Flight testing is about to begin on the Miniature Air-Launched Decoy that could boost growing interest within the Defense Dept. in using the system for more than just spoofing enemy air defense radars.
Beginning Nov. 23, Taiwan-based cargo carrier EVA Air plans to operate three flights weekly between Taiwan and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Airport officials say airlines will be operating 10 flights each week between DFW and Asia.
Raytheon Systems has received a $5.5-million contract to provide contractor operation and maintenance of simulators for U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F aviation training devices incuding eight operational flight trainers, six weapons tactics trainers, three part-task trainers and eight simulated maintenance trainers.
Boeing has decided to delay the start of final assembly of some 737 Next Gen- eration transports at its Long Beach, Calif., facility in order to focus more attention on meeting planned 1998 aircraft delivery dates. Boeing personnel in Long Beach who were being trained for 737 final assembly work will concentrate instead on completing 737 aircraft that were flown to Southern California for predelivery work. Seven 737s are in Long Beach, two for finishing work and five former flight-test aircraft for refurbishment.
The Lockheed Martin Corp. reported third-quarter 1998 earnings of $1.67 per diluted share compared with $1.51 in the same period a year ago. Net earnings totaled $318 million on $6.3 billion in sales versus $331 million on $6.6 billion in sales a year ago. The third quarter also reflects the divestiture of businesses representing $2 billion in annual sales and retirement of 29 million shares of common stock formerly held by General Electric.
In the two years since it raised the age limit for airline pilots from 60 to 63, no health problems have been reported among the post-60 group, according to Japan's Ministry of Transport. As a result, it is considering following the U.K.'s example and raising the maximum age for pilots to 65. Japan now has about 50 age 60-plus pilots flying for its three major carriers--Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Air System--and their regional subsidiaries. The newly formed Skymark Airlines has employed 11 retired JAL and ANA pilots.
After introducing four upgraded Citation business jets at the National Business Aviation Assn. convention in Las Vegas last week, Cessna Aircraft Co. has advance orders worth $1.4 billion for 166 of the aircraft. Of these, Executive Jet Inc. ordered 50 of the midsize-cabin Sovereign for its NetJets fractional ownership program, and holds options for another 50 aircraft. The order is worth $650 million.
Snecma and Sabena Technics, a division of Sabena Belgian World Airlines, will be equal partners in an engine maintenance and overhaul joint subsidiary scheduled to be formed by the end of the year. The yet unnamed company, which will be based at Brussels airport, will overhaul Pratt&Whitney JT8D, JT9D and CFM International CFM56-3 turbofans that power Boeing transports. In the next few years, it will also overhaul CFM56-7s, according to Sabena officials.
By late next year, the Navy hopes to flight test the prototype of novel dual-mode guidance system for the Harm (AGM-88) anti-radar missile to enable it to find and destroy hostile radars even if they shut off their transmitters.
Computer-based training (CBT) is common for teaching flight management systems, maintenance/repair and other tasks for which a cost-effective instruction package is needed that students can use at their own pace. China Southern Airlines has taken CBT a step further by introducing audio and visual presentations in English and Chinese for its flight attendants. Programs were designed for it by Wicat Systems Inc. of Lindin, Utah, with specific cabin instruction for attendants on China Southern's Boeing 737, 757 and 767, and Airbus A320 aircraft.
Lockheed Martin/Sanders and ITT Industries, which are jointly developing the ALQ-214 Radio Frequency Countermeasures (RFCM) subsystem for the Navy's F/A-18E/F and the USAF's B-1B, recently have delivered the first four prototype systems for laboratory tests.
Hughes Electronics Corp. last week reported a 20% decline in third-quarter net income for the period ended Sept. 30, compared with the same period last year, while Northrop Grumman Corp. posted an 18% increase. Operating profit at Hughes also dropped by almost 50%, to $67.5 million compared with $124.2 million. Profit margin on an operating basis was 4.5%, versus 9.9% in the year-ago period. Third-quarter revenues increased 20.3% to about $1.5 billion. Earnings per share were 11 cents, compared with 13 cents in 1997's third quarter. Chairman and CEO Michael T.
The U.S. Air Force will decide in December which contractors to select for initial test and development of the prototype Low-Cost Autonomous Attack System (Locass) air-launched smart weapon.
