An Italian court last week meted out prison sentences for seven employees of Tuninter, a subsidiary of Tunisair, in connection with the August 2005 crash of an ATR 72 off Sicily, in which 16 of 39 people on board died. The aircraft was en route from Bari, Italy, to Djerba, Tunisia, when fuel starvation led the crew to ditch the aircraft into the sea. The technical investigation determined that maintenance personnel had replaced fuel gauges and indicators on the ATR 72 accident aircraft with those from an ATR 42.
The NTSB, devoid of flight recorder data or survivor accounts, faces challenges in determining the probable cause of the Mar. 22 crash of a Pilatus PC-12/45 into a cemetery at Butte, Mont., that killed all 14 people on board. While it would be rare for the NTSB not to determine the probable cause of an accident, “nothing is leading us to specific working theories,” acting Chairman Mark Rosenker said last week at an accident briefing.
Amy Butler (Washington), Graham Warwick (Washington)
Innovative national security applications for small satellites will likely grow from small technology companies, rather than from the traditional manufacturers of military space systems—Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Michael A. Taverna (Paris), Douglas Barrie (London)
A proactive approach to technology development, combined with restrictive U.S. technology export and data-sharing policies, is giving European contractors a big edge in the international imaging satellite business. Since Alenia (now Thales Alenia Space) was awarded a contract for the bus and radar antenna structure on Radarsat-2 at the beginning of the decade, European manufacturers have dominated international remote-sensing satellite sales, winning key awards in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Algeria and Nigeria.
In April, Wyoming-based Regional Jet Express plans to launch intra-Caribbean operations with 32-seat Fairchild Dornier 328JETS powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306B turbofan engines. Daily services, with fares ranging from $100-700, are to include flights to Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and St. Croix and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Jonathan Penn’s letter (AW&ST Mar. 2, p. 8) is dangerously inaccurate. In regard to the F-22’s loss-exchange ratio of 30:1, it is apparent that he makes no distinction between statistical and real-world combat. In the former, the U.S. Air Force picks a third-world air force, chooses the time and place of combat, and the pilots go home for missile replenishment after shooting up their adversary.
Eyeing emerging requirements for high-speed missiles, Alliant Techsystems (ATK) is pushing to flight-test its new ramjet engine in a derivative of the U.S. Air Force’s Boeing X-51A hypersonic demonstrator.
The lack of hard information about the Pentagon’s Fiscal 2010 budget is causing all sorts of anxiety—and confusion. Tom Laux, deputy assistant Navy secretary for air programs, provided an update on major Navy/Marine Corps aviation programs at Aviation Week’s recent Defense Technology and Requirements conference. Despite much speculation among the many senior industry and military officials in attendance, Laux refrained from commenting on how Defense Dept.
The Iraqi air force will buy 24 Eurocopter EC635s under an agreement signed during a visit by Iraqi officials to Paris Mar. 23. Additionally, the Iraqi military is assessing how to provide maritime surveillance and maritime helicopter lift support. One option would have the air force take on the roles and act in support of the navy. Meanwhile, the air force by year-end should receive the first of 22 Mi-17 helicopters being bought through U.S. foreign military sales channels to augment Mi-17s purchased previously.
Indonesia has declined a Qatari offer of 10 secondhand Dassault Mirage 2000s because it could not afford to maintain the fighters. Qatar has offered its Mirage 2000s to India.
As a shareholder in a number of Fortune 500 companies I know that if they post $1 billion in revenue, then hire a management team that doubles that figure without losing profit margin, that means my income from those shares increases. I don’t have a problem with those CEOs making $10 million a year—they’ve earned it through their ability to expand business and profits.
Since it was created by then-President George W. Bush in 2007, Africa Command has been met with suspicion in Africa and concern in Washington, where lawmakers have questioned the need for, and role of, the Defense Dept.’s newest regional command. Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, since it couldn’t find a welcoming government in Africa, Africom has been working overtime to win the hearts and minds of skeptics. But congressional auditors say more needs to be done.
Upgrades to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II are being considered to improve the fighter’s ability to absorb heat from its powerful electronics and systems.
In January 2007, China destroyed an aging satellite with a direct-ascent kinetic vehicle. Two years after the Chinese event, two large communications satellites collided, creating massive debris clouds that will threaten our space assets for years to come. America stood by, helpless to prevent these incidents or the resulting loss of capability.
