Ginger Wierzbanowski (see photo) has been named VP-space, missile defense, advanced technology and ground programs at Northrop Grumman Corp., Falls Church, Va., succeeding John R. Landon, who is scheduled to retire at year-end. Wierzbanowski has been VP-government relations and was legislative assistant to the vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Airlines waiting for a reason to spend millions of dollars to equip their fleets with next-generation communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) may see more convincing arguments from the FAA in the very near future. Along with the awarding a contract to establish and operate a domestic data-link system that includes $80 million in financial help for equipage, the agency is also nearing completion of a public-private partnership that may provide more than $1 billion to help cover buying and installing NextGen CNS avionics.

Nearly everyone knows that the U.S. is the largest arms exporter in history, selling or donating more weapons and defense services abroad than any other nation. But did you know that the U.S. also is the world's single-largest financial supporter of conventional weapons destruction? Since 1993, the State and Defense departments, the U.S.

Harris Corp., winner of the FAA's $331 million Data Communications Integrated Services (DCIS) contract in September, would like to accelerate the disbursement of $80 million in avionics aid for select airlines to begin demonstrating benefits of the data communications (datacomm) technology to the broader community by 2015.

David Davenport (see photo) has been promoted to VP and regional operations manager of New York LaGuardia Airport-based FlightSafety International from manager of the Savannah (Ga.) Learning Center. Fabio Miguez was promoted to manager of the Columbus (Ohio) Learning Center from manager of the Detroit Metro/Toledo Center. He succeeds Chip White, who moved to the Gulfstream Learning Center. Daniel MacLellan has been promoted to regional operations manager and will continue as manager of the Dallas/Fort Worth Learning Center.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) battle over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing drags on. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) office maintains in a Sept. 23 filing that NASA and U.S. Defense Department funding to Boeing that the WTO found to be illegal subsidies has been removed. The USTR added that the State of Washington is modifying tax credits to Boeing to bring them into line with the WTO ruling and that the City of Wichita is also changing industrial bond rates to comply.

Mark C. Cherry has joined Aurora Flight Services, Manassas, Va., as president and chief operating officer. He succeeds Aurora founder John S. Langford, who will continue as chairman and CEO. Cherry was VP-corporate strategy and synergy at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.

Roger Sherrard (see photo) has been promoted to president of Irvine, Calif.-based Parker Aerospace, succeeding Bob Barker, who is scheduled to retire at year-end after 39 years with the company. Sherrard has been president of Parker Hannifin's automation and instrumentation groups. Greg Crowe has been promoted to VP-operations from VP and general manager of the Fluid Systems Div. He has been succeeded by Guy Martin, who was general manager of the Seal Group's Engineered Polymer Systems Div. Frank Dubey has become VP and general manager of the Control Systems Div.