With key European bilateral negotiations at an impasse, U.S. Transportation Secretary Federico Pena is shifting attention to Asian nations that offer opportunities for ``real progress'' toward open skies agreements.
THE U.N. HAS TAKEN A MAJOR STEP toward banning anti-eye lasers. The U.N. Convention on Conventional Weapons adopted a protocol that would prohibit laser weapons specifically designed to cause permanent blindness of unenhanced vision, accepting the language suggested by the U.S. (AW&ST Oct. 2, p. 70).
REP. JIM LIGHTFOOT'S BILL TO CREATE an independent FAA had no sooner unanimously cleared the House Transportation Committee last week than it hit heavy flak from Transportation Secretary Federico Pena. He said the Iowa Republican's bill fails to ``address fundamental issues.'' Pena criticized a key provision of the measure that would take the aviation trust fund off-budget, warning that such action alone would not provide the funding reform needed to operate the agency and modernize air traffic control systems.
The Titan 4B block upgrade program, which is nearing completion, will produce virtually a new heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle to serve U.S. national security needs. Currently, each Titan must be tailored to its payload, which usually belongs to the Defense Dept. The block upgrade will standardize the configuration, lowering operating and manufacturing costs significantly, according to Titan builder Lockheed Martin Corp. The first Titan 4B core vehicle will be delivered in January, with the launch set for December, 1996.
Momentum is building in the French government to sharply curtail the Rafale fighter program and cancel procurement of the European NH-90 helicopter because of severe budget pressures. It is increasingly likely that 235 Rafale B/Cs for the French air force will be deferred, while the smaller navy Rafale M 86-aircraft procurement will proceed on schedule. The navy's second nuclear-powered aircraft carrier also faces an increasingly uncertain future.
Critics are concerned that the network of next-generation Doppler weather radars (Nexrad) relies on some U.S. Air Force-operated radars that do not meet the operating standards of the U.S. National Weather Service. There also are concerns about the new network's having ``holes'' in the five states now covered--Alabama, Indiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Tennessee--where radars are not being replaced, according to the General Accounting Office.
With the Boeing strike entering its fifth week, it is hard not to be moved by its . . . wastefulness. For 29,500 idle Boeing machinists in Seattle, Wichita and Portland, this week will be the third without a paycheck. (Boeing says another 3,000 union members have crossed the picket lines and returned to work.) And, the strikers' medical coverage expired as of Nov. 1.
NO MAJOR CHANGES ARE PLANNED at London City Airport by Dublin businessman Dermot Desmond, who bought the airport last week from the construction firm John Mohlem&Co. for 14.5 million pounds ($22.9 million), plus another 9 million pounds ($14.22 million) to acquire associated property interests. Desmond, the former nonexecutive chairman of the state-owned Irish airports authority Aer Rianta, is a director and major investor in Pembroke Capital Ltd., a financial services company specializing in the aviation industry.
JOSEPH C. ANSELMO has joined AVIATION WEEK&SPACE TECHNOLOGY as space technology editor. Based in the Washington bureau, he will cover the science, technology, politics and business of civil, commercial and military space programs. Immediately prior to joining the magazine, Anselmo reported on space and intelligence for Aerospace Daily.
AN F-117 CRASH REPORT raises questions about the layout of the aircraft's cockpit. U.S. Air Force investigators conclude that the May 10 fatal crash of an F-117 near Zuni, N.M., was probably caused by disorientation of the pilot, Capt. Kenneth W. Levens. Investigators said if Levens was using the Data Entry Panel with his left hand, his arm would have blocked two crucial attitude references.
The updated control panel planned for the new, FAA-certificated version of the Russian Mi-17KF helicopter includes a Honeywell EDZ-756 electronic flight instrumentation system. The panel integrates data from a Honeywell P-700 color weather radar, FZ-706 dual flight director system, AA-30 radio altimeter, VG/DG-14 attitude and heading reference system, and Primus 2 radios. A Transicoil engine instrument system and KGS instrument lighting system also were added.
AN INTELLIGENT SYSTEM USED TO MONITOR and control a critical coating process should help extend the range of cruise missiles. The technology allows precision chemical vapor deposition of a crystalline silicon nitride coating onto a bladed engine ring made from an advanced carbon-carbon weave. The coating, which has a thermal expansion rate closely matching that of the lightweight ring, protects against oxidation and eventual degradation for as long as 5 hr. in engine temperatures up to 3,200F.
