U
P
D
A
T
E
Home | UPDATE | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Inside | Datafiles

UPDATE 
Week ending November 5, 2000
+++ Expedition 1 crew enters ISS +++ Eurofighter final assembly progresses +++ EC 135 for the Swedish Police +++ Ariane 4 flight 134 succeeds +++ Lufthansa signs online travel portal joint venture +++ Frankfurt and Schiphol cooperate +++ News in brief +++

Expedition 1 crew enters ISS
Erste Crew in der Raumstation

On November 2 at 4:23 a.m. CST (10:23 GMT), U.S. Astronaut Bill Shepherd and Russian Cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev began a new era in human space flight when they opened the hatch and entered the International Space Station. The Expedition 1 crew's four-month stay in the station will begin the permanent human habitation of space. The docking, which occurred at 3:21 a.m. CST (9:21 GMT) Thursday, occurred over Central Kazakhstan. For the remainder of its first day in the station, the crew activated the station's food warmer, setup the sleeping quarters and performed communications checks with flight controllers in Houston, Texas, and Korolev, Russia. Expedition 1 is scheduled to leave the station in February when the three-member Expedition 2 crew arrives on STS-102.
On November 3, the crew pressed ahead, installing key life support systems and additional communications equipment in their first full day aboard the orbiting outpost. Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev successfully installed the Russian Vozdukh system in the Zvezda living quarters of the ISS. The Vozdukh system is a regenerative air-scrubbing unit that removes carbon dioxide and essentially vents it overboard from the station. It will take the place of disposable lithium hydroxide canisters initially being used by the crew to absorb carbon dioxide.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


Eurofighter final assembly progresses
Endmontage des Eurofighter bei BAE

BAE Systems has commence the final assembly of the first production Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft in 302 Hangar at Warton in Lancashire. The UK is the first of the four partner assembly lines to start, with the others following in the next few months at Manching, Caselle and in Spain. BAE Systems has invested over 15 million pounds to prepare 302 hangar for the assembly of the 232 Typhoons set to be delivered for the Royal Air Force. New techniques will cut production time and cost and contribute to high quality aircraft. By now the centre fuselage and rear fuselage have been joined in a laser controlled mating station. Work on fitting the front fuselage is continuing after experiencing some fit problems. Wings are also available at Warton, but their marry up is running about two weeks late. Already, there is a long list of delayed equipment, and some parts have been rejected and returned to the subcontractors. Despite these challenges, BAE is still confident to finish the first production Eurofighter on time and fly it before the end of next August.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


EC 135 for the Swedish Police
Schwedische Polizei bestellt EC 135

The Eurocopter EC 135 remains the most successful helicopter of its class in public service. This has been underlined once again by the order of three EC 135s - with options on a further five - by the Swedish Ministry of the Interior for use by the country's police. The EC 135 was deemed superior to its competitors, the Explorer from MD Helicopters and the Bell 427. The EC 135s will replace the Bell 206s currently in service. The Swedish police plan to use the EC 135 for a wide variety of missions - hence the comprehensive package of equipment additionally ordered: single-pilot IFR (instrument flight rules) certification, the "avionique nouvelle" glass cockpit concept designed for the use of night vision goggles, infrared camera, searchlight, cargo hook, exterior loudspeaker, emergency floats, rescue winch and casualty stretcher. Operation bases will be Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg. Since its market introduction in 1996, over 230 EC 135s have been sold to more than 50 customers around the world. The total of 135 already in service have together logged 85,000 hours of flying time - testimony of the model's outstanding reliability and high level of mission readiness.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


