The Phoenix Mars north polar lander is to complete the baking of its first surface soil sample at up to 1,800F this week in an initial search for organic clues to Martian life. This first sample is to be processed following its planned delivery by robotic arm to the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) instrument June 6 on the 12th day (Sol 12) of the mission.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s new international registered traveler program will offer reciprocal benefits to travelers enrolled in Privium, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport’s program. CBP’s Global Entry program begins a six-month trial at New York JFK, Houston Intercontinental and Washington Dulles airports this week. Under the deal, registered travelers flying between Schiphol and the three U.S. airports can use kiosks for passport and border control functions under the International Expedited Traveler Program.
Rolls-Royce and GKN Aerospace are forming a joint venture covering the design, development and manufacture of lightweight, low-cost fan blades for next-generation commercial aircraft engines. The work will build on engine programs such as the European Union-funded Vital and the U.K.’s Environmentally Friendly Engine (EFE) and associated composite lightweight blade research. Initial funding for the joint venture is around $22 million, with Rolls-Royce holding 51% and GKN the remainder.
Exasperated by exorbitant fuel prices, most U.S. airlines are expected to scale down capacity by fall and seek capital markets’ support to prepare for expected hardships this year and next.
Boeing has successfully fired a solid-state laser at 25 kw. for several seconds by linking multiple “thin-disk” lasers into a single system. The firings, conducted at Boeing’s West Hills, Calif., site, are considered a significant step toward meeting the goal of developing a non-chemical, solid-state laser capable of 100 kw. for use in weapons systems such as the advanced tactical laser (see p. 58).
In the latest and biggest effort to organize flight crew, JetBlue Airways pilots will hold an information event June 19 at a hotel near New York JFK International Airport. The JetBlue Pilots Assn. Organizing Committee, in a letter to flight crewmembers, says JetBlue is in the same position Southwest Airlines was in 30 years ago, and the direction Southwest chose “had historical implications for them, their company and the entire industry.” The committee is collecting interest cards from JetBlue pilots, which is the first step of the process in forming a union.
MBDA CEO Antoine Bouvier says partners in the transatlantic Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads) are reviewing technical difficulties in the system’s development and preparing to address them so the program, funded by the U.S., Germany and Italy, remains within the announced schedule and budget envelopes. Bouvier says Meads requirements are “challenging” but declines to detail difficulties.
The FAA is proposing an airworthiness directive requiring inspections of the tail rotor vertical stabilizer aft spar assembly of Sikorsky S-76A/B/C helicopters. The checks are aimed at detecting an unbalanced or out-of-track tail rotor, which could lead to increased vibrations, a fatigue crack, loss of a portion of the vertical stabilizer and subsequent loss of control of the aircraft. The move is prompted by 26 reports of fatigue cracks in the assembly web and outer caps, according to the FAA, which is seeking comments by Aug. 4.
Scaled Composites has named Douglas Shane as its new president, taking over responsibility for day-to-day operations from founder Burt Rutan, who becomes chief technology officer and chairman emeritus. Shane was vice president for business development, director of flight operations and a test pilot for Scaled, which he joined in 1982 as a founding member. Rutan is recovering from heart problems, and will focus on developing Scaled’s team to ensure its continued creativity.
John Schneider has been named director of finance for Aero Precision Industries , Livermore, Calif. He was senior financial executive for Barbosa Cabinets. Dave Salzer has been named head of the Supply Chain Dept., Steve Gober manager of Honeywell-related operations, Leslie Bjornnes head of Taiwan and Pacific Rim customer segments, and Pavel Slavin and Nate Ellis as Middle East sales managers.
More work needs to be done to improve the internal and external reservations systems that will allow airlines to add revenues by unbundling fares, and to truly meet a 100% International Air Transport Assn. e-ticketing deadline that has come and gone. Airlines worldwide bade farewell to paper tickets on June 1, forcing customers to rely more heavily on automation. And in a completely separate initiative, more airlines have decided in recent weeks to start charging for a second checked bag—or in some cases the first bag.
Lockheed Martin/VT Group joint venture Ascent has signed a 25-year contract to provide military flying training for the U.K. under a public-private partnership expected to be worth almost $12 billion over its life. The initial contract, worth £635 million ($1.24 billion), covers Ascent’s role as training system provider for the U.K. Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) program.
