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).
Erwin W. Bieber (see photo) has become president of Reston, Va.-based BAE Systems Network Systems business. He was vice president-engineering for BAE Systems’ Electronics and Integrated Solutions.
Kristin M. Hilf (see photo) has been promoted to vice president-corporate public affairs from vice president-community relations for the Raytheon Co. , Waltham, Mass.
Prof. Richard Christopher Olsen Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey, Calif.)
In the article “Reopening China” (AW&ST Sept. 8, p. 30), it is noted that the “image formation” meter will have a “spectrum resolution of 5 naut. mi.” This looks like a unit error—n.m. is the abbreviation for nautical miles and nanometers, which would make more sense in this case. An imaging spectrometer typically has a spectral resolution of 5-10 nanometers.
Former astronaut Jeff Ashby (see photo) has been named vice president-business development of Minneapolis-based Alliant Techsystems Launch Systems Div. He was senior NASA liaison to Air Force Space Command and chief of the Astronaut Office’s Space Station Branch.
FAA has qualified the first Level D full flight simulator built by FlightSafety International (FSI) with the new Vital X visual system featuring liquid crystal on silicon high-definition projectors. The system has been installed in a simulator configured for the Embraer ERJ 145 regional jet at FSI’s training facility in St. Louis. Vital X offers a global synthetic natural environment world database using geo-specific satellite imagery and supports hundreds of moving models and advanced graphics processors.
We knew on Sept. 12, 2001, that we have to do a better job of screening passengers and cargo on airplanes. Time has passed and we have accomplished little. A 66-year-old fat, bald man receives a thorough inspection but a container of whatever from Saudi Arabia passes right through and is put on board commercial airplanes. Most of the delay is thanks to Congress but some of it is due to the airlines and others resisting solutions. You ask, “Who’s Responsible?” Clearly, everyone is, but it is the government that must put up the plan, money and monitoring (AW&ST Sept.
Christopher R. Crum has been named a business developer and strategist for ServiceElements , Scottsdale, Ariz. He was president/CEO of the Royal Jet Group, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and had been president/chief operating officer of Stevens Aviation.
The initial version of the new ARJ21 regional jet from the Chinese company AVIC I Commercial Aircraft Company Ltd. will be the 78-90 seat ARJ21-700. Introduction of a 98-105-seat version is planned. The ARJ21 will be powered by two GE CF34-10A turbofans. The first ARJ21-700 was rolled out in December 2007; initial deliveries are planned for 2009. A total of 161 ARJ21s are forecast for production through 2017. The ARJ21 faces competition from Bombardier, Embraer, Airbus and Boeing.
No sooner had Boeing’s machinists struck Sept. 6 than some suppliers in the Seattle area began issuing layoff notices. Now, large suppliers elsewhere are beginning to report furloughs and shortened work weeks. Fuselage supplier Spirit AeroSystems went to a three-day week immediately. Vought Aviation, which makes 787 aft fuselages, reduced the size of its contract labor force but has held firm on its own workforce. Rockwell Collins has slowed production and sought voluntary furloughs in which workers receive health benefits but take vacations without pay.
International Lease Finance Corp.’s (IFLC) future ownership is in question following last week’s $85-billion bailout and acquisition of its parent, American International Group (AIG), by the U.S. government. AIG is widely expected to spin off assets such as ILFC, which has about $55 billion in aircraft and equipment assets.
Montenegro Airlines has purchased an Embraer 195 in a deal worth $39.5 million that could increase to $118.5 million if purchase rights for two additional airplanes are exercised. The twin-engine jet’s cabin will be configured to accommodate 116 passengers in single-class seating. Delivery is scheduled for 2009. Andrija Lompar, transport minster for Montenegro, says the country plans to establish itself as a “quality link” to destinations in Europe and will operate the new jet in key markets such as London.
There’s a new game in town among European low-fare airlines: Find a partner to strengthen the business. Although that’s not the sole response to current financial problems, an increasing number of low-fare carriers— particularly those in the second tier—appear resigned to the fact that they can’t make it alone.
USAF Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley has been nominated for promotion to general with assignment as chief of the National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va. He has been Air National Guard director. Maj. Gen. Randal D. Fullhart has been appointed director of global reach programs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition at the Pentagon. He has been vice commander of the Air Force Cyber Command (Provisional), Barksdale AFB, La. Brig. Gen. Gregory L.
John M. Doyle (Washington), Graham Warwick (Washington)
As relations with Islamabad grow increasingly tense, the Pentagon is scrambling to mollify its unhappy partner in the war on terror, while reassuring skeptical U.S. lawmakers that Pakistan’s assistance is still worth additional funding. To signal U.S. commitment to the newly elected Pakistani government, the Bush administration wants Congress to approve its plans to reprogram nearly $250 million in military assistance from the foreign military financing program to pay for upgrades to Pakistan’s aging fleet of 46 F-16A/Bs.
Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., President, Aircraft Systems Group General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (San Diego, Calif.)
I was surprised to read the negative atomic-bomb article (AW&ST Sept. 1, p. 24). The article was atypical of the balance that Aviation Week normally represents.
Rockwell Collins Inc. is one of the soundest and most profitable companies in the aerospace industry, but it hasn’t avoided the impact of the credit market meltdown that claimed investment banks Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Merrill Lynch & Co. last week and forced the U.S. government to rescue American International Group. CFO Patrick Allen says Rockwell Collins is paying higher interest rates on the commercial paper it issues to fund short-term debt and can only secure credit overnight instead of the typical 15-30 days.
The South Florida outpost in the FAA’s nationwide Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system is “alive” and should enter service in November. Now ITT is preparing to expand the infrastructure along the East Coast.
Christian Kennedy has been appointed international sales manager for Canada for Dassault Falcon . He was a sales and marketing executive for XOJET and Guardian Jet.
Sebastien Caire has been named vice president-Asia and Australasia and Suzanne Roy vice president-India for Montreal-based CAE . Caire was general manager for the company’s Madrid training center, while Roy was vice president-program management.
Japan’s self-defense force conducted its first test of the Lockheed Martin PAC-3 hit-to-kill ballistic missile interceptor last week. During the test, a PAC-3 intercepted and destroyed a theater ballistic missile target at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., the company says.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 737NGs will fly 32 required-time-of-arrival (RTA) approaches at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, starting on Sept. 22. Navigation consultancy Avtec is assisting SAS on the project, which is part of Eurocontrol’s Cassis (Controlled Time of Arrival/ATC Integration Studies) program. The RTAs used in these trials will include both time of touchdown on the runway and, in other cases, time of arrival at 5,000-ft. altitude.
The Sukhoi Superjet 100, formerly known as the Russian Regional Jet, is a family of twin-engine regional transports powered by PowerJet SaM146 turbofan engines rated at 13,500-17,500 lb. thrust each. Currently, two models are being developed: a 95-98-seater (which will be the lead version) and a 75-78-passenger version. Development of a 110-130-passenger variant is being considered. The Superjet 100 made its first flight in May 2008. Production of 162 SuperJet 100s is forecast for 2008-17.
Jon Pohl has been named an associate principal and senior aviation project manager in the Chicago office of Perkins+Will Aviation . He was vice president/senior project manager at HOK.
