Over the last few years, there has been a lot of talk about the Next-Generation Air Transportation System. Most of it has been focused on how NextGen will allow aviation to transition to a satellite-based navigation system and help the airlines operate more efficiently. But decision-makers in Congress and the FAA must understand that NextGen begins and ends at airports.
The Royal Moroccan Air Force’s new Block 50 F-16 fleet will carry Lockheed Martin’s Sniper advanced targeting pods. The Sniper capability, part of a $30-million contract, will be delivered over the next two years. Morocco also will benefit from a $37-million foreign military sales contract to Hawker Beechcraft Corp. for 24 T-6C Texan trainer aircraft, spares and flight trainers.
Matthew Perra has been appointed manager of external communications for Pratt & Whitney Canada , Longueil, Quebec. He was communications manager for Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines, East Hartford, Conn.
David A. Fulghum (China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center)
The test ranges here will be home or at least the nursery for advanced weapons that boast ammunition DNA from exotic reaches of the electromagnetic spectrum.
As U.S. lawmakers and the Obama administration debate whether and how to add U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the ongoing build-up of Afghan security forces by western powers increasingly has to make the best of Soviet-era equipment such as the Mi-35 attack helicopter photographed by Aviation Week editor Paul McLeary at Bagram Air Base this month.
This single-turboprop-powered utility/passenger aircraft first flew in December 1982. To date, Cessna has produced 1,822 Caravans of all types. Designed with the small-package delivery segment in mind, the two models in production, the Caravan 675 and 208B Grand Caravan, have maximum useful loads of 1,898 kg. (4,175 lb.) and 2,041 kg., respectively. Power for both aircraft is provided by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A engine rated at 675 shp. Cessna is forecast to deliver 842 Caravans in the 2009-18 period.
Malissia R. Clinton (see photo) has been appointed vice president/associate general counsel of The Aerospace Corp. , El Segundo, Calif. She succeeds Gordon J. Louttit. Clinton was senior counsel for special projects for the Northrop Grumman Corp.
The global downturn has struck the airline industry at a critical time in its drive to liberalize the aviation market. But while economic woes threaten to stall some efforts to eliminate cross-border restrictions, they could also spur action where airlines need it most.
While the global downturn threatens the overall pace of liberalization, dramatic advances are still occurring—with some of the biggest changes in regions that have traditionally been among the most restricted. In both Latin America and Southeast Asia, airlines are entering new markets by pushing the limits of existing restrictions. And many governments in these areas are moving to either relax their own rules in response to airline pressure or negotiate new agreements with their neighbors.
The 777 is a twin-engine, wide-body commercial transport. First flight occurred in June 1994, followed by FAA/JAA certification in April 1995 (Pratt & Whitney-powered version). Deliveries began in June 1995. The 777-200, seating 305-440 passengers, is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4077, Rolls-Royce Trent 877 or GE GE90-77B turbofans rated 76,000-77,000-lb.-thrust each. The 777‑200ER extended-range version seats 301-440 passengers and is powered by two PW4090, Trent 895 or GE90‑94B turbofans rated 90,000-93,700-lb.-thrust each.
The new 787 Dreamliner series is a family of twin-engine, wide-body airliners. Three versions are envisioned. The 787-8 will carry 210-250 passengers and have a range of 7,650-8,200 naut. mi. The 787-3, a version of the 787-8 optimized for shorter flights, will carry 290-330 passengers and have a range of 2,500-3,050 naut. mi. The 787-9, a stretch version of the 787-8, will carry 250-290 passengers and have a range of 8,000-8,500 naut. mi. A fourth possible version, the 787-10, would be a further stretch version of the 787-9.
Several members of the Senate Armed Services Committee complain of their surprise over the Obama administration’s recent changes to European missile defense (AW&ST Sept. 21, p. 22), but only one member, the second-ranking Republican on the panel, Jim Inhofe (R‑Okla.), declares he will seek to overturn it. John McCain (Ariz.), the ranking Republican on the panel, calls the announcement “amateurish and ham-handed.” But the change has the explicit backing of committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), among others.
The 747 is an intercontinental wide-body commercial transport aircraft. A total of 1,410 747s were built through 2008. The 747-400 is no longer in production. The current production version is the 747-8. The 747-400 carries 416 passengers in a typical three-class configuration. First flight and certification of the 747 occurred in 1969. The -400 variant was certificated, and deliveries began, in January 1989. In November 2005, Boeing launched the 747-8 series, which includes the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger model and the 747-8 Freighter.