Industry sources confirm that Dassault Aviation is at odds with Rolls-Royce’s development plan for the RB.282 engine earmarked to power Dassault’s future Super Mid-Size (SMS) business jet. Dassault said recently that SMS performance does not meet requirements and that technical decisions are being reviewed, including the RB.282—the only supply item selected to date. However, sources say the dispute also involves the design timetable.
Workplace desires of Generation Y (those born in 1978-95) are often cited as frivolous, consisting of such perquisites as free lattes. Less promoted is the strong interest GenYs display in giving back to society. Boeing executives gained a clearer idea of this when they noticed an uptick in matching grants in 2008 for Engineers Without Borders. Founded with 18 members eight years ago, the organization comprises U.S.
Boeing will complete assembly of the first X-51A WaveRider static test vehicle over the next two weeks, paving the way for hypersonic flight tests designed to show that the supersonic combustion ramjet is ready for practical application in missiles and space launch vehicles.
Bombardier has made some design updates to its CSeries narrow-body airliner, including adding 2 in. to its length (to 114 ft. 6 in. for the CS100 and 124 ft. 12 in. for the CS300), increasing payload by 1,000 lb. and opting for an automatic over-wing exit door. Empty weight for the aircraft will grow 500 lb. As part of its design tweaks, including to high-lift devices on the wing, takeoff field length has been reduced 200 ft. Meanwhile, Bombardier has added subcontractors to the program.
Apr. 6-8—Seventh Annual Air Cargo, Express & Freighter Aircraft Workshop. Grand Hyatt Hotel, Seattle. Call +1 (206) 587-6537 or see www.cargofacts.com/workshop Apr. 7-9—Aerial Refueling Systems Advisory Group International Annual Conference and Defense Dept. Joint Standardization Board for Aerial Refueling Systems Meeting. Bally’s Las Vegas. Call +1 (937) 431-8106, fax +1 (937) 431-8103 or see www.arsaginc.com
U.S. airline shares could be the strongest group of stocks on Wall Street. So said Michael Derchin, senior research analyst for transportation at FTN Equity Capital Markets Corp., during a debate on the future of the airline industry at the Wings Club in New York last week. However, Derchin’s point was countered by the latest International Air Transport Assn. forecast, which says the industry will lose $4.7 billion worldwide this year (see p. 41).
Since Captain Sullenberger and crew did an absolutely magnificent job on Jan. 15 landing in the Hudson River following an engine-out, there have been numerous letters dealing with bird control near airports. I was a US Airways pilot that departed Philadelphia International Airport on Runway 27R a few years ago. We ingested two Canada geese in the left engine of our Airbus A320. We shut it down and made an uneventful landing back at PHL. But location could spell trouble.
A slowdown in air transport is expected to cause MTU Aero Engines to suffer a drop in net income and earnings margins this year, although the company still hopes to deliver roughly the same level of revenue as in 2008. The German engine maker’s 2008 financial performance surpassed expectations, with revenue reaching €2.7 billion ($3.6 billion), which topped an upward-revised forecast of €2.65 billion, and an earnings market of 12.1%. Net income for the year was €179.7 million. For this year, however, net income is expected to come in at €140 million.
The government is telling Vietnam Airlines not to cut services, despite the recession, as the carrier sets out to become the second largest in Southeast Asia. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung says the airline should maintain flights and not reduce staffing—even though it expects a decline in revenue this year.
Northrop Grumman has exceeded 100 kw. in laboratory tests of an electric laser, completing the final milestone in the U.S. Army-led Joint High-Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) technology demonstration program. The output from seven slab-laser amplifier chains was combined to produce a single beam of 105.5 kw. The laser demonstrator reached full power in less than 0.6 sec. and ran for more than 5 min. with an electrical-to-optical efficiency of 19.3% and a beam quality of 3.0. Competing JHPSSL contractor Textron Systems has yet to reach the 100-kw. target.
The world accident rate significantly declined in 1990-2008—to four accidents per 10 million departures in 2008 from 19 in 1990, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) preliminary 2008 safety statistics. The number of fatal accidents in the period also decreased to 11 in 2008 from 29 in 1990. ICAO statistics are based on airlines of its 190 member states, and involve scheduled service with aircraft having a maximum takeoff weight of more than 2,250 kg. and carrying seven or more passengers.
