Universal Avionics says most aircraft operators upgrading their cockpits with the company’s integrated flat-panel system are opting to include its new Vision-1 synthetic vision system. Vision-1 maintains the standard foreground symbols, along with flight director cues, and replaces the background with terrain graphics so the pilot can visualize the terrain while monitoring flight instruments. Vision-1 is certified under Part 25, which means it can be installed in aircraft such as the Pilatus PC-12 turboprop, business jets and even Boeing 737s.
USAF will establish a temporary mission qualification training detachment for the RC-12 Guardrail aircraft at Key Field in Meridian, Miss. The move—called Project Liberty, in cooperation with the Mississippi Air National Guard—is supposed to help provide more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability for Iraq and Afghanistan operations, a perceived sore point with Pentagon leadership earlier this year. Nearly $100 million has been obligated to bring up to seven RC-12 aircraft to the base beginning in January, USAF said Sept. 16.
China is studying the feasibility of merging ailing state carrier China Eastern Airlines with its smaller hometown rival Shanghai Airlines. Cao Jianxdong, manager of China Eastern, says the airline would be recapitalized before the merger, and officials also are considering whether to reopen negotiations with Singapore Airlines.
Goodrich, in another detection-related sector, has been tapped by Airbus to supply air data and ice detection systems for its A350XWB aircraft. Combined, the awards are anticipated to generate more than $600 million in original equipment and aftermarket revenue in a 20-year period. Work will be performed by Goodrich’s Sensors and Integrated Systems team in Burnsville, Minn.
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) aborted plans to test the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system last week due to a malfunction with the target missile. The malfunction was detected shortly before launch, and the target did not reach the open ocean area approved for an intercept attempt, according to MDA. This was to be the first attempt to launch a salvo of two Thaads against a single target; the interceptors were not launched.
JetBlue Airways is putting the finishing touches on its new home at New York’s JFK International Airport, the $875-million Terminal 5. The facility, scheduled to open Oct. 1, was constructed behind the TWA Terminal, designed by architect Eero Saarinen, which is now a landmark. The low-cost carrier worked with the airport operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, along with preservationists, to ensure that its new building did not conflict with the Saarinen-designed terminal.
This twin-engine turboprop aircraft family was known as the Dash 8 series. The Q100 was the original model and made its first flight in June 1983; first deliveries followed in October 1984. The Q100 carried 37-39 passengers and was equipped with 2,150-shp. Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120/121 engines. Current models in the series include the 37-39 passenger Q200 (with 2,150-shp. PW123C/Ds), the 50-56 seat Q300 (with 2,500-shp. PW123Bs) and the 68-78 seat Q400 (with 6,000-shp. PW150As).
The 777 is a twin-engine, wide-body commercial transport. First flight occurred in June 1994, followed by FAA/JAA certification in April 1995 (Pratt & Whitney-powered version). Deliveries began in June 1995. The 777-200, seating 305-440 passengers, is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4077, Rolls-Royce Trent 877 or GE GE90-77B turbofans rated 76,000-77,000 lb. thrust each. The 777-200ER extended-range version seats 301-440 passengers, and is powered by two PW4090, Trent 895 or GE90-94B turbofans rated 90,000-93,700 lb. thrust each.
Thomas W. Cason has been appointed executive vice president/chief operations officer for the Aerosonic Corp. , Clearwater, Fla. Charles L. Pope, who has resigned, was executive vice president/chief financial officer. Jeffery Hummel, who is the controller, will be acting interim CFO. Cason was vice president/COO at DeMorgan Communities and operations director at Honeywell Aerospace, Sarasota, Fla.
In December 2002, the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry issued the final report on its nearly 18 months of studies, hearings and deliberations. In an “additional views” addendum, the president of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), R. Thomas Buffenbarger, issued “dissenting views” on what has developed since then into the industry’s dominant labor issue.
Could two of Europe’s most heavily subsidized national airline groups finally meet their end? Alitalia late last week was on the verge of liquidation after pilot and cabin crew unions failed to support a labor package proposed by a group of investors.