Col. James Szabo (USAF, Ret.) has been named president of the Washington-based Triton Systems Corp. Aerospace Div. and F-5 upgrade and resale program manager. He was system program director for fighter/trainer aircraft at Kelly AFB, Tex.
James Schraith is now president/chief executive officer of The Cerplex Group, Tustin, Calif. He was president/chief operating officer of AST Research. Philip Pietrowski has been named vice president-logistics. He was business operations manager for the Digital Equipment Corp.
General Electric engineers will conduct a series of tests and evaluations through 1996 to provide the basis for a decision on the next growth step for the GE90 powerplant. The dilemma facing GE executives is whether they should boost the thrust of the GE90 to around 98,000 lb. or go further to 105,000 lb.
A PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL RADIO DEVELOPED by Westinghouse Electric and GEC Marconi Electronics Systems can generate the waveforms for a wide range of radio frequency signals in one box, using commercial off-the-shelf technology. Programmable with software from 2 MHz. to 2 GHz., the radio has demonstrated its capability to switch between HF, VHF, UHF, Sincgars and satcom for voice, data or video. Switching between radios only takes 600 millisec. The technology may hold a key to affordable, reconfigurable communication, navigation and identification systems.
USAir and British Airways have unveiled a system that will allow their best customers to book flights using an intuitive point-and-click interface on a personal computer. Other carriers are planning to launch their own systems in the coming weeks. The system, called Priority TravelWorks by USAir and Executive TravelWorks by British Airways, is intended to make it simple to buy airline tickets, and reserve hotel rooms and rental cars. Other current systems require users to have an account with an on-line service such as CompuServe or America Online.
The TCD121 is a 21-in., color tower control display with an intelligent ergonomic interface. The unit is designed for use in the unpredictable lighting conditions of air traffic control towers, which can be subject to extremely bright sunlight. The new monitor is guaranteed to provide a contrast ratio of more than 1:3, even under sunlight conditions of 18,000 lux. Screen readability in extremely bright sunlight can be further enhanced with optional contrast filters.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines expects to generate millions of dollars in added freight revenues annually due to weight savings from a new lower deck powered cargo system that is being installed in its 28 Boeing 747s. The cargo loading system, developed by Telair International Cargo Systems of Oxnard, Calif., uses power drive units (PDUs) that operate independently of one another to move cargo pallets or containers.
U.S. Navy Capt. Alan Rutherford has received the Assn. for Unmanned Vehicle Systems' Outstanding Contributor Award for promoting ideas, creating concepts, or directing programs involved in development and operation of such vehicles. Other award recipients are: Joseph Engelberger of the Transitions Research Corp., Pioneer Award for sponsoring programs leading to demonstration of advanced concepts and innovative ideas in UVS development; Lowell (Sonny) Haskins of the Marine Corps Detachment at the U.S.
Gary L. Barnes has been appointed vice president-advanced programs at Space Applications Corp., Vienna, Va. He was director of classified advanced government programs for the Hughes Space and Communications Co.
After 46 years of official isolation in commercial flight operations, Taiwan has signaled a greater willingness to make connections with China--and China seems ready to accept. In separate air service accords initialed during the past two weeks with Macau and Hong Kong, Taiwan has said it will allow passengers to fly directly from Taipei and Kaohsiung to Chinese cities via Macau and Hong Kong. Taiwan's only stipulation is that China-bound aircraft change their flight numbers during stopovers in Macau or Hong Kong.
Steve Hunter has been appointed senior vice president of PATS Inc., Columbia, Md. He was vice president-sales and marketing of Keith Products of Dallas.
Pilot in Command Flight Check is an aircraft-specific emergency procedures trainer and transition/refresher training course for general aviation pilots. The floppy disk-based program runs on Windows machines and is available for either the Cessna 172 or Piper Archer. The program features an animated, photo-realistic image of a general aviation cockpit with operable flight, powerplant and communications controls. An on-line library includes model and manufacturer history, aircraft accident facts and type vulnerabilities.
The STB-1001 Electronic-Strobe Beacon is a reliable safelight, energized by a sophisticated electronic package encapsulated in a clear plastic dome. The device is suitable for search and rescue operations, illuminating helicopter landing pads and paratrooper drop zones, and as a signal device for downed pilots. The beacons also can be clipped easily to life jackets, belts or other clothing. The STB-1001's xenon gas tube emits a flash that can be visible for up to 5 mi. It will flash 50-70 times per min. for 16 hr. and then at a diminished rate for up to 72 hr.
