Archie Dickey was correct regarding the efficacy of plastic “scarecrow owls” in preventing bird hazards at airports (AW&ST June 8, p. 14). Years ago, some non-pilot “suit” at my airline came up with the idea of affixing plastic owls on top of the Jetways at one of our hubs. Shortly thereafter, we were taxiing into a gate and observed a live bird perched serenely—you guessed it—right on top of the faux owl’s head.
Chinese light aircraft manufacturer Yuneec International is conducting initial flight tests of its electric-powered E430 light airplane and plans to display and demonstrate the single-engine aircraft at the Experimental Aircraft Assn.’s AirVenture 2009 show July 27-Aug. 9 in Oshkosh, Wis. Test pilot Shun Xun flew the composite E430 on its initial flight June 12. It has a wingspan of 45.2 ft., length of 21.9 ft. and a maximum takeoff weight of 946 lb. The propulsion system features an electric motor producing 40 kw. (54 hp.) at 2,450 rpm.
I have to take issue with Paul Nash’s comments about “sexual tension” in the cockpit. As a male pilot I had the privilege of flying Boeing 727s with a female captain whom I was dating. She was one of the better pilots with whom I have flown. In the six months we flew together, it was agreed from the outset that it would be business-only in the cockpit. Lumping female pilots into the context of “. . . pilot-stewardess stories” does a disservice to both pilots and flight attendants.
Following an initial delay, the U.K. has swapped out its Harrier GR9s for Tornado GR4 strike aircraft to support operations in Afghanistan. The most recent Harrier unit to be deployed, 1(F) Squadron, was due to leave on June 26. Harrier units have been in theater for the past five years in support of operations in Afghanistan. More than 8,500 sorties have been logged.
John S. Slattery has become head of Dublin-based Greenstone Aviation Ltd. He was a co-founder/managing director of RBS Aviation Capital in the Americas.
On May 7, the U.S. Air Force Accident Investigation Board (AIB) released a report on the gear-up landing of a C-17 at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, on Jan. 30. The AIB concluded the crew was at fault for not lowering the landing gear.
The U.S. Navy is attempting to resolve payload and other hardware development issues with its new mobile telecom satellite system so the first unit can be made available to meet urgent military demand.
Lt. Col. Park Ha-Sik, chief of operations and exercises for the South Korean air force’s Operations Command, organized and planned the first participation of a South Korean unit in a Red Flag exercise last August at Nellis AFB, Nev. The unique opportunity was linked to the delivery of six new F-15K Slam Eagles at Boeing’s St. Louis facility. After a month’s training at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, members of the detachment won accolades for their flying and maintenance skills.
Geoff Dixon, former managing director/CEO of Qantas Airways, has been named to the board of advisers of New York-based Seabury Aviation & Aerospace . Other new members are: Bryan Moss, president emeritus of the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.; Ralph Robins, former executive chairman of Rolls-Royce plc; and Douglas M. Steenland, former CEO of Northwest Airlines.
Gen. David Richards, the British Army’s next chief of the general staff, used a Royal United Services Institute conference last week to begin the Army ground- work for what is an inevitable defense review. The comment that will likely draw the most attention of the other service chiefs is: “I must emphasize that I am not advocating the scrapping of all our aircraft and tanks to the point that traditional mass armored operations, for example, become an attractive asymmetric option to a potential enemy.
L-3 Link Training & Simulation is to build the U.S. Army’s first Boeing CH-47F Chinook full-flight simulator. Under a $31.8-million contract, the operational flight trainer will enter service at the Flight School XXI training center at Ft. Rucker, Ala., in November 2011. L-3 Link has built CH-47D, OH-58D, UH-60A/L and AH-64D training devices for the school and will begin delivering simulators for the UH-60M later this year. The company also has signed an agreement with Sikorsky to explore teaming on UH-60M training for the Army and international customers.
Engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center are using this Landing and Impact Research Facility to test the seat pallet that will protect astronauts in the planned Orion crew capsule from the shock of landing. Requirements call for Orion to be able to parachute-land anywhere on Earth after returning from space, although the nominal spot would be in the Pacific off Catalina Island, Calif. To test the pallet and its “energy-absorbing struts,” the 20,000-lb. test article is dropped 18 ft. onto a crushable honeycomb material designed to simulate different landing surfaces.
