The legacy of an air traffic controller strike more than 25 years ago has returned to haunt the FAA with a new staffing predicament that could linger into the next decade. The FAA is faced with a wave of controller retirements from a workforce that was mostly hired in the same nine-year period, following President Ronald Reagan's decision to fire striking controllers en masse in 1981. About 70% of the current controller workforce of nearly 15,000 will become eligible to retire within the next eight years, the FAA estimates.
USN Rear Adm. (ret.) David Stone, a former director of the Transportation Security Administration, has been appointed to the board of directors of SkyPort International Inc. of Houston.
The first detailed air traffic management performance targets will drive about a year's worth of intense deliberations as a consortium of industry and government representatives works to spell out the future for Europe's ATM system.
French defense minister Michele Alliot-Marie will meet in March with Des Browne, her British counterpart, to hash out final details of a project to build a second French aircraft carrier based on the U.K.'s new CVF design. The Chirac administration wants to sign off on a contract for the carrier, or at least key elements of it, before the presidential election in May.
France and the U.S. have signed a space cooperation agreement to facilitate joint work in civil space endeavors. The two nations are planning to work together in Moon and Martian exploration as well.
Tom Vice, a Northrop Grumman vice president who inspired the development of the Weightless Flights of Discovery program, has accepted the California Space Authority's Buzz Aldrin Space Education and Workforce Award for the company. Northrop Grumman was recognized by the CSA for developing and providing teachers with a "hands free" educational tool designed to motivate American students to seek careers in scientific and technical fields.
GE Security's Secure Registered Traveler Kiosk went into service on the West Coast on Jan. 22 at Mineta San Jose International Airport. The self-serve kiosk allows registered travelers to identify themselves. It also examines passengers for explosives. Similar kiosks are at three other major U.S. airports.
Ric Anderson (see photo) has been named senior director of consulting for aircraft maintenance program studies and training for the EmpowerMX Consulting Services Group, Duluth, Minn.
U.S. Air Combat Command hasn't given up on the idea of fielding a powerful standoff jammer despite the budgetary and mission fights over two previous attempts to turn B-52s into electronic attack platforms. ACC's chief, Gen. Ronald Keys, points out that stealth aircraft such as the F-22 and B-2 aren't invisible and if they orbit in a battle zone long enough, they'll have trouble staying undetected, particularly by low-frequency surveillance radars.
Simon Ramo has been named to receive the Space Foundation's highest honor, the Gen. James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award. It recognizes individuals for lifetime contributions to the welfare or betterment of humankind through the exploration, development and use of space; or the use of space technology, information, themes or resources in academic, cultural, industrial or other pursuits to benefit humanity. Ramo was selected for his accomplishments in the beginning of the U.S.'s space programs.
The first unit in Germany's SARLupe radar reconnaissance satellite system has entered operation. The one-meter resolution spacecraft began sending images on Jan. 12 and by Jan. 18, all planned modes and resolutions had been verified. The second satellite is to be launched in July.
Congratulations to all cited in the "Annual Laureate Candidate Selections," for their continued efforts and dedication to improving civil and military aviation/aerospace (AW&ST Jan. 1, p. 57). We all reap the benefits of their labors. Notably absent is Honda Motors Co. for developing a remarkable vehicle that while only slightly smaller than a Cessna CJ1, has a 30% larger cabin, up to 40% greater range, on 14% less thrust. Its Honda engines boast a 5,000-hr. time between overhauls with no costly hot-section inspections.
If the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Assns. wants to impress me with its reverence for truth-finding in aircraft accident investigations, it can start by reversing its opposition to cockpit video recorders, which the National Transportation Safety Board has wanted for years (AW&ST Jan. 1, p. 6).
Assistant U.S. Defense Secretary Brian Green says he's confident negotiations with Poland and the Czech Republic to secure sites for the U.S. missile defense system will continue. The Czechs will provide locations for basing a radar while Poland will house up to 10 interceptors. The cost is about $3.5 billion, including $1 billion for construction. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering says he hopes the system there is operational as early as 2011, to counter the threat of long-range missiles from Iran.
ExpressJet plans to launch point-to-point service in April and May under its own brand using 44 of the 69 Embraer regional jets it kept on lease from Continental Airlines when the mainline carrier rebid regional service. CEO Jim Ream says ExpressJet will operate at 24 cities with 59 market-pairs, offering 224 daily flights. Fifteen of the other RJs will be used for charters and 10 for a potential new mainline partner.
The South Korean army wants to spend $6 billion developing and building 270 attack helicopters using foreign technology, with Eurocopter well placed to pick up work. The proposal, which would follow the current project to build 245 utility helicopters with Eurocopter and Korean Aerospace Industries, revives an earlier initiative that ran into political opposition because of its cost.
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Keys also wants to equip a core of the Air Force's least-old older aircraft with even better radar capabilities than the F-22's, but not including multi-sensor fusion. He looks to active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, with predicted range up to 250 mi. and jamming capability, first on 220 F-15E Strike Eagles, next on 178 F-15C Eagles and, perhaps, "some of the F-16C Super Block 50s." The F-16s "might make sense," he says.
China's newly demonstrated ability to destroy satellites in low orbits raises risks for the U.S. and Japan in intervening in any Chinese attempt to take Taiwan under its military control--but that might not be the real motivation for the Jan. 11 test.
Robert A. Messinger (see photo) has become director of direct marketing for Ridgefield, Conn.-based Jetera. He was an independent marketing consultant.
A SAFETY STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA in Anchorage concludes that from 2000 through the end of 2003, the rate of accidents for aircraft equipped with ADS-B as part of the FAA's Capstone project was 40% lower than for aircraft not so equipped. According to Sensis Corp., the reduction in the accident rate has continued. Capstone has also improved search-and-rescue activities. Prior to Capstone, one general aviation accident was occurring every other day in Alaska.
The F-22 Raptor's "embarrassing success" has created a need for rapid modification of the fighter, says USAF Gen. Ronald Keys, chief of Air Combat Command. ACC wants a stealthy "tactical target network" data link that can quickly pass key parameters on enemy targets without giving away its position. In initial exercises, the F-22 "was much better at [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] and absorbing signals than we had anticipated," Keys says. "There is capacity in there that we hadn't dreamed of.
LUFTFARTSVERKET AIR NAVIGATION SERVICES (LFV) OF SWEDEN has ordered a Sensis Corp. multistatic dependent surveillance (MDS) system to improve traffic flow at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. The system will have 16 remote-sensing units and will be integrated into a Surface Movement Guidance and Control System already deployed there. The Sensis multilateration technology fixes the position of aircraft and vehicles on the ground with precision at the airport by measuring the time difference of arrival of signals at different antennas.
