Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (Comac), the developer of the ARJ21 regional jet, is expected this week to issue requests for proposals for its C919 next-generation narrow-body airliner project. Comac’s initial RFPs will be aimed at the C919-200, a 150-seater in the middle of the proposed family line-up. The C919-200, which outwardly resembles an Airbus A320 in overall configuration, will be largely manufactured from conventional materials but equipped with advanced systems and engines.
The gloom that has prevailed in general and business aviation for months gave way to smiles, ooohs and encouraging statistics at the Experimental Aircraft Assn.’s recent annual AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. The world’s largest air show this year attracted everything from Burt Rutan’s White Knight Two spaceship launcher and an array of electric aircraft to Gulfstream 200 and Beechcraft Premier bizjets and the Airbus A380. When it ended Aug. 2, the tally was 10,000+ visiting aircraft, including 1,023 homebuilts, 1,007 vintage models and 355 warbirds.
Afriqiyah Airways has taken delivery of the first of three Airbus A330-200 aircraft it has on order. The airline plans to operate the A330, configured to seat 230 passengers in a two-class cabin, from its base in Tripoli, Libya, to cities in Africa and Europe. Afriqiyah now operates two A319s and five A320s and plans to add another 10 A320s.
Lawmakers appear to be comfortable with the presumptive White House choice to head the Transportation Security Administration. While no nomination has yet been announced, the Obama administration appears likely to tap law enforcement veteran Erroll Southers. His name has been floated with key lawmakers, who seem to have given their blessing. A nomination is expected in September, when lawmakers return from their August recess.
A factory dedicated to the production of advanced lithium-ion batteries will be built in the U.S. by battery specialist Saft now that funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been approved.
The first concrete signs are emerging that European passenger traffic has bottomed out and will gradually start increasing. But that does not mean airlines can breath easier yet, with yields still falling and cost pressures weighing on many carriers.
German pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) stands in the way of both Lufthansa and Air Berlin, as the two largest German airlines try to achieve important structural changes. Last week, pilots at Air Berlin’s long-haul leisure unit LTU International Airways walked off the job for 10 hr., seriously disrupting the airline’s operations. More industrial action may follow at LTU and Lufthansa, as both carriers are negotiating new wage contracts with their pilots.
Eclipse 500 owners feel the pain of their Adam counterparts. While the FAA has said it will not ground the aircraft for now, the European Aviation Safety Agency suspended the VLJ’s type certificate as of June 12. The aircraft owners have some reason to be hopeful, however. Eclipse Aerospace Inc., a company founded by two Eclipse 500 owners, has filed a $40-million “stalking horse bid” for the assets of the bankrupt manufacturer. It is one of at least four groups that have expressed interest in buying Eclipse’s assets.
The Chinese airline industry is likely to maintain an extraordinary pace of expansion for the rest of this year after posting figures that show it rapidly recovering ground lost in 2008.
Israel Aerospace Industries’ Lahav Div. has conducted a series of flight tests of its helicopter collision avoidance system. The Tactical Mid-Air Collision Avoidance System (Tmaca)—in development for several years—is based on data-link communications between aircraft, which update one another in real time on their relative positions and flight vectors. If a possibility for collision is detected, pilots are alerted via visual and auditory alarms. The system also recommends avoidance measures.
After reading about the runway overrun aversion feature for the Airbus A380 and the enhanced traffic-alert collision avoidance system that Airbus wants to install on its planes, we should add a new category of aircraft (AW&ST July 6, p. 36). We now have unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned combat air systems, why not unmanned transport aircraft. We could replace pilots with a computer geek who could provide a real-time avionics replacement or system reboot.
Speed sensors are simple, lightweight pieces of equipment rarely discussed outside of engineering circles. However, in the aftermath of Air France Flight 447’s fatal accident in June, at least some models are suspected of seriously endangering flight safety, placing pitot tubes at the center of public scrutiny.
A huge problem remains for the U.S. Navy and Air Force in positioning their UAV forces so that all warfighters have access to unmanned intelligence and possibly strike capabilities at any time. The Pacific, where there are few bases, is an area of particular concern.
