John F. Bergstrom, Jonathan Garfinkel, Richard P. Schifter, David N. Siegel and Elizabeth T. Solberg have all been named to the new board of directors of TPG Capital-owned Midwest Air Group Inc. Timothy E. Hoeksema, who is CEO of Midwest Airlines, will be chairman. Bergstrom is chairman/CEO of the Bergstrom Corp. and is a director of the Kimberly-Clark Corp., Wisconsin Energy Corp. and Green Bay Packers. Garfinkel is vice president and Schifter a partner of TPG Capital. Siegel is chairman/CEO of the Gate Gourmet Group, and Solberg operates Communications Partners.
Election pressures and annual budget-making musings are lining up to make 2008 a decisive year for long-term U.S. missile defense planning as policy debates inside Washington heat up. November election pushes are clashing with end-of-administration efforts to secure ground-based ballistic interceptors in Eastern Europe, as well as annual appropriations for various missile defense elements. Potential or alleged foreign missile developments also loom over Beltway discussions.
The latest FAA Aerospace Forecast proves once again how quickly fortunes can change in the U.S. airline industry. A year ago, the FAA’s prognosticators foresaw healthy growth in airline demand in Fiscal 2008. Now they believe domestic traffic growth will sputter almost to a standstill as weakening market conditions hit home.
FAA reauthorization legislation this year? Not a chance, says Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.). the senior Republican on the House Transportation Committee. Why? For starters, the House bill is “bad, bad, bad,” Mica tells airport executives. The Senate version of the bill includes $25-per-flight user fees for aircraft operators. That is supported by large airlines but opposed by the general aviation community. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), who chairs the Senate aviation subcommittee, blames GA and its supporters in the House for the impasse.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has extended the compliance date to Mar. 5, 2009, for pilots holding an airman certificate issued by the FAA to meet language proficiency requirements. ICAO’s Annex 1 requires a language endorsement on the airman certificate for all private pilots flying airplanes and helicopters, and commercial or airline transport pilots as well as flight engineers and navigators operating internationally as required crewmembers.
Robert J. Friedman (see photo) has become president of American Airlines ’ AAdvantage Marketing Programs and Mark E. DuPont (see photo) vice president-airport services planning. Friedman was managing director for reservations and succeeds Kurt Stache, who is now vice president/general sales manager. DuPont was general manager of American’s airport operations at JFK International Airport in New York. He succeeds Marilyn DeVoe, who is now vice president of American’s Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport operations. Rajat K.
F-22 supporters are getting antsy about what looks like the upcoming closure of the Lockheed Martin production line in Marietta, Ga. The Pentagon’s top acquisition official prefers to improve existing F-22 Raptors rather than acquire new ones. “Upgrading F-22s that the Dept. of Defense has already purchased should be considered ahead of any other F-22s,” acquisition czar John Young tells defense oversight committees in Congress. Upgrades include software improvements, expanded electronic surveillance modes and the first electronic attack capabilities.
It is a sad day when USAF stabs its country in the back by not buying American. I hope it was not the statement by USAF Gen. (ret.) Charles Horner that the Airbus design is newer, in a Point-Counterpoint (AW&ST Nov. 19, p. 58). The Airbus is a stretched A300 with a modified wing from the early 1970s. The 767 is an early ’80s aircraft. Horner may have led USAF down an un-American path.
Avionics, engines, radars and weapons systems will be upgraded for five Indian air force MiG-29 squadrons under a $964-million contract with RAC MiG. First proposed three years ago for $104 million less, the contract covers about 70 aircraft and will bring work to government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and Bharat Dynamics Ltd., besides foreign contractors. The original N-019 radar is to be replaced by the Zhuke-ME passive radar and a glass cockpit.
The Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (Suirg) has issued the formal findings of a field test that it says conclusively demonstrate WiMax communications pose a significant interference threat to C-band fixed satellite service (FSS) communications, even for signals well in excess of 12 km. (7.5 mi.) away. The study showed data in the best of conditions to be degraded to 10-4, compared to a nominal figure of 10-8. Subsequent calculations indicated FSS antennas cannot coexist with WiMax systems unless they are 50-200 km.
Kevin Vandeberg has become an aviation planner in the Huntsville, Ala., office of Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon Inc. He was director of operations at Huntsville International Airport.
