CLINTON TO ANNOUNCE FIRST FEMALE SHUTTLE COMMANDER
     President Clinton plans to announce on Thursday that NASA is
 naming the first female commander of a space shuttle mission, CNN
 has learned. Sources identified the astronaut as Air Force Lt. Col.
 Eileen Marie Collins of Elmira, New York -- who already has the
 distinction of being the first woman to pilot the space shuttle.
 Collins joined NASA in 1990 and became an astronaut in July 1991.
 She is a veteran of two space flights: shuttle missions in February
 1995 and May 1997.
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      Investigators puzzled by pilot's actions in Taiwan crash
     TAIPEI, Taiwan - March 4, 1998 1:42 p.m. EST - Investigators say
 they cannot explain why the pilot of a jetliner that crashed last
 month did not correct his approach altitude and then climbed sharply
 in the flight's final seconds.
     The pilot of the China Airlines jetliner approached Taipei's
 Chiang Kai-shek airport much higher than the standard altitude. He
 had ample time to descend, but didn't, even after the control tower
 reminded him of his altitude, Tsai Tui, director-general of the Civil
 Aeronautics Administration, said Wednesday.
     There appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary with prepara-
 tions for a second approach until the plane suddenly climbed sharply
 shortly before the crash, Tsai told legislators.
     However, a report in Taiwan's China Times Express said the
 plane's cockpit voice recorder showed the pilot and co-pilot had
 worried aloud over whether they had enough fuel to maintain a hold-
 ing pattern if forced to come around for another approach. The
 recording has not been released to the public.
     Tsai showed lawmakers a computer simulation of the plane's last
 five minutes, as reconstructed from the plane's flight data recorder.
 The final two seconds of the recording were obliterated in the crash,
 officials said.
     At six nautical miles from the runway, the plane was flying about
 1,000 feet above standard approach altitude, aviation officials said.
 Half a nautical mile away, the plane's landing gear was raised and
 other preparations were made for a second approach.
     Investigators said the pilot climbed to 2,750 feet at a 42-degree
 angle, much sharper than the standard 18-degree angle. The plane
 climbed for about 30 seconds, lost speed, then dipped its right wing,
 then its left wing.
     Investigators still say they are far from determining the
 accident's cause.
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                 Airline food gets an upgrade
   Some carriers turn their attention to pleasing passenger palates
     March 4, 1998 2:12 p.m. EST -- For years, dining "ala-airline"
 has taken its fare share of sneers, and playful jeers.
     The "bag lunch" produced cheaper fares and increased profits.
 But that was then. Today's dinner tray is considered an opportunity
 for airlines to win passenger loyalty and increase revenue.
     "We don't cut any corners, quality is number one," says George
 Banks. "Fifteen years ago, people didn't expect a lot from airline
 catering."
     Banks is the menu planner for British Airways, overseeing three
 chefs, 100 people and 9,000 meals a day. His specialty: First Class,
 with a seven course meal. Passengers can dine on dollops of Russian
 caviar alongside smoked salmon or fresh lobster.  And for dinner,
 they can opt for the subtle blend of flavors in the white vegetarian,
 wild mushroom strudel (topped with tomato sauce).
     "Simple, fresh, nice cheese plate, lovely salad, lobster, maybe
 just a simple steak. That's really our philosophy at British Airways:
 simple, quality, and good," says Banks.
                            Timely change
     This trend to improve airline cuisine comes at a good time. One
 just-released industry survey shows 1/3 of today's frequent flyers
 rank food as the number one reason they prefer an airline. And half
 say they would pay more for better cuisine. United is banking on the
 new trend.
     Their philosophy is to cater to the masses by upgrading cuisine
 in coach.
     "This is a good start," says Executive Chef E. Kopelow. "I think
 we're one of the only airlines that have really looked at taking care
 of the economy passengers."
     While the chefs plan the new menus, Dobbs Food Service provides
 the cooks and the kitchen for nearly every airline that flies world-
 wide. Slicing, dicing and delivering meals on board, they say fresh
 is in.  Quality is too.
     It appears that airline food has become more of an investment
 than an expense.
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          Britain refuses to reopen Chinook crash inquiry
      LONDON - 4 March 1998 17:25 GMT - The British government said
 Wednesday it would reopen an inquiry into a helicopter crash that
 killed top-ranking Northern Ireland security officials only if
 substantial new evidence came forward.
      Junior defense minister John Reid said he was satisfied with the
 conclusions of an official inquiry that negligence of the two Royal
 Air Force pilots was to blame for the disaster four years ago, which
 killed 29 people.
     The helicopter plowed into a hillside in thick mist on a rocky
 Scottish coastal peninsula, the Mull of Kintyre, killing 25 top Nor-
 thern Ireland intelligence experts and four crew members. The inquiry
 said the two pilots were guilty of gross negligence because they did
 not fly above or turn back from a bank of mist.
     Claims by a former RAF officer that the Chinook was accident-
 prone have also helped the campaign for the inquiry to be reopened.
     Reid on Wednesday staunchly defended the helicopter and its soft-
 ware and said he had no grounds for believing it had caused the
 accident.
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