The fifth edition of The Instrument Flight Manual: The Instrument Rating has been revised to include METARS/TAFs and changes in the Federal Aviation Regulations. The book gives an overview of IFR operational requirements and helps the reader establish decision-making processes for instrument flight. It covers aircraft instruments, systems, navigation and communications with air traffic control. A fifth section is a ``trip'' that relies on knowledge from the first four sections. A sample written instrument rating test is included. Iowa State University Press, 2121 S.
Asia-Pacific passenger load factors have climbed above 70% for the first time in 11 months, giving heart to carriers looking for the first signs of recovery from the creeping recession that began in July 1997. Data from the Assn. of Asian Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for July showed average load factors of 71.59%, a two-point lift from the previous month and a seven-point increase from the low of 64.15% in May.
Despite repeated vows of support by senior FAA officials for the use of flight-operations data analysis in safety-improvement programs, squabbles within the agency and with airline and labor leaders on program guidelines is delaying widespread use of the data.
Representatives from up to 40 world airlines and leasing companies plan to meet on Nov. 5 in Washington to petition Airbus and Boeing for less expensive ``no-frills'' transports. The all-day session, being organized in coordination with the Air Transport Assn. and SAE's Aerospace Program Office, will include presentations by Airbus and Boeing. The two largest jet transport manufacturers have been asked to estimate how much could be saved if airlines agreed to accept basic or more standardized versions of transports with many current options removed.
Senior military officials have been stripped of at least part of their informal but traditional oversight of target and weapons selection in recent attacks launched by the U.S. as well as those being planned against Yugoslavia, say distressed Pentagon-based staff members.
Members of the International Civil Aviation Organization have allocated $5 million to launch a program by January for beefing up enforcement of safety standards upon themselves. Delegates from more than 150 of the 185 United Nations aviation agency's member states also agreed to consider drafting tougher pollution and noise-emissions limits for commercial aircraft and to pursue development of a permanent legal framework for the implementation of satellite-based air traffic management systems worldwide.
Chris Dittmer has been appointed vice president-worldwide marketing and Bill LaSalle vice president/general counsel of CyberStar, Mountain View, Calif. Dittmer was vice president-international marketing and field support for the Oracle Corp. and LaSalle vice president/associate general counsel for the Lockheed Martin Corp.
Amonth-long orbit of Jupiter's moon, Europa, to as close as 60 mi. from the surface to confirm the presence of a subsurface ocean of water will be the goal of the first spacecraft to be launched in a new series of NASA planetary and solar probes from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Europa Orbiter is to be launched in 2002 and be the lead-off mission in the NASA Outer Planets/Solar Probe Program, which is slated for formal approval in Fiscal 2000. Europa's nominal cost is $191 million.
Republican leaders on Capitol Hill say the Administration's refusal to give them detailed results of missile strikes on terrorist camps in Afghanistan is a political mistake that could have big repercussions on future military operations. ``It breeds the kind of suspicion and cynicism that is so harmful when there is truly a national emergency,'' said a veteran Republican defense lawmaker who wishes not to be named.
The Canadian Space Agency says the versatility of Radarsat's multi-beam synthetic aperture radar, fast data turnaround times and occasional reorientation are allowing it to break new ground in Earth imaging. Initial accomplishments of the 3,200-kg. (7,000-lb.) spacecraft include the first ``snapshot'' of all of Antarctica in a short time frame, CSA Director General Rolf Mamen told delegates attending the recent IAF meeting.
Coleman Research Corp. will provide capability development and production of an air-launched target missile using rocket motors from deactiviated Minuteman 2 ICBMs to the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, Ballistic Missile Targets Joint Program Office and U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, under a $165-million contract.
One of India's leading conglomerates, Tata Industries, said it has abandoned plans to start a domestic airline because of continued political delays. Tata, which sought Singapore Airlines as its partner in the venture, said India's Civil Aviation Ministry was a ``stumbling block'' for the proposal, which would have challenged state-owned Indian Airlines.