Two Los Alamos scientists are developing a concept for recovering carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and producing carbon-neutral synthetic fuels.
Cessna is preparing to take the first production 162 SkyCatcher light sport aircraft skyward this spring, following initial flight of the prototype. The manufacturer’s entry into the light sport aircraft market lifted off from Cessna Aircraft Field shortly after 7 a.m. on Mar. 8. Engineering test pilot Dale Bleakney flew the SkyCatcher for 1 hr. to test aircraft controllability and stability over Wichita, Kan.
In the ongoing quest for alternative, environmentally acceptable fuels, algae and other biomass materials are looking promising as feed stocks for processing and refining. However, finding the needed landmass to support this endeavor is problematic, according to a new report from the International Air Transport Assn. (IATA).
Continental Airlines is the first major U.S. carrier to begin looking for alternative fuels and the first to do so using a narrow-body airliner. A Continental official notes that the Boeing 737 is the most common aircraft in the airline’s fleet. Boeing and GE Aviation will join in the demonstration flight set for the first half of 2009 using a CFM56-7B engine.
The Italian air force, as part of its overall operational assessment of the weapon, is carrying out trials examining the capability of the IRIS-T imaging-infrared guided missile to deal with advanced flares. The air force’s experimental trials unit, known as the RSV (Reparto Sperimentale Volo), is staging the tests from its base at Pratica di Mare, near Rome. The program involves a Eurofighter Typhoon from the air force’s 4th Wing, with a Lockheed Martin F-16 ADF from the 37th Wing being flown as the target aircraft.
Your report “Company Aloft” (AW&ST Feb. 4, p. 18) on the interception of a Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber by an F-22 reminded me that the English Electric Lightning played such a role in NATO Northern Europe for nearly 30 years, a result of its extraordinary climb performance. I was project leader of a team of young engineers in the Elliott company in the late 1950s that designed an automatic interception computer to assist pilots to perform the most efficient flight from takeoff up to target closure at around 37,000 ft.
L-3 Communications has agreed to purchase Northrop Grumman Electro-Optical Systems, which produces night-vision and applied optics products, for $175 million in cash. The acquisition, which is expected to close by June 30, will be L-3’s largest since Michael Strianese became CEO in October 2006 and put more focus on organic growth.
Continued failure to meet financial expectations has driven down Air Berlin’s share value by around 20%. After falling short of expectations earlier in the financial year, there is concern 2008 will be another problem year. Air Berlin’s net result dropped to €11 million from €50.1 million as revenues grew to €2.54 billion from €1.58 billion. The plunge is blamed on the flawed integration of LTU International Airways.
A cutting-edge engine design and composite wing are two of the technical features that Mitsubishi expects to distinguish the MRJ70/90 regional jet family in a crowded field.
The Finnish army has taken delivery of the first of 20 NH90 TTH tactical transport helicopters that will replace its fleet of aging Mil Mi-8s. The helicopter was handed over at the Eurocopter plant near Marseille, France, where it was assembled. Patria, a Finnish-based company partly owned by EADS, will complete the following 19. The Finnish delivery is the first of 25 scheduled for this year as the TTH ramps up to full production. Italy, Germany, Sweden, Australia and Oman also are destined for delivery by year’s end, according to Eurocopter.
A full-duration test of the powerpack for the J-2X upgrade is now scheduled for Mar. 19, but could be delayed as the engine-testing effort at Stennis Space Center ramps up. Duct damage in a 36-sec. test Feb. 15 pushed the target for a full-up test of the turbomachinery with ingited liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen fuel back to Mar. 9 (AW&ST Mar. 3, p. 16).
The U.S. Navy has approved the second low-rate production buy of Airborne Laser Mine Detection Systems (ALMDS) for its MH-60S helicopter. Three units were approved for $25 million. The system uses laser detection to locate mines in shallow water and allied nations have also showed interest in this capability. The Navy is now conducting operational tests on two units. Orders for 25 systems are expected to complete low-rate initial production in 2010. Northrop Grumman produces the ALMDS.
Martin Jurich has become general manager of the Cessna Aircraft Co. ’s Wichita (Kan.) Citation Service Center. He held the same position at the Toledo (Ohio) Citation Service Center.
