European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 2, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday november 2,1990 the stars and stripes a Page 7 army fires expert in copter dispute per to attic and a a. A a St. Louis apr an army civilian employee was handcuffed tuesday and removed from his office after threatening to go Public on his claim that Many helicopters Lack equipment that would protect them from iraqi heat seeking missiles. A colleague says the Man was a Scapegoat in a cover up of problems in army aircraft safety. Army officials said they suspected Calvin j. Weber of the army aviation systems come Here had planned to disclose sensitive information about equipment vulnerability. Officials refused to discuss details of the Case citing privacy regulations. Weber said Many of the approximately 95 Vietnam Era uh-1h Huey helicopters used by american forces in operation desert shield Lack modern equipment de signed to fool heat seeking missiles. He said he suspected that Only about a third of the More modern uh-60 Black Hawk helicopters had up to Date antimissile gear and some cobra attack helicopters also Lack the equipment. It would Cost about $40,000 to add the anti missile device to each Huey Weber said. The devices either disperse the exhaust of the helicopters engine a making detection by a heat seeking missile More difficult a or provide a Decoy heat source that confuses a missiles guidance system he said. A missile systems have advanced but the army has trodden and plodded and was lax in taking care of equipment with the latest Protection available a Weber told a reporter for the St. Louis Post dispatch last week. He said he began warning defense department officials of the potential danger two years ago. Weber 48, was handcuffed and carried from his office at the army aviation systems come when he refused to leave. He was charged with disorderly conduct and two other misdemeanours. He faces a court Date nov. 16. The army said the Veteran of 16 years working for the army was to be fired As of wednesday after colleagues removed his personal belongings from his desk. Dick Mooy a senior Engineer with the aviation command who is helping Weber in an Effort to keep his Job said the command is a a despotic and a interested Only in  Mooy said he had worked mostly with helicopters and other aircraft in 22 years of civilian service with the army. He said he had known Weber for years and described him As an expert on helicopter payload holding up Atlantis leak free Columbia cleared survivability. Mooy said he agreed with Weber a Contention that Many of the army helicopters sent to saudi Arabia in operation desert shield lacked the full Range of equipment needed to thwart heat seeking missiles. Both engineers said the army had accused Weber of keeping $1,500 Worth of army helicopter screws at his House. Mooy said a supervisor had not objected to Weber shaving them. Mooy added that army Mohawk surveillance air planes including some in saudi Arabia might be dangerous to Fly. He said an infrared suppressor for that aircraft was prone to come apart and damage the planets rudder. A i Call this As an Engineer a big cover up in the army a Mooy said. A Cal tried for years to go through channels but it came to a dead  from wire reports. Cape canaveral Fla. A the planned nov. 9 launch of the shuttle Atlantis on a classified military Mission will be delayed possibly As much As two weeks because of problems with the ships spy satellite payload officials said wednesday. A the air Force has decided to delay Atlantis a launch to resolve anomalies discovered during cargo testing a said an air Force statement. A details Are classified and its too Early to predict a new launch  sources however said Atlantis could be grounded for two weeks or More. Atlantis and its five Man All military Crew grounded in july by an elusive Hydrogen fuel leak were formally cleared tuesday for Blastoff nov. 9. The shuttle passed a fueling test last week without springing any leaks a Success now matched by Columbia. With Atlantis solidly on track for launch the shuttles top secret satellite payload according to some sources possibly bound for an orbit carrying it Over the persian Gulf was installed in the ships 60-foot cargo Bay Mon Day at launch pad 39a. But Nasa administrator Richard truly met wednesday in Washington with it. Gen. Donald Cromer head of air Force systems come and word quickly spread about an unidentified problem with the payload. Earlier Nasa officials had pronounced the shuttle Columbia a a tight ship after it passed an elaborate fueling test ending the Long Hunt for Hydrogen leaks that sabotaged shuttle launch attempts throughout the summer. A maybe things Are turning around a said