At a crisis management meeting of IATA, Kenyon International President and CEO Robert Jensen said it’s time for the association to establish emergency response and preparedness standards for airlines. “While IATA has established standards for everything from cargo to safety, there are no standards for assisting airlines and the public at the time of an incident or accident, said Jensen, whose firm specializes in emergency responses to massive disasters.
Rockwell Collins is teaming with Telephonics Corp. to bid on the $3.5-billion U.S. Army Vehicle Intercommunications System-Extended program as “Team NexCom.” This is a new family of vehicle intercommunications systems for tactical military vehicles.
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH. has issued a new International Civil Aviation Organization chart for use in Germany starting on Mar. 13. The chart includes many changes in Cats. C, D, E and F airspace and some other innovations, according to DFS officials. The latest topography and air navigation services information is incorporated on the chart. In April, DFS expects to publish new aeronautical charts in the “Visual 500” series for Austria, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands.
The overall market for helicopters is stronger than ever and shows no signs of abating. But while industry executives can point to record sales and backlogs, they are working to move production levels to a permanently higher plateau from which to meet demand for nearly 10,000 new civil helicopters during the next 10 years. That’s the order of magnitude projected by both Honeywell and Rolls-Royce in their latest forecasts, released last week at the Helicopter Assn. International’s Heli-Expo, held in Houston Feb. 24-26.
The first Chinese spacewalk will happen late this year, state media say. Launch of the mission earmarked for the spacewalk, Shenzhou 7, already was expected this year.
Amy Butler (Washington), David A. Fulghum (Washington), Craig Covault (Cape Canaveral)
Some of the technologies used to shoot down a classified U.S. intelligence satellite will find their way onto Japanese warships within the next decade.
Airbus is expected to unveil details of new-style assembly procedures for the upcoming A330-200 Freighter at an initial technical coordination meeting set to take place next week in Bremen, Germany.
Even amid “all the interesting signals of doom” Singapore Technologies Aerospace continues to expand worldwide and at home, opening a new engine test cell and narrow-body overhaul hangar.
While Prof. Aaron Shenhar’s overall theme in his Viewpoint (AW&ST Feb. 18, p. 102) is on target, I couldn’t disagree more with his statement: “The industry needs a new framework and language to deal with the unfamiliar experience.”
Prof. Aaron Shenhar’s proposed solution to aerospace program management failures is yet another new process he calls a framework. History makes clear that processes are necessary but insufficient. They give comfort primarily to those who have never labored in the trenches of the aerospace industry.
Controllers fear the Ulysses solar probe will soon reach the end of its useful service life, more than 17 years after its launch on the space shuttle Discovery in October 1990. Designed to give scientists their first good look at the Sun’s poles, Ulysses is succumbing to the cold of its 6.2-year heliocentric orbit inclined 80 deg. from the ecliptic plane. With its radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) losing power, temperatures on board the spacecraft are dipping toward the 2C temperature that will freeze its hydrazine propellant as it moves out toward Jupiter.
Pilatus has begun flight testing at its Stans, Switzerland, facility of the first PC-21 intended for the Republic of Singapore Air Force. In 2006, Singapore, the initial buyer of the trainer, contracted with Lockheed Martin to manage the Basic Wings Course for 20 years, with the PC-21 as the designated aircraft. Training is set to commence in June at Royal Australian AFB Pearce, near Perth. Hawker Pacific will handle the maintenance. The PC-21 replaces Aermacchi S-211s. The Swiss military, which bought the PC-21 last year, is slated to start training next month.
Eaton Aerospace is looking to partner with Chinese universities on technology development to create a new source for engineering talent. Like many aerospace suppliers, the Irvine, Calif.-based operation faces a shortage of engineers. “It’s a terrible problem for us,” says Einar Johnson, vice president for customer solutions and services. “It’s going to be a crisis for us to sustain our technical growth.” Eaton already has transitioned some engineering activities to India and will consider establishing another engineering center in China, Johnson says. U.S.
The first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is scheduled to lift off in the next few days from Kourou, French Guiana. Thereafter, an ATV is slated to be orbited every 15 months by an Ariane 5 heavy-lift booster and remain docked at the International Space Station for up to six months, indicating that Europe is more than ever a major space partner. This milestone is materializing just weeks after the Columbus laboratory was launched Feb. 7, giving Europe a long-overdue stake in the ISS. However, these achievements are not enough.
Joe Wilding has become a co-founder and senior vice president of Colorado-based AdamWorks . He was vice president-advanced development of parent company Adam Aircraft.
WC-130Js assigned to the Air Force Reserve’s 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB, Miss., received the last of 10 radiometers Feb. 15. The “stepped-frequency microwave radiometer” (SFMR), or smurf, is a novel sensor mounted below the WC‑130J wing to continuously and accurately measure the winds at the ocean’s surface directly below the aircraft. “The SFMR will be the biggest advance I can think of to improve hurricane intensity forecasts,” says Max Mayfield, former director of the National Hurricane Center.
Launch of India’s Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter will slip to June-July from April, “to ensure thorough and appropriate testing of various subsystems and the spacecraft to ensure the mission performance,” says the Indian Space Research Organization. The 525-kg. (1,155-lb.) lunar orbiter will carry 11 instruments, including two from the U.S. and one each from the U.K., Sweden, Germany and Bulgaria. The mission is aimed at understanding the chemistry and mineralogy of the lunar surface, and may provide better data on potential water ice in deep polar craters.
Honeywell Aerospace is moving 420 jobs in commercial avionics from its facility in the Phoenix area to Malaysia and Indonesia, company officials say. The jobs relate to communications and navigation systems.
Malaysian Airline System’s 2007 profit of 851 million ringgit ($266 million) appears to confirm the company has turned around its ailing business, which lost 136 million ringgit in 2006. Malaysian is warning of a harsh operating environment next year, when it expects 450 new aircraft will enter service in the Middle East and Asia.
January international traffic results may reflect the first signs of a slowdown, according to the International Air Transport Assn. (IATA). Passenger demand growth declined sharply to 4.3%, compared to 6.7% in December and 7.4% for all of 2007. European airlines had the weakest international growth of all regions at 0.3%, declining from 5.5% the previous month, while intra-European traffic remained “relatively strong.” Meanwhile, Latin America’s economies continue to drive the “sharp recovery” of the region’s airlines, which recorded 16.9% growth for the month.
Mokhtar A. Awan of Pakistan has become regional director for the Asia and Pacific Office of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Bangkok. He was Pakistan’s representative on the ICAO Council.
Don Berlin (see photo) has become senior corporate vice president of the Universal Avionics Systems Corp. , Tucson, Ariz. He was chief operating officer and has been succeeded by Paul DeHerrera (see photo). DeHerrera was vice president-marketing and product support and will be succeeded by Daniel Reida, who has been promoted from worldwide marketing director.
The Slovak air force has fielded 12 upgraded MiG-29s following a series of acceptance trials. The overhauled fighters feature an improved avionics package, new Western-produced navigation and communication equipment, as well as friend-or-foe transmitters that comply with NATO standards.
