USAF Lt. Gen. William M. Fraser, 3rd, has been nominated for promotion to general with assignment as commander of United States Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill. He has been assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lt. Gen. Donald J. Hoffman has been nominated for promotion to general with assignment as commander of Air Force Materiel Command, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio. He has been military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Fraser will be succeeded by Maj. Gen. Paul J.
High fuel prices and public clamor to reduce aviation’s environmental footprint may provide the catalyst for Europe to finally implement its Single European Sky initiative after years of much talk but little progress.
Boeing is poised to start tests of the 777 Freighter using a redesigned, centralized flight test approach in preparation for an unprecedented surge of new and derivative models including the 787, 747-8 and 767-200 Special Freighter.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to beef up military space capabilities as part of France’s first major change in defense strategy since the end of the Cold War. Annual space spending would more than double, to nearly €800 million ($1.2 billion) per year, with the bulk of the upgrades conducted in cooperation with European partners to bring them online by 2015.
Engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center are in the early stages of developing a robotic Lunar Surface Manipulation System (LSMS) that could be deployed to the Moon after 2020. John Dorsey, senior research engineer at Langley’s Structural Mechanics and Concepts Branch, says the multipurpose device would be used to unload cargo from lunar landers, lift and position loads, and help prepare base sites, roads and landing pads, as well as assembling large structures for human habitation.
Work by AgustaWestland and Turkish Aerospace Industries to build 51 AW129T attack helicopters for the Turkish army is underway. The first of the helicopters should be ready in 60 months. Options could add another 41 units to the deal. The two industrial partners hope the upgrade of the basic AW129 Mangusta will find appeal beyond Turkey, owing to its modern avionics and other subsystem improvements being introduced. AgustaWestland puts the value of the deal at €1 billion ($1.57 billion), not covering contractor logistics support that is still in negotiation.
Regional manufacturer ATR is speeding efforts on a next-generation family of 70-98-seat aircraft, and won’t pursue a further stretch of the ATR 72. Propulsion options being considered include propfan and geared turbofan, as well as a conventional turbofan. CEO Stephane Mayer says the only way to meet emerging requirements for improved performance, coupled with reduced operating costs and emissions, is with a new design.
Sen. Barack Obama’s positions on aviation, aerospace and defense and space issues are starting to emerge—slowly. But insiders say Obama’s stance on a range of topics—from export controls to the Next Generation air traffic management system—remains a question mark.
Regarding Robert Crandall’s remarks, I guess some old dogs never learn new tricks. Crandall and American Airlines have never been able to compete in the open marketplace with Southwest Airlines. During the 1970s and ’80s, American and its management had to rely on the federal government to try and hobble Southwest with the Wright Amendment, which is finally going away.
Alabama Aircraft Industries, formerly Pemco Aeroplex, is suing the U.S. Air Force over its loss of a $1.1-billion contract for KC-135 maintenance to Boeing. The Government Accountability Office reviewed the source selection and dismissed the company’s protest claims.
Airline transportation is an integral part of the American way of life. The infrastructure of a safe, efficient system stimulates diverse parts of our economy, and is clearly in the national interest. Reorganization through bankruptcy removes the disincentive for predatory pricing to preserve market share. In this regard, the incompetence of airline executives has been exceeded only by the ignorance of investors. With due regard to Robert Crandall and his legacy, I propose a less complicated remedy.
I was 14 years old when Sputnik was launched. I remember how incredible it was to imagine a man-made object actually orbiting Earth as if it had always been there. Like many young Americans, I began reading Missiles and Rockets magazine (later combined with Aviation Week) and devouring everything I could find about space. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy electrified the country when he proposed putting an American on the Moon before the end of the decade. Six years and 10 months later, we had done it. It was a time of boundless optimism and great excitement.
After waffling support—and an extensive study of alternatives—from the Pentagon this year, the Transformational Satellite (TSAT) program now appears to be moving forward. USAF is expected to ask for revised proposals by the end of July and announce a contract award in September. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are locked in a duel for this effort, which will replace the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) constellation providing secure communications for the U.S. and, eventually, Australia.
