Richard Schwartz has been named chief pilot for the NetJets shared ownership program at Executive Jet International, Columbus, Ohio. He was a transportation financial planner for the Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y.
Engineers' best guess on why the Galileo probe parachute deployed 53 sec. late is that the two g-switches feeding the chute timer algorithm were wired backwards. Switch G1 was designed to toggle up at 6g in an increasing direction and back down at 4.5g, while G2 toggled up and down at 25g and 20g, respectively. The algorithm used the relative times to deploy the chute at just below Mach 1.
China's efforts to establish itself as a major player in the commercial space launch market were dealt a blow when a Long March booster exploded shortly after takeoff, destroying an Intelsat television satellite. The Long March 3B began to veer off course before it even cleared the tower at the Xichang launch site early Feb. 14 (2 p.m. EST Feb. 13). Observers say the booster turned over on its side and appeared to be headed back toward the ground when it blew up 20 sec. after takeoff.
Western Pacific Airlines and the city of Colorado Springs agreed to a five-gate interim expansion of the airport terminal last week, giving the carrier urgently needed room for continued growth.
Pratt&Whitney engineers are making several modifications to their new space shuttle fuel pump in an attempt to correct problems that have disrupted development testing of that pump. NASA officials at the same time are pressing ahead with their investigation of a test failure of one of those fuel pumps and of the impact that failure may have on future flights of Pratt oxidizer pumps already fitted on shuttle engines.
Canadair introduced its Special Edition business jet to Asia at the Singapore air show as part of a tour that will include stops in Seoul, Hong Kong and Taipei. The 3,100- naut.-mi. range corporate version of the Canadair Regional Jet is designed to reach major Asian cities from Singapore nonstop.
Many aerospace/defense companies are moving aggressively onto the Internet by posting home pages with a variety of information--recruiting new employees, doing technical research and even using video conferencing capability.
IPTN IS PLANNING TO PRODUCE TWO VERSIONS of its new N250 twin turboprop transport: a 54-seat N250-50 and a stretched N250-100 seating 66 passengers. Both are to have an 800-naut.-mi. range. When the first N250 prototype flew last August, program managers at Indonesia's state-owned aircraft factory, formally known as Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara, said they were producing a 64-68-seat fly-by-wire transport, although the test article was not that large.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is conducting an inquiry into allegations that bribery may have been involved in the sale of five de Havilland Dash 8 aircraft to Bahamasair in 1990.
Romano Mazzucco has been appointed general manager for North America of Alitalia. He succeeds Mario Rosso, who is now senior vice president-network development. Mazzucco was general manager for Japan and South Korea.
COMPUTER VIRUSES REMAIN A THREAT to computer users even if they have the new Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems from Microsoft, according to one computer security specialist. These operating systems use a 32-bit architecture but previous viruses aimed at 16-bit systems may still be effective, according to John Morris of Norman Data Defense Systems. Morris added that viruses aimed at the new operating systems have started to show up in the U.S. One originated in Australia and the other in Bulgaria. The Fairfax, Va., company has a U.S. Defense Dept.
Theodore L. Weise, Alan B. Graf, Jr., and Kenneth R. Masterson have been appointed executive vice presidents of Federal Express. Weise will oversee worldwide operations and succeed William J. Razzouk, who has become chief operating officer of America On-Line. Weise was senior vice president-air operations. Graf will continue as chief financial officer and Masterson as general counsel.
A host of new, high-performance models and a possible resurgence in oilfield demand has world helicopter operators and manufacturers optimistic following a spotty 1995. Strong international growth continues to offset a generally stagnant U.S. new helicopter market, traditionally responsible for about 40% of all new helicopter sales. Airspace restrictions, noise and high costs continue to plague operators worldwide.
AIRBORNE LASER IS THE AIR FORCE'S FIRST CHOICE for a weapon to destroy enemy ballistic missiles early in flight. However, the Pentagon is hedging its bets for a boost phase intercept system. It is budgeting $10 million annually for three years for further study of an interceptor missile on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The idea, approved by defense acquisition chief Paul Kaminski, is to provide an alternative to ABL by Fiscal 1999 in case the laser runs into problems. The baseline for discussions is the relatively short-range Israeli HA-10 UAV and Moab missile (see p.