The House approves a three-month extension of the FAA’s funding authority, and the Senate is expected to follow suit. But this will not take the heat off Congress to come up with a long-term FAA reauthorization bill. The existing FAA authority expires at the end of this month, and the latest extension is intended to give Congress time to complete a full, long-term reauthorization. The House has passed its version of the reauthorization bill, and is waiting for the Senate to do the same.
The big-three Chinese airlines are comfortably outperform-ing the local stock market, even as operating profits remain weak. Shares in the largest, China Southern, have risen 95% from their low in the past 52 weeks, while China Eastern is 108% above its 52-week low. The price of Air China, widely regarded as the best managed of the three, has tripled since hitting a cyclical low in November. By comparison, the Shanghai Composite index has gained 71% since its 2008 low.
Japanese Transport Minister Seiji Maehara is refusing immediate approval for a Japan Airlines request for government funding, complaining that the carrier’s business improvement plan is inadequate. The minister has limited his own options, however, by saying the government will not consider bankruptcy or a break-up of JAL. Maehara wants JAL to “work to the bone” to reform itself enough to satisfy investors.
Pakistan seems to be canvassing Western suppliers anew for avionics and weapon systems to equip its version of the Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft. Initial bids for the JF-17 were sought several years ago, but the plane’s developers apparently believe more capabilities are needed for the aircraft, which entered production in Pakistan in July. According to French reports, several Western suppliers have been solicited, including South Africa’s ATE and Astrac, a joint venture of Thales and Sagem. Neither company would comment on the reports.
France-based Safran and China’s Avic have agreed to extend their long-standing collaboration to cover aircraft equipment. The expanded agreement will allow the two companies, which already collaborate on fixed- and rotary-wing engines, to work together on the design, production and support of landing systems and engine nacelles, and establish new facilities in China based on existing assets. An initial application is expected to be China’s new Comac C919 narrow-body transport (AW&ST Sept. 14, 26).
Concern is mounting in the maintenance, repair and overhaul community that Airbus and Boeing, as well as other equipment providers, will try to lock up increasing portions of the after-market business, crimping prospects for traditional MRO providers. Airbus and Boeing are already investigating how to capture more support business, with their strategy likely to crystallize in the next 3-4 years, says David Stewart, a principal at AeroStrategy consultancy.
ATC Lasham is refurbishing two hangars, covering 40,000 sq. ft., at Southend Airport in Essex, England, to grow its heavy maintenance capacity. The addition expands ATC Lasham’s hangar capacity by 50%, so it can accommodate six aircraft simultaneously.
The saga over Airbus A330/A340 pitot tube continues. This time, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive related to Goodrich tubes. Operators have been told to check the torque of the pneumatic quick-disconnect union. EASA is investigating the cause of what it says are several reports of loose pneumatic quick-disconnect unions, which “may be the result of mis-torque of the affected unions at the equipment manufacturing level.”
Virgin Nigeria, pressing ahead with efforts to remake the carrier, on Sept. 17 unveiled its new name, Nigerian Eagle Airlines, and new logo. Virgin Atlantic, which owns 49% of the airline, had signaled some time ago that it would like to retrench from the venture. Management for the Nigerian carrier, which is owned to 51% by institutional investors, says efforts are under way to inject further operational funds. Virgin Nigeria has struggled to establish a firm business plan, and recently shifted focus from flying long-haul to becoming a regional carrier.
Government-services contractors are trying to stanch a potential trend of federal managers defaulting to “insourcing”—hiring more federal employees, especially from industry’s ranks—in response to widely perceived problems with the nation’s acquisition regime. The trend, which leaders of the Professional Services Council (PSC) say is most acute in the defense sector, is not a tidal wave yet. But in a recent survey of its 350 members, PSC found that about 65% reported some kind of insourcing experience.
GE Aviation has completed assembly of the first production F138-100 turbofan engine as part of the U.S. Air Force’s C-5M Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program (RERP). The F138 is a military version of the commercial CF6-80C2L1F engine and features a number of upgrades that provide an additional 10,000 lb. of thrust per engine (40,000 lb. per aircraft) as well as reduced fuel consumption, allowing the four-engine C-5M to complete certain missions in one flight instead of multiple legs.
