Neighbors of U.S. base on Okinawa win compensation
     TOKYO -- May 22, 1998 5:44 p.m. EDT -- In compensation for the
 noise from military jets, an Okinawa court ordered the Japanese
 government on Friday to pay more than $10 million to people living
 near a U.S. air base.
     There have been complaints about noise from military aircraft
 for decades in Japan -- part of the friction surrounding the
 presence of U.S. military personnel on the island.
     The Fukuoka High Court in Naha awarded the $10 million to 867
 residents who live near the Kadena Air Base, a court official said.
 Naha, the capital of Okinawa, is about 1,000 miles southwest of
 Tokyo.
     Friday's High Court ruling came as Okinawa's Gov. Masahide Ota
 pressed for the removal of all U.S. military forces from Okinawa in
 meetings with government officials in Washington.
     Two-thirds of the 47,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan are
 deployed on Okinawa. Kadena is the largest U.S. base in East Asia.
     The ruling upheld a 1994 lower court decision ordering the Jap-
 anese government to pay nearly $6 million to the plaintiffs, but
 increased the amount of compensation by lowering the noise
 threshold.
     The plaintiffs were subjected to "mental suffering" as jet noise
 disturbed sleep and interrupted conversations, presiding Judge Nori-
 kazu Iwatani was quoted by Kyodo News as saying.
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          Boeing recommends inspections for 747 fuel tanks
     SEATTLE (Reuters) -- Boeing Co. said Friday it has recommended
 that 747 operators inspect the center fuel tanks of the jetliners
 and replace some parts, in moves prompted by the crash of TWA
 Flight 800 nearly two years ago.
     The so-called service bulletins involve inspection of the center
 fuel tank to check wiring and grounding straps, pumps, fuel lines
 and fittings and other equipment, as well as installation of a
 "flame arrestor" for a scavenge pump.
     Boeing said the service bulletins are to alert airlines to
 possible Federal Aviation Administration rules that would require
 the actions.
     Fuel tank ignition sources have received heightened attention
 since the 1996 crash of a TWA 747 off New York killed all 230
 people on board when fumes in its center fuel tank exploded.
     Boeing said that, so far, center wing tanks on 213 of the ap-
 proximately 1,000 747s in service have been inspected with no
 significant problems found.
     The second recommendation calls for the replacement of clamps,
 or terminal blocks, that hold wires linked to fuel probes.
     The third recommendation calls for the installation of a flame
 arrestor at the open end of the so-called scavenge pump inlet tube.
 That part was not recovered from the wreckage of TWA Flight 800,
 but Boeing said testing to this point has not revealed a condition
 that would generate an ignition source.
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                 Air Traffic System May Be Flawed
     NEW YORK -  technicians' union wants to delay the 1999 startup
 of a $1 billion air traffic control system, saying it will jeopardize
 traveler safety, The New York Times reports today. The Professional
 airways Systems Specialists say the new system lacks the alarms and
 monitoring features to give warnings if it begins to fail. Current
 technology sounds alarms and lights if there is a glitch that drops
 an airplane from a controller's screen. The union says the new system
 doesn't do that; a controller has to keep constant watch. Federal
 aviation administration officials acknowledge the shortcomings, but
 say the current system is falling part.
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