After years of fare wars and board intrigue, Ansett Australia has been grounded by too much debt, too much competition and fear of what might happen if the airline does get another chance.
Flight deck and cabin crewmembers took the first steps toward remedial action last week, detailing recommendations for improved security in flight and on the ground. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta formed two Rapid Response Teams on Sept. 16--one focusing on aircraft and the other on airports--which were asked to review security within the National Airspace System and recommend ways to enhance it.
Indian programmers are developing surveillance software for a fleet of three Russian AWACS aircraft that are to be built for the Indian air force, according to Aerospace Daily. The A-50 aircraft are Ilyushin Il-76 TD transports and will be prepared by Beriev for 2005 delivery. The air force tested an aircraft with Russian radar and communications systems and rejected it because it did not meet requirements, particularly in surveillance software. Israel Aircraft Industries will be providing the communications system.
Charles Lloyd, chief financial officer of SpaceDev Inc., Poway, Calif., also will be chief operating officer, following the resignation of Stanley W. Dubyn as president/COO.
U.S. Air Force officials have awarded Lockheed Martin an $868-million contract for low-rate production of the F-22 Raptor. It will allow completion of 10 lot-1 stealth fighters along with purchase of associated equipment and program support. The service also awarded a $226-million contract to Pratt&Whitney for 20 lot-1 F119-PW-100 engines and support. At the same time, the Defense Dept.
Henry Azzam, Frank Mountcastle and Hazem Malhas have been named to the board of directors of Amman, Jordan-based Aramex International Ltd. Azzam is CEO of Jordinvest. Mountcastle is managing director/head of the Logistics and Transportation Services Investment Banking Group at BB&T Capital Markets, and Malhas is CEO of Aregon.
Fenton Appleby (see photo) has been promoted to vice president-sales and market development for the Aero Propulsion business unit of Wood Group Power, East Granby, Conn., from vice president-sales and marketing for the PT6 and 501/T56 engine overhaul unit.
Gary J. Ferguson has been appointed director of national sales for Amerijet International, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was an international development executive for Federal Express.
A gruesome synchronicity played out on Sept. 11 as teams of hijackers used four U.S. passenger aircraft as fuel-laden missiles to destroy the World Trade Center buildings and portions of the Pentagon here. Two Boeing 767s slammed into the twin towers in New York--one at 8:45 a.m. EDT, the other at 9:03 a.m. Then the devastation moved south to Washington.
Chomerics, a division of Parker Hannifin, introduced its Spring-Line stainless steel card cage gaskets for EMI, shielding the expansion slot area of PC and server chassis. Standard card cage gaskets are available for PCI/EISA slot configurations from one to 10 slots. They fit most existing chassis without modification. Integral contact fingers minimize snagging during installation and removal of cards. Tin-plated stainless steel gaskets are available for galvanic conformity with certain cabinet metals. The gaskets are provided in standard and customer configurations.
Northrop Grumman Corp. has won a $73-million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to supply Litening II pods for its AV-8B Harrier aircraft. The award also includes the supply of logistical support, spares and training.
Steven A. Thompson will become head of the Government Policy and Procurement Div. of the National Defense Industrial Assn. upon the retirement on Sept. 30 of Peter C. Scrivner, who has been senior vice president-government policy. Thompson has been professional staff member for the House Armed Services Committee.
Carboloy, a part of Seco Tools AB, has introduced the new T250D drilling grade for high temperature alloys and severe stainless steels. Specially configured for use in the aerospace industry, T250D is designed for drilling difficult-to-machine alloys such as Inconel 718, 17-4PH stainless steel and 52 HRC hardened steel. With a high aluminum content, T250D features a newly developed coating that combines the high temperature stability and oxidation resistance of (Ti,Al)N. The new grade is expected to enhance the performance of Seco-Carboloy Perfomax drills.
European operators are extending fractional ownership and quasi-fractional ownership plans down to the single-engine turboprop level as the business aviation community continues to tailor joint ownership concepts to meet European requirements.
New Zealand's Ministry of Defense has accepted delivery of two SH-2G(NZ) Super Seasprite helicopters from Kaman Aerospace International Corp. The two aircraft represented initial delivery of an order for five helicopters for the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
The IDC HandiScope enhances a user's ability to observe tiny items of interest. The design utilizes the latest in optics and electronics technologies to make the HandiScope small and portable. The unit has applications in manufacturing, allowing for on-the-spot inspections of electronics boards and components, plating, chemical compounds and other items. The standard model is equipped with a 20X/50X selectable microscope lens, video output, video cable, image freeze capability and a power adapter.
Vagn Soerensen has been named CEO of Austrian Airlines. He succeeds Herbert Bammer and Mario Rehulka, who were co-CEOs. Soerensen was an executive with SAS.
Stephen A. Jamison (see photo) has become vice president/general manager of the Lexington, Mass.-based Infrared Imaging Systems unit of BAE Systems' Information and Electronic Warfare Systems.
U.S. cargo and parcel express operators faced even tougher security restrictions than passenger airlines as the carriers scrambled to return to full air service after the two-day flight embargo. Operators anticipated a strong volume of traffic swelled by the number of detained packages and freight that had not been transported by truck. UPS and FedEx ferried dozens of aircraft on Sept. 13 to prepare for a busy night of package sorting in Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn.
For longer than anyone can remember, the U.S. has been immune at home to the ravages of war and to terrorism on a large scale, save for the Oklahoma City bombing, which was perpetrated by an American. That innocence was shattered by the events of Sept. 11, with the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Americans realized there are organized terrorists abroad more than willing to use airliners with passengers on board as smart bombs.
Jeffrey T. Fisher, who has been vice president-finance and marketing for Delta Air Lines, has become vice president/chief financial officer for Delta Connection Inc. Anthony J. DiNota has been appointed vice president-maintenance and engineering for Delta subsidiary Atlantic Southeast Airlines. He was general manager for aircraft engines for Delta. Maureen Brady has been named managing director for the Delta Shuttle. She succeeds Carolyn Ezzell, who has been promoted to vice president-Atlantic Region.
These 3- and 6-cylinder units offer many features and benefits not found in other gas cylinder handling products. The polyethylene plastic stands will not scratch or mar cylinders, reducing maintenance costs. The molded Ultra-Cylinder stand carts are full height, allowing optional manifolds to be added to the stands to provide convenient manifolding of all of the cylinders. They can be forklifted and moved when full and use safety straps and molded-in cylinder stops to mechanically lock the bases of the cylinders in place.
Using a manufacturing cell concept to reduce lead time to manufacture its Master/Setco M series of hand wheel manual feed precision dovetail slides, the company has reduced shipment time from days to hours. They have 2-, 4-, 6- or 8-in. saddle widths, with a single axis, compound axis and vertical axis mounted slide. Standard M slides are equipped with an Acme leadscrew. As options, they can be fitted with a right angle hand feed, square 360-deg. swivel saddle adapter, manual saddle locks, crank or ratchet positioning handle.
Miguel Southwell has become assistant aviation director for business development of the Miami-Dade Aviation Dept. He was manager of marketing, public relations and customer service at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport.
Despite threats from top Defense Dept. civilians about leaking plans, military officials acknowledge that they are preparing for a protracted conflict that includes operations in Afghanistan. It would involve heavy use of airpower, special forces for raids and conventional troops for the establishment of armed bastions.
