Aviation Week & Space Technology

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.

Airbus Military has delivered fuel from its A330 multi-role tanker transport to F-16s, using its in-house developed Air Refueling Boom. On Oct. 21, the first Royal Australian Air Force KC-30, which is due to be handed over to its customer next year, made several contacts with two Portuguese F-16s during a 90-min. flight. Two F-16s were involved, with a total of 13 contacts made and 1.5 metric tons of fuel offloaded, according to Airbus Military.

Founded by McDonnell Douglas in the 1990s, before its merger with Boeing, as an answer to Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, the Phantom Works has evolved to take on a broader role as the “innovation incubator” for the whole of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, says David Whelan, IDS chief scientist and Phantom Works vice president and deputy general manager.

The subject of innovation is a passion of Boeing Chairman, President and CEO James McNerney. In a interview with AW&ST Editor-in-Chief Anthony L. Velocci, Jr., and Senior Business Editor Joseph C. Anselmo, he outlines his definition of innovation and explains why it is about much more than technical capability. AW&ST: What have you found to be the most meaningful measure of innovation?

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) politely suggests the debate on Capitol Hill about unrequested Boeing C-17 airlifters is too narrow and should also examine the underlying airlift force structure and the U.S. industrial base. A total of 213 Globemaster C-17s have been procured through Fiscal 2009, including eight via the supplemental spending law. The Obama administration’s proposed Fiscal 2010 defense budget would end C-17 procurement, but lawmakers are debating how many more to buy (AW&ST Oct. 5, p. 24).

Momentum is building in Europe to define a common set of requirements and architectures that could serve as the basis for a joint network of civil defense and military satellite systems.

Finmeccanica’s Alenia North America has earned high marks from the U.S. Air Force on a small contract to refurbish tactical transports for Afghan forces, but it is unclear whether this performance will result in more U.S. defense ­business.

The engines of innovation in the U.S., the university campus and small business come together here, where unmanned-aircraft specialist Aurora Flight Sciences has located its research and development center just yards away from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Aeronautics and Astronautics Dept.

There is a poker game going on between Tokyo and Washington in the persons of the new Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Japan’s new government needs to show it is independent of the U.S., while Gates strives to show the alliance is rock solid. The Japanese government is indicating it does not want to expand a Marine Corps helicopter base in Okinawa nor help pay to move Marines to Guam. Gates grumbles that Japan spends only 1% of GDP for defense, because the U.S.

Prof. Mark Drela of the Aeronautics and Astronautics Dept. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a scholar-in-residence during the 2009-10 academic year at Aurora Flight Sciences’ Cambridge, Mass., research and development facility.

Brandon Nelson has become vice president/associate general counsel and David C. Clark chief people officer of JetBlue Airways . Nelson was director/corporate counsel/assistant secretary. Clark was vice president-human resources at Nike.

Blackswift’s Phoenix reminds me of the XF-103 Dual Cycle Propulsion System for which I was the U.S. Air Force’s first project engineer; I worked for the famous Weldon Worth in the powerplant laboratory in the early 1950s. As I remember it, the Century series fighters—F-100, F-101, F-102, etc.—were all expected to exceed Mach 1. To beat this dramatically, the Air Force tacked on the XF-103 with the Dual Cycle System with a J-67 turbojet and a Mach 3 ramjet using ducting similar to the turbine-based combined-cycle (TBCC).

A recent deal struck in the U.S. Congress to continue funding development of an alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, despite objections from President Barack Obama and a vote by the Senate to kill it, was a great victory for General Electric Co. Last week, EADS N.V. tapped the man who runs GE Aviation’s Washington operation, former NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, to fill a key post as it gears up with partner Northrop Grumman Corp. to battle Boeing Co.—again—for the U.S. Air Force’s $35-billion tanker aircraft contract.

Foreign security agencies are increasingly targeting personal communications devices of visiting U.S. businessmen and officials. The upswing is construed by analysts as an effort to gather government, business and technical data on dual-use, export-controlled and military items. That assessment came in a report to Congress from the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive. One U.S. security specialist had his hand-held communications device penetrated between Beijing’s airport and his hotel.

Once best-known for its ­human- and solar-powered aircraft and more recently renowned for its small unmanned air systems, Aero­Vironment depends on innovation more than most other technology ­companies. Founded by legendary aeronautical engineer Paul MacCready in 1971, AeroVironment became a household name within a decade when his company won successive Kremer prizes for human-powered flight with the Gossamer Condor and Albatross aircraft.

Is innovation alive and well in aerospace and defense? In this week’s special report beginning on p. 50, AW&ST editors check the pulse of innovation and ask industry leaders how they are ensuring that the flow of new ideas stays strong. We profile innovators as well as look at where new ideas are born and how they find their way to market. Cover design by the AW&ST Art Dept. Big Stock photo.

Cessna Aircraft will acquire the remaining 8% of its fractional aircraft operation now co-owned with TAG Aviation of Switzerland by year-end. Meanwhile, the company has changed its name to CitationAir from CitationShares to reflect emphasis away from fractional activity to broader service offerings including aircraft management, charters and jet cards. TAG operates 80 Citations.

The Swiss parliament has reaffirmed the timeline for the F-5 Tiger replacement program, which should lead to a fighter source selection next year. The three-way competition includes the Saab Gripen, Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Aviation Rafale. The current plan calls for the defense ministry to make its type selection in parallel with a strategic review. Both are due in the spring. The review is likely to influence how many fighters will be bought, although the nominal planning assumption is Switzerland will field 22 aircraft.

Under a seven–year, $20-million contract with the Tanzania Airport Authority signed this month, IT specialist SITA will provide major improvements at the country’s Dar-es-Salaam, Mwanza and Arusha airports. Upgrades include installation of CUSS (common-use self-service check-in) kiosks—a first in Tanzania—and SITA’s Baggage Reconciliation System. Misplaced baggage costs the industry $2.9 billion annually, according to SITA, and the identification technology is aimed at reducing incidences of mishandled baggage by 5-15%.

Ion Tiger, a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell UAV under development by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), flew for 23 hr. 17 min. Oct. 9-10 at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., setting an unofficial endurance record for a fuel-cell powered flight. The program, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, is led by the NRL and includes Protonex Technology Corp., University of Hawaii and HyperComp Engineering. The Ion Tiger’s electric fuel-cell propulsion system features the low noise level of a battery-powered UAV while taking advantage of hydrogen as a high-energy fuel.

President Barack Obama is not getting any direct recommendations from the Augustine panel—only options. But when he finally sits down to figure out what to do with the U.S. human-spaceflight program, he will have a strong hint that it is time for NASA to hire someone to carry its astronauts to low Earth orbit.

An Air Transport Assn. sampling of seven majors and 21 of their regional affiliates indicated a 19% dip in passenger revenues last month compared to September 2008 and an overall decline for the 11th consecutive month compared to the previous year. According to ATA, 10 consecutive months of declining fares was the main reason for the drop, which extended beyond the domestic U.S. to transatlantic, transpacific and Latin markets.

How’s this for an innovative approach to air transport: Build a tube, put swept wings on it, insert podded engines under the wings, load people into the tube and propel them through the air with burning hydrocarbons. It has been done, you say? Apparently, China’s aviation planners have not received the message. The C919, a 150-seat single-aisle jet proposed by Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China, is seen by many as proof that China intends to compete directly with Airbus and Boeing.