Japan Airlines will progressively drop 16 passenger routes and one cargo route beginning next month as it struggles to return to profit. International routes will be thinned by reducing frequencies or using smaller aircraft. Separately, the government’s Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. says a rescue package for JAL will not be ready before January.
Japan’s unmanned H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) reentered the Earth’s atmosphere as planned on Nov. 1, capping a successful inaugural mission to the International Space Station. After the station’s Canadian-built robotic arm pulled the trash-filled cargo carrier from its berth on the Harmony pressurized node and released it, the HTV performed three deorbit maneuvers before reentering the atmosphere over New Zealand en route to splashdown in the South Pacific.
Ricardo Khauaja has been named vice president-management and personnel of Brazil-based GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes . He was a vice president of Whirlpool.
Charles Moore has been appointed chief executive in the United Arab Emirates for Lockheed Martin Global . He was vice president/deputy for global sustainment for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. Honors and Elections
Honda Aircraft Co. reports it has completed the fuselage, wing, empennage, landing gear and other components for the first conforming HondaJet and expects to fly the aircraft in early 2010. The company also has chosen the new Garmin G3000 avionics suite for the aircraft, a second major win for the new flat-panel, touch-screen-controlled G3000, as Piper has also selected it for the PiperJet.
Some military hands are being wrung here as China’s air force continues an aggressive stance on space control, even as it opens a dialogue with its U.S. counterpart aimed at increasing transparency. Gen. Xu Qiliang, head of the People’s Liberation Army air force, tells the Xinhua news service, “Competition between military forces [in space] is a historical inevitability and cannot be undone.
Submarines may soon be able to launch the latest AIM-9X missile to defend themselves against air or surface-ship attack. AIM-9X is usually described as an air-to-air missile, but with a special underwater shroud (the combination is called the Littoral Warfare Weapon), it can be carried in an unmodified configuration and fired from a submarine’s vertical launch tube, says Michael Sharp, Raytheon’s director of advanced maritime technology and a former submarine commander.
“Amelia,” the biopic about the fated aviatrix played by Hilary Swank, launched on a less than stellar box office trajectory. Despite that, the Earhart legend can still open wallets. In fact, the goggles Amelia Earhart wore on her 1932 solo transatlantic flight—the second ever, and first by a woman—fetched $141,600 from an undisclosed bidder at the 37th Hollywood Memorabilia Auction last month. By contrast, Neil Armstrong’s ball cap, which he donned after Apollo 11’s splashdown, fetched $14,160.
South Africa last week pulled out of the Airbus Military A400M program, abandoning its plan to buy eight. A government statement said, “The termination of the contract is due to extensive cost escalation and the supplier’s failure to deliver the aircraft within the stipulated timeframes.”
The U.S. helicopter industry has told the Defense Dept. it is ready to form the Vertical Lift Consortium (VLC) to accelerate development of technology for future rotorcraft, submitting a letter of intent listing interested companies. The Pentagon proposed the consortium approach, already used with the robotics and munitions industries, in late October in a bid to simulate innovation in a rotorcraft sector it considers “stagnant.” The Defense Dept.
W7, the biggest and most powerful satellite ever built for Eutelsat, has arrived at the Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is in the final stages of preparation for a Nov. 23 launch on an International Launch Services Proton M rocket. It will be the fifth mission of the year for ILS, following the launch of Telesat’s Nimiq 5 on Sept. 18. Built by Thales Alenia Space and equipped with 70 Ku-band transponders, W7 will more than double capacity at Eutelsat’s hot spot at 36 deg. E. Long., which serves Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The 36-deg.
Douglas Barrie (London), Andy Nativi (Genoa), Robert Wall (Paris)
While front and center at this year’s Dubai Airshow will be France’s ability to clinch a Dassault Rafale deal with the United Arab Emirates, considerable combat aircraft maneuvering also is unfolding elsewhere in the region. In an area where local rivalries still dominate, the decision by one country to modernize often spurs upgrade or fleet-renewal plans among its neighbors. What’s more, as military hardware demonstrates its ability to operate in the harsh conditions of the Middle East, success can breed success.
USAF Maj. Gen. William L. Holland has been appointed commander of the Ninth Air Force of Air Combat Command (ACC), Shaw AFB, S.C. He was vice commander/deputy commander of U.S. Air Forces Central. Brig. Gen. David L. Goldfein has been selected for promotion to major general and named director of air and space operations at ACC Headquarters, Langley AFB, Va. He has been deputy director programs/deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs at USAF Headquarters at the Pentagon. Goldfein will be succeeded by Brig. Gen.