Sukhoi has now moved the third Superjet 100 prototype to the flight test center in Zhukovsky, near Moscow, to join the development activity of the other two prototypes. A fourth prototype is supposed to fly this year. The third prototype is being fitted with seats and will be the static display model this week during the Moscow air show.
Cessna is reaching out to customers to help them navigate the complex process of complying with the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme. The ETS takes effect in 2010, with data tracking and reporting requirements beginning in January. Operators seeking free carbon-credit allocations have to apply this month. Beyond just providing an online compliance how-to guide, Cessna says it is developing a monitoring program for operators of its aircraft covered under the ETS guidelines.
The first imagery from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.’s UK-DMC2 and Deimos-1 satellites was received last week. The satellites were launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at the end of July on a Dnepr rocket. The next few weeks will see the imaging systems on both satellites tested thoroughly to validate performance.
Moscow is on the brink of concluding its largest fighter aircraft order in almost 20 years, with the Russian air force’s leader setting far-reaching procurement and restructuring plans. Funding, however, is a fundamental concern. Col. Gen Alexander Zelin, the air force chief, says the overhaul is intended to improve operational readiness and give the service what it urgently needs to counter future threats. All elements of the air force will be affected: organizational structure, aircraft, weaponry, training and infrastructure.
After a decade of lackluster testing and a major redesign, the Pentagon’s $15-billion Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system finally seems to be hitting its stride. This is more than 20 years after the Pentagon embarked on a land-mobile, theater-wide ballistic missile defense system.
In the run-up to the planned launch of space shuttle Discovery late this month on STS-128, NASA is still analyzing the shedding of foam debris on the previous mission, with some engineers calling for the shuttle to be rolled back from the launch pad for more in-depth analysis. Endeavour mission STS-127 saw worrisome foam losses from the forward bipod area, an ice/frost ramp on the liquid oxygen tank and the intertank area.
In his letter, Richard P. Hora relates the tragic loss of an Air France Airbus A330 in June to the equally tragic American Airlines A300 accident in November 2001 (AW&ST July 6, p. 8). It’s possible there are similarities in the accidents, but the speculation by Hora: “it seems likely that turbulence stripped the (vertical) fin off both aircraft” and that a “bad design was allowed to continue” was irresponsible and inaccurate.
Capt. (ret.) Carmen D. Villani, Jr. (Chantilly, Va.)
The airline industry does have its problems but lack of regulation is not one of them, as suggested by two recent letters (AW&ST Aug. 3, p. 8). Just click on the “Regulations & Policies” tab on the FAA web site and then spend an inordinate amount of time sifting through regulations, advisories and technical orders.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Douglas Barrie (London)
The U.S. Navy is spinning up its somewhat belated breakout into the world of UAVs with several formidable designs, including the stealthy, aircraft carrier-capable naval Unmanned Combat Air System and the long-endurance, Global Hawk-like Broad Area Maritime Surveillance aircraft.
Engineers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and Raytheon are co-developing a new material designed to transfer heat away from high-power electronic equipment such as next-generation radars. Made from a composite of diamond and copper, the material is one of a number of exotic materials in development under GTRI’s “Thermal Ground Plane” initiative that aims to remove heat up to 100 times more effectively than existing thermal-conducting technologies.
L-3 Communications’ Link Simulation & Training unit has developed a real-time network service designed to support virtual training or operations for any unmanned aircraft platform. Designated Blue Box HD, the system reinforces a UAV’s situational awareness during operations by augmenting its field-of-view (FOV) sensors with 360 deg. of high-fidelity virtual imagery.
Vitrociset, the Italian company heavily involved in air traffic management, is continuing to pursue its expansion strategy to broaden its business base. As part of that plan, it has acquired Enterprise Digital Architects, a company established in 2001 as an Ericsson spin-off, which provides information technology services. The company ran into financial problems, though, and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2007. Vitrociset, under Italian bankruptcy rules, was appointed to shepherd the business to financial health.
