Engineers working on the first spacecraft in NASA’s next generation of human spaceflight vehicles are just wrapping up their preliminary designs, but agency and industry planners already are considering how to operate them. NASA’s Constellation program wants to hold down life-cycle costs on its next-generation launchers, crew exploration vehicles and other advanced human spacecraft under development so it will have enough money to continue pushing human exploration out of low Earth orbit to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
The U.S. Transportation Dept.’s proposal for flight caps and slot auctions at the three major New York area airports—and the secondary market that might result—constitutes a double-edged sword for airlines. Yes, airlines could make money by selling slot pairs, but they would only be allowed to sell a slot once.
It is the time for Boeing to strike again. Technology has been the key factor for Boeing’s successes with the 707, 747, 777 and 787. Being a technology leader is the only way for the Seattle-based aircraft manufacturer to counter Airbus’s subsidies. Boeing badly hurts its European competitor with the very efficient and comfortable 777, and took back a big chunk of the market from the A330 with the yet-to-fly all-composite and all-electric 787.
Two U.S. Homeland Security Dept. agencies’ officials are meeting in Miami next month to determine the department’s unmanned aerial system needs as it moves to expand their use to encompass maritime surveillance.
Hamilton Sundstrand, developer of the 787’s electrical power systems, has delivered the software that will allow Boeing to put power on the aircraft—a critical step toward a first flight in the fourth quarter. The final “power-on” build for the power systems software was delivered on May 28, says Geoff Hunt, Sundstrand’s vice president for the 787 program. The first build of the “safety of flight” software needed for flight testing was delivered on the same day, Hamilton Sundstrand says.
Emirates Airlines is successfully harvesting a U.S. pilot population facing grim hiring prospects in the last several months, according to Lou Smith, president of FLTops.com, a career service for professional pilots. In April, the rapidly expanding Dubai-based carrier first conducted recruitment information sessions in the U.S. The airline visited major hubs on the East Coast, including Atlanta. In May, Emirates returned for a second recruitment tour that included Houston and Chicago. Now, Emirates is said to be planning a third round later this month.
Douglas Barrie (London), Michael A. Taverna (Paris), Amy Butler (Washington)
A congressional move to shut down the use of Chinese launch services by overseas satellite manufacturers threatens to heighten latent tensions between the U.S. and Europe.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has awarded Smiths Detection follow-on contracts worth $25.2 million to deploy Smiths’ Advanced Threat Identification X-Ray systems at additional U.S. airports. TSA, which plans to deploy the system across the U.S., awarded initial contracts of $21 million in October 2007 and has completed checkpoint installations at Albuquerque, N.M., and Denver.
Rob Cowan has been appointed managing director of Dublin-based Aviareto . He was head of operations and succeeds Niall Greene, who remains on the board of directors.
Samuel Moultrie (see photo) has become vice president-common services in the Information Services Div. of United Airlines . He was vice president/chief technology officer for Electronic Data Systems.
French-based Zodiac has agreed to acquire Driessen Aerospace, a Dutch company specializing in galleys, trolleys and other cabin equipment, subject to regulatory approval. Driessen, which also makes cargo containers, employs 2,500 people in the Netherlands, Czech Republic, U.K., U.S. and Thailand, and generated €136 million ($210 million) in sales last year. The purchase will allow Zodiac to diversify its portfolio of cabin equipment and reinforce its presence in dollar-zone countries and those with lower operating costs.
The defense market for unmanned systems—aerial, ground and maritime—has grown to an estimated $2.9 billion in revenues for 2007, says an analysis by Frost & Sullivan, but that is expected to become flat by 2016 at $3.5 billion. Despite the U.S. Defense Dept.’s high deployment of remotely-operated systems during the past five years, “growth of unmanned systems in the mid to long term is expected to be slow,” says analyst Lindsay Voss.
Delta Air Lines is offering the first transatlantic service out of Salt Lake City. Travelers bound for Paris-Charles de Gaulle may now book a daily, nonstop flight on a Boeing 767-300ER. Delta, which along with SkyTeam partner Air France launched the route June 2, says it is the only nonstop operated by a U.S. carrier from the western U.S. to Paris. Delta expects the new route to offer “significant” cargo lift. Paris exports include cosmetics and wine; Salt Lake City’s exports include IT equipment.