Ariane 4 flight 134 succeeds
EuropeStar mit Ariane gestartet

On October 29, Arianespace maintained its fast-paced mission schedule with the successful launch of Flight 134, which orbited the first satellite for the new Europe*Star telecommunications operator. The launch occurred right on time at 2:59 a.m. in Kourou. Its Ariane 44LP version of the workhorse Ariane 4 family lifted off under the power of its four first stage engines, augmented by the thrust of two large liquid strap-on boosters and two solid strap-ons. The Europe*Star spacecraft separated from its launcher 20 minutes later. Flight 134 has been delayed one day by upper level winds that exceeded the range safety limits at Kourou. The mission team put the launcher and satellite into a safe mode, allowing the final countdown to begin for the liftoff 24 hours later. The mission marked a milestone in the Ariane program - the 100th launch of an Ariane 4. The flight also was the 25th using an Ariane 44LP configuration. PanAmSat is the customer for Arianespace's next launch, Flight 135, which will carry the PAS 1R satellite. Scheduled for November 14, the upcoming mission will use an Ariane 5, which also is to carry three auxiliary satellites: Amsat P3D, STRV 1C and STRV 1D.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


Lufthansa signs online travel portal joint venture
Europas Airlines bilden Internet-Reisebüro

Lufthansa, along with eight other European airlines, has signed the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) founding the Online Travel Portal Limited. The agreement sees the establishing of a new, independent, pan-European travel portal backed by nine major European airlines. The shareholders in the joint venture are Aer Lingus, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, KLM and Lufthansa. As it gears up for launch, the company has begun a pan-European recruitment campaign with the aim of building a world class team, increasing its employee base by 60 people right across the company. It has also selected a London site for its European headquarters.
Online Travel Portal Limited's objective is to quickly establish itself as the market leader and the first true pan-European travel portal when it launches next year. The site will offer the most comprehensive range of flights to, from and within Europe, as well as complementary products and services for travellers - all with the reassurance that customers are dealing with established brands which they can trust to deliver. The new 'dot.corporation', which will combine the start-up culture of a dot.com backed by sound corporate values, has already ear-marked a site in London's West End and expects to move in during late November 2000. European business leaders recently ranked London number one among European cities for on-line business.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


Frankfurt and Schiphol cooperate
Flughafenallianz will weltweit aktiv werden

In a press statement, the CEOs of Flughafen Frankfurt/Main AG (FAG), Dr. Wilhelm Bender, and of Schiphol Group, Gerlach Cerfontaine, announced that their alliance will be called "Pantares". Under this new brand name, FAG and Schiphol Group will be offering a wide range of services to the global airport market. This is the first alliance between two major international airports. The agreement follows the joint FAG and Schiphol Group announcement made in December 1999, when both companies indicated their desire to realize cost synergies from optimizing hub operations at Amsterdam and Frankfurt airports and to gain market share in the global airport market. Open to other airports in the future, "Pantares" parallels the development of alliances in the airline industry. "Pantares" expects to build market momentum quickly and to be a leading player in this dynamic growth industry.
FAG and Schiphol Group are developing cooperation in six key business areas: passengers and retailing, aviation ground handling and cargo, real estate development, facility management, information and communications technology, and international activities. The first examples of cooperation include two joint-venture companies to be launched shortly: one for exclusive international retail management and the other for information and communications technology (ICT). In the vital area of ICT, both companies will optimize their home operations, taking this expertise and technology to their worldwide subsidiaries as well as to global markets.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