George Epstein hit the target with his answer to what is missing in math and science education, with the recommendation that we use an innovative and valuable resource: the old retired engineers who know algebra and can teach it or at least assist (AW&ST Sept. 21, p. 8).
Deep diving into their instruments has turned up the answer that the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (Lcross) science team expected after the mission’s Oct. 9 plunge into the 60-mi.-wide Cabeus crater on the Moon’s south pole. “There is a clear indication of a plume of vapor and fine debris,” says Lcross Principal Investigator Anthony Colaprete. “The team is working hard on the analysis, and the data appear to be of a very high quality.” Visible images from the Lcross Shepherding Spacecraft, which carried the mission’s science payload as it sped 4 min.
Nextant Aerospace of Richmond Heights, Ohio, is acquiring Beechjet 400A airframes while the small-jet market is soft. The company says the airplane is one of the most popular in its class because of its spacious cabin, but the light jet needs range beyond its current maximum of about 1,300 nm. Accordingly, Nextant is marketing pre-owned 400As upgraded with Williams FJ44-3AP engines, Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics, new paint and cabins with LED lighting, WiFi and broadband connectivity. CEO Ken Recci says the package provides a 32% fuel savings with a 2,000-nm.
Norwegian Air Shuttle is looking to phase out more leased 737-300s with the purchase of six additional 737-800s. The airline exercised existing purchase rights that should see two aircraft delivered next year and the remaining four in 2011. Norwegian this quarter took delivery of its first owned 737-800, with another due by year-end. By the end of 2011, the fleet should stand at 58 aircraft, compared with 45 at the end of this year.
Garmin officially announced its G3000, which it said is the first touch-screen-controlled, integrated flight deck for FAR Part 23 light turbine aircraft. The G3000 incorporates the all-new GTC 570 vehicle management system.
Seeking to recapture the innovative spirit that marked its first 50 years, the U.S. Air Force is looking back to its origins for inspiration as it tries to find a new direction and meet more demands with fewer resources. Leadership failures, procurement missteps and program terminations have made the once high-flying Air Force seem lead-footed in the face of fast-evolving threats. Now the service’s new leadership is looking to its science and technology (S&T) organization to help map a path to the future, but its ability to innovate is in question.
Nov. 2-5—White Eagle Aerospace’s Short Course: “Aerospace Vehicle Performance.” Wingate by Wyndham Hotel, Oro Valley, Ariz. See www.whiteeagleaerospace.com Nov. 2-5—Practical Aeronautics Short Course: “Introduction to Aeronautics—A Practical Perspective.” Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. See www.PracticalAero.com Nov. 3–5—Shephard Group’s Heli-Power 2009. Top Hotel, Prague. Call +44 (175) 372-7001 or see www.shephard.co.uk/events/38/heli-power-2009
Let’s set the record straight—technology innovation in aerospace is very much alive. There have been countless advances in the development of platforms and major subsystems through the years, and the industry continues to be the source of many of the most influential innovations to find their way to market.
NASA was targeting an Oct. 27 launch date for the Ares I-X suborbital crew launch vehicle prototype, after rolling the vehicle to Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B on Oct. 20.
David C. Ison Assistant Professor of Aviation Rocky Mountain College (Billings, Mont.)
As is often the case with aviation accidents, a knee-jerk reaction is in the works. Fueled by a media that knows little about aviation, Congress is pursuing proposed legislation—the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009—that could impose major constraints on the supply of pilots in the U.S. (AW&ST Sept. 28, p. 46).
South Korean companies could bid for work on the Lockheed Martin F-35 if the country orders the stealth fighter, even though suppliers for the airframe were chosen years ago, the U.S. manufacturer says. As production builds up worldwide to turning out one fighter a day, second-source suppliers will be needed for parts that Lockheed Martin itself is responsible for supplying, says Steve O’Bryan, vice president for F-35 business development.
The Tom Bradley International Terminal will be revamped in a $1.6-billion project authorized last week by the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners. The Bradley West Gate Project, described as the city’s largest-ever public works project, includes construction of nine boarding gates to accommodate Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s, passenger lounges and hold rooms, new tarmac and aircraft support areas, and is scheduled for 2012 completion. The projects are part of the board’s $5-billion modernization plan.
