Only seven months. This is how long we have left before European airlines suffer a fundamental blow to their competitiveness, falling headlong into a catch-22. I am talking about Jan. 1, 2012—the date when aviation is due to join the European Union's emissions trading scheme (ETS).
If China's new commercial aero-engine company is to compete with the Western propulsion majors in the next decade, as it aims to do, then its planned 30,000-lb.-thrust turbofan will need technical features that even those experienced competitors have lately found it challenging to develop. A first glimpse at the Chinese plans shows that in some areas Avic Commercial Aircraft Engine Co. (ACAE) is playing safe, while in one critical section, the high-pressure compressor, it seems to want to go one better.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the science of modeling and analyzing airflows, is being used more and more in the early stages of air-vehicle design in an effort to reach the optimum configuration more quickly.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James C. McConville, who has been legislative liaison chief in the Office of the Secretary of the Army, has been named commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell, Ky. Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, who has been deputy commanding general for operations of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Combined joint Task Force-101, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan, has been named director of the Pakistan/Afghanistan Coordination Cell for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.
To help more accurately locate threats to aircraft, Israel Aerospace Industries has developed a new radar-warning receiver (RWR) to deliver enhanced geolocation capability. The EL/L-8265—from IAI's Elta unit—is designed to quickly alert pilots about the presence of hostile ground, aerial and naval radar systems.
In “Banking on NextGen” (AW&ST May 16, p. 22), you suggest airlines would voluntarily pay their share for NextGen technologies: “There is no . . . better example of a [significant] return on a modest investment.” . . . “[Airlines are] willing to pay for things that make . . . or save them money.” These statements seem naive. When it comes to finance, airlines can be terribly short-sighted.
The penultimate shuttle mission may not be the storied space transportation system's last, but it will not disappoint historians. On May 19 the crew of STS-134 anchored the $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station (ISS) in what scientists hope is a major new tool for cosmic explanations (AW&ST May 23, p. 12). Astronauts Drew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and Mike Fincke have been rotating through four two-man spacewalks outside the station in the last planned extravehicular excursions during the shuttle era.
Air Berlin has come a long way since its inception as a charter airline. Europe's sixth largest carrier is preparing to join the Oneworld alliance next year in what is going to be another metamorphosis. The company describes itself as a hybrid combining low-cost carrier and legacy airline features. But many critics believe the model cannot work in the long run and expect some tough decisions soon. Also, the airline's finances are slowly growing worrisome. Air Berlin photo.
Engelbert Kappen is the new head of transport and aviation in Frankfurt-based Commerzbank's strategic asset finance department, succeeding Matthias Hommel. He was on the structured finance team at Dresdner Bank, which was acquired by Commerzbank in 2009.
In a bid to advance its concept for a carrier-borne Gripen fighter aircraft, Saab says it will open a design center in London. Saab CEO Hakan Buskhe says the concept design phase will take 12-18 months and believes that through rapid prototyping, Saab could deliver aircraft starting in 2018 if it secured a contract. A flight demonstrator may also be built. The decision to base the work in London is linked to design expertise in the U.K., rather than the British navy's move to a catapult and arresting gear carrier approach.
Large telecommunications satellites built in India, Japan and the U.S. are en route to their operational orbital slots after Proton and Ariane 5 launches on May 20 only 1 hr., 23 min. apart. A Proton M/Breeze M carrying the Telstar 14R/Estrela do Sul 2 spacecraft, built by Space Systems/Loral for Canada's Telesat, lifted off at 3:15 p.m. EDT from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. At 4:38 p.m.
Johnny Hobayan (see photo) has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing from senior director of sales and business development at Aloha Air Cargo. He was U.S, Defense Department contracts administrator for DHL Express-Hawaii.