Continuing cuts in German defence spending is endangering anouther 20000 jobs at defence companies in the country, the works council of 48 companies have said. Whole branches like missiles and munitions could be eliminated, it is feared.
+++
Bell Helicopter Textron Chairman & CEO Terry D. Stinson announced the construction of the world's first commercial tiltrotor training center. The 82,000 square foot, three story building will be located at Alliance Airport adjacent to the headquarters of the Bell/Agusta Aerospace Company (BAAC), a joint venture between Bell and Agusta SpA, a Finmecannica Company to develop and manufacture the BA609 commercial tiltrotor. Mr. Stinson, who is also Chairman & CEO of the Bell/Agusta Aerospace Company, said the new building will be dedicated to training future tiltrotor pilots from around the world. The training center will have two full-motion flight simulators, a sophisticated cockpit procedures trainer and abundant space for classroom and individual training. Initially the BAAC Training Facility will employee 60 people. The new facility will be complete by next year with some 300 student pilots expected beginning in 2001.
+++
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the Boeing Company has initiated both short- and long-term measures to correct production deficiencies uncovered during a Special Technical Audit of the company earlier this year. The FAA found no immediate safety issues related to Boeing's design and manufacturing processes in the audit. However, following the audit, Boeing has worked with FAA to address all production-related findings and to tighten internal and external controls to ensure that products conform to their approved design. Boeing has added inspectors at its suppliers' facilities; instituted self-audits in its own facilities; increased the size of the staff assigned to inspect individual airplanes for compliance and conformance; and set up a compliance board to review changes on every airplane. In addition, both the FAA and Boeing have agreed to a long-term plan to fix systemic issues identified by the audit. The plan also covers Boeing's suppliers.
+++
Nammo's Medium Caliber Division has received an order for 27 mm Multipurpose projectiles from Oerlikon Contraves Pyrotec AG. The quantity is 63 000 units amounting to 18 mill. NOK. The final customer is the Italian Air Force for use in the Tornado fighter aircraft. Medium Caliber Division is the sub-supplier to Oerlikon which will do the final assembly of the cartridge. The cartridge was qualified this year by BWB (Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung) with Mauser-Werke Waffensysteme on behalf of the user nations of the Tornado aircraft, which are Germany, Italy and Great Britain. The cartridge is type classified as 27 mm x 145 DM 73 MP.
+++
NASA and Lockheed Martin Space Systems, of New Orleans, La., have completed negotiations for production of 35 additional Super Lightweight External Tanks for the Space Shuttle Program. The six-year contract, worth approximately $1.15 billion, includes the manufacture, assembly, test and delivery of the Super Lightweight Tanks and the operations and maintenance of NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The contract also includes activities at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center of Huntsville, Ala., and Kennedy Space Center, Fla.The Super Lightweight Tank features major changes in materials and design. Its liquid hydrogen tank and the liquid oxygen tank are constructed of a new aluminum lithium - a lighter, stronger material than the metal alloy used to manufacture previous External Tanks.
+++
The UK Government has announced a shortlist of three consortia being considered as partners in the controversial partial privatisation of the National Air Traffic Services (Nats). The list sparked an immediate call by unions representing air traffic controllers for the sale to be called off. All three bidders were "tarred by fundamental conflicts of interest" said Paul Noon, general secretary of the IPMS union, who said it was "inconceivable" that any of them should be allowed to succeed. The shortlist includes the Airline Group, which brings together British Airways and Virgin Atlantic with six other UK airlines. Also still in the running are Nimbus, a consortium made up of Serco, Arinc and PPM Ventures, and the Lockheed Martin-backed Novares group. A bid submitted by US hi-tech giant Raytheon in September has been discarded.
+++
According the China's official news agency, Xinhua, China successfully launched its first navigation and position determination satellite Oct. 31. A Long March 3A rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launching Center in the southwest Sichuan Province 12:02 a.m. local time and "precisely delivered the satellite to its predetermined orbit" in 27 minutes, Xinhua said. The satellite is named Beidou (Northern Dipper) Navigation Test Satellite 1 or BNTS 1. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. built the satellite and is leading China's efforts to develop its first generation satellite navigation and positioning system, according to the news agency. When the system is completed, BNS will be used primarily in the transportation industry with applications on highways and railways and in the maritime industry, Xinhua said. Officials of both the Peoples' Liberation Army and the Central Military Commission attended the launch, the news agency added. It also reported that the FAW Group in Jilin Province has developed a receiver for the current GPS timing signals and it went into production in September. The plan is to build the receiver into selected models of Chinese- built sedans. In addition to its position and navigation functions, the Chinese GPS receiver has more than 20 additional functions such as getting an address and measuring distances.
