The fatal midair over the Hudson River involving a sightseeing helicopter and a single-engine aircraft could lead to restricted use of VFR corridors and tighter regulation of air tour operations.
“The days of nipping and tucking are coming to an end,” says Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments’ Jim Thomas of defense budget trimming. “We’re going to have to look at mission trades.” CSBA analysts describe a Defense Dept. continuously squeezed by de facto budget limitations and growing costs, the latter through personnel—and their health care and related force size—increases.
NASA will ship the first Orion crew module for launch abort tests at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., on Aug. 19 but confirms that the Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) flight test has slipped into early 2010. NASA originally hoped to deliver the vehicle last February, and scheduled the PA-1 for late April, having already postponed it several times from its first target date of last September.
Boeing and NASA have taken the wraps off the X-48C, a modified variant of the blended wing body sub-scale demonstrator aimed at proving ultra-low-noise targets for future aircraft, including airliners and military tanker-transports.
Flight trials of the British Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle system have concluded in Israel, clearing the way for tests in the U.K. in the fourth quarter of this year. The Watcheeper UAV, based on the Elbit Hermes 450, will likely begin trials using the Parc Aberporth range in Wales in October or November. Thales is leading the development of the Watchkeeper. The system is planned to enter service with the British toward the end of 2010.
NASA Ames Research Center is seeking information from industry on possible thermal protection system (TPS) materials for missions to Mars. “The Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) Technology Development Project is actively pursuing design, development and maturation of thermal protection system materials capable of withstanding the severe thermal heating loads associated with aerocapture and entry into the Mars environment,” NASA says in its request for information (RFI).
The German government is signaling that unmanned aviation is one of many areas likely to receive additional funding, but it also is urging structural changes throughout the country’s aerospace industry to ensure long-term competitiveness.
The Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopter is expected to finally begin trials with the Arbalet radar in place at the end of August following a redesign of the installation and the antenna. Initial government testing of the Ka-52—dubbed the Alligator—was concluded in 2008, but without the radar. The trials should be completed in 2010 if the latest timetable is kept, according to Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, chief of the Russian air force.
Inflight entertainment system developer Lumexis has received FAA Parts Manufacturer Approval for its fiber-optic based, Fiber-To-The-Screen (FTTS) seatback system. The FAA approval allows the company to make parts and equipment for installation on Airbus A320-200s under its Supplemental Type Certificate. Approval follows flight trials on a US Airways A320.
Austria’s Schiebel Industries and Boeing will team to market and support the European company’s Camcopter S-100. The autonomous helicopter is a compact unmanned aerial vehicle that provides a stabilized video system for surveillance and reconnaissance as one of its several payload possibilities.
Boeing’s second 787, ZA002, is poised to move under its own power for the first time. Taxi tests are expected to begin by Aug. 17 and will last several days before ZA002 goes into refurbishment for side-of-body structural modification. Taxi tests will complete onboard systems checks, and will likely mark the last movement of any of the 787 test fleet for several months until ZA001 re-emerges with the revised wing root changes.
Bombardier has formally canceled the orders it had on the books for regional jets from Italy-based MyAir, which has ceased operations. That includes 15 orders for the CRJ1000, for which the airline was the launch customer. Bombardier stresses that the program is going forward, with additional firm orders from other customers in hand. MyAir had taken delivery of four CRJ900s bought at the same time.
Members of the advisory committee reviewing U.S. human spaceflight goals are putting the finishing touches on seven different options for NASA’s way forward in space, working against an end-of-month deadline for presenting them to the White House for final decision.
USAF Maj. Gen. Floyd L. Carpenter has been named commander of the Eighth Air Force of Air Combat Command (ACC)/joint functional component commander of Space and Global Strike for U.S. Strategic Command, Barksdale AFB, La. He was vice commander of the Eighth Air Force. Maj. Gen. Mark T. Matthews has been appointed deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and assessment for Multi-National Force-Iraq in Baghdad. He was director of requirements at ACC Headquarters, Langley AFB, Va. Matthews will be succeeded by Brig. Gen. Thomas K.
The UAV industry is pushing hard for faster integration of unmanned designs into the U.S. national airspace, and is planning a demonstration of how UAVs and manned aircraft can fly in harmony. A cooperative research and development agreement between UAV builder AAI and the FAA will set up a technical center at the FAA facility near Atlantic City, N.J.
Efforts to overhaul management of aviation safety as the mandate of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is expanded are about to touch on one of the most explosive issues on the agenda—how pilot work hours should be further regulated. But the safety agency is attempting to sort out much more than pilot flight-time limitations. As a new set of operating rules for air carriers in Europe is formalized, stakeholders will have to decide how much input EASA will have in interpreting regulations.
Russian low-fare startup Avianova, undeterred by sharp declines in passenger volumes, is pressing ahead with its plans. The airline has taken delivery of its first two Airbus A320-200s (the second was handed over last month) and intends to begin runs on domestic routes shortly.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) is proposing on-orbit propellant depots to increase the capability of NASA’s Constellation exploration architecture. The plan to use depots derived from an advanced upper stage for the Atlas V and Delta IV evolved expandable launch vehicles (EELV) has caught the attention of the Augustine panel, which has included in-space refueling in four of seven options identified (see p. 29).
The U.S. Air Force is moving forward with a program to purchase 25 aircraft for the Air Force Academy’s powered flight program. Offers for new or used aircraft will be considered as long as the latter have no more than 1,500 flight hours on them. A separate contract will be awarded to support the assets. The single-engine aircraft needs to deliver a 500-fpm. climb rate and operate in a minimum of 15-deg. crosswinds. Endurance should be 1.5 hr. with a further 60 min. of fuel reserve, all while carrying two crew (weighing about 450 lb. combined with 16.5 lb.
USAF Lt. Gen. Chip Utterback and Japanese Lt. Gen. Hidetoshi Harata spoke truth about the F-22 and undoubtedly irked politicians (AW&ST July 27, pp. 46-50). These officers, recognizing the significant near-term threats and current economic realities, courageously stated why the F-22 is the only viable option for Japan for replacing its F-4s.
Boeing and NASA will retest the X-48B blended wing body at high angles of attack following installation of new control software designed to tackle unexpected oscillations encountered during stall tests.
Unlike the U.S. Defense Dept., which has more robust research and development funding, the Homeland Security Dept. must rely on the private sector to help meet its obligation to protect the civil side of the federal government’s cyberoperations, according to Secretary Janet Napolitano. In turn, she is asking industry to help the department with its inaugural Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, which is modeled on Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review.
Japan’s carriers expect this summer’s Aug. 7-16 peak travel period to be decidedly cooler than last year. All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) projected they will carry 1.3 million passengers each domestically as the 10-day period kicked off. That represents nearly a 10% drop from last year. ANA says its international traffic will drop 7% to 186,000. JAL forecasts carrying 338,000 international passengers, a 3.3% decline overall. But there are bright spots. Travel to China is jumping 36%, and passenger counts also are positive to Guam, Taiwan and Europe.
Telespazio has completed selling the transmission capacity of the Thales Alenia Space Sicral 1B military communications satellite, with the signing of a contract with the Polish government. The €30-million ($43.2-million)deal covers the provison of UHF capacity over 10 years. Sicral 1B, which was launched Apr. 20, is primarily used by the Italian armed forces, but extra capacity has been made available to NATO, its members and other European governments.
Richard J. Smallwood has become executive vice president-customer business for Airborne Systems , Santa Ana, Calif. He was senior vice president-airlines for Rolls-Royce plc.
