THE FAA SWEPT THE SKIES OVER COLUMBUS, OHIO, the morning of Oct. 20 to clear the way for President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, but one air traveler apparently got away. Ohio Gov. George Voinovich's KingAir took off at 10:05 a.m. from Ohio State University's Don Scott Airport--19 min. before the restriction was lifted. Republican Voinovich chose to open a new steel mill in Canton that morning and declined an invitation to share the Midwest Economic Conference platform with the president and vice president.
Astronauts and researchers tested new techniques for managing operations and experiments on a space station and studied the behavior of fluids and crystals in microgravity during shuttle Mission 73's first week in orbit.
Sal Mira (see photo) has been appointed president/chief executive officer of KDI Precision Products of Cincinnati. He was an executive with Derlan Inc.
SAFER FIRE- AND CRASH-SUITS COULD RESULT from Star Wars technology being applied by Hayes&Associates, San Diego, Calif. Suit fabric would incorporate a lightweight and economical multilayer polymer that thermochemically absorbs heat and later releases it at a predetermined temperature. Cursory testing required 8 min. to reach a still-survivable 101F opposite where a 450F heat source was applied. Smiths Industries, under license from Hayes, is incorporating a version of the technology in heat sinks used on its flight data recorder casings.
The U.S. Congress has approved a $37.5-billion Transportation Dept. budget package for Fiscal 1996 that includes new FAA en route radars and eliminates proposed user fees, but fails to boost funding for airport improvements. House and Senate conferees provided the department with a more than $1-billion increase in funds compared with appropriations for the last fiscal year. Of the more than $8.3 billion allocated to the FAA, at least $4.6 billion is earmarked to pay for operating the agency and its air traffic control system.
The EXC-H009PC is a dual redundant test and simulation card for the H009 avionics communications bus used in the F-15 fighter aircraft. The memory-mapped, dual-channel card will operate in any IBM-compatible computer running on a 286 or higher microprocessor. The card contains 16 kilobytes by 16 of true dual-port random access memory for data, control registers and look-up tables. The board can support up to 16 peripherals. It complies with original F-15 avionics system protocols and can be used for real-time simulation. Excalibur Systems, P.O.
Allen J. Goetz has been named vice president-Technology Div. of the SatCon Technology Corp., Cambridge, Mass. He was director of advanced technology at Kaman Aerospace's Electro-Optics Development Center, Tuscon, Ariz.
Seat actuator supplier P.L. Porter Co., has developed a system for electrically adjusting first and business-class seats that contains six motors and a central controller. The Electric Comfort Control System Gen 3 or ECCS 3 will give passengers the ability to control lumbar support as well as the angle of their seatback and footrest positions, according to Tim Howard, California-based Porter's vice president of sales and marketing.
An International Civil Aviation Organization assembly in Montreal has approved a new safety oversight program that is intended to help member nations evaluate the effectiveness of their approach to air safety.
John Lancy has been named vice chairman of the board of directors of Western Pacific Airlines. He was corporate counsel. Don Applegarth has been promoted to vice president-information technology/chief information officer from director of market automation. And, Martin Wax has been promoted to vice president-purchasing from purchasing director.
The 3510-0056 Espresso/Cappuccino Maker is designed for use in aircraft galleys. The conventional slide rail-mounted unit is easy to install and requires little maintenance. It uses 1,600 w., which is less than a conventional coffee maker. The machine is 12.06 in. high, 6.32 in. wide and 12.5 in. deep. It weighs 18.5 lb. and can brew espresso or cappuccino in less than 20 sec. Its safety features include a pressure relief switch that activates at 100 psi. and an interlock switch that prevents brewing when the brew handle is up.
Mike McCarthy has been named director of engineering of Hollingsead International, Santa Fe Springs, Calif. He held the same position at AirWorks. Mike Christian has been appointed director of programs for all management functions. He was a program manager with BE Aerospace. Jeff Hastings will be program manager for in-flight entertainment, also coming from the BE Aerospace Avionics Div. And, Mark Ryan has been named aircraft installation manager. He was an installation manager for BE Aerospace's In-Flight Entertainment Div.
Gregory L. Summe has been named president of AlliedSignal Engines, Torrance, Calif. He succeeds James A. Robinson, who has been appointed executive vice president of Learjet Inc., Wichita, Kan. Summe was senior vice president/general manager of AlliedSignal General Aviation Avionics.