Japan and Taiwan continue to fuel the expansion of regional turboprop sales in Asia, but everyone is keeping an eye on China. De Havilland said it has made its first Dash 8-400 sales with an order for six and options for six by Great China Airways of Taiwan. The Taipei-based airline, which is 20% owned by EVA Air, will take the 400B series seating 78 passengers. President Peter Szu said the airline intends to replace its fleet of 12 Dash 8-300s eventually because with 56 seats they are too small for Taiwan's slot-restricted regional operations.
Pilatus expects to deliver the last of 60 PC-7 Mk. 2 turbo trainers to the South African air force by the end of the year. The aircraft reflects development from both the PC-9 advanced trainer and the standard PC-7 and is expected to become a successor to both, especially now that the Beech/Pilatus JPATS version of the PC-9 has been selected as the U.S. Air Force/Navy's primary trainer.
Japan's navy is seeking initial funding for a replacement for the Lockheed Martin/Kawasaki P-3C maritime patrol aircraft--despite an estimated $9.5 billion price tag--because it does not want to listen again to complaints that it is ``stealing'' U.S. technology. Long memories of the political headaches caused by the joint development of the FS-X (now F-2) close air support fighter are behind the demand that Japan go it alone on the P-3C replacement.
International Aero Engines is ready to offer the V2500 as a replacement engine for Boeing 727s to extend their life past 2000. President/CEO Barry Eccleston foresees a market of about 700 engines as major carriers face a deadline for the end of operations of their Pratt&Whitney JT8Ds on 727s because they only meet Stage 2 noise criteria. Stage 2 aircraft must be phased out in the U.S. by 2000. V2500s can meet the ``Stage 3.5'' requirements that some in the industry predict will be set as a new noise standard.
The international crew of Columbia this week is to return to space an ambitious but troubled $440-million project to study how spacecraft--linked by a tether 11 naut. mi. long--behave in orbit. The crew's deployment of the U.S./Italian Tethered Satellite System is aimed at redeeming that payload, whose first engineering and science investigation was cut short on shuttle Mission 46 (AW&ST Aug. 10, 1992, p. 60).
THE BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE Organization and U.S. Army expect to conduct the 5th firing of Thaad in a 14-flight series by the end of this month at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Engineers have fixed an avionics system software problem that caused guidance problems during an unsuccessful flight test on Dec. 13. The software did not handle target updates properly from a radar on the ground. The upcoming test calls for Thaad to demonstrate its hit-to-kill capability against a Coleman Research Corp. Hera target.
SEVERAL MORE HIGH-ALTITUDE DRONES are being prepared for flight in the coming months. Aurora Flight Sciences delivered its Perseus B drone to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Feb. 12. It is powered by a three-stage turbocharged piston engine designed to go to 65,000 ft. (AW&ST July 10, 1995, p. 50). The first flight could be this week. Aurora also started taxi tests this month of the Theseus drone, which uses two of the Perseus B engines for increased payload and endurance. Theseus should fly by June.
MAYORS OF 10 CHICAGO SUBURBS are accusing United and American airlines of attempting to restrict competition in their opposition to the South Suburban Airport project. They are asking for a federal investigation into a possible violation of antitrust laws. In a letter seeking support for an investigation from Rep. Henry J.
GEN. JOHN M. SHALIKASHVILI PLANS to visit China later this year. Despite current tensions in the Taiwan Straits, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff dismisses the likelihood of a large-scale clash. ``The Chinese have a military capability for blockading and . . . missile attacks against Taiwan,'' but not large-scale, over-water invasion, he said. Moreover, Beijing has not rejected the notion a peaceful resolution to the crisis, he said. There have been recent movements of Chinese landing craft, missiles, aircraft, ships and fast reaction forces.
Northrop Grumman B-2 program officials say the recent White House decision not to acquire additional bombers beyond the initial 20 operational aircraft will have no immediate impact on plans for production and upgrades. Ralph D. Crosby, Jr., corporate vice president and deputy general manager of the company's Military Aircraft Systems Div., said the bomber program will face no near-term changes, because the company has been following a baseline program for only 20 aircraft all along.
CHINESE AVIATION OFFICIALS HAVE THROWN COLD WATER on speculation that their market for new aircraft orders will blossom this year, according to the official press. Li Yongqi, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China's Planning Dept., said China will take delivery of 27 aircraft this year and buy that many more. Boeing is expected to gain the lion's share of the orders, with McDonnell Douglas and Airbus Industrie splitting the remainder. ``Reports of 40 new aircraft [purchases] per year are groundless,'' Li told the China Daily.
