Members of the U.S. House research and science education subcommittee have examined two major federal advisory reports, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” and the Arise analysis looking for ways to improve funding of high-risk scientific ventures needed for international scientific leadership. Both reports indicate a growing consensus within the research community that the peer-review system has become too conservative in funding decisions, and the most creative scientists and engineers are not submitting ambitious proposals.
CFM International, the joint venture of General Electric and Snecma (now part of the Safran Group), has passed the 20,000 mark in deliveries of CFM56 engines. A CFM56-5B was delivered by Safran to Air France for an Airbus A320, followed by a CFM56‑7B from General Electric for a Boeing 737NG customer. The previous industry champ, Pratt & Whitney’s JT8D, passed the 14,000 mark before being discontinued. Key to the CFM56’s success is its monopoly powering the 737 and its availability for the A320.
In November 2003, Boeing turned to its business unit here on the Canadian prairie to design a series of complex composite structures for the new jet that became the 787. That work allowed Boeing Winnipeg to align its engineering, production, supplier management and customer support functions for the first time into a classic lean enterprise strategy. Winnipeg had long been a go-to shop for specialized airframe components, particularly when outside suppliers got in trouble. But it had always worked in a strict build-to-print mode.
Hawker Beechcraft said Oct. 19 it received a $45-million follow-on order from the U.S. Air Force for six more King Air 350ER intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft under the armed service’s Project Liberty. Deliveries are scheduled to finish this year.
Support for U.S./China cooperation in human spaceflight is growing. The Augustine panel on the future of U.S. human spaceflight is the latest to weigh in. “China offers significant potential in a space partnership,” the panel notes in its final report (see p. 32). Within the Obama administration there is a faction that would like to see a reprise of the U.S.-Russian cooperation that started in the early 1990s. John Holdren, President Barack Obama’s science adviser, leaves open the possibility of U.S.
It was interesting to read in your article on the MH-60R/S (AW&ST Oct. 5, p. 52) that the Navy is using the two rotorcraft as a hunter/killer team, and may expand that by equipping the “S” to carry torpedoes, presumably for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
Pressure and external-loads testing is underway on a crew module that Alliant Techsystems (ATK) built for NASA from composite materials and sized to fit into an Orion crew exploration vehicle. Although not intended as flight hardware, the test article will give experts pulled together by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center an idea of the possibilities offered by composite pressure vessels for human spaceflight.
German developers are exploring the use of active sidestick controllers for helicopter applications, in the hopes of introducing the technology in the next major military rotorcraft development project.
The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) addressing the use of emergency checklists for ventilating smoke and fumes from the cockpits and cabins of general aviation aircraft. The bulletin applies to aircraft certified under Civil Aviation Regulations 3 that were not required to include such procedures in the Pilot Operating Handbook.
Thorsten Lafleur (see photo) has been named technical director of Miami-based and International Air Transportation Assn.-sponsored Cargo 2000 . He has been an executive with Lufthansa Cargo.
I see the 30-year-old idea of a “mission adaptive wing (rotor)” is making a comeback. According to your report, many of the proposed concepts involve morphing the rotor to achieve better aerodynamic performance (AW&ST Oct. 5, p. 55).
Marilee Wheaton (see photo) has been named executive director of The Aerospace Corp. ’s Aerospace Institute, Arlington, Va. She succeeds Dave Evans. Wheaton was general manager of the company’s Systems Engineering Div.
The path of international defense collaboration is littered with good intentions, and often little else, particularly in the European arena. Multilateral efforts, even successful ones, pose significant challenges for participants. All too often, programs have fragmented or collapsed under the weight of national and industrial imperatives.
Thomas A. Bowen has been named chief operating officer of Lancair International Inc. , Redmond, Ore. He was vice president-engineering and strategic programs for the Columbia Aircraft Co.
The NTSB is examining the recorders from a Northwest Airlines Airbus A320 for clues as to why the Flight 188 lost radio contact with air traffic control ATC for 1 hr. 18 min. and flew 150 mi. past its destination, Minneapolis-St. Paul. At 5:56 p.m. MDT on Oct. 21, the flight from San Diego became a “Nordo,” that is had “no radio” communications with controllers. At 7:58 p.m. CDT the A320 bypassed Minneapolis-St. Paul and continued northeast at 37,000 ft. with 147 passengers and an unknown number of crew on board.
Sure that its aero engine overhaul lines were models of efficiency, StandardAero was shocked to discover that its cellular manufacturing strategy was full of bottlenecks. In a complete revision, the company uncorked them by recognizing that not all cells are created equal.
Nov. 2-4—A&D Programs Conference. Phoenix. Nov. 4-5—Lean Six Sigma for MRO. Miami. Dec. 2-3—A&D Finance Conference. New York. Dec. 8-10—MRO Asia Conference & Exhibition. Hong Kong. You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only)
The National Business Aviation Assn. (NBAA) presented its top journalism award to William Garvey, editor-in-chief of Business & Commercial Aviation (BCA) magazine and the leader of Aviation Week’s business aviation reporting team. Garvey received the David Ewald Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement and excellence in journalism. The award is named for one of the founders of BCA and its publisher for many years.
The NTSB is investigating what caused a Delta Air Lines crew to land a Boeing 767-300ER on an active taxiway at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport on Oct. 19. Flight 60, inbound from Rio de Janeiro with 182 passengers and 11 crew on board, received clearance to land Atlanta’s 11,890-ft. Runway 27R. But at 6:05 a.m., the aircraft touched down on Taxiway M, which runs parallel to the runway. Weather conditions were good, with calm winds and 10-mi. visibility.
Stuart D. Nozette, a principal investigator on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), faces life in prison on two counts of attempted espionage after allegedly accepting cash from an undercover FBI employee posing as an Israeli intelligence operative in exchange for classified U.S. defense information. Nozette, 52, is principal investigator on the Mini-RF radar instrument on LRO, and a well-known expert in lunar science who has held top secret/sensitive compartmented information clearances at the White House and Energy Dept., according to the Justice Dept.
Innovative ideas, like rare orchids, do not just happen. They need an environment where they can be nurtured and flourish. That is the mantra of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Advanced Development Programs (ADP), better known as the Skunk Works.
As Europe’s largest and most geographically diverse aerospace and defense company, EADS faces unique challenges and opportunities when it comes to innovation. In existence less than a decade, the monolith is also the youngest of the aerospace giants. Formed in 2000 by the merger of the national aerospace champions of France, Germany and Spain, the acquisition of BAE Systems’ stake in Airbus in 2006 gave EADS a major presence in the U.K.
Sean Menke has been appointed executive vice president/chief marketing officer of Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings . He was president/CEO of Frontier Airlines and had been executive vice president/chief commercial officer of Air Canada.
While Moscow has determined who will build the Sukhoi Su-35 engine, a bigger prize still looms. The Ufa Engine Production Plant (UMPO) is to manufacture 96 Lyulka-Saturn AL-41F-1S thrust-vector-controlled turbofans for the 48 Su-35 fighters on order for the Russian air force. Previously known as “Izdeliye 117S,” the engine will likely mark the last major upgrade of the basic AL-31F.