The National Security Agency’s director, Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, is expected to get a fourth star when he takes over a new sub-unified command—under Strategic Command—to deal with cybersecurity issues. Alexander, who will take over the so-called cybercommand at his Ft. Meade, Md., headquarters, told Capitol Hill lawmakers last month that creating a single, cybercommand would provide the Defense Dept.
Patricia (Kiko) Harvey (see photo) has been named vice president-corporate audit for Delta Air Lines . She was vice president-internal audit for the Starbucks Coffee Co.
USAF Maj. Gen. Charles B. Green has been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and to surgeon general of the Air Force from deputy surgeon general. Maj. Gen. James P. Hunt has been appointed deputy commanding general of Baghdad-based Multi-National Corps–Iraq. He has been director of the Air Force Quadrennial Defense Review at USAF Headquarters at the Pentagon. Maj. Gen. Duane A. Jones has been named director of resource integration/deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support at USAF Headquarters.
July 6—Royal Aeronautical Society Seminar: “Conquering the Atlantic: Alcock & Brown and the R34.” Also, July 9—“Human Factors in Design for Safety Systems.” And, July 14—Air Law Summer Reception. All in London. Call +44 (207) 670-4300 or see www.raes.org.uk
Months may transpire before Boeing is able to do what it failed to accomplish in the last week of June—fly the 787 for the first time—following the revelation that the new airplane’s composite wing induced delamination and deformation on body join points during a routine preflight stress test.
Patrick Dieker has been appointed Wichita, Kan.-based sales director for Russia for the Hawker Beechcraft Corp. Other recent appointments are: Pasha Selah as Singapore-based sales director for Japan and Southeast Asia; Matthew Liu as Beijing-based sales director for China and North Asia; Chris Hancock as Johannesburg-based sales director for Sub-Sahara Africa; and Garett Jerde as director of piston sales in Europe.
The Rolls-Royce BR725 engine to power the Gulfstream G650 business jet has received its type certificate from the European Aviation Safety Agency. First flight of the G650 is planned this year. The 16,100-lb.-thrust engine features a 50-in. fan and 24 titanium blades.
Russian fighter manufacturer Sukhoi plans a decade-long production overlap of its latest Flanker model with its fifth-generation fighter program for the Russian air force, apparently further undermining MiG’s ambitions for a next-generation fighter. Sukhoi management now says production of the Su-35 (Su-27 SM2) will run in parallel with that of the fifth-generation project, known as PAK FA, for around 10 years. This may well see the Su-35 remain in production until the middle of the 2020s, with the type becoming the long-term complement to the PAK FA.
Citing an urgent need for communications capability in theater, USAF has awarded Northrop Grumman a $276-million contract for the rapid fielding of Battlefield Airborne Communications Nodes (BACN). Systems will be installed in three Bombardier Global Express business jets and two Block 20 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft for deployment through 2015. BACN automatically relays communications and bridges between different voice and data links. A prototype is operating in Afghanistan on a leased Global Express, which the Air Force plans to buy in Fiscal 2010.
Russian arms agency Rosoboronexport has signed a deal covering the next phase of MBDA France’s efforts to flight-test a dual-mode ramjet under its LEA research program. The chief aim is to fly four vehicles using a Russian test range in 2013-15. Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corp. is providing the program a booster derived from the Kh-22 (AS-4) missile. The LEA air vehicle would be launched from a Tu-22M3 and propelled to ramjet transition speed using the booster. French research agency Onera and manufacturing company Gattefin are also participating in the program.
Engineers are debating whether the capability of China’s Beidou (Compass) satellite navigation system will force changes in Europe’s Galileo satellites, which are expected to be contracted by year-end (see p. 38). Some industry sources say the high power levels of the Beidou spacecraft will require a design change; others argue that compatibility can be reached by tweaking the ground segment or through other means. A compatibility agreement similar to one for Galileo and GPS is expected soon.