Lockheed Martin’s F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing Joint Strike Fighter has opened all of its lift-system doors in flight for the first time—including the rearward-opening lift-fan inlet door—to check handling qualities. The shaft-driven lift fan was not engaged. Aircraft BF-1 completed the milestone test on Sept. 16, wrapping up its flying until a redesigned Pratt & Whitney F135 engine is installed. BF-1 is scheduled to begin full-power hover pit tests in January before returning to flight to begin Stovl testing with the lift system engaged.
Capt. Randy DeAngelis (see photo) has been named vice president-flight operations for Pentastar Aviation , Waterford, Mich. He was a senior pilot for United Airlines.
Gen. Norton Schwartz, the new Air Force chief of staff, publicly acknowledged the “unfortunate deterioration” of trust between his service and contractors during an address last week at the Air Force Assn.’s annual exposition. Schwartz says the Air Force must seek more accountability from its officers and clean up its procurement process. On the flip side, he criticizes contractors and retired Air Force general officers, who took public positions in ads and opinion pieces during the contentious tanker competition.
The FAA, again under congressional scrutiny, is shouldering responsibility for missteps made in the certification of the Eclipse 500 very light jet and aims to modify regulatory processes to better accommodate advanced technology aircraft entering the market. The FAA’s Nicholas Sabatini, associate administrator-aviation safety, and John J. Hickey, director-aircraft certification service, made these commitments before the House Aviation subcommittee at a Sept. 17 hearing on regulatory lapses in agency oversight of the aircraft’s certification.
Darryl L. Mayhorn has been appointed president of the Milwaukee-based Rexnord Industries Aerospace Group . He was president of the Danaher Corp.’s Aerospace Group.
The new 787 Dreamliner series is a family of twin-engine, wide-body airliners. Three versions are envisioned. The 787-8 will carry 210-250 passengers and have a range of 7,650-8,200 naut. mi. The 787-3, a version of the 787-8 optimized for shorter flights, will carry 290-330 passengers and have a range of 2,500-3,050 naut. mi. The 787-9, a longer version of the 787-8, will carry 250-290 passengers and have a range of 8,000-8,500 naut. mi. A fourth possible version, the 787-10, would be a stretched version of the 787-9.
Due diligence proceedings to help find a buyer for troubled aircraft diesel engine maker Thielert are due to start this week. Several companies have expressed interest in helping to revive the company that filed for insolvency this year. The insolvency administrator hopes to wrap discussions up this fall. Meanwhile, business for the company has taken a turn for the positive—Diamond Aircraft has returned to Thielert powerplants after a contentious split between the two following the insolvency filing.
North Korea is testing a rocket engine for missiles with a range of almost 7,000 km. (4,300 mi.), 1,000 km. more than the estimated range of the Taepodong missile. The engine has been tested at a new center in the north of the country, says South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, quoting sources in Seoul.
Images from high-resolution military spacecraft, combined with powerful change-detection software at ground processing facilities, are enabling U.S. forces to identify and track Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan and its border area. The imagery is being passed to Army Special Forces and Navy Seals as they move from village to village trying to sort genuine civilians from the enemy. More revolutionary capability is under final development at the new ATK Space Div.
Boeing expects to complete autoland tests this week as the 777F program transitions from engineering to certification testing despite the machinists strike. Stability and control flight testing, including maneuver load alleviation and performance landings, have been completed. Ground smoke tests are underway, and smoke test flights begin next week. Boeing admits the strike is causing a slowdown of test work, and it is unclear as to whether certification tests can be completed as planned in October.
Airbus and Boeing are testing the limits of customers’ patience with regard to their respective flagship programs—the A380 and 787. Delays have continued to mount during the past 12 months, and more schedule slippage may lie ahead. In addition, Russia’s Sukhoi had to readjust its delivery plans for the Superjet 100 and now doesn’t see it in service for at least another year.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Coast Guard are pressing forward with plans to develop a joint program office for coordinating the use of maritime unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
