Buoyed by its agreement covering part of Airbus’s U.K. assets, GKN intends to reshuffle workload at the site and rapidly broaden its business base. The acquisition of Airbus’s wing component and assemblies unit—described as “compelling” by Kevin Smith, GKN chief executive—is also politically significant. Government funding is being provided to support the deal and to position the U.K. for core elements of Airbus’s next-generation narrow-body passenger aircraft, which will replace the A320 family.
The U.S. and Europe are taking the lead in transforming their air traffic systems, but it’s not yet clear whether the two versions will match up enough and create a template that the rest of the world can follow.
Pratt & Whitney Global Services and Singapore Airlines Cargo have signed a 10-year, $500-million fleet management program pact that covers 13 Boeing 747-400Fs powered by Pratt’s PW4000-94 engines and six spares.
Mitre Corp.’s Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development will be using an All Weather Inc. MetObserver Automated Weather Observing System to create a weather profile for Chapelco Airport in Patagonia, Argentina, as part of a program to develop instrument approach procedures. The system will provide up-to-the-minute weather data to pilots via ground-to-air radio communications and to air traffic control personnel via interactive displays in control towers.
Bombardier is taking back responsibility for development of the all-composite airframe for its Learjet 85 from insolvent Grob Aerospace, to protect the timeline for its new midsize business jet. The Canadian company says it terminated the agreement, signed in January, because of the uncertainty surrounding Grob. Bombardier had decided to build the composite airframes at its Mexico plant.
Mitsubishi formally launched the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) family in March 2008. Two basic models are planned: the 70-80-passenger MRJ70 and 86-96-passenger MRJ90. Extended-and long-range versions of each basic model are also envisioned. Service entry is targeted for 2013.
Spirit and Southwest are North American low-cost carriers that in many respects are flying in opposite directions—exemplifying the varied paths the continent’s LCCs are taking to succeed in a mature market, slumping economy and high-fuel-price environment. Southwest is running ads blasting other carriers for all of the fees they’re adding, going full-bore to promote itself as the airline that doesn’t charge for items such as the first or second checked bag or reservations made by phone.
BAE Systems has begun final assembly of the first British two-seat Typhoon from the Tranche 2 production batch. The aircraft is due to be delivered to the Royal Air Force in late 2009.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) is set to reopen this week after a 10-day shutdown in the wake of Hurricane Ike, with managers predicting there will be no storm-related impact to the Oct. 10 launch of the next space shuttle mission. The Mission Control Center in Houston shut down along with the rest of JSC as Ike approached on Sept. 11, and it remained off-line when Russia’s Progress M-65/P30 resupply spacecraft docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sept. 17, five days later than planned because of the storm.
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.
