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LE BOURGET, France, June 13 — Tough times in the aviation business mean a festive mood will be among the many no-shows at Saturday's opening of the 45th Paris Air Show — the industry's largest trade conference. The downward spiral in the airline business — because of the SARS illness, the war in Iraq, and slumping demand for business and vacation travel — has snuffed out hopes for the big plane orders customarily announced at the show, which runs through June 22. Not only that, but the U.S. Defense Department barred top-ranking officials from coming — a move widely interpreted...

PALMDALE - For more than 30 years, SpaceAge Control has been designing and manufacturing tiny parts that play a big role in everything from high-tech aircraft to race cars, manufacturing equipment to rockets. The company, which has been at its present location on 20th Street East since 1968, produces position sensors and air data equipment. "We have quite a few customers in the area," said Tom Anderson, application development manager. With annual sales of approximately $5 million, the company employs about 20 people, he said. That's double the employment of four to five years ago, but down from a more...

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Boeing Co. Chairman Phil Condit will be a no-show at next month's Paris Air Show. It's no boycott against the French, just part of the new way that Boeing is conducting its global business these days, according to the company. Boeing is cutting by about half the several hundred people it usually sends to the world's biggest air show. ...snip...Boeing is not the only major U.S. company scaling back its presence at the Paris Air Show. Lockheed Martin is sending only about 150 people. That's down from about 450 it sent in 1997, according to the company. Missing from this...

Reprinted from NewsMax.com Pentagon Joins French BoycottCharles R. SmithWednesday, April 30, 2003 No U.S. Military Jets at Paris Air Show Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is reported to be unhappy with France at the moment. Rumsfeld's displeasure with Paris is about to be put on display – or, to be more accurate, not on display. The Pentagon has decided to cancel all flying demonstrations of U.S. military aircraft and limit the numbers of top uniformed officials attending the 2003 Paris air show. The move is one of many planned actions to be taken in the near future to limit military...