The Airport Authority of Louisville and Jefferson County has adopted a novel approach to clear the way for expansion of Louisville International Airport, which will require the relocation of the bordering town of Minor Lane Heights. The airport has offered a new house in the planned city of Heritage Creek, Ky., to current homeowners in Minor Lane Heights. Already 446 families have signed up, and the airport authority would like to begin planning for a second phase of development.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Propulsion Directorate is starting new technology initiatives to support both engine development for new winged space vehicle concepts and advanced electrical systems for space-based radar and laser systems.
British Aerospace Defense has joined Virtual Prototypes Inc.'s technical advisory board, where it will be involved in development of VAPS, the Montreal firm's 2D suite of graphical interfaces. BAe uses VAPS on some research projects and is interested in making a transition to commercial-off-the-shelf products from in-house software. A BAe official said the company's interest in influencing the development of such products is part of a larger drive to increase its efficiency, particularly in areas such as supply chain management.
A disaster was narrowly missed at 2:30 a.m. last Thursday at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, when an Air China 747 freighter taxied onto an active runway as a Korean Air 747 with a load of passengers took off. The Air China freighter had just landed and been cleared to taxi to the cargo area. But after reading the clearance back correctly, the Air China pilot made a wrong turn and taxied back onto the active runway.
Bill de Decker, an Arlington-Tex.-based partner with Conklin and de Decker, has been appointed to the National Business Aviation Assn.'s Associate Member Advisory Council.
U.S. Army and Ballistic Missile Defense Organization officials are struggling to reconstruct why the Theater High-Altitude Area Defense interceptor missile missed its Hera target in the sixth and latest failed attempt to achieve a hit-to-kill intercept. The Thaad missile came within 10-30 meters (30-100 ft.) of hitting the target, but it was unable to execute the intercept, said BMDO director, USAF Lt. Gen. Lester Lyles. The program underwent exhaustive test preparations to ensure an intercept after suffering five earlier misses.
The European Space Agency has issued a contract to Matra Marconi Space (MMS) for design and development of Mars Express, marking another step forward for this planetary project, but leaving it short of a formal go-ahead.
Indiana Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan has been elected chairman of the Aerospace States Assn. Del Schuh, president of the Indiana Business Modernization and Technology Corp., has been named executive director.
Sequa Corp.'s Chromalloy Gas Turbine unit has won another round in its legal battle to require Pratt&Whitney to honor the terms of a 1985 jet engine parts repair agreement. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Pratt's motion for a stay of an August 1998 ruling issued by the U.S. District Court in Delaware. In that ruling, Pratt was ordered to provide Chromalloy with the technical data it had promised in the agreement.
Paperless manufacturing execution systems, which present instructions on the shop floor, are appearing as part of college classes. Both California State University at Long Beach and the University of California at Irvine are offering manufacturing classes that use iBASEt's Solumina software for image-based electronic delivery of work instructions. Cal State's course is now just for Boeing Long Beach employees. Students will use original sketches to develop a production plan, using the process planning module, and convert the plan into work instructions.
Arianespace has been selected to launch the Alcatel-Loral EuropeStar telecom satellite. The 4-metric-ton video/ data/phone spacecraft is to be orbited in mid-2000 by an Ariane 4 or 5. The launch will be the first to benefit from partial funding from Arianespace Finance.
Robin L. Beard, president/CEO of Raytheon Corporate Operations in Washington and president of Raytheon International Europe, has been elected chairman of the Aerospace Industries Assn. International Council.
Matra Marconi Space has been awarded a contract to build, insure and launch a second satellite for Egyptian broadcasting satellite operator Nilesat. The 1,800-kg. (3,960 lb.) spacecraft is to be operational by the third quarter of 2000.
The Sabre Group, IBM and mobile phone maker Nokia have teamed to develop an interactive service using the new industry standard Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) that will allow travelers to initiate flight schedule changes or receive flight level upgrades using mobile phones. The phone's graphical display can be used to request flight details, change a flight or search for alternatives. Sabre is to develop the application code, IBM the application development tools, and Nokia the server through which the information is sent on the wireless network.
Philipp F. Schweizer (see photo) has been named director of science and technology of the Northrop Grumman Corp. Electronic Systems and Sensors Sector in Pittsburgh. He was manager of imaging and information technology.
The Indonesian Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission (AAIC) came under fire after it issued an interim report that lists two possible causes for the loss of SilkAir 737 in December 1997 that killed all 104 persons on board.
Lavera Johnson (see photo) has been named vice president-human resources and Ronald L. LaRose director of the Composites Material Div. of Advanced Refractory Technologies Inc., Buffalo, N.Y. Johnson was director of personnel for the Amalgamated Life Insurance Co., and LaRose was a senior manufacturing staff administrator within the General Motors Powertrain Group.
The French defense ministry has awarded a $9-million contract to the Raytheon Co. to supply Paveway II laser-guided bomb kits to upgrade 125-kg. (275-lb.) Mk.81 bombs. They will be carried by air force Mirage F1s, Jaguars and Mirage 2000s, and navy Super Etendards.
Northrop Grumman will transfer composite manufacturing and repair for the B-2 bomber to the U.S. Air Force at Hill AFB, Utah, from the company's facilities at Pico Rivera, Calif., which is scheduled to close at the end of this year. The transfer will allow the Air Force to perform long-term support for the B-2 for the next 30 years.
The U.S. Air Force is beginning to aggressively shift its advanced technology base toward space to build a new technology foundation for more integrated air and space operations in the 21st century. Space systems have become so pervasive to the USAF mission and global operations that the Defense Dept. is considering formally changing the name of the Air Force to the U.S. AeroSpace Force.
Back in the 1960s, the rock 'n' roll revolution got its biggest boost in Europe not from London, Paris or Rome. It was Radio Luxembourg that gave the new pop music form big play with its powerful signal. Decades later, Luxembourg-based Societe Europeene des Satellites is building on this tradition to deliver the Internet and other multimedia services directly to homes worldwide with small rooftop dishes.
The first signals are still more than a year from being broadcast, but Wall Street has found its new darling in the commercial satellite services business--digital satellite radio. After the huge success of cable and, more recently, direct-to-home satellite broadcasting, financial analysts are expecting big things from satellite radio. The new satellite services niche could be generating $3 billion in revenue after only a few years of operations, market analysts believe.
When Ron Scott bought a new house outside of Washington, the local cable television company told him it would take six weeks for a hookup. So he opted instead for DirecTV's satellite service.
