Several U.S. airlines have banded together to develop a ``standard airplane'' specification that would help cut aircraft costs by limiting the number of variants and modifications manufacturers have to design, certify and support.
Boeing last week emerged in full view of the world as a company in turmoil--not an enterprise in the midst of an orderly transition, trying to shed a cumbersome bureaucracy handicapped by an outmoded financial reporting system.
Unisys is helping United Airlines fix Year 2000 problems in embedded computers for airport hub operations, cargo handling and aircraft maintenance. Equipment being examined includes diagnostic and test gear, baggage conveyors, ground power, automated parts retrieval and air-conditioning systems. . . . Raytheon is using Mincom's LinkOne electronic documentation system to publish maintenance information for the Hawker 800/800XP business jets on CD-ROM and over the Internet.
Warren Lichtenstein has become chairman and James R. Henderson president/chief operating officer of the Aydin Corp., Horsham, Pa. They succeed I. Gary Bard.
More details are emerging about Japan's Ministry of Transport 1998 airport construction budget. Shifting from previous spending plans that emphasized development of Japan's secondary airport structure, the Ministry is now focusing on major projects. The new budget includes monies to replace aging Nagoya Airport, which likely would remain open for military operations and for adjoining aircraft manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. A new second runway at Kansai's offshore airport already is funded and scheduled to begin construction next year.
AlliedSignal Inc.'s 131-A auxiliary power unit has been selected by Northwest Airlines for the A319 aircraft it has ordered from Airbus Industrie. The airline has placed 50 firm orders and 100 options.
The State Dept. is trying to persuade India and Pakistan to stabilize their nuclear competition with direct contacts that eventually would supersede U.S. mediation efforts. But the department concedes that such a broad-gauge bilateral relationship between arch rivals is a distant goal, and is pressing New Delhi and Islamabad to take a series of steps in the meantime toward nuclear non-proliferation.
Canadian investigators have found evidence that a fire broke out on Swissair Flight 111 before it crashed in the Atlantic and are rebuilding its forward cabin in an effort to identify the location and the source of the fire.
Flight punctuality continues to deteriorate on the European route system. According to the Brussels-based Assn. of European Airlines (AEA), in July-September, 25.9% of intra-European flight departures were delayed by more than 15 min., the worst record in the last nine years. An estimated 70% of the delays result from airport- and air traffic control-related causes. ``I wonder how much longer the situation will be treated as `business as usual,' '' AEA Secretary General Karl-Heinz Neumeister said.
Multiple Japanese aerospace companies and the Japanese government are teaming to develop three new demonstrator satellites to qualify low-cost technology--some of it from the auto industry--for use in future Japanese commercial satcoms, remote sensing and materials processing spacecraft. The objective is to provide Japan's aerospace industry with more cost-effective components so it can compete head-to-head with U.S. and European space companies.
NASA's success with quick-to-build spacecraft has overshadowed much of the work underway elsewhere to develop a new generation of small satellites. But the smallsat lesson has not been lost on Asia-Pacific nations, where it is providing entry-level training in satellite design and manufacturing as well as cutting the costs of research and operations.
The Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has been awarded a $6-million contract for the special progressive aircraft rework and other depot-level maintenance and support services for the VH-3D and VH-60N executive mission helicopters. The contract also provides for component repairs, technical publications, pilot and maintenance training, security requirements, logistics and engineering support.
An independent audit found no insurmountable technical problems with the long-delayed air traffic control center at Swanwick, England, but said outside management expertise was needed to meet the latest in-service target date of the winter of 2000-01.
Robert D. Bresette has been named vice president/general manager of the VisionAire Corp.'s assembly facility in Ames, Iowa. He was director of manufacturing operations for Boeing's Macon, Ga., plant.
Georgina L. McAllister has been appointed vice president-corporate communications of Fairchild Aerospace, San Antonio, Tex. She was director of communications of the Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn.
M.M. (Martin) Lin has become managing director of Rockwell Automation and Avionics (Shanghai) Ltd. He will continue as director of China business development for Rockwell Collins.
The FAA issued an airworthiness directive on Boeing 747 fuel pump procedures that calls for some fuel to be retained in the center fuel tank and prohibits the use of the horizontal stabilizer tank on 747-400s. The horizontal tail can carry 20,000 lb. of fuel, and at least 3,000 lb. of fuel will have to be retained in the center tank if it is used. The FAA action was prompted when problems were discovered in fuel pumps that had run for only 200 hr. rather than the normal 20,000 hr. before removal.
Claude Burgio has become president of the Reston, Va.-based Global Transport Services and Operations unit of Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications. Brien Morgan and Stanton Sloane will be vice presidents/general managers of Global Network Solutions and Network Systems Development, respectively. James Beitchman will be London-based president of Global Telecommunications Regional Operations while remaining president of Lockheed Martin Intersputnik.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority broke ground Dec. 2 for a C$3.3 billion terminal ($2.7 billion), the first of four phases of a C$4.4-billion redevelopment of Lester B. Pearson International Airport. Air Canada, which opposes the current design as too expensive, was not represented officially.
Robert H. Jenkins, who is chairman/president/CEO of the Sundstrand Corp., has been appointed to the board of directors of Cordant Technologies of Salt Lake City.
Analysts never throw caution to the wind when it comes to the airline industry. Having been burned in macro industry outlooks in the past, they tend to be pessimistic. So it's not unusual that a strong segment rejects the prospect of the industry pulling off another high-performance year.
Andrew Bertolazzi has been appointed director of engineering of Triumph Controls Inc., North Wales, Pa. He was chief engineer for commercial programs at the Boeing Co. in Philadelphia.
Henri Courpron has been appointed senior vice president-commercial of Airbus Industrie of North America, Herndon, Va. He was vice president-sales and marketing.
The world's largest communications satellite antennas and their cutting-edge electronics are taking shape at Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric plants near Tokyo where Japanese engineers believe they are laying the foundation for stronger competition against U.S. and European companies while building new satcom capabilities for Asia. The advanced phased array satcom antennas under development at Toshiba measure 19 X 17 meters (62 X 56 ft.) and involve some of the most advanced space technology in the world.
