The FAA last week conducted a mini-lottery to allocate 21 unused slot exemptions that became available at New York LaGuardia airport since the agency's initial ``slottery'' plan--a stopgap measure to ease LGA's capacity woes --went into effect Jan. 31.
SOFTWARE FOR THE SUCCESSFUL USE of controller-pilot data link communication (CPDLC) over the Aeronautical Telecommunications Network by American Airlines, with Maastricht Upper Air Control Center, was provided by Airtel ATN (AW&ST Aug. 6, p. 59). The company is an independent Irish software developer and supplier of data communications solutions for the aviation industry. Airtel ATN provided the key ATN data communications solutions for the Rockwell Collins avionics and for ARINC's ground network.
Passengers sweating out flight delays on the San Francisco-Los Angeles or New York-Washington shuttles might be forgiven quizzical stares if they were told the Gulf of Mexico was the nation's hot spot of flight activity. But the FAA's Gulf of Mexico Working Group presents a convincing nomination of the region for that title. The Gulf has more than 600 helicopters, mainly serving its oil drilling rigs, plus a lot more.
Dennis H. Jones has been promoted to president from chief operating officer/vice chairman of Commerce One, Pleasanton, Calif. He succeeds Robert M. Kimmitt, who is joining AOL Time Warner but will remain a director.
Embraer, which is enjoying a period of increased profitability, is beginning to note the effects of the global economic downturn in its civil aircraft sector. Since the Paris air show in June, some airlines decided to delay converting options to firm orders, according to the Brazilian manufacturer's CEO Mauricio Botelho. He stressed that no firm orders have been canceled, but said the company has revised its production schedule downward.
NASA engineers dropped a prototype aircraft designed to operate in the thin atmosphere of Mars from a helium balloon at 103,000 ft. in an Aug. 9 test of its aerodynamic performance. Researchers said it appeared that the unpowered prototype met its test objectives. A powered airplane is under study as a way to tele-explore large areas of the red planet.
NASA HAS SELECTED EMBRY-RIDDLE Aeronautical University as the winner of the National General Aviation Design Competition sponsored by the agency, FAA and U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The university's team was chosen for its cooperative work with SMA of France to install its SR305 turbocharged four-cylinder, 230-hp. diesel engine into a Cessna 182 Skylane. The SR305, which burns JetA1 fuel, already is certified in Europe. The modification is scheduled to receive FAA approval late this year.
SMITHS AEROSPACE WILL SUPPLY THE U.K. MINISTRY OF DEFENSE with its generic health and usage monitoring systems (GenHUMS), for the Royal Navy's 90 Sikorsky Sea King helicopters. The system incorporates an integrated cockpit voice-and-flight data recorder with a health and usage monitor in a single box. It provides continuous checks of the performance of safety-critical components--such as engines, transmissions, bearings and rotors--and provides advance warning of potential equipment failures.
Regaining investor confidence after it's been shaken usually is an uphill climb for a management team, requiring successive quarters of painstaking work to deliver on promises to meet certain financial and operational goals.
CAE and Agusta have formed Rotorsim--a consortium focusing on helicopter simulation and training solutions worldwide for operators of AgustaWestland aircraft. CAE and Agusta own equal shares of Rotorsim. Westland, Agusta and CAE already are teamed with EHI, Boeing and Bell Helicopter Textron in competition for Canada's Maritime Helicopter Program, offering the EH 101 Cormorant. In related news, MD Helicopters Inc.
A Lockheed Martin/International Launch Services Atlas IIAS is scheduled to launch a National Reconnaissance Office payload into polar orbit from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., Aug. 25. The mission will be the first Atlas-Centaur to carry an NRO payload from Vandenberg, indicating the launch of a new class of spacecraft. Another Atlas IIAS fired from Cape Canaveral is set to orbit another secret NRO mission in late September or early October--only the second Atlas-Centaur to be used by NRO from the Cape.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL HAS RECEIVED FAA LEVEL D qualification for its new Cessna Citation CJ2 full flight simulator (FFS) installed at the company's Wichita, Kan., Cessna Learning Center. The center began operating a Citation CJ1 FFS earlier this year. In addition, the first FFS for Raytheon Aircraft Co.'s Premier I entry-level business jet has received Level C approval and is operating at FlightSafety's Raytheon Learning Center. Level D qualification is scheduled to occur after data from additional flight testing is received, according to the company.
Robert S. Sullivan has become chairman of Stewart&Stevenson Services Inc. of Houston. He succeeds C. Jim Stewart, 2nd, who has retired. Sullivan is dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.
Bing Lantis has become president of the Lancair Co., Bend, Ore. He was head of the Lancair Sales and Service Centers and is a former CEO of Mooney Aircraft.
British Airways, according to industry sources, is evaluating the fate of its loss-making German subsidiary Deutsche BA and could reach a decision to sell or close down the operation as early as September. Deutsche BA's (DBA's) Chief Executive Officer Adrian Hunt said that BA has asked DBA to improve its performance, and added that DBA is working diligently to make ``steady progress'' in achieving this end.
The military aerospace realignment set in motion by the Russian government is likely to drastically alter the industrial landscape here, causing long-established companies to fade as new powerhouses try to emerge.
Air France has agreed to take the lead in new efforts to save ailing Air Afrique. The French flag carrier is expected to define a new strategy for the multinational airline quickly.
Translation Technologies Inc. will introduce an advanced computer-aided design translation tool late this month. Called Acc-u-Trans Interoperability Engine, the software was created to allow design teams operating in SDRC I-DEAS, Pro/Engineer, Catia or Unigraphics to share files without data dropouts. Assuring translation fidelity by having to manually correct files from another CAD system is one of the industry's biggest headaches because it adds time and cost. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Johnson Controls and Goodrich Sensor Systems are among TTI's customers.
Germany's Thielert Aircraft Engines has selected Superior Air Parts as exclusive sales representative for the TAE 110 and 125 Jet A Piston aircraft engines.
Boulder, Colo.-based SimAuthor is working with United Airlines to standardize the way the airline's instructors rate line pilots during simulator sessions. SimAuthor officials say United purchased eight of the company's FlightViz systems, one for each type of aircraft in the fleet, to create three-dimensional visualizations of normal and abnormal flight segments recorded in the carrier's full-motion simulators. The simulator playbacks will then be used as part of instructor training sessions to help define a uniform performance rating system.
IERC's line of adhesive-backed peel and stick heat sinks are designed for use with BGAs, PGAs, PLCCs, QFPs, CSPs, uBGAs, flatpack packages and cooling applications with limited clip space. Highlighted features include reduced assembly costs; no adhesives or greases required; good mechanical bond; thermally optimized pin fin; omnidirectional; adhesive shear strength at 100C is 36 psi. IERC also designs and manufactures a broad line of extruded, stamped and machined heat sinks for server, instrumentation, telecommunication and military/aerospace applications.
Triumph Group Inc. has been awarded a 10-year agreement with a five-year option to support American Airlines' in-house parts repair protocol and maintenance for the Honeywell GTCP131-9B APU.
