Oct. 13-16—Fatigue Concepts’ Short Course: “Fatigue, Fracture Mechanics and Damage Tolerance.” Calgary (Alberta) Airport. See www.fatcon.com/calg Oct. 14—Shephard Group’s “Aerial Firefighting 2008.” Hotel Quinta da Marinha, Estoril, Portugal. Call +44 (175) 372-7015 or see www.shephard.co.uk/aerialfighting Oct. 20-22—Airports Council International-North America’s Public Safety and Security Fall Conference. Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City Hotel, Arlington, Va. Call +1 (202) 293-8500 or see www.aci-na.org/conferences
A last-minute about-face by Italy could scuttle Europe’s ambitions to take a lead role in Mars and Moon exploration, just as planners are beginning to define a coordinated international exploration road map.
In an article published Sept. 22, p. 36, Royal Air Force Air Commodore Garfield Porter’s title was incorrect. He is assistant director of transformation within NATO’s Joint Air Power Competence Center.
The pilots’ union at United Airlines has called on parent company UAL’s board of directors to reduce CEO Glenn Tilton’s pay, claiming his compensation package is valued at $10.3 million, the industry’s highest. A United official said the Air Line Pilots Assn.’s estimate of Tilton’s salary was overblown.
Latecoere is in negotiations with EADS about taking a minority, 10-15% stake in the company’s Aerolia aerostructures operation in Tunisia. Latecoere was in talks with EADS this year about taking over Airbus aerostructures facilities in France, before those faltered because of deteriorating economic conditions. Latecoere is now focused on improving its operating earnings margin by 2011, bringing it to 8% from 3.8%, and on reducing its debt level. At the same time, Latecoere and EADS are in talks on A380 costs.
You know things are bad when your industry is underperforming the overall stock market in these tumultuous times. Between Sept. 12—just before the meltdowns of investment banks Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch sent investors into panic mode—and Oct. 1, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 7% and the S&P 500 index 5%. But many stocks with exposure to commercial aerospace have fared much worse, including Allegheny Technologies Inc. (down 31%), B/E Aerospace Inc. (30%), Precision Castparts Corp. (26%), Spirit AeroSystems Holdings (24%), Goodrich Corp.
BAE Systems has taken a page from its military technology repertoire to create a system that allows multiple first responders—whether they’re converging on the scene of something as chaotic as a bombing or as straightforward as a house fire—to communicate with one another.
The U.S. Coast Guard has selected Thales to supply electrical power generation equipment for 15 Dassault HU-25 Guardian Falcon 200 jets to be upgraded for the Guard’s medium-range surveillance fleet, which is used for search and rescue, drug interdiction, migrant and fisheries monitoring and other enforcement activities. The selection follows the successful replacement of the equipment on a prototype aircraft. The contract is part of a push by Thales to reinforce its beachhead in the business aviation market (see p. 83).
EU emission allowance (EUA) prices saw extremely volatile conditions in September, as the market reacted to sharp movements on underlying energy commodity prices and continuing uncertainty over the state of the global economy. EUAs for delivery in December 2008 exchanged hands at just over €25 ($35) per metric ton at the start of the month on the over-the-counter (OTC) market, but fell sharply to €22.60 by the close of trade on Sept. 10 amid what some traders say was short-selling by the financials.
Alenia North America scored its first win as a prime contractor for the Pentagon last week when it signed a contract worth up to $287 million to refurbish 18 Italian G222s into a common configuration for use by the Afghan National Army Air Corps.
Nivisys Industries has received the first FAA TSO-C164 approval for their NVAG-6 Night Vision Aviator Goggles, the first company to apply for and receive this unique certification, according to the company. The letter of certification was issued by the FAA’s Los Angeles Certification Office in July.
After decades of status quo, European airlines are finally entering into a major consolidation phase. High fuel prices, economic uncertainties and gloomy financial forecasts are key factors underlying the industry’s sudden awakening.
Green Tweed’s Enercam’s unidirectional, hydro-mechanically activated, cam-type design is a demonstrated solution for both Skydrol V and military red oil systems that operate up to 5,000 psi. Low leakage rates guarantee hydraulic fluid will be available to operate the flight controls, according to the company. The Enercam provides wear and deformation resistance, allowing for lower maintenance requirements and longer mean time between actuator overhaul. The product can be installed in a closed groove, so it can easily be retrofitted.
Virgin Blue Airlines will shift to next year the launch of its long-haul V Australia operation because the machinists strike at Boeing means the required 777-300ERs will not arrive on time. The airline has now tentatively set Feb. 28 for the beginning of operations.
Airbus is stepping up its efforts to become a major player in the Chinese aerospace sector with the opening of its final assembly line for the A319 and A320 in Tianjin. Late last month, the Airbus executive committee held its first official meeting in China, signalling to China’s political and industry establishment how seriously Airbus takes its relationship with the emerging aerospace giant. CEO Thomas Enders says he also wanted his colleagues in Airbus’s top management who travel less frequently to see for themselves how China is evolving.
Top NASA managers will soon decide the fate of the Mars Science Laboratory, a nuclear-powered astrobiology rover that already has cost $1.5 billion and is likely to hit the 30% overrun ceiling that could trigger cancellation by Congress. Officials from the Mars exploration program and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory plan to brief Administrator Michael Griffin and Science Associate Administrator Ed Weiler this week.
As the machinists’ strike that has shut down airplane production at Boeing enters its second month, the company is making modest progress toward the first flight of the 787. Boeing has also announced its first new delivery date: Launch customer All Nippon Airways will receive the first airplane in August 2009. This confirms that production problems have cost 15 months in the schedule. Under the previous timeline, ANA was to get its first of 50 787s last May.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has added a doctoral studies program—the first of its kind to be geared toward the working professional—according to the university. Currently, those aspiring to a Ph.D. in aviation must default to an education/aviation degree, rather than a specifically tailored one. The doctorate is being offered online as a collaborative effort between Embry’s College of Aviation and its Worldwide Campus organization.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates may be fighting two wars and trying to transform his ingrained department, but he still finds time to deliver earth-shattering messages to future military leaders. His Sept. 29 speech at the National Defense University in Washington (see p. 92) reiterated his message that the status quo does not meet growing U.S. needs, particularly in asymmetric warfare. Gates says top officers and lawmakers are too devoted to massively complex weapons systems that promise total solutions only years from now.
The consortium looking to take over and remake Alitalia last week voted to make a formal offer for the airline. The Compagnia Aerea Italiana (CAI) would merge parts of Alitalia with Air One and put around €1 billion into the company. British Airways has signaled that it, too, is interested in a relationship with the new airline, offering Oneworld alliance membership but no equity stake. Air France-KLM and Lufthansa are both vying to become shareholders.
Searchers located the wreckage of aviation adventurer Steve Fossett’s Bellanca 8KCAB (N240R) at 10,000 ft. in the Sierra Nevada near Mammoth Lakes, Calif., on Oct. 2--some 13 months after he and his airplane vanished. The discovery was triggered by a hiker who found Fossett’s pilot’s license and Soaring Society of America ID the previous day. Fossett was last seen Sept. 3, 2007, after he took off from a private airstrip at Yerington, Nev., in good weather. The NTSB is investigating.
Regarding Denis P. Edkins’ letter “Hydrogen Use a Poor Choice” (AW&ST July 28, p. 12), it would be a waste of hydrogen to burn it when we could use fuel cells to generate electricity, which can spin unducted fan propulsors. This would bring hydrogen’s energy content close to that of jet fuel by volume, and far exceed it by weight.
Joseph W. Pallot has been named general counsel and Mark H. Hildebrandt to the board of directors of the Miami-based Heico Corp. Pallot was a member of the Miami law firm of Devine Goodman Pallot Rasco & Wells. He has resigned from the board of directors and succeeds Victor H. Mendelson, who was president of Heico’s Electronic Technologies Group and a corporate executive vice president. Hildebrandt succeeds Pallot on the board and is a partner in the Miami law firm of Waldman Hildebrandt Trigoboff Marx and Calnan.
