Air Canada recently announced plans to launch a comprehensive online travel site by year-end. Destina.ca's main target is the business traveler, but it aims to provide all types of customers one-stop, 24-hr. Internet access to a wide range of travel options, including shopping, reservation and information services. The move is in keeping with Air Canada's recent efforts to generate new revenues and ``e-enable'' the carrier (AW&ST Sept. 3, p. 84).
The U.S. Air Force last week lost a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle operating over Iraq. It is the second Predator suspected to have been shot down by Iraqi air defenses in the past few weeks. In recent months, Pentagon officials have been detecting that Iraqi air defenses are becoming more robust.
GE IAI Aviation Services International and Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. have received a maintenance contract from Southwest Airlines valued at more than $60 million. The seven-year contract covers seven DC-9 and four MD-80 aircraft.
Tnemec Co. has introduced StrataShield, a line of advanced floor coatings for processing, manufacturing and commercial facilities. The formulation utilizes a complex polyfunctional amine structure that offers contractors ease of application and extended durability, and is tested for resistance to chemicals, abrasion, scrapes and impact. The advanced chemistry of the material is a result of improved bonding of resins and hardeners within the molecular structure. It is designed for airport hangars, warehouses and manufacturing or processing facilities.
Richard P. Suess has been appointed chief of staff of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md. He was an assistant to the director for management and administration.
Fuel-filled jetliners now meet the federal criteria for weapons of mass destruction (WMD), normally associated with nuclear, biological or chemical threats, following the deadly attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. As the attack unfolded the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activated its command center here at ``Threat Level 1,'' specified when ``mass casualties'' have resulted from the use of a WMD.
The Memrecam fx high-speed video camcorders are fully self-contained, digital Hi-G systems capable of full-color image capture of up to 10,000 pps. with resolutions of up to 1,280 X 1,024 pixels. The family will initially have two models: the Memrecam 4,000, which includes a state-of-the-art CCD sensor with full frame resolution of up to 4,000 pps. and split-frame resolution up to 10,000 pps; and the Memrecam K3 that provides up to 1 280 X 1,024 pixel resolution at 1,000 pps. The Memrecam 4,000 offers up to 4 sec.
Karen Scott of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif., has received NASA's Silver Snoopy Award for her support to the space shuttle and International Space Station programs. The award is given to people who have enhanced the agency's goals for the human exploration and development of space. Scott was honored for her work to develop a window of the highest optical quality ever flown on a crewed spacecraft. This 20-in.-dia. window was installed on the Destiny laboratory module, which was attached to the ISS in February.
Honeywell signed an agreement with Colibrys SA, a Swiss micro-electromechanical systems manufacturer, to be the sole distributor of its MEMs accelerometer products in North America. Honeywell Inertial Sensors Products will be the sales and parts-stocking agent. The accelerometers will complement the Q-Flex line of accelerometers used for navigation in aviation and space markets, as well as the Accelerex RBA500 and SiMMA SA500 frequency-output accelerometers designed for the military tactical navigation market.
TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTOR'S SUBSIDIARY AEROSANCE has received an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate for installation of its PowerLink full authority digital engine control (Fadec) on Textron Lycoming 180-hp. O-360-series piston engines, which includes 28 different models. The Fadec uses a closed-loop system that monitors fuel flow to each cylinder and injects a precise amount of fuel using sensors prior to spark plug firing. More information is available at www.fadec.com.
This compact voice coil actuator is designed for applications requiring precision control and fast speeds of response for military, aviation and space systems. Model RA54-18-000A is a rotary voice coil actuator rated at 113 oz.-in. (0.8Nm) continue stall torque with a 300 oz.-in. (2.1Nm.) 10-sec. peak torque capability. It is suited for short-stroke, high-speed actuations. Offered as a two-terminal, non-commutated actuator, the RA54-18 has a linear, bidirectional control characteristic. It is cog free, hysteresis free and has no inherent preferred position.
Boeing Satellite Systems has received a U.S. patent for a new method of positioning optical star trackers on satellites, enabling extremely precise determination of spacecraft attitude. This technology helped BSS win a major U.S. government weather-satellite contract and meet the demanding design requirements for the Spaceway broadband satellite system being built at BSS.
This product can clean aircraft, both inside and out, without the need to wax separately. Wash Wax ALL cleans and waxes. The protective nonstick coating left behind prevents dirt and grime from adhering to surfaces. It is a water-based, petroleum-free formulation, safe to use on surfaces such as paint, plastic, leather, vinyl, bare metals, glass, porcelain, fiberglass, composites and rubber, according to the company. Just spray on and wipe dry. Aero Cosmetics, P.O. Box 460025, San Antonio, Tex. 78246.