The Raytheon Co. reported third-quarter earnings of just $11 million, or 3 cents per diluted share on $4.7 billion in sales. Earnings would have been $295 million had it not been for a total of $284 million in previously announced charges. Raytheon Engineers and Constructors accounted $230 million of the nonrecurring charges due to restructuring (to eliminate excess capacity) and a change in estimates for certain contracts. Dennis J. Picard, Raytheon chairman and CEO, said the company is well on its way to fixing problems in its Engineers and Constructors unit.
Patrick T. Flynn (see photo) has become vice president-business development, Skip Feher general manager of Airshow TV and Airshow Network and Robert Hopkins Southeast U.S. corporate aviation sales manager, all for Airshow Inc., Tustin, Calif. Flynn was chief operating officer of Pacific Systems, Kirkland, Wash. Feher was manager of airline sales for Airshow in the Americas, and Hopkins was sales director in Canada and Central America for Pilatus Aircraft.
The U.K.'s Smiths Industries last week posted a 14% increase in pretax profit, to about $360 million, and a 1% improvement in margins, to 19% for the fiscal year ended Aug. 1. Aerospace profits increased by 30% for the second consecutive year, with margins of 17%.
Loss of attitude and electrical power has forced Japan's National Space Development Agency to shut down the JERS-1 Earth Resources Satellite. Launched in 1992 into a 350-mi. Sun-synchronous orbit, the 1.4-ton JERS-1 carried an L-band synthetic aperture radar and optical sensor package. It was used for resource exploration studies, environmental monitoring, disaster prevention and agricultural, forestry and fishery studies. Power relay abnormalities in the spacecraft's battery system were first detected on Oct. 11.
Flyte Trax Version 2.0 is a real-time flight tracking system for Microsoft Windows 95, 98 and NT. Features added to the new version include an updated user interface, built-in data playback, start-up display configuration file and a full flight information display system that runs independently of the graphic display. Flyte Trax, which allows the tracking of any aircraft flying an IFR flight plan, is available on a stand-alone or networked basis. Flytecomm, 1844 Nob Hill Road, Suite 420, Plantation, Fla. 33322.
Look for alternatives to Inmarsat for inflight voice, fax and data communications once low-Earth- and medium-Earth-orbit satellite communications networks become fully operational. Motorola's Iridium is ``courting'' Honeywell, according to Mike Smith, vice president and general manager for Business and Commuter Aviation Systems. Honeywell makes satcom receivers for business, VIP and transport aircraft and is establishing OneLink, a single point-of-contact communications service aimed at providing simple flight deck and cabin ``connectivity'' anywhere in the world.
This video windowing system is in use as a ground control station for piloting unmanned aerial vehicles. First developed for the Predator UAV under the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program, the system is now used for General Atomic Aeronautical Systems UAVs. Real-time video can be superimposed on the ground-based pilot's display. The UAV can be controlled with either a C-band line-of-sight or Ku-band satellite link. RGB Spectrum, 950 Marina Village Pkwy., Alameda, Calif. 94501.
The H300 Series of hydraulic test stands are designed for checking electrohydraulic servovalves, servoactuators and power control units. Semiautomatic and automatic versions of the test stands are available. They provide for touch-screen system interaction and allow user-configured automatic test measurements. The test stands meet the standards of SAE Aerospace Recommended Practices 490 and 4904. The operator console uses Pentium-based computer and commercial off-the-shelf data acquisition boards. Avtron Manufacturing Inc., 7900 E.
Raytheon Travel Air, Raytheon Co.'s fractional-ownership business, has ordered 22 Premier 1 entry-level jets valued at more than $90 million. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2001.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has won an award of $25 million for nonrecurring engineering design, ground/flight testing and logistics support of the CH-60 vertical replenishment helicopter, with work to be completed by late 2000.
After nearly 15 years of successful recruitment policies and investment in technological advances, the U.S. armed forces represent one of the--if not the--most preeminent militaries in the world. But there are ominous indicators that point to potentially alarming trends. Global engagement has dramatically boosted personnel deployments. There are reports that equipment readiness and training quality are declining, and recruitment and retention rates are in a downslide. What does this mean for current readiness, and for future military capability?
Fractional-aircraft ownership will continue to serve as a powerful growth engine for business aviation for the foreseeable future, just as it has since the early 1990s when the industry pulled out of its last nosedive. But in 1999 and shortly after--and for the first time since fractional sales were introduced to the marketplace in 1986--the concept's validity is likely to be tested through a combination of market forces and governmental pressures. They include:
