Chicago O’Hare International Airport will be using the $4.50 passenger facility charge to fund design work for the second phase of the O’Hare Modernization Program. The FAA extended the charge for 22 months to pay the $177-million bill for design of the second airfield phase of the modernization, including two runways and a runway extension, a taxiway and a new air traffic control tower. Another $5 million will be spent for planning and feasibility studies for the western terminal area.
On May 23, 2008, a crippled fishing trawler radioed from the Bering Sea, “Mayday! Mayday! This is the Alaska Ranger. We are flooding, taking on water.” The distress call was received at 2:53 a.m. by the U.S. Coast Guard, which launched two helicopter rescue teams: an HH-60 Jayhawk, located 230 naut. mi. northeast of the trawler, and an HH-65C Dolphin, positioned 100 naut. mi. from the USCG Cutter Munro. Ensuing over the next several hours was the largest—and one of the most dramatic—cold-water rescues in U.S. Coast Guard history.
Sikorsky has demonstrated the Sandblaster anti-brownout system in flight tests on the JUH-60 Rascal helicopter testbed at the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. Developed for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Sandblaster integrates automated flight controls, see-through radar, sensor fusion and synthetic vision to increase safety and reduce workload when landing in brownout conditions.
Northrop Grumman is developing a wireless databus that could eliminate many of the wiring harnesses in a spacecraft, reducing both weight and the time required for integration and test. The company has won a 21-month, $4.1-million Phase 1 contract to develop a wireless databus interface based on commercial technology for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Plug-and-Play Avionics (SPA) architecture.
A piece of space debris passed about 4.5 km. (7.3 mi.) from the International Space Station Mar. 12, forcing the crew into the Soyuz capsule as a precaution. Expedition 18 commander Mike Fincke and flight engineers Yuri Lonchakov and Sandra Magnus spent about 10 min. in the Soyuz, which serves as the station lifeboat. Had there been a collision requiring the station to be abandoned, Lonchakov would have piloted the Russian vehicle to an emergency reentry and landing. Before entering the capsule, the crew closed hatches to compartmentalize the modules in the U.S.
BAE Systems is to boost its presence in the tactical unmanned aircraft market by acquiring Tucson, Ariz.-based Advanced Ceramics Research (ARC), a privately held manufacturer of small UAVs. ARC produces the catapult-launched Silver Fox, with 8-10-hr. endurance and 5-8-lb. payload; and is developing the runway-operated Manta—with 6-8-hr. endurance and 15-18-lb. payload—and the Coyote, which is designed for deployment from the sonobuoy tubes of maritime-patrol aircraft and helicopters.
Fourteen years after the first electronic airline tickets were issued to the traveling public, a far-reaching effort led by the International Air Transport Assn. saw the airline industry last year transition to nearly 100% electronic ticketing. In 2004, IATA—seeing an opportunity to save airlines around $3 billion annually—set a goal of achieving 100% electronic ticketing. Processing a paper ticket costs about $10; an electronic ticket, around $1.
Even during a budget crunch, some Defense Dept. programs can expect to see continued strong funding—especially if they provide support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Keith Sanders, deputy director of air warfare for the Pentagon’s acquisition office, says one area that could enjoy that status is intelligence sensors. Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) support has been given a virtual blank check and there’s no sign of that ending, Sanders tells the Precision Strike Assn. Annual Review in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
All of the Laureate nominees to whom Aviation Week paid tribute have distinguished themselves in industry, the military—or both. And that leads into another category of high importance—tomorrow’s leaders. The top cadets from the U.S. service academies represent academic excellence, mental and physical preparedness, and a dedication to service. These, the best and the brightest, will pursue careers in civil or military aviation and aerospace following their graduations this May.
The Italian government has accepted a €14.5-million offer from Alis to acquire Alitalia’s former cargo operations, including three MD-11F freighters and the services of 15 pilots. The aircraft are to be based at Milan Malpensa Airport. The first aircraft is to arrive at the end of March, the second in May and the third this summer. Alis intends to hire another 30 pilots to fly its MD-11Fs.
James Coyne, president of the National Air Transportation Assn., who reportedly faulted “politicians, populists and demagogues” for criticizing business aviation (AW&ST Mar. 2, p. 20), apparently does not get it. Coyne was quoted as saying: “It’s almost like someone asserting we’re the worst type of people, like child molesters. It’s bizarre.” Business aviation, like most of the world economy, is in the scariest downturn since the 1930s, brought on in large part by the very executives who ride in corporate jets.
The military arm of EADS and Airbus has, in the last few days, traversed another bout of heavy turbulence, this time involving an unprecedented governance situation. In an effort to further streamline the group’s structure, EADS Chief Executive Louis Gallois and Airbus President Tom Enders decided to appoint a new head for Airbus Military Div. in yet another attempt to solve the ill-fated A400M military lifter program’s myriad difficulties.
Engineers are calling for a resumption of contract talks at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in Wichita, Kan., after members rejected, for the second time, the company’s three-year contract offer last week. While returning to the bargaining table is the most obvious move, negotiators are considering “other approaches,” says an official of the Society of Engineering Employees in Aerospace (Speea). He did not provide specifics. Some 340 of the 676 engineers in Wichita are dues-paying Speea members.
Russian helicopter manufacture grew by 60% in 2008 compared to the previous year. Russian Helicopters—the umbrella company for manufacturers and design bureaus—released production figures for 2008 of 169 airframes, compared to 102 for 2007. The majority were the Mil Mi-8/Mi-17 family of military medium-utility helicopters. About 20 Mi-24/35M Hind and M-28H Havoc attack helicopters were produced. The figures included an upgrade of 24 Mi-2 light helicopters, and 11 Kamov Ka-27/32 co-axial rotor helicopters. This year, the plan is to manufacture 231 helicopters.
Mar. 23-26The Aerospace Corp.’s 13th Ground System Architectures Workshop: “Focusing on the User.” Marriott South Bay Hotel, Torrance, Calif. Call +1 (310) 336-6805 or see www.aero.org/conferences/gsaw/index.html Mar. 24-26U.S. Transportation Dept. Human Factors Coordinating Committee’s 2009 International Conference: “Fatigue Management in Transportation Operations.” Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel. See www.fatiguemanagement09.org
Eurocopter has sold six EC725 medium-lift helicopters to Mexico and is negotiating to build an industrial facility. Sale of the EC725s—for transport and civil security applications—was announced during a state visit last week by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Mexico already operates EC225s, Super Pumas and Panthers, and a Mexican subsidiary supports more than 350 Eurocopter helicopters in Latin America. According to Mexican sources, construction of the plant could cost up to €550 million ($688 million) and would be tied to an additional buy of six Panthers.
Southwest Airlines drew the top political leadership of the Twin Cities and Minnesota to attend ceremonies marking its inaugural service Mar. 9 from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The airline is operating eight flights daily to Chicago Midway Airport, where passengers can connect to 57 destinations. Southwest is offering fares as low as $49, but many are in the $92-164 range. For its part, Northwest/Delta is not sitting still at NWA’s home base in nearby Eagan.
A shake-up in management structure and a near-term focus on medium and small/mini-unmanned aerial vehicles are emerging as key recommendations of a British root-and-branch review of its UAV needs. The Defense Ministry’s Unmanned Aerial Systems Capability Investigation is proposing that such needs be brought within a single directorate, rather than being managed across several, as at present.
A Sikorsky S-92 operated by Canada’s Cougar Helicopters and en route to two offshore platforms ditched in the North Atlantic about 31 mi. east of St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Mar. 12. Of the 16 oil workers and two crew on board, one was rescued by another helicopter, one is confirmed dead, and 16 were missing as of Mar. 12. Canada’s Transportation Safety Board says the crew reported mechnical difficulties.
Ongoing delays getting the space shuttle Discovery off the launch pad are starting to squeeze plans for getting the International Space Station (ISS) completed before the shuttle fleet is retired. Near term, the station program may have to delay doubling the crew from three to six by at least a month. Longer term, continuing trouble getting the aging orbiters into space could trim the number of flights available to finish assembly and pre-position heavy spare parts on the station. A last-minute scrub Mar. 11 delayed launch of Discovery on STS-119 until Mar.
The British Defense Ministry is to renew its service contract with Thales for the Hermes 450 UAV, for supporting combat operations at least until early 2011 when the Watchkeeper UAV begins to enter service.
The Greek government has named the Marfin Investment Group as the preferred bidder for Olympic Airlines, with the European Commission quickly providing its approval. The investment fund, Greece’s largest, would buy the flight operations and maintenance activities, although last week talks were still being finalized on how the ground operations would function. Athens stands to net around €177 million ($226.6 million).
Demand for commercial aircraft is sagging, financing is hard to come by, the stock market is in turmoil, and ominous signals from the Obama administration are creating worries that U.S. defense spending could be targeted for cuts. But as aerospace and defense companies brace for leaner times, there’s a glimmer of hopeful news. The industry is much healthier than it was in 2001, when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks triggered the last downturn in commercial aerospace.
Controllers for NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter expect to return to science observations this week following a somewhat risky Mar. 11 reboot of the spacecraft’s main computer. The restart was devised by engineers to remove flaws from the computer’s memory that had accumulated after years of being bombarded with space radiation. Odyssey had not been rebooted in more than five years. As a fringe benefit, the reboot also restored the orbiter’s backup, or “B-side” systems.