Aerion is assessing whether the ability to fly at Mach 1.2 over land without creating a sonic boom on the ground could increase the appeal of its supersonic business jet (SSBJ) to potential customers and manufacturing partners. The capability to fly supersonically over populated areas is considered key to opening up the market for high-speed aircraft. But the goal of unrestricted supersonic flight is still years away as certification standards for an “acceptable” level of sonic boom do not exist.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is seeking information from industry in the run-up to the competition for the next Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition (RSA) follow-on program, known as Rapid III. NASA expects to release a draft request for proposals (RFP) for Rapid III in October, with a final RFP in January and contracts awarded next June. Under the RSA process, vendors submit spacecraft bus designs that can be modified to carry various NASA instrument payloads. Once a spacecraft is placed in the RSA “catalog,” it’s eligible for procurement.
The all too predictable spat over Heathrow’s third runway took a further twist last week with British Airways boss Willie Walsh and BAA chief Colin Matthews taking issue with Conservative leader David Cameron’s suggestion that the economic case for a third runway was “flawed.”
Robert Crandall wants to change or regulate everything about the airline industry except the obscene pay and bonuses of the clowns running the circus. Funny how some things never change with these self-imagined “leaders.”
Spirit AeroSystems’ engineering and technical workers have rejected a decertification effort launched against the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (Speea), voting by a 55% margin to keep the union that has represented them since 2000. The June 24 election at Spirit’s Wichita, Kan., home base was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board and ended with 1,968 employees voting in Speea’s favor, 895 against.
Northwest is suspending service on the Minneapolis/St. Paul-Paris route it launched with so much fanfare Apr. 8 and is canceling two other international routes, citing high fuel costs and decreased demand. The last flights for its Detroit-Dusseldorf and Hartford-Amsterdam services will be Oct. 2. Northwest says Minneapolis/St. Paul-Paris service will resume Mar. 28.
Marc Overton (see photos) has been named vice president-business aviation sales and Steve Pack senior vice president-OEM manufacturing for Tulsa, Okla.-based Nordam . Overton was director of marketing and sales, while Pack was general manager of the Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Systems Div. John Coates has been appointed vice president/general manager of the Repair Div. He was general manager of Chromalloy Southwest.
In the presidential debate over the future of the U.S. space program, it may all come down to Florida. The state that brought you hanging chads and Democratic half-delegates could also wind up shaping what Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain say about how the U.S. will spend its space exploration dollars after George W. Bush leaves the White House.
The second new U.S. highly elliptical orbit (HEO) early missile warning sensor has completed early checkout over the Northern Hemisphere, the U.S. Air Force says. The Space Based Infrared System (Sbirs) payload collected this image of an undisclosed launch sometime after its deployment in late February, when the Air Force boosted the payload from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite that serves as its host.
Midwest Airlines will park 12 MD-80s by autumn, citing high operational costs and fuel consumption. Nine of the jets are in daily operation, two are for charter work and one is a spare. Management is assessing the impact on scheduled operations and has held discussions with employees regarding a restructuring program. Midwest also operates 25 Boeing 717s.
Bob Benjamin of the Western Airparts Corp. has been appointed treasurer of the Washington-based National Assn. of Aircraft and Communication Suppliers . Other officers are Vice Presidents Brian Cole (United Aeronautical Corp.) and Steve Wilk (Dixie Air Parts Supply); Membership Chairman Ed Wilk (Dixie Air Parts Supply); and Executive Director John Fausti.
Italy’s Air One will focus on U.S. and Far East destinations in its plan to add 16 international points by 2012. The carrier has established a code-sharing relationship with United Airlines and has asked the Transportation Dept. to approve a similar agreement with US Airways. Air One recently placed an order for 12 Airbus A330-200s and 12 A350-800WBs with options for another 20 long-range transports. Last year the airline posted a net profit of $10.6 million and recorded a 20.8% increase in traffic to 7.5 million passengers.
