Commercial Aviation Services, the fifth wheel in Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ product line, reaped the benefits last year of some fine-tuning to its after-market selections. But contract signings for the GoldCare life-cycle program for the 787 are stuck on hold. Boeing’s four big airplane groups—the 737, 747, 777 and 787—are its main commercial products. But the after-sales support offered by Commercial Aviation Services (CAS)—many of them through MyBoeingFleet.com—have made it a major business unit.
Michael Braasch has been appointed director of the Avionics Engineering Center, part of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology at Ohio University . Braasch is Thomas Professor of Engineering in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Your Industry Outlook item “China’s Airplane Plans” (AW&ST Feb. 4, p. 11) says the new 150-plus-passenger jet will be developed almost completely with government funding. How does this square with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on subsidized aircraft development? Boeing and Airbus are undergoing a protracted WTO review over their alleged subsidies. When will another country bring China before the WTO on the same charges? When China was granted admission to the WTO, it agreed to abide by all the existing rules.
SpaceX, one of two funded industry participants in NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) effort, will delay its three planned COTS demonstration flights by 6-9 months. “It’s par for the course in aerospace development,” say Elon Musk, the company founder.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Amy Butler (Washington)
A pilot of the B-2 stealth bomber, Spirit of Kansas, reported a fire at takeoff from Andersen AFB, Guam. The emergency call was followed rapidly by loss of control of the bomber, according to initial reports passed to Air Combat Command officials. The stealth bomber rolled uncontrollably to the right and fell between the taxiway and the ramp at 10:45 a.m. Guam time on Feb. 23. These details have not yet been confirmed by the official investigation, which has just begun and will take months to conclude.
CO2 prices have recovered much of January’s losses during February, as a bullish energy complex and the beginning of compliance buying for 2008 have combined to boost the market for European Union emission Allowances. The EUA market has also benefited from an uptick in demand for Certified Emission Reductions, as industrial companies take advantage of the EU Emission Trading Scheme’s rules that allow a portion of each company’s emissions cap to be met with CERs.
Robert Maxson has been appointed director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Mo. He has been a research pilot with the National Science Foundation in Boulder, Colo.
The spinoff of EchoStar’s fixed-service satellite business is reinforcing speculation over further consolidation in the sector, although there is dispute over the likely extent of its impact. The merger rumor mill has already been set in motion by a recent three-way broadband/TV tie-up involving the Nos. 3 and 4 fixed-service players, Eutelsat and Telesat, and equipment-maker ViaSat (AW&ST Feb. 25, p. 55).
Sue Dabrowski (see photo) has been appointed vice president-business development and marketing for Mannarino Systems and Software Inc. of Montreal. She was director-general of the Quebec Aerospace Assn.
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.