Robert l. Crippen head of the shuttle program. Early this month the shuttle discovery a the one orbiter in the three ship Fleet that has not sprung excessive Hydrogen leaks a successfully deployed a probe to the Sun after a hiatus in shuttle launches of More than 5>/2 months. Columbian a 10-Day astronomy Mission postponed four times since May could be rescheduled for launch As Early As the first week of december if there Are no other problems Crippen said. Wyo. Students picket for sex teacher Gillette Wyo. Apr about 30 High school students Cut class to picket the courthouse asking for leniency for their teacher who is charged with shooting a colleague he found in a tryst with his wife. Allan Sicks a photography teacher at Campbell county High school was charged in june with aggravated assault and aggravated burglary for allegedly wounding fellow teacher Dan Chaney. He found Chaney with his wife a also a High school teacher a in a camper at a Gillette picnic area. The couple never denied having a affair. Jury selection began this week for the trial. Students chanted a support or. Sicks a and carried signs Reading a have sympathy 4 or. Sicks a and a a he a lost enough Why take More a Ryan Bolton and . Reynolds both 17-year-old seniors organized the 90-minute rally monday. A we done to think its fair at All a Reynolds said. A this shows this Community we care. Wed like to see or. Sicks come out just As Good As everybody else on the whole  Sicks resigned in july. Paula Sicks and Chaney still teach at the High school. The Sicks Are in the midst of a divorce. 200th Success a Delta ii ignites at Cape canaveral in the 200th successful launch of the Mcdonnell Douglas rocket since its debut 30 years ago. Flown into orbit in tuesday nights launch was a $90 million in Arsat satellite designed to handle Mobile communications. Interest groups sow big Bucks in elections Washington apr special interest groups Are going on a pre election spending spree in an Effort to influence election outcomes such As the . Senate contest in North Carolina. The Money comes from such diverse groups As the realtors political action committee abortion rights groups antiabortion forces and a Pac representing dealers of japanese made cars. With election Day less than a week away special interest groups have spent about $4 million in Independent expenditures so far in 1990 contests. In 1988, about $7.2 million in Independent expenditures on congressional races was noted. Spending reports indicate the North Carolina race Between gop sen. Jesse Helms and Democrat Harvey Gantt is being targeted by a number of groups. In Stead of relying solely on direct donations to a candidate the groups Are taking advantage of a Campaign Law provision that allows unlimited spending on a race provided the Effort Isnit coordinated with the Campaign that ostensibly would Benefit. The National abortion rights league for example has spent $200,000 on radio television and other ads attacking Helms anti abortion stance according to its Federal election commission filings. Other major races targeted by Naral for Large Independent expenditures include the Senate race Between democratic sen. Tom Harkin and Republican rep. Tom Tauke in Iowa the Florida governors race and House contests in Oregon and Florida. Naral and its Iowa affiliate reported spending More than $93,000 in september and october to support Harkin and another $3,000 to oppose Tauke. Its Federal filings show nearly $80,000 was spent to oppose the re election of Florida gov. Bob Martinez a staunch abortion foe. Most of Naralis spending on that state race does not have to be reported to the Fec. Naralis spending in the past two weeks included $25,000 and $1,800 to oppose the re election of Republican reps. Denny Smith of Oregon and Craig James of Florida respectively. Ltd abortion groups also have opened their Campaign chests. The National right to life Pac has paid for mailings to support eight candidates including Helms Smith and James. Several right to life state pics also mounted modest Independent spending campaigns in recent weeks according to Fec filings. The National education associations Pac reported spending $100,000 to support Gantt. A Gay rights group and a Pac representing social workers reported More modest efforts on Gantt a behalf. The biggest spender so far is the realtors Pac which As of last week reported making $802,500 in Independent expenditures on a dozen races. The realtors spent $168,000 and $108,000 to support the Senate bids of Republican reps. Hank Brown of Colorado and Larry Craig of Idaho respectively. The realtors also spent heavily to support freshmen House members Peter Hoagland d-neb., $70,000 Ileana Ros Lehtinen r-Fla., $70,000 and Ben Jones d-ga., $93,500