NEWS!!
GTEL Unveils Sanswire One
MIAMI, Apr 14, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- GlobeTel Communications Corp. (OTCBB: GTEL), today announced that the unveiling of its high-altitude airship prototype by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Sanswire Networks, LLC, generated a significant amount of interest and positive feedback from the media and investors.
Over 300 people attended the unveiling of Sanswire One held on April 12, 2005, including members of the media, personnel from the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. and international commercial interests, as well as investors and shareholders. Among media personnel, there were representatives from The Associated Press, Reuters, and television crews from the major networks and cable news channels.
As of April 13, 2005, the unveiling was reported on TV and cable by numerous national and local news affiliates throughout the country, beginning with Fox News that broadcasted its coverage on the night of the unveiling. The unveiling was also covered by the National Public Radio (NPR) and was featured in several major newspapers including the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
Timothy M. Huff, CEO of GTEL, commented, "We are very excited about the coverage Sanswire One has been getting from the media. We have been continually receiving reports from our shareholders from all over the country about the local coverage of the unveiling. In my opinion, the media is reporting on the progress of Sanswire One as they recognize the potential of our airship and the potential of causing what I always refer to as a paradigm shift in the telecommunications industry."
Mr. Huff also gave credence to the work of the Sanswire engineering team, headed by Bob Jones, former NASA Plans and Programs Manager along with several other NASA and aerospace industry engineers who all left their place of employment to join Mr. Jones at Sanswire. Mr. Huff stated, "We are extremely pleased with the progress made by Bob and the rest of the Sanswire team. The team represents over 150 years of NASA and Air Force experience and they truly are a world class team of experts. Bob left NASA to join us with only few years left from his NASA retirement. This shows his belief in what we are trying to achieve at Sanswire. His innovative approach and out-of- the-box thinking is enabling us to successfully execute the program."
Mr. Jones, who is also President of Sanswire Governmental Services, stated that the team has made substantial and significant improvements to the Airship design. Commented Mr. Jones, "being with NASA for 25 years, I will be the first to state that nothing new and significant is ever built, tested and completed successfully the first time around. There will be trials and errors, changes and more improvements that need to be made. However, we have locked down the engineering and materials so we are confident that we will be able to continue on a timeline that will be more measurable and attainable."
Mr. Jones reported that after detailed aerodynamic and structural analysis, the team lengthened Sanswire One's frame to 188 feet from the original design of 90 feet. Eventually, the commercial airships, which were originally designed to be 245 feet, will range from 450 feet to 800 feet depending on payload requirements. Mr. Jones continued, "In three weeks, we corrected the original design and built almost 100 additional feet of the space frame. We also moved from a Dacron covering to a space age Tedlar covering, developed a ground station communications package, and made advances in composite materials and in method of lifting gases."
According to Mr. Jones, the FAA has directed Sanswire to conduct the flight test at the Edwards Air Force Test Range and that the Company is closely working with the FAA and the Air Force for concession for the Airship to transition from FAA controlled airspace at Palmdale to Edwards 2508 restricted airspace at Edwards Air Force Base. This will enable Sanswire to further test the Airship at the Air Force Flight Test Center and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Edwards Air Force Base has been the location of many historical events in aerospace history, including landing of the Space Shuttle and record breaking speeds.
Sanswire plans to do tethered test outside of the hanger at its current location at San Bernardino Airport, California to validate the structural integrity and to collect needed data. After the test, the airship will be transported to the Palmdale secured hangar next to Edwards Air force Base. These tests will in no way delay the process already underway to clear the airship for flight on the test range at Edwards.
Mr. Jones also commented that clearance of many FAA and governmental processes are necessary to enable Sanswire One to safely fly at the Air Force Flight Test Center and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Currently, the FAA is working on a process to allow unmanned aerial vehicles, such as Sanswire One, to safely operate in the national air space. Also, the Air Force and NASA has their own flight test and safety approval processes that must be accomplished. These processes require additional time and resources to satisfy the governmental agencies. All new aerospace vehicles, even military, must go through these processes. These processes are in place to protect high value government and public assets as well as the safety of the general public.
Mr. Huff also stated that "Sanswire is very proud to have built a strong team of renowned aerospace professionals who are using their broad backgrounds and technical skills to design and construct the world's first high altitude rigid Airship. Our team and this overall project are paving the future of communications.
Mr. Huff continued, "We have the attention of many divisions the Department of Defense, multiple large commercial interest, many different governments around the world, the science community, surveillance, border control and many others. As Bob mentioned, there will be changes and improvements and while we may expect surprises with Sanswire One as this has never been done before, we will do everything we could to get this right the first time. We will not rush for the sake of a timeline."
Mr. Huff concluded, "I will continue to try to keep everyone informed, but I would also like to point out that any engineering changes and new technology brought to the program, may affect the timeline but add value to the program. My team and I are here to build a substantial company and that will take hard work and time. In my opinion, we are still way ahead of the curve and with the lockdown of the engineering and materials, together with our team's dedication, we are well on our way to the successful launch of Sanswire One."
