Dan Patterson (see photo) has been promoted to president of the Lockheed Martin Aircraft Center, Greenville, S.C., from vice president/director of launch site operations for Lockheed Martin Space Operations at the Kennedy Space Center.
As a U.S. Air Force brigadier general, Buster Glosson was selected by the Desert Storm senior commander, Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, to take responsibility for planning the air campaigns over Kuwait and Iraq during Desert Storm. That was the first of two major conflicts that many analysts now contend was decided by U.S. air power. The rollback of Bosnian Serb forces after the August-September, 1995, NATO bombing campaign and the subsequent Balkan peace accords is considered the second. They are expected to serve as a template for future U.S.
First analysis of Galileo probe data confirms that Jupiter's composition is similar to that of the Sun. This suggests that the giant gas planet was mainly condensed out of similar primordial materials and that subsequent bombardment by solid objects has not greatly altered the composition.
Mike Farge (see photo) has been named director of marketing of Meggitt Plc., Dorset, England. He was managing director of subsidiary Coltax Aerospace. John Bird has been appointed general manager for Europe for BWIA International Airways. He was a senior manager at British Airways.
Glenn Batten (see photo) has been named director of business development for the Williams Gateway Airport Authority, Mesa, Ariz. He was director of development at the former Eaker AFB, Ark.
U.S. MANUFACTURERS delivered 1,077 new general aviation aircraft worth $2.8 billion in 1995--a 16.1% increase from the 928 units shipped in 1994 and the highest volume since 1990, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Assn. (GAMA). Raytheon Aircraft shipped the largest number of aircraft--409 units--that included 96 jets, 175 turboprops and 138 piston-engine aircraft. Export shipments increased 11.9% to 310 aircraft valued at $816 million.
The Galileo tape recorder got stuck again recently during a conditioning session, but was freed two days later. Engineers were surprised that it stuck, but happy that it was so easy to free. It stuck the first time on Oct. 11 in the ``reverse'' direction.
David Plavin, former director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has been elected president of Airports Council International-North America. He succeeds George Howard, who served a six-year term.
Gen. Joseph W. Ralston, commander of Air Combat Command for hitting the ground running in his new assignment and forming the first long-endurance, unmanned aerial vehicle reconnaissance squadron. This positioned the U.S. Air Force into the lead after the long-term USAF rejection of UAV technology and philosophy of their use. Ralston, at almost the same time, demanded the USAF enter the information warfare business and forced the service to form its first information warfare squadron at Shaw AFB, S.C.
ARIANE 5 EUROPEAN CONTRACTOR teams under the European and French space agencies (ESA/CNES) will begin on Feb. 21 the formal checkout of flight hardware at Kourou, French Guiana, for launch of the first Ariane 5, now scheduled for May 7. The successful qualification firing of the Aerospatiale cryogenic main stage on the pad at Kourou has cleared the way for the first launch campaign. The vehicle's oxygen/hydrogen SEP Vulcain engine was fired for 9 min. 53 sec. during this second and final qualification test earlier this month.
French engine manufacturer Snecma is planning to reduce its share in future versions of the General Electric GE90 turbofan engine because of intense price competition. Snecma, a 25.5% risk-sharing partner in the GE90 program, is suffering the consequences of the cutthroat competition in the commercial transport market. Generous price concessions on airframes are also having a big impact on engine manufacturers, according to Snecma Chairman/CEO Bernard Dufour.
Olof Lundberg, president and CEO of ICO Global Communications When the Inmarsat international consortium was created in 1979 to provide mobile satellite communications service to ships at sea, no one--not even Olof Lundberg, its director-general--could foresee the dramatic impact that he and Inmarsat would have on aviation--especially for transoceanic operations. When Inmarsat began operations in 1982, a shipboard antenna for its first-generation satellites measured 40 in. in diameter--much too gigantic for even a 747.
