Jeremiah Farmer’s suggestion to have left Atlantis docked to the International Space Station (ISS) for use as a space vehicle or for storage is not practical (AW&ST May 10, p. 8; April 26, p. 16). The problems include a substantial increase in drag to the ISS assembly, potential damage to the orbiter thermal tiles from debris and the need to maintain a ground staff and communication links to support flights from ISS.
Singapore Airlines is cautious about expanding capacity despite reversing a first-half loss and reporting a S$216-million ($153-million) net income for the year ending March 31. The airline, which slashed capacity by 11% in the last financial year amid a global business downturn, will add just 2% capacity to its network in the year ending March 31, 2011. Chief Executive Chew Choon Seng says that while there was recovery in all sectors, including business class, the market remains fragile and yields are not back to pre-crisis levels.
Carolyn Corvi has been named to the board of directors of Continental Airlines . She was vice president/general manager of aircraft programs at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
This year, Iberia Maintenance expects to complete 190 engine shop visits, 111 of them from General Electric CFM56s, with 60% of those from the parent airline and 40% from third-party clients. Iberia is forecasting that third-party clients will account for the other 79 engines—45 Rolls-Royce RB211s, 19 GE CF34-3s and 15 Pratt & Whitney JT8s. Overall, Iberia engines contribute only 27% of the powerplant shop’s total production, which has grown an average of 15% each year since 2006.
Cathay Pacific Airways and major shareholder Swire Pacific will sell their combined 30% stake in Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd. (Hactl) in anticipation of the airline establishing a competing freight operation. When Cathay won a franchise to set up its own air cargo terminal at Hong Kong International Airport, it agreed to sell its stake in Hactl. Other Hactl shareholders will buy the Cathay and Swire holdings.
Following the longest flight yet by an air-breathing scramjet engine, the X-51A Waverider team is waiting to see whether the largely successful first launch of the hypersonic demonstrator will unlock funding for further development of the technology.
The National Transportation Safety Board has had revising pilot flight-/duty-time rules on its most-wanted list for 10 years, and now it is going to have to wait a little longer. A notice of proposed rulemaking that first was expected at the end of 2009, and then pushed back to this summer, is now targeted for September, says NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. “This has turned into a slow process with no end in sight,” she tells regional airline CEOs.
Mike Harlan has become president/CEO of the Breeze-Eastern Corp. , Union, N.J. He succeeds Robert L.G. White, who has retired. Harlan was executive vice president/chief operating officer.
After two years of construction, the Bell Helicopter Training Academy in Fort Worth has placed the first simulator for Bell 429 flight training into operation. FAA certification to Level 6 is expected early next year.
Two weeks after Russia announced its plan to produce Israeli UAVs, Azerbaijan also is inaugurating a production line for Israel’s Aeronautics Defense Systems’ Aerostar and Orbiter UAVs. says Yaver Jamalov, Azerbaijani defense minister. The country’s defense industry will hold 51% of the joint venture. The contract with Aeronautics has an estimated value of more than $200 million. Azerbaijan has signaled interest in arming the UAVs with bombs and rockets. The country’s air force already operates several dozen Aerostar tactical UAVs and Orbiter mini-UAVs.
If you are an aerospace engineering student pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, you are encouraged to enter an essay contest being run by Usaire, an association of U.S. and European aerospace, defense and high-tech companies.
Frank Morring, Jr. (Washington), Mark Carreau (Galveston, Texas)
NASA will soon submit a revision of its dead-on-arrival Fiscal 2011 budget request, but the prognosis for the new figures does not seem much better than for the old.
Sikorsky’s X2 Technology high-speed helicopter demonstrator has reached 181 kt. in flight tests, faster than most conventional helicopters, clearing the way for the final push to 250 kt. The speed was achieved after the helicopter was “cleaned up“ to reduce drag, by making the landing gear retractable and fitting the rotor-hub fairings. Sikorsky has now completed three of the four phases of the company-funded X2 Technology demonstration program. The final phase is intended to demonstrate that the rigid coaxial-rotor helicopter can cruise comfortably at 250 kt.
Safran Chairman/CEO Jean-Paul Herteman says his company will look elsewhere for partners to shore up onboard computer and other defense electronics businesses that it had considered merging with units of Thales. Talks with Thales broke off earlier this month. Herteman says he doesn’t know if they can restart, despite threats by French defense officials—who favor such a link—that they may withhold R&D money to force a marriage, and comments by Thales chief Luc Vigneron that he might consider a sweetened deal (AW&ST May 17, p. 11).
Lockheed Martin will head the team supplying the Finnish air force with an airborne surveillance system, as well as associated ground systems, under an approximately $100-million, four-year contract. Team members include Patria Oy, Rockwell Collins, DRS Technologies, Applied Signal Technology, AdamWorks and L-3 Communications. They will work with Finnish industry members to modify an EADS CASA C-295 turboprop aircraft with advanced surveillance systems and provide the ground stations and communications terminals to support the airborne system.
Mike King (see photos) has been promoted to director of business development from manager of FlightSafety International ’s Learning Centers in Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn. He has been succeeded by Angela Gremard, who has been promoted from assistant manager of the St. Louis center.
