Aviation Week & Space Technology

Robust demand from customers outside North America has proved to be a key factor in extending and strengthening the current boom in the business jet industry. To take advantage of the healthy market conditions, manufacturers are churning out models, both all-new designs and enhanced derivatives of existing types. Meanwhile, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the industry itself, both corporate awareness of the benefits of private jet travel and public acceptance of business jet operations have grown considerably in recent years.

Boeing has named Tel­air International to provide the cargo handling systems for the lower hold of the 747-8 passenger aircraft and the main deck of the new freighter. Telair, based in Miesbach, Germany, has long been a supplier for 767 and 747 freighters. Most recently, it has figured in development of the cargo systems for 747-400 passenger airplanes Boeing converted for the 787 Dreamlifter fleet that carries that airplane’s large structural assemblies to the final assembly line in Everett, Wash.

Feb. 12-13—Defense Technology and Re­quire­ments, Washington. Apr. 15-16—AVIATION WEEK Interiors, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Apr. 15-17—MRO Conference and Ex­hibition, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Sept. 23-25—MRO Europe, Madrid. Oct. 14-16—MRO Asia, Singapore. PARTNERSHIPS Feb. 19-24—Singapore Air Show. Feb. 25-27—IATA Ops Forum. Madrid. Mar. 31-Apr. 6—FIDAE, Santiago, Chile. Apr. 1-3—JEC Composites, Paris. Apr. 7-10—U.S. Space Foundation, Col­orado Springs.

Feb. 4-5—Strategic Research Institute’s 15th Annual FAA Registry Forum: Cape Town Convention and Aircraft Protocol Treaty. Hyatt Regency Pier 66, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Call +31 (20) 486-7590, fax +31 (20) 486-0216 or see www.asdevents.com/event.asp?ID=116 Feb. 4-6—UCLA Extension Winter Aerospace and Mechanical Courses: “Finite Element Analysis.” Also, Feb. 25-29—“Airframe Design and Repair.” And, Mar. 10-14—“Airframe Stress Analysis and Sizing.” Los Angeles. Call +1 (310) 825-3344, fax +1 (310) 206-3223 or see www.uclaextension.edu

Italy has selected the Bombardier CL-415 in its latest competition for a firefighting aircraft. Four aircraft are being ordered, with two to be delivered this year and two next year.

Worldwide demand for missiles of all types remains strong and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Forecast International estimates sales of tactical missiles will top $30 billion through the 2008-12 timeframe. As in the past, the defense industries of the U.S. and Western Europe will dominate this market, accounting for 55% of production value through 2012. Russia’s share is expected to be 9%. The tactical missile market is evolving, with dual-role missiles becoming more common.

O’Hare Airfield Engineers, a joint venture working on the relocation of Runway 10C-28C at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, is using file management software to allow dozens of internal users to share 12 gigabytes of project data. Millhouse Engineering, the lead company, selected Availl wide area file services of Globalscape in San Antonio to provide real-time access to all files.

V Australia, the new long-haul carrier launched by Virgin Blue, will equip all 13 of its Boeing 777-300ERs (seven under firm order and six under option) with Rockwell Collins avionics. In addition to navigation and communications systems, the order covers transponders, traffic-alert and collision avoidance systems and Rockwell Collins multi-scan weather radar. Deliveries begin in September.

Regarding Chris Lutat’s letter “Glass Cockpits Can Benefit All” (AW&ST Dec. 17, 2007, p. 11), we have been adding electronic “gadgets” for several years to cars and have seen the accident rate climb due to driver distraction.

While the U.S. aerospace industry remained strong through 2007—and most indicators point to continued growth for at least the near term—daunting workforce hurdles must be overcome if the industry is to keep thriving. Customer demand looks good for manufacturers as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul businesses, but aerospace companies as a whole face two key challenges that will affect financial success and viability for many years: •Attracting highly qualified, new employees to replenish an aging workforce.

Kellie Priessman-Paskewic has been appointed manager of sales development for mail order avionics and consumer GPS sales for the J.A. Air Center , West Chicago, Ill.

