This year, President Barack Obama called for a more effective and efficient aviation regulatory system, and on government agencies like the FAA to enhance safety. Everyone in the aviation industry has been working toward ever-improving safety as part of our DNA, so we naturally applaud these goals.
In preparation for descent to Earth, the reentry capsule would separate from other modules of the HTV-R, a planned return version of Japan's H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) cargo upload spacecraft. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) aims to develop the HTV-R to take material to and from the International Space Station late this decade. The following step would be to adapt the spacecraft for manned missions in the 2020s. In parallel, JAXA is drafting plans for a new launcher family, one member of which would be man-rated.
The telling comment in The World item “Clarion Call” (AW&ST July 18/25, p. 14) is Boeing chief Jim Albaugh's warning that “the government needs to keep top-tier design teams going with new projects, even at “some low rate.”
The challenge of civilian supersonic flight has always been more political than technical. Though technically interesting, “Raise the Limit” and “Hyper Space” (AW&ST July 18/25, pp. 57 and 66) ignore the tenor of the times. The U.S. and Western Europe are poised to enter an extended age of public austerity. There will be very little appetite for allocating the billions necessary to build super- and hypersonic passenger machines that will carry only a few dozen passengers.
EADS executives must be very frustrated by the candid exposure by Boeing—and the unsurprised acceptance by the U.S. Air Force—that the U.S. manufacturer underbid the KC-46A tanker contract in order to win the project (AW&ST July 11, p. 26). If Boeing is admitting two months into a 78-month contract that it will exceed the contracted ceiling price and post a loss of $300 million, goodness knows what the actual loss will be by the contract's end.
The Aviation Week article “Reengined 737 Poses Production Dilemmas” elicited much lively give and take: Aircraft Man writes: I feel Boeing is playing catch-up—New Engined 737 should be designed and on offer to the world's airlines now! Management has dithered and lost position in the market . . . If I were a shareholder at Boeing I would be lobbying for some heads to roll. jimh615 says:
An AWIN Leading Edge blog on the design and build of the “almost instant” Sulsa (Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft) elicited: Harrier saying: Very interesting, and nice to see new elliptical wings from Southampton in the air again. The spirit of Vickers Supermarine lives on (and Barnes Wallis too!)
Indian correspondent Jay Menon's Aerospace Daily and Defense Report post on India's fighter competition continues to generate discussions: marauder writes: India wins because of the absurdly generous technology transfer and industrial offset terms to which Dassault or Eurofighter will have to conform. ghemego responds:
Dennis Swanson has been appointed VP-international business development for Boeing Defense, Space & Security in India, based in New Delhi. He was BDS director for Industrial Participation Programs in the Middle East and Africa.
Nicolas von Mende (see photo) has been named CEO and head of sales at Atlas Air Service, Ganderkesee, Germany. He was a member of the management board. Thomas Knauer has become accounts manager for maintenance operations. Mike Laux and Uwe Lindemann left the board but will remain as advisers to the sales and maintenance teams.
Matthew Massiano has joined SRC, Syracuse, N.Y., as product account director for air surveillance. He was a member of the contracts negotiating team at Sensis Corp. Gary Hirst has been promoted to site director of the Rome, N.Y., operation from software engineering supervisor in the information science and engineering business area. Lawrence Bovino has become account manager for the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command and its Research, Development and Engineering Center.
Ryan P. Bogan has been appointed chief operating officer of LMI Aerospace, St. Louis. He was president and CEO of D3 Technologies when the company was acquired by LMI in 2007.
Fabio Gamba (see photo) has joined the Brussels-based European Business Aviation Association as CEO, effective Sept. 1. He will succeed Brian Humphries, who will remain president.
Rebecca E. “Beci” Brenton has been appointed corporate director of public affairs at Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, Va. Brenton, who is HII's chief spokesman in Washington, was special assistant for public affairs in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy.
Mike Quaid (see photo) has become operations manager-Western U.S. field service region for Savannah, Ga.-based Gulfstream Aerospace. He was a senior field service representative for Southern California and also worked for Galaxy Aerospace, Astra Jet and Federal Express.
James Uniacke has joined the International Bureau of Aviation, Leatherhead, England, as head of asset management. He held a similar role at Focus Aviation.
Kenneth H. Sunshine has been named the first chief financial officer of Virgin Galactic, Las Cruces, N.M. He held the same title at MDA Information Systems and at the National Institute of Aerospace.
Sarah Slay (see photo) has been promoted to managing director-human resources operations from senior director-payroll at Hawaiian Airlines. She had been a senior accountant at Deloitte & Touche.
Andrew Gibson has become Zurich-based Gategroup's CEO, a role he held on an interim basis. He headed the company's North American business and was a member of its executive management board.
Neil Kunycky (see photo) has been named sales director for the Northeast U.S. at Wichita-based Hawker Beechcraft. He was sales director at Bombardier Aerospace.
Kai Horten has become CEO of Augsburg, Germany-based Premium Aerotec, taking the helm from Joachim Naegele, who was interim replacement for Hans Lonsinger. Horten was managing director of Atlas Elektronik. Naegele returns to his post as head of programs and sales.
USAF Maj. Gen. H. D. Polumbo, Jr., has been named chief of staff at Headquarters U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany. He was director of strategy, plans and programs. Maj. Gen. Robert P. Otto has been appointed commander of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Agency, Lackland AFB, Texas. He was director of ISR capabilities/deputy chief of staff for ISR at USAF Headquarters at the Pentagon. HONORS AND ELECTIONS
