Richard Fairbanks has been named acting president of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has been managing director for domestic and international issues and was an ambassador-at-large during the Reagan Administration.
XM Satellite Radio, a venture that plans to provide digital radio service to U.S. consumers from a pair of powerful satellites, has signed up a group of new partners that are investing $250 million in the project. General Motors and DirecTV have agreed to invest $50 million each in the company, which hopes to launch its Hughes HS-702 spacecraft in late-2000 and early-2001 to offer 100 channels of digital radio programming to subscribers using special radios.
Cordant Technologies, which is implementing a wide-ranging diversification strategy, seeks to acquire additional business from European manufacturers such as Airbus Industrie, according to company executives. Jersey City, N.J.-based Cordant comprises Thiokol Propulsion, Huck Fasteners and Howmet Castings. It has production facilities in the U.S., France and in the U.K. Last year, Cordant posted a $142-million net profit on $2.4 billion in revenues.
Oracle Corp. has long been the leading supplier of computer database software to aerospace and defense companies, but in recent years it has branched out with enterprise resource planning software to tap into that rapidly growing market segment.
Developers of training systems and unmanned aerial vehicles that require precise position sensing are beginning to use an integrated inertial sensor subsystem that records attitude with nine degrees of freedom.
Boeing's Wichita Div. is conducting the final phase of tests on a cast titanium aft engine mount bulkhead for Pratt&Whitney PW4000-powered versions of the Boeing 777.
Linda P. Hudson has been promoted to president of General Dynamics Armament Systems, Falls Church, Va., and an officer of the corporation.She was corporate staff vice president-business development. Hudson succeeds Kenneth J. Lenstra, who is retiring.
The Altitude Compensation Induction System (ACIS) utilizes a belt-driven supercharger to compress cooler outside air to a set pressure for the RI 162F piston engine, providing sea-level performance at higher altitudes. The pressurized air is made available to the intake system through the throttle valve. Manifold pressure is limited only by the amount of compressed air available. The system uses an electro-mechanical inlet gate control and is connected to the fully automated digital electronic control which monitors and maintains proper limits.
Stuart L. Cauff has become president of the UniCapital Corp. of Miami. He had been president of its Big Ticket Div. Cauff has been succeeded by Wayne Lippman, who will remain vice chairman of the UniCapital Air Group. Edward Jaeckel, who has been chief credit policy officer, is now also executive vice president.
The Rev. Kirbyjon H. Caldwell has been named to the board of directors of Continental Airlines. He is pastor of the Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston. He succeeds former U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Tex.), who declined to seek reelection to the board.
The Joint Strike Fighter is the latest project to show strains resulting from the gap in technology between the U.S. military and its NATO partners and potential customers.
Toby Berlin has been named director of event programming acquisitions for DirecTV Inc., El Segundo, Calif. She was executive director of The Learning Annex.
The ACT Ring is designed to accommodate specific application needs of the aerospace industry, including main and nose landing gear, primary flying control units, secondary seals, reservoirs and accumulators, engine controls, high squeeze applications, recoil systems and vehicle suspension systems. Greene, Tweed&Co., 1555 Bustard Road, Suite 130, Kulpsville, Pa. 19443-0217.
These small-diameter insert boring tools were engineered to machine holes as small as 0.180 in. in diameter. Inserts in 80-deg. diamond and 60-deg. triangle shapes are available in a variety of coated carbide and cutting grades to machine work materials. These include PCBN-tipped inserts for machining hardened steels, cast iron, powder metal parts and superalloys, and PCD-tipped inserts for machining nonferrous materials such as aluminum, brass, copper, tungsten carbide and non-metallic materials. Carboloy 11177 E. Eight Mile Road, Warren, Mich. 48089.
Mike Fahey has been appointed president of Columbia Helicopters Inc., Aurora, Ore. He succeeds Roy Simmons, who has retired. Fahey was executive vice president.
Percy Colley has been named to the advisory board of directors of the Aircraft Service International Group, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Colley retired in 1996 as director/general manager of ASIG's European operations.
Rolls-Royce plans to return its first Trent 500 engine to test following the addition of more test instrumentation. Rolls powered-up the first Trent 500 on May 29, and then ran the engine at low thrust levels as a first step toward proving the integrity of the build standard. Subsequent tests will focus on running the 53,000-56,000-lb.-thrust powerplant at higher thrust levels. A second engine, which will be used to collect detailed performance data, should be running next month. In all, six Trent 500 development engines are scheduled to run this year.
Robert H. Vandel has been promoted to executive vice president from director of technical projects and James M. Burin to director of technical programs from deputy director at the Alexandria, Va.-based Flight Safety Foundation. Frank Daly and Carl Sigel have been appointed to the board of directors. Daly is president/CEO of AlliedSignal Aerospace Avionics and Lighting, and Sigel is executive vice president-operations of Lufthansa German Airlines.
The LF 942A is a compact, portable, battery-powered instrument that displays signal levels in dBmV or dBuV and bargraph form. It is programmed for worldwide channel listings and includes direct and user-defined programs with 10-channel memory. Level indicators aid in the use of multiple outlet systems in checking the LNB-to-tuner link. It can evaluate satellite receiver installations and goes directly to the dish/LNB location to facilitate precise aiming and evaluation of the chosen site. Leader Instruments Corp., 380 Oser Ave., Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788.
The Christie Battery System and the DataFX work together to provide battery maintenance information, documentation and automatic storage/retrieval capability. The software program works in conjunction with the DataFX, which serves as a battery-to-computer interface. Main batteries can be serviced unattended because the system automatically logs data. The system can print complete FAA reports and allows use of built-in battery service guidelines to serve a shop's specific needs.
A lack of spare parts has grounded the Royal Thai Navy's squadron of Harriers from the carrier Chakri Naruebet. Both the carrier and aircraft have been hit by a chronic lack of funds.
The DC-powered AV4211 Avgas model and JF4211 jet fuel transfer systems were created for pilots and airport operators in remote locations where AC power is not available. Both deliver up to 18 gal./min., which makes them ideal for fueling piston or turbine engine aircraft, including helicopters. All parts and components are included with these systems, so users can start fueling right away from their mobile tank, truck or trailer-mounted tank. Tuthill Transfer Systems, 8825 Aviation Drive, Fort Wayne, Ind. 46809.
The proposed merger between AlliedSignal Inc. and Honeywell Inc. is probably one of the stronger combinations to emerge from the aerospace industry's on-going consolidation (see p. 60). Both multi-industry companies--each highly respected for its technology and management depth--were doing an impressive job of expanding their businesses and raising profit margins. But the pairing is likely to substantially enhance shareholder value in a way that neither company could have achieved on its own.