The three-ton W2M satellite jointly built for Eutelsat by EADS Astrium and Antrix, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), is about to enter its final test before leaving ISRO for an end-of-year Ariane launch. Ghislain de la Sayette, regional export director for EADS Astrium, says the second order is due for liftoff in mid-2009. It is Hylass, a Ka-/Ku-band satellite for the U.K.’s Avanti that will provide broadband Internet and high-definition television coverage across Europe.
The first test firing of the Aster 30 missile for the U.K.’s Type 45 destroyer-based missile defense system achieved a successful target intercept. The test of the so-called Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS(S)) took place at the French missile test range near the Ile du Levant. The Aster 30 intercepted a Mirach target flying at an altitude of 10 km. (6.25 mi.). Intercept occurred at a range of 35 km. Another PAAMS(S) test shot is planned this year, with the final one due next year.
A fast-response committee created by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to catalog the Pentagon’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities—as a prelude to advocating new ISR technologies—is riveting the attention of those involved with unmanned aircraft and sensors, areas expected to reap the primary operational and financial benefits.
The global airline industry expects further bankruptcies and fundamental structural changes as the sector scrambles to find business models for the new high-operating-cost environment. Industry leaders gave a bleak outlook for the coming months at last week’s International Air Transport Assn.’s annual general assembly in Istanbul. The association counts 24 airlines that have gone bankrupt this year, and industry officials gathered here warn the worst is yet to come.
Air One is kicking into high-gear its long-haul plans in a bid to overtake struggling Alitalia and eventually become Italy’s top airline. With its ambition to take over Alitalia stifled, for now, Air One is ratcheting up the competitive pressure. Its latest move is a firm order for Airbus twinjet widebodies.
Harris Corp. said it will remain independent, ending weeks of speculation that the Florida-based defense communications and information technology company would be acquired.
Airborne directed-energy projects will move toward key full-scale tests during the next few weeks with the passing of milestones in the Advanced Tactical Laser and Airborne Laser development programs.
June 9-11—MIRCE-Mechanics International Symposium “Impact of Natural World on Machine Failures.” Woodbury Park, Exeter, England. Call +44 (139) 523-3856, fax +44 (139) 523-3899 or see www.mirceakademy.com June 14-17—International Air Transport Assn.’s 122nd Schedules Conference. Westin Copley Place, Boston. Call +1 (514) 874-0202 or see www.iata.org June 16-20—Eurosatory 2008 Defense Exhibition. Paris Nord Villepinte. Call +33 (14) 414-5810, fax +33 (14) 230-7088 or see www.eurosatory.com
The French armed forces have cleared the SIDM interim medium-altitude long-endurance UAV to enter the inventory. The SIDM, which has an autonomy of 20 hr. and can carry optical infrared and radar sensors, had been expected to be ready in 2006 but was delayed by problems, including issues related to the Israel Aerospace Industries flying vehicle. France has an urgent requirement to deploy the system, notably in the Afghan theater.
The International Air Transport Assn. is likely to suspend several members at the end of the year as the group tightens safety demands. The association already expelled some members at the start of the year when those airlines failed to undergo an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) review. To maintain IATA membership, airlines are also required to pass the audit and be included on the IOSA registry by Dec. 31. The association says 25 airlines may fail to meet that deadline.
Turkish Airlines aims to double in size over the next five years and seeks to establish Istanbul as a major gateway between Europe and Asia. The airline’s ambitious plans are based on geographic location—it is in the middle of a vast population pool within a 5-hr. flying distance—and a 70-million-strong home market where it faces no strong competitor on domestic routes. The government-backed private airline is also enjoying the benefits of lower labor rates in Turkey and significant expansion opportunities at the country’s main airports.
The skilled labor shortage in aerospace is a problem that can be solved (AW&ST May 19, p. 50). All it takes is money and a commitment to your own citizenry. Pay local people well enough to have pride and prestige to get and keep “good jobs” and you will have your skilled workforce. You also need enough people with multiple skill sets to fill in during vacations or adjust to changing conditions, not the minimum. Make it worth their while because that is not happening.
Charlotte M. Lazar-Morrison (see photos) has been promoted to general manager from principal director of the Human Resources Div. and S. Scott Gustafson to associate general manager from principal director of the Space Based Infrared Surveillance GEO-1 Program for The Aerospace Corp. Bruce A. Bartos has been promoted to principal engineer and Jimmy W. Kane and Andrew H. Quintero to principal directors. Lazar-Morrison, Gustafson, Bartos and Quintero work at the company’s headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., while Kane is at the Chantilly, Va., office.