The first Boeing 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) “Peace Eye” aircraft for South Korea is entering the final phase of mission system flight testing at the company's Seattle facility, and is on track for likely delivery in August. South Korea, which signed a contract in November 2006 for four Peace Eyes after an extensive evaluation for its EX requirement, expects to receive all four aircraft by the end of 2012. The other three airframes are undergoing modification at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
Defense industry representatives from Australia, Canada, the U.K. and U.S. will meet in London in September as they look for more opportunities for cooperation. “As the challenges of the global economic situation puts pressure on national defense budgets, there is a desire for even closer business cooperation between the four nations' industries,” say U.S. boosters in an announcement from the National Defense Industrial Association. The London meeting, the first with Australian representatives joining the talks, comes after trilateral Canada/U.K./U.S.
Charles Dickens' Bleak House had Jarndyce and Jarndyce, the interminable chancery court case in which legal fees finally consumed the entire estate in dispute. Aerospace has the case of the canceled Avenger. Legal fees are not apt to consume the money at stake here—potentially $3 billion the U.S. government wants from General Dynamics and Boeing because of the failed effort to produce the Navy's stealthy A-12 Avenger II attack aircraft. Still, even a unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court last week did not end the battle that began two decades ago.
Tom Wilson (see photo) has been appointed chief operating officer and board member of Airinmar, Finchampstead, England. He was vice president of component solutions and business development at Aveos Fleet Performance.
Karim Makhlouf (see photo) has been promoted to chief commercial officer from director of commercial planning at Bahrain-based Gulf Air. He was senior vice president of Lufthansa subsidiary German Wings.
I had to react with a large dose of ironic humor to Robert Wall's “Automated GA,” which outlines Europe's general aviation effort (AW&ST May 16, p. 62). Does anybody remember the U.S.'s “Free Flight” program? I prayed that the U.S. would develop a jet engine based on the priority of low initial cost instead of letting engineers run unbridled toward the ultimate engine nobody could afford, only to watch Williams Research ditch what should have been a very promising program.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program achieved a first on May 21—its initial air show flight. U.S. Navy Lt. Cdr. Eric “Magic” Buus flew an F-35C from NAS Patuxent River, Md., where the service's JSFs are being tested, and conducted a single pass down the show line at Andrews AFB, Md., outside Washington. Its appearance was an opening act for the Joint Service Open House. According to Joe Dellavedova, JSF communications director, the aircraft was flown in the same manner as a controlled test sortie. The aircraft flew within its approved flight envelope.
After nine years as director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Giovanni Bisignani, 64, is leaving center stage. The IATA annual general assembly is expected to elect Cathay Pacific CEO Tony Tyler as his successor. In an interview with International Air Transport Editor Jens Flottau in Geneva, Bisignani reflected on his reign at the association and the state of the industry. AW&ST: What's next for you after IATA?
BAE Systems has sold its asset management business and commercial aircraft lease portfolio to New York management firm Fortress Investment Group for $187 million. BAE will transition 151 legacy aircraft to Fortress, a portfolio comprised of BAe 146 and Avro regional jets as well as Jetstream and ATP turboprops. However, BAE plans to retain its engineering and support services. Fortress plans to use the aircraft as a starting point for growing its overall commercial transport leasing portfolio.
SITA plans to bring six large regional data centers online to support its foray into the world of cloud computing. The first of the applications and services available as part of the ATI (air transport industry) Cloud program, announced in April, are scheduled to go live in late June.
The inflight entertainment (IFE) industry is facing another revolution with new technologies and players entering the market, but it is unclear how many of the latest projects will be around in the long run.
NASA will continue its contract with Lockheed Martin for development of the George W. Bush-era Orion crew exploration vehicle, rechristened the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) by Congress, but will stretch out the contract while figuring out how to build a heavy-lift “Space Launch System” (SLS) to carry the spacecraft beyond low Earth orbit.
Linda A. Mills (see photo), corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman's Information Systems Sector, has been recognized for her leadership and professional achievements in the technology industry at the 12th Annual Women in Technology Leadership Awards.