AVIATION WEEK&SPACE TECHNOLOGY presents its 39th annual Aerospace Laurels selections, honoring individuals and teams who made substantial contributions to the global field of aerospace in 1995. Honorees were selected from nominations by Aviation Week editors in Commercial Air Transport, Operations, Electronics, Space, Aeronautics/Propulsion and Government/Military. Following the inauguration of a Lifetime Achievement Award last year, an honoree in this seventh category also has been named for 1995.
Dot Etheridge (see photo) of Washington has become president of the International Aviation Women's Assn. She is a program manager in the FAA Aviation Capacity Div.
Anew simulator laboratory at Metropolitan State College of Denver is capable of creating a complete virtual air traffic control environment, giving student pilots valuable, safe experience operating in congested airspace before attempting the real thing.
The FAA's air traffic control system is ``very safe'' but tainted by equipment failures that hamper efficiency, according to a special investigation by the U. S. National Transportation Safety Board. In a report issued last week, the NTSB cited computer, power supply and radio communication failures, lack of controller proficiency with backup computer systems and the retirement of experienced airways facilities technicians as key reasons for the problems.
Ray Morgan and Bob Curtin for the AeroVironment Pathfinder drone The dream of perpetual flight came measurably closer last September when the AeroVironment solar-powered Pathfinder drone reached 50,500 ft. Solar-powered flight was almost laughable in 1970. Dedicated work by several groups since then has turned it into a reality that is just a hair away from practical use.
Fokker's demise would have a spillover effect on U.K. aerospace suppliers who provide roughly 40% of the components, in terms of value, for the full range of Fokker aircraft. In addition to major companies such as Short Brothers, Rolls-Royce, Smiths Industries and Dowty Aerospace, the closure of Fokker's production line would also hit hundreds of smaller U.K. suppliers. Fokker estimates that when the full supply chain is taken into account as many as 5,000 British jobs are at stake.
To human factors researchers focusing on automated cockpits in commercial transports. Charles E. Billings, former chief scientist at NASA Ames Research Center and now at Ohio State University (OSU), is cited for pioneering work in developing the concept of human-centered automation and for analyzing accidents. Earl L. Wiener of the University of Miami has conducted simulator and cockpit studies of automation for 15 years and helped Delta Air Lines develop a course for pilots on automated cockpits. David D. Woods and Nadine B.
Marvin R. Sambur, president/general manager of ITT Aerospace/Communications Div., Ft. Wayne, Ind., has won the Indiana Electronic Manufacturers Assn. Outstanding Leadership Award for 1995. He was cited for leading his company to growth in a shrinking defense industry.
NASA HAS ANNOUNCED a series of changes in its senior management team. George W. S. Abbey was named director of Johnson Space Center, where he had been acting chief since last August. Henry McDonald, a Pennsylvania State University professor, was appointed chief of Ames Research Center effective Mar. 4. Alphonso V. Diaz was named assistant director of Goddard Space Flight Center. On the departure side, Charles E.
The initial exchange of safety-related operational data among major U.S. airlines scheduled for Jan. 22 failed to occur, and probably will not begin until regulations are enacted to protect airlines and pilots from legal reprisals.
A BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE PILOT was killed when a Jaguar ground attack/reconnaissance aircraft crashed at RAF Coltishall in Norfolk during an attempted takeoff on Jan. 23. It was the fourth RAF aircraft lost to accidents in less than two weeks. Two Tornado F3 fighters were lost after colliding during a training exercise in Lincolnshire on Jan. 10. And on Jan. 11 a Tornado GR1 strike aircraft crashed south of Muenster, Germany. There were no fatalities in the two earlier accidents, and boards of inquiry are investigating the causes of all three.
Frederick W. Sine has been named executive vice president-operations of Avatar Alliance of Atlanta. He was vice president-engineering services and quality assurance of Intertrade Ltd., Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tara Wallace and Bruce Odum have been appointed director and manager of information technology, respectively.
