The FAA is delaying the introduction of a new en-route air traffic control system at the last four of the 20 centers that are scheduled to receive it. According to a U.S. government website that monitors large federal information technology programs, the en-route automation modernization (ERAM) system previously was expected to achieve initial operating capability (IOC) at the remaining four centers during the current fiscal year. However, these IOC targets now have been moved into the 2014 fiscal year, the government website says in its latest update.
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Boeing Aerostructures Australia is working on complex parts that require less assembly than current components. The division’s Melbourne plant, highly focused on production engineering development, also is developing new resins for composites while a third area of research is the application of robots for repairs of composite structures, company officials say.
Lion Air is looking for international partners to form joint ventures to operate its training centers, which the carrier intends to grow for its own use as well as third-party work. Indonesia-based Lion Group has two training organizations—the Wings Flying School and the Lion Training Center—covering pilots, cabin crew and maintenance personnel. The carrier likely will see an increased need for employee training, as it has one of the world’s largest aircraft order backlogs.
Cathay Pacific has revealed plans for a leadership transition, with current Chief Commercial Officer Ivan Chu taking over from John Slosar as CEO. Slosar will move up to become chairman of Cathay Pacific, as well as Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co. (Haeco), and a basket of other Swire Group companies. Current Chairman Christopher Pratt is retiring, after eight years in the role. The transition is due to occur in March 2014.
The failure to reach a new collective labor agreement is hampering El Al’s restructuring and is jeopardizing the proposed investment by the First Israel Mezzanine Investors Fund (FIMI), says CEO Elyezer Shkedy. Israel signed an open skies treaty with the European Union in June, which El Al’s workers believe will cost jobs. Employees went on strike in April for two days to protest the deal.
The coming generation of 90-seat turboprops will be more powerful than the aircraft now garnering the most orders, the ATR 72. But some of the intending manufacturers are pushing more than others for high power, and therefore high speed and fast climb—at the cost of fuel efficiency. After what appears to have been a long internal debate, Avic wants a low power loading—and therefore high power: 5,000 kw (6,700 shp) from each engine—so the MA700 does not unduly interfere with jet operations at major airports.
The FAA, prompted by a NTSB recommendation, is at long last updating decades-old airline maintenance program development guidance that conflicts with similar, newer material.
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The U.S. Transportation Department is working to designate permanent areas of the Arctic where small unmanned aircraft can operate 24/7 for research and commercial purposes, with the first approved operations coming this summer.
Emerging from the Wild West of wartime, with its urgent requirements, rapid prototyping and operational experiments, unmanned aircraft systems are seeking roles in a civilian world of airworthiness regulations, airspace restrictions, privacy concerns and ownership costs. Just as the U.S. Wild West was tamed by lawmakers and regulators, so the pioneering spirit of the unmanned-systems industry is being channeled toward maturing technologies and operating procedures that will enable the creation of new civilian and commercial markets.
NASA has unveiled a new “strategic vision” for aeronautics that focuses civil-aviation research into six themes. But there is no new money, so work that does not align with the main thrusts will be reduced. The strategy is based on understanding emerging global trends, including new competitors for U.S. manufacturers, and focuses research on the drivers of those trends, such as growing worldwide demand for mobility and concerns over climate change, says NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
Virgin Galactic has signed up 625 individuals for its planned suborbital spaceflights, lining up revenue of at least $125 million, in what CEO George Whitesides asserts is a strong sign of the excitement and potential of commercial space ventures.
Lawyers for AMR Corp. and US Airways are focused on battling the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) in court rather than striking a concessions deal to gain approval for the carriers’ proposed merger.
The FAA’s fire safety branch is ordering 45,800 lithium-ion batteries for “large scale” fire tests to be conducted this fall by its fire safety branch at the William J. Hughes Technical Center. According to a request for quote issued Aug. 13, the batteries are to be used as part of on-going research “in support of a Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and FAA rulemaking on the shipment of lithium-ion batteries by air.
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