Avrotec Aircraft Services, a British Aerospace subsidiary, will upgrade18 Avro RJ85 regional transports operated by Lufthansa CityLine. The package includes the installation of a Collins GNSL-910 flight management system, Normalair Garrett digital pressurization system and communications system modifications.
Damon J. D'Agostino has been promoted to assistant vice president-aircraft portfolio sales from aerospace analyst for the Capital Finance Aerospace Div. of the CIT Group of New York.
Litton Data Systems has developed a miniature optical correlator that the company believes will provide 10 times faster processing for automatic target recognition and similar military and civilian tasks.
The Russian-Ukrainian An-70, a possibility for Europe's future airlift requirements, may be the first casualty of the recent German federal elections. A report on the feasibility of this option, in place of the European FLA or an off-the-shelf U.S. buy, was due to be submitted late last week by Daimler-Benz Aerospace to the German ministry of defense (AW&ST May 25, p. 21). Although DASA would not comment on the report, sources close to the project said that it had identified ``a host of problems,'' and recommended abandoning the idea.
Airbus' first sale of an A340 in the Pacific region also is the first aircraft for Tahiti's first long-haul airline, Air Tahiti Nui. Delivery of the A340-200, in 286-passenger configuration, is expected at year's end. It will bring sightseers to Papeete on nonstop services from Pacific Rim cities such as Los Angeles, Osaka and Tokyo. Until now, Tahiti's air services have been local and provided by turboprops. The aircraft, shown in artist concept, features the island's Tiare flower. The carrier, formed in 1996, is majority owned by local investors.
The PSAZZ Web site is up and running--though much of it is in construction--but the airline is ``a development-stage corporation,'' it admits. It is looking for a carrier to acquire so that government authority can be secured by supplemental approval to existing Transportation Dept. and FAA certificates. That would help reduce the expense and prolonged process currently required of startups, it believes.
Paul H. Edwards (see photos) has beecome vice president-strategic development and Peter Woolfrey vice president-civil business development for Smiths Industries Aerospace, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Bruno Rambaud has been appointed senior vice president-communications systems and Louis Le Portz senior vice president-industrial of Thomson-CSF. Rambaud was chairman of Metaleurop's executive board. Le Portz was chairman/CEO of Thomson Training&Simulation. He has been succeeded by Stanislas Guerin, who was managing director of Thomson-CSF Missile Electronics.
Aclose associate of Osama bin Laden, the wealthy Saudi exile suspected in the recent terrorist bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa, sought to obtain components of nuclear weapons and procure enriched uranium for the purpose of developing such weapons, federal authorities allege. The reputed bin Laden lieutenant, Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, also allegedly conspired to use weapons of mass destruction against U.S. nationals and sought to develop chemical weapons while in the Sudan.
Raytheon Co. intends to slash the size of its payroll well beyond the 8,700 layoffs announced in January, reducing the size of its total work force by 16% or 14,000 positions by the end of 1999, according to President and Chief Operating Officer Daniel P. Burnham. The company previously had targeted a 10% reduction over the 1998-99 period. Raytheon also expects to close eight defense facilities beyond the 20 plant and office closings announced in January.
Reno Air is the launch customer for BehavHeuristics Inc.'s FarePrice online airline pricing software. FarePrice allows airlines to track rival airlines' fare changes and suggests competitive matches. The regional carrier has been using the Baltimore firm's automated online revenue management system since 1996. FarePrice is designed to allow rapid tracking and reporting of competitive fares, fare rules and footnotes by market up to three times a day. It stores historical market data such as fare changes for comparison and highlights competitors' changes by market.
Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.) has received the NASAO National Award of Excellence for his commitment to aviation during 23 years of congressional service.
Applied Microsystems Corp. is tapping the engineering capabilities of TekSci Inc., an avionics software consultancy, to bolster marketing of its specialized embedded systems, particularly for avionics. Applied makes the CodeTEST series of verification and analysis tools, which measure the performance of an embedded microprocessor while simultaneously testing its coverage and memory allocation.