In the wake of terrorist attacks in the U.S., officials of the National Business Aviation Assn. canceled the organization's 54th Annual Meeting and Convention. According to NBAA, the board of directors voted to postpone the event until a later time. In view of the national emergency, the association will ``redirect'' the resources of its membership ``toward national recovery and aid to the victims and their families'' affected by the attacks in New York and Washington.
United Airlines, British Midland and four European Star Alliance partners completed the trifecta of transatlantic antitrust immunity (ATI) applications before the U.S. Transportation Dept., all premised on negotiation of U.S. open skies agreements with the U.K. and France. ATI bids from Oneworld partners American Airlines and British Airways, and from Skyteam carriers Delta, Air France, Alitalia and CSA Czech Airlines, already were before the department and the AA-BA application is at the stage of trying to beat back a first challenge.
Finland and Norway have selected the multinational NH Industries NH-90, while Denmark has opted for the AgustaWestland EH-101 in their respective competitions for a maritime helicopter. Finland will buy 20 NH-90s, with deliveries to run from 2004 through 2008. The contract is worth more than $330 million. Norway will take 14 NH-90s, but details about its plans weren't immediately available. Copenhagen plans to take delivery of its 14 helicopters between 2004 and 2006. The cost of the Danish deal is pegged at $365 million.
Arabsat is preparing to issue requests for information for a fourth-generation spacecraft. The organization has two satellites at 26 deg. E. Long. and wants to develop the spot into a ``hotbird'' position, according to Said Al-Qahtani, a top official. However, plans for an initial public offering have been abandoned for now. ``Banks are lining up to invest [in Arabsat],'' Al-Qahtani said. ``Were an IPO to take place today, we would be valued at $1-1.5 billion.''
Close collaboration between Raytheon Aircraft Co. and FlightSafety International's simulator division has produced a Level C simulator that accurately replicates the Premier I's flight characteristics and systems operation. In preparation for my flight in the airplane, I spent more than an hour in the simulator at the Raytheon Aircraft Learning Center across the street from the Raytheon factory. My instructor for the session was Tom Sifford, a Premier I demonstration pilot and a member of Raytheon Aircraft's sales team based at Indianapolis.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems reports that the Advanced Extremely High Frequency military communications satellite program, valued at $2.5 billion when it was awarded a year ago, has passed preliminary design review (PDR) by the Milsatcom Joint Program Office. The Advanced EHF manufacturing team, which includes TRW Space and Electronics and Boeing Satellite Systems, is now focusing on PDRs for the ground and satellite segments that are to be conducted through mid-September. System level critical design reviews are set for July 2003 and first launch, for December 2005.
A Czech-made Let 410 turboprop crashed in the eastern Mexico state of Yucatan, Sept. 12, killing all 19 on board. Among the dead were 16 Seattle-area tourists taking a side trip to the Mayan ruins as part of a Caribbean cruise. The crash occurred in good weather after the aircraft departed the Chichen Itza Airport bound for Cozumel.
Pilots and air traffic control specialists agree that the terrorists who crashed hijacked aircraft into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon had to be experienced pilots who had received some training in the Boeing 757/767.
The FAA has finalized its analysis of compressed arrival procedures (Caps) for Chicago O'Hare International Airport, finding that vertical stacking of inbound aircraft can speed up arrivals from 4-20 min. The results are part of a broader two-year study called the Chicago Terminal Airspace Project designed to make arrivals more efficient and cut delays. Officials found that by staggering the usual single-file inbound stream with another stream 1,000 ft. above, faster traffic was able to leapfrog slower aircraft and get to the airport sooner.
The Inspecta-VU PV-1 hand-held, high-resolution flexible borescopic system for visual inspections, at $995, is small enough to fit in a toolbox but is completely self-contained. The illuminator and a rechargeable battery are built into the handle for more than 1-hr. use on a single charge. A U.S. compatible charger is furnished unless specified otherwise. The PV-l's image quality results from a high-resolution fiber-optic image bundle and the kind of magnification system found in an optical microscope.
The company will provide thrust reverser relay control boxes to Boeing for DC-10, MD-10, KC-10 and KDC-10 aircraft. The FAA-mandated boxes, which provide wing engine thrust reverse lock-out, are based on a Boeing design used on all 700 series aircraft. The assembly comprises several Leach components, including relays, time delays, relay sockets, a grounding block assembly and a wire harness--all installed in a modular aluminum box. The manufacturing facility at which the company manufactures these boxes is certificated as an FAA Repair Station and is ISO-9001 approved.