Two teams of U.S. and European contractors are ready to begin the first phase on the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program in January if U.S. Defense Dept. officials sign a memorandum of understanding with Germany, France and Italy as expected.
J. Donald Hastings has been appointed executive director of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Columbus, Ohio. He was a staff supervisor at the Los Alamos (N.M.) National Laboratory. Sean George has been named postal account manager for the Central Div. of American Airlines Cargo. He was director of cargo sales for American Eagle's Simmons Airlines.
UNITED AIRLINES HAS POSTPONED a decision to pursue a merger with USAir to Nov. 14. UAL Inc. Chief Financial Officer Douglas Hacker said the airline needed additional time to complete an evaluation. At the beginning of October, United said it would need 30 days (AW&ST Oct. 9, p. 33). In two recent letters to members, United's Air Line Pilots Assn. said the evaluation is concentrated on three issues: revenue synergies from combining the two route networks; cost reductions from labor-related efficiencies, and an overall evaluation of the combined company.
MARKAIR HAS CEASED operations following a formal request for the return of two leased 737 aircraft, half its fleet, by the Boeing Co. MarkAir, already in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, operated four 737s out of a Denver hub. At one point the carrier employed 1,800 and flew as many as 14 jets out of an Anchorage base. A group led by former USAir Shuttle Chief Executive Terry Hallcom is continuing its attempt to purchase the carrier. A subsidiary, MarkAir Express, remains in operation flying cargo and commuter routes within Alaska.
After a year-long consolidation of Northrop, Grumman and Vought aerostructures and engine nacelle subcontracting operations, a new division is emerging that appears well-positioned to capitalize on a recovering commercial transport market. Its experience provides some insight into the task faced by other recently merged aerospace and defense companies.
A top management shakeup, continuing labor unrest and an out-of-date transport policy are threatening Alitalia's recovery from the loss of several hundred million dollars over the last 2-3 years. The deteriorating Alitalia situation is part of the worsening straits gripping European aerospace (see p. 26).
PILOTS IN THE UNITED STATES WILL HAVE FIVE more months to prepare to use the International Civil Aviation Organization/World Meteorological Organization weather code formats. North America, the lone holdout, was scheduled to join the rest of the world Jan. 1--that is until the FAA notified Air Transport Canada that the U.S. was not ready. So the North American start date has been pushed to June 3. Surface-based aviation weather observations and terminal forecasts will be affected.
By the end of the year, the French government is scheduled to select potential locations for a new international hub that would handle long-term traffic growth and ease mounting environmental issues at Paris airports. No timeframe or budget has been determined yet for the new airport, tentatively scheduled to be completed by 2010-15. The government's initiative will nevertheless maintain the requirement for additional runways at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG)--a capacity increase that is generating intense controversy.
Learjet's new Model 45 made its first flight earlier this month in Wichita, Kan. The first all-new Learjet design in more than 30 years already had performed three test flights and accumulated slightly over 7 hr. of flight time. The 2 hr. 2 min. flight was piloted by Peter T. Reynolds, director of flight test for Learjet parent Bombardier Aerospace North America. James P. Dwyer, chief of experimental flight test for Learjet, was copilot.
Daimler-Benz Aerospace, facing billions of dollars in losses since 1992, will implement massive job cuts and close production facilities in a desperate effort to restore profitability by the end of 1998. In 1994 DASA posted $324-million losses on $12.88 billion sales, at current exchange rates. The German company has accumulated $1.98-billion losses during the 1992-94 period. This year, first half losses soared to $1.18 billion. The figure includes a $740-million provision set aside by the company to help cover the expected year-end shortfall.
Paul Davis has been named vice president/director of international operations for Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, Mountain View, Calif. He was director of European operations.
ASIA SATELLITE Telecommunications' AsiaSat 2 spacecraft has arrived at China Great Wall Industry's launch site in Xichang for launch on a Long March 2E booster. The Series 7000 spacecraft was built for the Hong Kong satcom company by Lockheed Martin Astro Space. Its launch will mark the first use of the LM-2E since a launch explosion last January destroyed a satellite owned by AsiaSat's business rival, APT Satellite. AsiaSat and Great Wall have not set a date, but the launch is expected in late November or early December.
