Airbus engineers have some work ahead of them as they upgrade the A350XWB design in the coming months. The aircraft design at this point is still above its target maximum zero fuel weight of 417,780 lb.
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA’s Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) believe they have detected about half of the stray protons, neutrons and other subatomic particles known as baryons that were formed during and shortly after the Big Bang but didn’t coalesce into galaxies. Not to be confused with so-called “Dark Matter,” which can only be surmised by its gravitational effects, baryons are previously unobserved “normal matter” that forms the intergalactic medium.
A temporary slowdown in production of space shuttle external tanks is likely to have a domino effect on the first flight test under NASA’s Ares I crew launch vehicle development program. The agency had hoped that a longer-than-expected learning curve in building tanks with safety mods developed after the Columbia accident wouldn’t delay the Ares I-X’s Apr. 15, 2009, flight test, even though it will tie up the mobile launcher that will be used for the test (AW&ST May 5, p. 27).
The 777 Freighter will begin flight testing within weeks, and already Boeing is drawing provisional plans for a freighter version of the 787. The sixth member of the 777 family, the freighter has a takeoff gross weight of 766,000 lb. and a range of 4,885 naut. mi. that allows it to slip in just below the payload capacity of the 747 series, Boeing’s best-known freighter family.
Sikorsky has begun “blades-on” ground testing of the X2 Technology coaxial-rotor high-speed helicopter demonstrator at its Schweizer Aircraft rapid-prototyping center in Horseheads, N.Y. First flight is expected within two months. Sikorsky is aiming for a cruise speed of 250 kt. with the company-funded demonstrator, which features a fly-by-wire system that controls the speed of the rigid rotors throughout the flight envelope and integrates rotor, propulsor and engine control. The X2 will fly initially with the tail-mounted propeller disengaged, says Sikorsky.
The Civil Air Navigation Service Organization has opened an Asia-Pacific office at Singapore’s Aviation Academy to assist air navigation service providers with air traffic management issues.
Important supplier and production decisions loom this year for Gulfstream, Cessna and Embraer as they begin turning newly launched business jet concepts into real hardware. Gulfstream is considering accelerating production ramp-up for the G650 ultralong-range jet to meet higher than expanded demand. The company is building a 300,000-sq.-ft. assembly hall to manufacture the G650 under a seven-year, $400-million corporate expansion plan. The building, nearly finished, will accommodate two assembly lines.
Israel has submitted a request for 25 Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, with an option for 50 more. If approved by the U.S. government, Israel would become the first foreign military sales customer for the JSF. Deliveries would begin in 2014.
Romania is getting closer to selecting a new fighter to replace its Israeli-upgraded MiG-21 Lancers. The U.S. Defense Dept. has notified Congress of a possible sale to Bucharest of 48 new and used Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds, valuing the deal at $4.5 billion. The F-16 is competing against the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen, with a decision expected this year. Romania wants its new fighter to enter service in 2010.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly is assuming two additional titles. On May 21, Kelly was elected chairman of the board of directors. And on July 15, when Colleen Barrett’s contract expires, he will become president.
The U.K. took a measured step closer to formally contracting for two 65,000-ton-class next-generation aircraft carriers (CVF) last week, with the government announcing that the funding had been secured as part of Planning Round 08 (PR08).
An ultra-hard titanium nitride coating on the leading edges is among approaches Sikorsky will investigate under a U.S. Army program to develop more durable helicopter rotor blades able to withstand sand and rain erosion. The goal is a blade life of 1,000 hr. in erosive environments, compared with the 200-300 hr. being achieved in Iraq.
Rick Bedard (see photo) has been promoted to director of training operations from director of the Operations Support Group for New York-based FlightSafety International . He succeeds Robert Stephenson, who is retiring. Daniel Greenhill (see photo) has been promoted to manager of the FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, Fla., from director of training at the company’s Lakeland (Fla.) Learning Center. He succeeds Stanley Jhagroo, who will be returning to his post as quality management systems specialist.
Jet Aviation has selected Airbus-led OnAir to provide mobile phone connectivity for business jets. Jet Aviation will be able to install the service on Boeing, Bombardier, Gulfstream and Embraer high-end jets, and the Cessna Citation X and Excel.
Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee has granted final certification approval for the Embraer 145 regional jet family. The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer forecasts Russia/CIS will require 510 30-120-seat jet aircraft in the next two decades; 77% are earmarked to replace the aging fleet of Eastern-built aircraft, which has average age of 23 years. The remaining 23% are to support aviation growth. The manufacturer says the market has an “urgent need” to replace smaller-capacity aircraft. The Embraer 145 family comprises the 37-seat 135, 44-seat 140 and 50-seat 145.
Kevin Perris (see photos) has been named supplemental type certification program director for the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A unit of Standard Aero , Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has been director of engineering services. Michael Moore has been named senior vice president of Standard’s Associated Air Center in Dallas. He was vice president-production, planning and supply chain.
The Rolls-Royce Trent 970, used on the Airbus A380, is one of a new generation of powerplants designed from the outset with “environmental” performance as a criterion. The engine manufacturer is a member of the U.K.’s Sustainable Aviation initiative—an effort intended to begin to address the tarnished image of the sector when it comes to dealing with “green” issues. Stories beginning on p. 60 examine the progress of the project and the sizable challenges that lie ahead. Aviation-images.com photo.
Danny Bernstein is the chairman of the U.K.’s Sustainable Aviation Council, an initiative launched in 2005 to help the British sector put its environmental house in order and to develop and deliver a collective strategy for securing the future health of commercial aerospace in the U.K. Bernstein, formerly a managing director of Monarch Airlines and currently its non-executive chairman, spoke recently with Aviation Week & Space Technology London Bureau Chief Douglas Barrie about the development of Sustainable Aviation and what it’s achieved so far.
Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airline System are scrapping their joint shuttle ticketing between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in response to liberalization of the route.
I have worked in Defense Dept. procurement for more than 25 years. On most projects, the military has limited or incomplete product requirements. The military doesn’t know how much each product will cost and wants it tomorrow. After the purchase contract is placed, if the military doesn’t like what it bought, it changes the requirements. Congress makes a symbolic grumble about the increased cost and then writes a blank check because it means additional jobs (and votes) at prevailing wages.
Boeing is gaining confidence daily that the worst of its final assembly problems are behind it for the 787, but concerns about its power systems and electric brake monitoring controls are potential obstacles to “power-on” and first flight.
The first warning signs are emerging that the business aviation sales “bubble” may be about to burst, but large swaths of the market remain unfazed, raising questions about whether a bubble even exists. Amid an economic slowdown in the U.S. and high fuel prices worldwide, industry officials have been scanning for indications that the business aviation market will be impacted. “We do see signs of softening in Western Europe and North America. There has been a small increase in the used aircraft inventory,” says Dassault Aviation CEO Charles Edelstenne.