Struggling China Eastern would receive a $1.9-billion capital injection under a proposed investment to link it with Air China. Following the Jan. 8 rejection of an alliance with Singapore Airlines by China Eastern shareholders, China National Aviation Corp., Air China’s parent company, is moving in to take control. It says China Eastern would save $107 million a year in interest payments and see its ratio of debt to assets fall to 77% from 94.33%.

Regarding your kudos for Gerald Grinstein for his efforts to revive Delta Air Lines after bankruptcy (AW&ST Jan. 7, p. 60), I have a question that every pilot who lost his pension must be asking: “Since Mr. Grinstein was on Delta’s board of directors for 20 years, what was he doing while then-President Leo Mullin and his cohort, Michelle Burns, were running up more than $20 billion in debt in a seven-year period? And what did Grinstein do when Mullin and crew put a multimillion-dollar package together for themselves and fled the airline?

Eurocontrol reports a number of cases at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in which pilots have been assigned one Standard Instrument Departure (SID) procedure and then have mistakenly flown a different one. The Brussels-based organization notes that airline operators provide their crews with “ready-made” flight plans in which dispatchers make assumptions about which runway is in use and which SID will be assigned.

Capt. Don Gunther, who is Continental Airlines’ senior director of safety and regulatory compliance, has been appointed industry co-chair of the Washington-based Commercial Aviation Safety Team . He succeeds Capt. Hank Krakowski, formerly of United Airlines, who recently became chief operating officer of the FAA Air Traffic Organization.

William Readdy has been named chairman of the board of the Alexandria, Va.-based Challenger Center for Space Science Education . He succeeds Joseph Allen. Readdy is a former astronaut and past associate NASA administrator for space operations.

The sale of Dutch aerospace company Stork to private equity firm Candover has been consummated, with 98% of outstanding shares being bought. As a result, trading in Stork shares will end Feb. 20. Candover is disposing of some of the non-aerospace portions of Stork, in part to concentrate on civil and defense aerospace activities.

The Israeli TecSar/Polaris 1 imaging radar reconnaissance satellite is being prepared to transmit its first images following launch Jan. 21 on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) version with no strap-on boosters. Initial images are to be transmitted about Feb. 1. If successful, the Israeli space-based radar will put Israel among the small list of nations with imaging radar reconnaissance satellites able to distinguish camouflaged vehicles from rocky terrain, for example, and to see at night and through clouds and foliage.

A number of military avionics systems will be moving from development to production by the end of this decade, with the electronic warfare segment representing some of the most important programs for defense planners.

While the financial results of the world airline industry have steadily improved since the disastrous year of 2001, hopes for a super-extended recovery cycle may prove to be unfounded. And, when all is said and done, 2007 or perhaps this year could be the peak of the present recovery.

The global economy continues to drive a robust market for commercial aircraft and business jets as well as the avionics needed to help them adapt to changing air traffic control requirements and safety concerns.

A South Korea surveillance aircraft project aimed at producing a highly capable drone as big as the General Atomics Mariner would advance the country’s expertise in unmanned aircraft and ensure against unavailability of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk. The South Korean air force program is running behind that of a smaller drone, the army’s KUS-9, which is supposed to be ready for production by next year.

The U.S. Marine Corps has been keeping largely quiet about how the MV-22 Ospreys deployed to Iraq have been doing, but the service has started to release a few details. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Sqdn. 263, or “Thunder Chickens,” operating at Al Asad in the Al Anbar province since October have completed around 2,000 flight hours. Mission-capable rate has only averaged 68.1%, but the Marines stress no mission has been delayed or canceled. Moreover, they say the operational pace is the highest that troops have seen.

The Australian Defense Dept. has joined the U.S.-based Network-Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC) and will be a national member of the group’s advisory council, and its personnel will participate in technical teamwork. The group has more than 100 member organizations from 19 nations, including leading aerospace and defense companies in the U.S. and Europe plus civil and military government representatives from NATO nations. The group aims to foster open standards so computer networks will be compatible. See www.ncoic.org/home for more information.

For the next few years, production plans for military transport aircraft are uncertain due to the impending shutdowns of some lines, startups of others and continuing manufacture of some venerable types. The U.S. accounts for a huge share of transport production, manufacturing its own aircraft to fulfill its military needs. But the U.S. is joined in operations far from home by many other industrialized nations, some of which also manufacture transport aircraft to support their military operations.