B-2 aircrews and maintenance teams had learned about the sensitivity of the stealth bomber’s air pressure sensors to moisture during a Guam deployment in 2006. They also discovered that turning on 500F pitot heat would quickly evaporate the water and the flight computer would receive normal readings. But the information was not formally “captured” in maintenance or lessons-learned publications, says Maj. Gen. Floyd Carpenter, president of the accident investigation board and vice commander of 8th Air Force.
Winners in the Middle Career Category (ages 36-50) are: Michael P. Gordon of Boeing, for leadership of the orbiter leading-edge structural subsystem technical community; Derek J. Hassmann of NASA Johnson Space Center, for leadership and technical expertise in the preparation and execution of International Space Station assembly mission operations; Mark E. Mulqueen of Boeing, for technical development of the ISS external truss elements and successful and sustained operation of the station; Dale B.
The Cessna Citation XLS+, following almost 600 hr. of flight testing, earned type certification from the FAA on June 3. This newest Citation Excel model has a 1,858-naut.-mi. range and at maximum takeoff weight, can depart from runways as short as 3,560 ft.
Reorganization of Thales Aerospace is aimed at boosting growth, reinforcing its position as a Tier 1 supplier and helping to broaden and deepen its product portfolio. The June 1 revamping will support efforts to make Thales a leading integrator of cockpit and cabin systems across commercial, business and military aviation on a par with archrivals Honeywell and Rockwell Collins. The reorganization splits the Aerospace Div. into three segments—aircraft, government and services/support.
USAFR Brig. Gen. (ret.) Robert O. Tarter has been appointed vice president-safety services for the FAA ’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO). He was mobilization assistant to the commander of the First Air Force of Air Combat Command, at Tyndall AFB, Fla., and has been a pilot for Delta Air Lines.
Michael A. Taverna (Berlin and Nuremberg, Germany)
Diehl and Thales hope to leverage the acquisition of an Airbus cabin equipment site into a leadership position in growing area of integrated cabin systems. The two companies are now negotiating to purchase the plant in Laupheim, Germany, which makes cabin linings, crew rest compartments, overhead baggage bins and air ducts for Airbus aircraft. Germany’s Kaefer and France’s Zodiac were also reportedly bidding for the plant, which employs 1,100. The deal would include guaranteed work packages for Airbus’s new A350XWB wide-body jet.
San Diego International Airport has signed an agreement with California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr., to cut greenhouse gas emissions as part of the addition of 10 gates. Planned measures include a 20% reduction in ground movement emissions by 2015 and replacing ground vehicles with electric or alternative-fuel versions.
New leadership will take the helm of Brussels Airlines June 11, following CEO Philippe Vander Putten’s resignation last week over “divergences of view” on the restructuring of top management, according to the carrier. The airline’s board has appointed two managing directors to succeed Vander Putten: Chief Financial Officer Michel Meyfroidt and Bernard Gustin, senior partner of consulting firm Arthur D. Little. Meyfroidt will supervise operations, finance and human resources; and Gustin will oversee strategic, commercial, network, communication and IT matters.
And, winners in the Late Career Category (over 50) are: Stephen M. Francois of NASA Kennedy Space Center, for more than 30 years of technical leadership of NASA’s unmanned launch services; David B. Harris of NASA Johnson Space Center, for leadership in propulsion systems testing and facilities management; Paul Kharmats of Tech Trans International, for program knowledge and skill as an international communicator, and dedication to promoting cooperation between the U.S. and its ISS partners; Charles R.
Now that the Pentagon has certified the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (Jassm) to move forward, the Air Force is progressing smartly on the program. Service officials are exploring the possibility of a $20-million reprogramming to restart the extended-range (ER) version of the stealthy cruise missile. Jassm-ER was put on hold after the program ran significantly over budget last year when the missile repeatedly veered more than 100 ft. off course during flight tests.
