what the best mix of manned and unmanned systems might be.
Neil Wilson, founder/CEO of Datalex of Dublin, now will be executive chairman. Neil Beck, who has been chief operating officer, will be CEO. Wilson succeeds John F. Tierney, who has resigned.
What a few months ago would have been unthinkable--flying round-the-clock defensive combat air patrols over U.S. cities--is now routine for Air Force and Air National Guard pilots. They typically carry ``hot'' guns and a full load of air-to-air missiles, patrolling the skies for hijacked airline transports and general aviation aircraft flown by terrorists bent on suicide. Every commander, pilot, armament technician and crew chief has quickly adapted to the new domestic mission, and operations have settled into a smooth day/night flow.
Airlines concerned about reduced passenger loads and imminent bankruptcy might consider aligning their prices with those of the smaller carriers. Many of Denver-based Frontier's aircraft, for example, are flying 70-80% full, and the airline is recalling some laid-off employees as load factors climb. Passengers on a recent Denver-Baltimore flight reported Frontier's fares were 40-50% lower than those of United, the dominant carrier at Denver. Counters at Frontier were servicing 100+ passengers at 8 a.m. on Oct. 7, while those of major carriers were virtually empty.
U.S. Space Command's ``cyberwarriors'' remain on high alert for potential terrorist attacks against Defense Dept. computer networks, but, so far, there's been no increase in activity. Whether they have launched offensive computer operations against identified terrorist groups is unknown. Probes by hackers of all stripes have fallen off since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Even after the air campaign in Afghanistan began on Oct. 7, assaults on Defense networks remained inconsequential.
Passenger screeners at the nation's 20 largest airports must pass criminal background checks to continue working, following an order by Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta.
Some Epps Aviation employees at the Dekalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta will be armed and prepared to protect genav aircraft on their ramp. The fixed-base operator typically has 30-50 transient and permanently based aircraft in its hangars or on the tarmac. E. Patrick Epps, the FBO's president, has ``doubts about the value of fences, ID cards and background checks'' when it comes to airport security.
Air France and British Airways are jointly scheduled to restart Concorde operations on Nov. 7. The French flag carrier plans to serve New York five times per week and BA six times, an indication that the disrupted transatlantic market in the short term could not sustain daily or more frequent supersonic services. Nevertheless, both carriers are convinced that the Concorde's high-yield niche market has not vanished in the wake of last year's mishap and will rapidly resuscitate. Later this year, BA also plans to inaugurate a weekly Concorde flight to Barbados.
Ken Reightler has been named senior vice president of Houston-based Lockheed Martin Space Operations. He was vice president-Science, Engineering, Analysis and Test Operation and will be succeeded by Richard Hieb, a former astronaut. Hieb was vice president-new business and Crew Return Vehicle program manager for the Orbital Sciences Corp. Ted Bilke has become vice president-enterprise solutions. He was chief operating officer for Ascendant Solutions of Dallas.
TOSHIBA SCIENTISTS AT IEEEDM WILL CLAIM the first true Silicon-on-Nothing (SON) MOSFET, as an alternative to Silicon-on-Insulator MOSFETs. The technique manufactures transistors on a thin layer of silicon suspended above empty space. Resulting device improvements include reduced junction capacitance, suppressed short channel effects and reduced self-heating, according to Toshiba.
President Bush has issued an executive order protecting critical-information system infrastructure. It orders pretty much what you would expect--information-sharing, coordination, policy collaboration and the like among federal, state and local governments, plus the private sector, and the inevitable interagency committee, this one with at least 27 members. The chairperson of the board, appointed by the President, will have the title of special advisor to the President for cyberspace security.
