Robert Rosenthal, who won the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross flying B-17s with the "Bloody 100th" Bomb Group from England in World War II, died Apr. 20 in White Plains, N.Y., from multiple myeloma. He was 89.
MARKET FOCUS Big M&A numbers posted with aerospace deals in 2006 14 NEWS BREAKS Delta ends bankruptcy reorganization; aircraft to sport new livery 23 Two planetary launches on schedule this summer at Florida launch facilities 23 Boeing's Everett factory is about to accom- modate fourth final assembly line 24 German and U.S. scientists to start gather- ing test data with Sofia aircraft in 2009 26 Veteran astronaut Walter Schirra and World War II bomber ace Robert Rosenthal die 27
Harris Corp.'s RF Communications Div. captured a $422-million, five-year contract to procure improved Special Operations Forces' high-frequency multi-band radio systems in support of acquisition and logistics, intelligence and information systems.
Roy Bostock has been named chairman of Northwest Airlines, pending its reorganization, which is expected in June. He has been a board member and succeeds Gary L. Wilson. Bostock is a former chairman/CEO of D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles Inc. and is a principal of Sealedge Investments. Northwest also has named new board members to take office when the reorganization takes place. They are: David Brandon, chairman/CEO of Domino's Pizza Inc.; Mike Durham, president/CEO of Cognizant Associates Inc.
Japan Airlines now expects to report a loss for the fiscal year that ended Mar. 31, revising down a forecast for a profit and confirming the views of many analysts who doubted that the company could return to profitability in its latest 12 months. The airline estimates it lost ¥16.2 billion ($135 million) on revenues of ¥2.3 trillion and says tax issues caused the downward revision.
In his op-ed piece, "Misunderstandings Die Hard" (AW&ST Apr. 2, p. 65), Pierre Sparaco stated that Europeans "had difficulty understanding" U.S. opposition to the Concorde. As an airline pilot, I frequently flew to London Heathrow in the 1970s. The airport had stringent noise regulations, and was surrounded by a network of noise-monitoring stations. On takeoff, in our heavily-laden DC-8 freighters, we carefully followed noise-abatement profiles that included drastic, safety-compromising, power reductions at low altitude.
THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSN.'S YOUNG EAGLES flight program is marking its 15th anniversary this year. To date, the program has flown 1.3 million youth on six continents. More than 40,000 pilots, including Young Eagles chairman and pilot Harrison Ford, give youth a familiarization flight in a general aviation aircraft, free of charge. To commemorate the anniversary, EAA will sponsor International Young Eagles Day on June 8, when about 10,000 Young Eagles will experience flight worldwide. For additional information, go to: www.youngeagles.org.
Despite short-term constraints on aircraft availability, the passenger-to-freighter conversion market is booming, with upward of 1,000 aircraft expected to be converted over the next decade. Seventy-six jet transports were converted to freighter configuration last year, and the number is expected to reach 100 per year in the near future, according to Chris Seymour, head of market development for Ascend, a division of Airclaims. Consulting firms AeroStrategy and TeamSAI both are forecasting at least 1,000 conversions over the next decade.
America Air Taxi Aereo of Brazil has been appointed by M7 Aerospace as an authorized service center and parts distributor for the Fairchild Metro and Merlin turboprops. The Brazilian government is completing certification of the SA-226 and SA-227 series Metro II and III, as well as Merlin business aircraft.
Cessna Aircraft Co. received combined orders for 25 airplanes at the AERO Friedrichshafen show in Europe and the Sun 'N Fun Fly-in at Lakeland, Fla. According to Cessna officials, buyers signed up for one Citation Mustang, two Citation CJ3s and one CJ2+ business jet, as well as a turboprop-powered Caravan and 11 piston-powered Skyhawks at the event in Germany. Buyers at the Lakeland show put money down for one CJ3, one Mustang, a Caravan and six Skyhawks.
Final approval for the sale of the Storm Shadow cruise missile to Saudi Arabia will likely rest with the British prime minister, possibly in the face of opposition from Washington.
BMI handed in a strong set of year-end results last week with pre-tax profit up 197% on a increase in turnover of 4.2%. Operating profit for 2006 rose by 85.5% to £10.2 million ($20.3 million) on a turnover of £904.5 million. There continues to be considerable interest in the future ownership of the airline, in which Michael Bishop holds slightly more than 50%. The carrier is looking to acquire additional Airbus A330s to begin services to the U.S. from London Heathrow Airport.
Producers of the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (Ebace), May 22-24 event in Geneva, say they are on target to set records for number of exhibitors and for aircraft on static display. Last year they logged 292 exhibitors, 52 airplanes and four helicopters. This year, more than 340 exhibitors have signed up and the static display area is sold out. Ebace is the only show in Europe that focuses exclusively on business aviation.
Norwegian Air Shuttle will become 100% owner of Finnair's FlyNordic Swedish arm, in an arrangement that could see the Finnish carrier receive a 10% stake in Norwegian. If the deal passes regulatory muster, Finnair will hold a 5% stake in Norwegian (10% if stock options are exercised by the end of 2008, when they expire). The price for options is set at 115-Norwegian kroner ($19.25). The deal also covers Norwegian Air Shuttle serving as a feeder for Finnair, to help that airline boost its long-haul traffic, particularly to Asia.
MD Helicopters plans to ship 43 aircraft this year followed by 85 in 2008, according to CEO Lynn Tilton. She says the company is not for sale and is achieving operational improvements as well as improving customer support and response to aircraft-on-ground calls.
The British government, industry and academia are setting up a Center for Earth Observation Instrumentation. One of its aims will be to help the U.K. to secure contracts for space instrumentation applications such as environmental monitoring and climate change research.
Walter M. (Wally) Schirra, one of NASA's original astronauts and the only one to have flown in space on board Mercury, Gemini and Apollo vehicles, died May 2 at a hospital in La Jolla, Calif. He was 84. His family said he died of natural causes. The photo shows Schirra in 1962 in his Mercury pressure suit with a model of the capsule behind him.
Amos Weizman (see photo) has become president/CEO of Tadiran Communications, Petach Tikva, Israel, and chairman of its subsidiaries, Telefunken of Germany and Talla-Com of the U.S. He succeeds Hezi Chermoni, who has retired. Weizman was vice president/general manager of the Tactical Radio Div.
F-22 Raptors operating from Okinawa took part in their first joint military training with the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force on Apr. 27. The exercise involved four Japanese F-4s and F-15s, with two U.S. F-22s and two F-15s. Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma says the exercise had no connection with Japan's hopes of buying F-22s.
With several low-cost carriers' plans for long-haul operations budding this spring, it is an opportune time to ask the key question: Will we see a completely new economic model for airlines in the next few years? The low-cost carriers (a.k.a. low-fare players) are growing more rapidly than legacy airlines, especially in Europe and the Pacific Rim. However, they suffer seriously from high fuel prices and, in some regions, slow economic growth.
Jim Gallagher has been appointed program director for the Aircraft Health and Trend-Monitoring System and John Tigue compliance administrator within the Designated Certification Office of the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga. Gallagher was entry-into-service director for the Gulfstream IV/IV-SP, G350 and G450. Tigue was manager of airworthiness and certification.
SEVERAL AVIONICS COMPANIES ARE SELLING Class 2 electronic flight bags (EFBs) for airline aircraft, and their popularity is likely to grow because they are priced at one-tenth of what a hard-wired Class 3 system costs. A Class 2 EFB is a portable unit that fits into a docking station on the flight deck, unlike the permanently installed Class 3 versions that can cost $100,000 or more per aircraft. The navAero "t-Bag C2 2," for example, has a starting price of $7,995, and Mercury Computer Systems' new CIS-2200 starts at $9,999.
Keith Markley has been promoted to president/CEO from chief operating offficer of Liberty Aerospace, Melbourne, Fla. He succeeds Anthony Tiarks, who remains on the board of directors.
The article "Flights of Fancy" (AW&ST Apr. 9, p. 36) forgot to mention the unique aerodynamics of the Smartfish. This blended wing-fuselage design features a conventional tail that provides some highly attractive features. Its docile handling char- acteristics over an extreme angle-of-attack range permits both efficient transonic cruise (with an L/D>13) and low landing speeds without use of high-lift devices.
Business and leisure travel demand is driving Japan Airlines to boost services on routes to China and Vietnam. Starting May 31, JAL will add two Tokyo Narita-Guangzhou roundtrips for 13 flights weekly. On June 2, it will increase frequencies between Tokyo-Narita and Beijing by five, to 19 flights weekly, as well as offer daily Nagoya-Tianjin service, up from five weekly. Early next month, JAL will add a sixth weekly flight between Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo.
