Louis M. Maresca (see photo) has been named president/chief operating officer of New York-based Argosy International Inc. He was vice president-operations for the GLS Corp.
One of Singapore Airlines’ 17 Boeing 747-400s takes off from Los Angeles International Airport. Long-haul giant SIA is first—again—among major carriers in Aviation Week & Space Technology’s annual Top-Performing Companies airline rankings (see p. 52). The TPC study offers insight into which carriers are best situated to prosper in the current challenging environment—and which ones may struggle. A complex set of metrics is used to analyze publicly traded airline companies in the mainline/legacy, low-cost/regional and freight categories.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has tapped Northrop Grumman to develop and demo an ultra-high capacity hybrid thermal ground plane to overcome heat-related challenges in semiconductors employed in electronic systems. The $1.7-million, 18-month contract covers the first of a three-phase Darpa program.
It seems the world of aviation is a horrible place to work. The engineers who build aircraft lament that they are unappreciated in their jobs, because they didn’t get window offices, says reader Stan Kaplan (AW&ST July 21, p. 10). The pilots who fly these aircraft have window seats but complain as people tell them how they should do their jobs, according to Capt. Bob Waltz (AW&ST July 28, p. 12).
Aug. 17-19—New Mexico Museum of Space History’s Seminar & Workshop. “Passing the Torch: DC-X 15th Anniversary Reunion.” Alamagordo. See www.dcxproject.com
Latecoere is reporting a 17% growth in revenue for the first half reaching €297.2 million ($460.7 million). However, the board of directors will meet next month to review guidance for 2008, as well as the “Challenge 20101” cost-reduction plan. Latecoere has been suffering from the steep decline of the dollar against the euro.
Darpa is poised to accept bids for its radical Vulcan program, which aims to demonstrate a new type of engine that could power a hypersonic vehicle to Mach 4-plus.
A problem with solar array circuitry could reduce the lifetime of some of SES’s Lockheed Martin satellites while putting more pressure on space insurance rates, according to the Luxembourg-based satellite operator.
The Air Line Pilots Assn. alleges breach of contract in a suit filed against DHL Holdings USA last week in Clinton County, Ohio, Common Pleas Court. The association says DHL violated its contract with AStar Air Cargo pilots earlier this year. ALPA claims the AStar pilots traded benefits in the ALPA contract for job security, which is now in jeopardy. DHL, which owns 49% of AStar, has said it is negotiating with rival UPS to carry packages and freight, essentially eliminating services from AStar and another cargo carrier, ABX Air.
Qantas has named the head of its budget offshoot, Alan Joyce, as successor to Geoff Dixon. Joyce, who has worked for Qantas since 2000 and was previously an executive with Aer Lingus and failed Qantas rival Ansett Australia, will take over in November.
Vern Raburn’s ouster as CEO of Eclipse Aviation is being greeted with smug satisfaction in some corners of business and general aviation. It’s hard not to make enemies when you’re challenging the status quo, and the very light jet (VLJ) pioneer certainly did that in his singular pursuit of building an “everyman jet.” But intractable supply chain problems have prevented the Albuquerque, N.M.-based startup from producing anywhere near the 600 jets a year it needs to break even.
FedEx Corp. subsidiary FedEx Express inaugurated a route between Memphis International Airport and the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on July 31 using a Boeing 757 freighter for the first time. The 757s will be phased into the FedEx fleet over time as less fuel-efficient Boeing 727s are retired.
A decision by the newly elected government of Silvio Berlusconi to force Giovanni Bignami to step down as head of national space agency ASI threatens to bring new strife to the troubled organization just as the European Space Agency is preparing for a critical ministerial meeting in November.
U.S. Army Cols. Warren E. Phipps, Jr., and Kurt S. Story have been nominated for promotion to brigadier generals. Phipps is deputy commander/assistant commandant of the U.S. Army Aviation Center, Ft. Rucker, Ala. Story is deputy commander for operations of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/U.S. Army Forces Strategic Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
The Pentagon has released $1-billion worth of funding for the production of six F-35B Joint Strike Fighter aircraft from Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Marine Corps following the completion of a propulsion system review July 22. The funding was on hold pending an analysis of the redesigned F135 engine optimized for the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing mission and first flight of the F-35B after flaws were found in testing.
As a Republican I was dismayed by the comments made by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in a Viewpoint (AW&ST June 30, p. 66). To characterize NASA as “boring” and stressing its failures does a great disservice to the numerous accomplishments the agency has achieved in its 50 years.
Selex Sistemi Integrati has won a $105-million contract to provide an airport management system for Qatar’s Doha airport. The deal requires the Italian company to deliver, within 21 months from contract signature, a turnkey air traffic and ground traffic control and management system. Selex also must provide and integrate ATC radars, the control center featuring 36 operator consoles for radar data processing and flight plans management, as well as meteorological systems and an automated and computerized system to control ground movements.
In a world where the slightest waiver in oil prices can send airline shares plummeting, market reaction has been surprisingly muted to an investigation by U.S. authorities into airfreight price fixing that appears to include a large number of international carriers.
High fuel prices have forced Vietnam’s first privately owned airline, Vietjet Air, to delay its first service from late this year to April 2009. The company has also deferred a lease of two Boeing 737-700s from General Electric.
Stung by repeated procurement missteps, the U.S. Air Force plans to revamp how it spends billions of dollars buying new weapons. USAF’s procurement chief says a better marriage between the requirements writers and acquisition staffs is needed to help the service get its process of buying advanced weaponry—including new bombers and UAVs—back on track after recent high-profile problems.
Boeing has started assembling the static test P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for the U.S. Navy, and is conducting electromagnetic interference tests on the first aircraft T1, prior to inducting it into a test rig for two months of loads calibration work. The static airframe, S1, faces a bleak future. Following structural tests, during which it will be subjected to ultimate load, or 150% of design limit load, the airframe will be sent to the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Div.
The European Space Agency has agreed in principle to set up an engineering facility in the U.K. The nature of the facility has not been determined, but it will be specialized in robotic exploration, climate change, telecommunications or other applications activities. The move is one of several under study to integrate Britain and other nations more closely into Europe’s space program, and give the program more high-level political, strategic and economic weight.
European Union emission allowance (EUA) prices under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme fell sharply in July, continuing to track crude oil, which lost more than $20 per barrel during the month.