+++
NASA has canceled development of a miniature rover, which would have been part of the U.S. contribution to a Japanese mission to an asteroid. The primary reasons for the cancellation were rising costs and weight. NASA's Acting Director of Solar System Exploration, Dr. Jay Bergstralh, today ordered the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, to stop work on the MUSES-CN nano-rover and instead transfer the material and resources already developed to be available for possible use in other projects.
+++
Boeing has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command to upgrade the mission systems of its fleet of 16 E-6B aircraft. The contract, including all options, is worth $50 million. Under the contract, Boeing will integrate new mission equipment to add several new communications links to the Navy's primary airborne strategic command and control system, while at the same time reducing overall aircraft weight and improving readiness. Included in the new communications capabilities is a wideband commercial satellite-based link to simultaneously connect multiple mission crew members using aircraft-installed local area networks to the Department of Defense's classified andunclassified ground-based wide area networks.
+++
The SAirGroup is the first large Swiss company to offer its staff a subsidised computer set for home use. In a programme known as "PC privé" staff will be asked to pay less than CHF 1.- per day for the package, which includes a printer and an internet subscription. This unique action is the result of a path-breaking cooperation between the SAirGroup company Atraxis, the computer manufacturer Compaq and the telecom provider Sunrise. A minority of the SAirGroup's 70,000 world-wide staff have a home PC. The Swiss company aims to promote staff access to the internet and to company-specific intranet sites. Current information is increasingly being distributed to staff via intranet. "With PC privé we're the first large Swiss company to provide all our staff with access to the most modern means of communication," stated Clemens Kammer, member of Atraxis Executive Management.
+++
Since mid-October Lufthansa Flight Training's pilot school in Bremen has had a new director. Florian Hamm (46), Boeing 737 flight captain and former managing director at SunExpress, has taken over from Captain Rolf Kiess, who headed the school for just under three years. Florian Hamm first came to Bremen in 1976 to be trained as a pilot. In 1978 he began flying for Lufthansa as first officer aboard a Boeing 737. He subsequently trained to fly DC-8s and B747s. In 1991 he was promoted to captain on the Boeing 737, where he serves today as a training captain.
+++
With the launch of the winter flight schedules at the end of October, Lufthansa and Thai Airways International will have logged five years of successful cooperation. The codeshare accord between the two airlines became effective in October 1995. They currently operate a total of 620 flights weekly to 41 destinations under a common flight number. This cooperation gives each carrier a presence in the traffic region of the other. Bangkok, as THAI's hub, has become a gateway for Lufthansa to growth markets in Thailand, Indochina and Australia. Lufthansa operates daily codeshare services to Bangkok, with onward flights being operated under a common code by THAI aircraft.
+++
MEPHISTO, the warhead of the MAW TAURUS KEPD 350 guided missile system, has again proved its extraordinary capabilities, this time in a fullscale penetration test which was recently conducted on the test site of the Federal Armed Forces Technical Center at Meppen (WTD 91). This has been announced by TDW Gesellschaft für verteidigungstechnische Wirksysteme, the Schrobenhausen-based subsidiary of EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company. The test was conducted against the most difficult target in the target catalogue: an oblique shot directed against a bunker made of three strongly reinforced concrete slabs. In the course of the test the target was completely penetrated. The sensor of the intelligent fuse system PIMPF detected the individual layers of the target and, according to programme, generated the triggering signal at the pre-set point after the last concrete slab had been pierced.
+++
Los Angeles County is acquiring two Sikorsky S-70A Firehawk helicopters to serve emergency needs in the sprawling metro area. The purchase will provide the county with advanced technology fire-fighting and paramedic capabilities. Delivery of the first aircraft for outfitting with special equipment will take place within 90 days; the second aircraft will be delivered early in 2001. The county's Board of Supervisors on Oct. 31 earmarked $25 million for the acquisition, which includes two new Sikorsky helicopters, support equipment, training, emergency medical service interiors, mission avionics, water tanks and extended landing gear.
+++

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen sind weiter abrufbar:

*October 29, 2000 *October 15, 2000 *October 8, 2000 *October 1, 2000

*September 24, 2000 *September 17, 2000 *September 10, 2000 *September 3, 2000

*August 27, 2000 *August 20, 2000 *August 13, 2000 *August 6, 2000

*January to July 2000 *January to December 1999 *January to December 1998 *January to December 1997 *September to December 1996

Home | UPDATE | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Inside | Datafiles
Copyright 2000 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved.
Last updated 4 November 2000
FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany