The stealth-modified H-60 Black Hawk helicopters used in the May 1 raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, were likely produced at Sikorsky's facilities in Elmira, N.Y. But imagery of the facilities and the Elmira Corning Regional Airport on Google Earth is not up to date and has been modified.
Another shake-up, record sales and disillusionments are likely in store for the “middle” of the commercial air transport market—the 150-220-seat segment. But don't count on next month's Paris air show to provide a long-overdue clarification. Boeing is no longer expected to announce anything, Airbus executives may just stress how good they are, Bombardier may have no CSeries orders to unveil, Comac and Irkut may remain mute, as usual, and Embraer is expected to stay in a cautious waiting mode.
Kimberly Murdoch has been appointed vice president of operations at Phoenix-based ACSS, an L-3 Communications and Thales company. She came from Honeywell Aerospace, where she was senior director for Electrical Global Planning-Integrated Supply Chain; prior to that she held key positions at Boeing and Pratt & Whitney. Honors And Elections
Selex Galileo is bolstering its unmanned aircraft capability with the purchase of Unmanned Technologies Research Institute, a small Italian operation. In particular, the deal will help expand the company's product range into smaller systems, including a 6.5-kg mini vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned aircraft system, a ducted fan system called Spyball and a 2-kg-micro fixed-wing Crex-B.
Turkey is exploring whether it would be feasible to launch an indigenous fighter program, even though the government recognizes that such a move might be a step too far and that the country might have to be satisfied with another off-the-shelf procurement.
David Soaper has joined Southern Air Holdings, Norwalk, Conn., as chief operating officer. He was senior vice president of aircraft operations for Comair.
Two Hawker Beechcraft AT-6s, kitted out for light-attack, precision-targeting and intelligence-gathering missions, are put through their paces. The aircraft are being tested as a less-expensive alternative to armed unmanned aircraft. The photo shoot was conducted over southern New Mexico following earlier machine-gun and rocket-pod testing at Gila Bend, Ariz. Photograph by Jim Haseltine/HIGH-G Productions.
Dave Johnson has been hired as senior vice president of sales and marketing at Willis Lease Finance Corp., Novato, Calif. He was vice president of marketing and corporate counsel at International Lease Finance Corp.
The April 11 collision between an Air France Airbus A380 and Comair Bombardier CRJ700 (AW&ST April 18, p. 15) seems like another case of gadgets getting in the way of good sense.
Julie Showers (see photo) has joined the Airline Group of national labor and employment firm Ford & Harrison as a partner, based in the Minneapolis office.
Martin Barila has been appointed vice president of operations based at the Garden Grove, Calif., headquarters of AC Tech, provider of aircraft sealants. He was director of operations at Air Industries Co.
Steve Reid (see photo) has been appointed senior director of site operations at Crane Aerospace & Electronics' Elyria, Ohio, site. He worked as a business unit leader, operations manager and marketing manager during a 16-year career at Parker Hannifin.
USAF Col. Timothy J. Leahy has been nominated by President Barack Obama for appointment to brigadier general. Leahy is currently serving as director, knowledge and futures, J-7/J-9 Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
With the Legacy 650, Embraer introduces an able entry to the long-range business jet market. This latest variant of the EMB-135BJ can carry eight passengers more than 3,800 nm, enabling it to fly nonstop from London to New York, Dubai to London, Sao Paulo to Miami or Singapore to Sydney.
Efforts to restructure France's defense and aerospace sector come and go, but the newest round of talks between Safran and Thales may have more staying power than previous initiatives. There's nothing particularly novel in the asset swap now under discussion between the two French enterprises. The topic has popped up several times, most recently last year, although the two sides were not able to agree on terms.
Mike Turner has become the new senior product marketing manager for Wichita-based Hawker Beechcraft Corp. He joins the company from StandardAero, where he was director of marketing and corporate communications.
Controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be using 12-in. ion thrusters to ease NASA's Dawn spacecraft into orbit around Vesta, a protoplanet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that may have one of the oldest planetary surfaces in the Solar System.
Wendel Lambert (see photo) has joined Dallas Airmotive, Dallas, as regional service representative for the company's AgRight agricultural aviation services program.
Mark S. Wulber has been named director of training and FAA compliance at Executive AirShare, based in Kansas City, Mo., and Wichita. He comes from Executive Jet Management, where he was manager of audit and flight safety programs.
A surveillance and situational awareness system which combines a traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) with automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), is set for introduction on a range of Airbus A320, A330 and A340 aircraft. The Honeywell SmartTraffic system will allow aircraft to fly in-trail procedures on transoceanic flights, saving up to $100,000 per aircraft per year, according to the company.
Robert Callahan has been appointed director for state government affairs at TechAmerica, Sacramento, Calif. He is a six-year veteran of the California Chamber of Commerce.
Peter Rutherford (see photo) has been named regional manager of technical sales for Europe, CIS and Africa at Montreal-based Innotech Aviation Group, a division of I.M.P Group International. He comes from Bombardier Aerospace, where he was aerospace manager of the International Customer Response Team.
Prof. Robert C. Owen Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Aeronautical Science Department (Daytona Beach, Fla. )
I was bemused by reader Jonathan Penn's vent about the International Space Station (AW&ST April 25/May 2, p. 8). In his comments about “pedestrian research” and the “great shame” of the ISS's impact on the NASA budget, he misses the main point: There is a space program because people are in space. All that valuable science performed by little buggies on Mars and robotic flybys and orbits around planets and moons is extremely valuable, probably.
One year ago, asked by Aviation Week whether unionized pilots in the U.S. would let their major airline employers outsource even more flying to regional carriers, scope clause expert Bill Kessler described the prospects as slim. Now, a year later, he describes the prospects this way: slimmer.
Rolls-Royce has received extended operations approval from the FAA for the Boeing 787-powering Trent 1000 turbofan. The authorization covers 330 min. of single-engine operations. Rival General Electric, offering the GEnx, is still working on achieving ETOPS approval. Rolls is ahead, owing to the fact it is providing the engine for lead customer All Nippon Airways.
