Rick Hughes, Director of Operations (North American Trisonic Wind Tunnel, El Segundo, Calif. )
Your article "Winding Down," about the planned closure of the North American Trisonic Wind Tunnel later this year (AW&ST Feb. 19, p. 13), failed to mention the irony of the loss of yet another piece of the fast-eroding U.S. R&D infrastructure in spite of sustained demand.
U.S. Navy Capt. Lisa Nowak will take up duties on the staff of the Naval Air Training Command at NAS Corpus Christi, Tex., after her assignment as a NASA astronaut was terminated last week. Nowak faces felony charges in Florida stemming from an alleged stalking incident at the Orlando airport Feb. 5, and already had been replaced as capcom on the upcoming STS-117 mission (AW&ST Feb. 12, p. 14). Nowak's detail was terminated one day after the National Air and Space Museum awarded the STS-121 shuttle mission team its 2007 Current Achievement Trophy.
A Government Accountability Office report filed last week says a U.S. Air Force decision to include passenger and cargo capabilities in its replacement tanker aircraft program was made without required analyses. Mandatory policy requires a formal capabilities-based approach toward evaluation capabilities that compete for scarce funds. Defense officials object saying that USAF presented analysis and rationale for the capability through the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System process.
On the strength of a launch order from All Nippon Airways, Boeing has designated a second center for the 767 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) program. Singapore Technologies Aerospace's Aviation Services Co. is to convert five passenger 767-300ERs from ANA's fleet at its Paya Lebar headquarters in Singapore. The contract is valued at $136 million; ANA holds two options. The work, set to begin in October, includes installation of a reinforced floor, cargo door and cargo-handling system.
Eugene F. Kranz has been selected to receive the Houston-based Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation's National Space Trophy for 2007, on Apr. 20. The award is presented to an individual who has excelled in furthering national goals in the field of space. Kranz will be cited for achievements in "the development of flight control operations for all NASA manned space flights." He is most famous for the role he played in the rescue of the Apollo 13 mission after its translunar abort.
THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSN. says discussions with FAA officials have resulted in "removing barriers" in the recent Air Tour rule that threatened to adversely affect EAA's Young Eagles program, says EAA President Tom Poberezny. The discussions centered on aircraft types approved for the flights as well as restrictions on pilot qualifications. "Everyone we met at FAA assured us that there was no intent to harm the Young Eagles program in any manner through the Air Tour rule," he says.
Indra will develop flight-training devices for Eurocopter EC135s under a deal between the Spanish electronics company and the EADS helicopter unit. The devices, to be operational by mid-year at American Eurocopter and Eurocopter Deutschland in Donauwoerth, Germany, will include six-degree-of-freedom, full-motion simulators.
"A vast and harmonious 'ocean of air' unites us all," said Alexander ter Kuile, secretary general of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (Canso), at a summit on civil and military ATC cooperation in Bangkok late last month (see p. 50). The meeting was sponsored by the Air Traffic Control Assn. and by Aeronautical Radio of Thailand. Canso has 45 air navigation service providers as members and they control 60% of the airspace and 80% of the world's air traffic.
The A320-family plant that Airbus is building in Tianjin with Chinese partners will be ready by the end of the year, state media say. Deliveries are due to begin next year.
The Australian government has approved a proposed A$11-billion (US$8.6-billion) private takeover of Qantas Airways, leaving the bidders with the final challenge of talking around two investment funds that are reluctant to sell their shares at the offered price. The bidders had to promise that most operations would stay in Australia.
Timothy D. Bair (see photo) has become director of the Institute for Manufacturing and Sustainment Technologies at Pennsylvania State University's Applied Research Laboratory. He was a deputy director at Hill AFB's Air Logistics Center in Utah and an investigative staff member on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
The European Space Agency has concluded an agreement with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to develop new space-based technologies for oil-spill monitoring applications. The agreement will allow EMSA to help influence the design of future environmental spacecraft.
Bill Maxey has been named marketing and technical associate for Downing Aviation Associates of Phoenix. He has been an engineering, project management and sales executive at Garrett, AlliedSignal and Honeywell.
NASA's New Horizons probe is scheduled to return a trove of imagery from its Feb. 28 Jupiter flyby in the weeks ahead, but this view of a massive volcanic eruption on the close-in moon Io gives scientists a tantalizing preview of coming attractions. Collected at a range of 1.5 million mi., it shows the volcano Tvastar Catena spewing material 180 mi. above the moon's north polar region.
David E. Schaffer, Suzette Matthews and Karen Risa Robbins have formed the Washington Progress Group, Marshall, Va. Schaffer is a former senior counsel/ staff director to the House of Representatives' aviation subcommittee. Matthews was executive vice president/general counsel of the Air Traffic Control Assn. Robbins remains president/CEO of the AmTech Center for Collaboration.
The proposed U.S./EU open skies agreement is expected to face tough discussions in Europe, but the wide-ranging deal could still be approved by the European Council of Transport Ministers and become effective in October.
Please don't tell me that the glitch in the F-22's navigation computer was because the flight path crossed the International Date Line (AW&ST Feb. 19, p. 23).
Japan Airlines will rebalance its business increasingly toward the domestic market, even as it enjoys stronger international marketing after formally entering the Oneworld alliance Apr. 1. The carrier is showing no interest in the Airbus A380 or Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, despite the famously limited runway capacity of Tokyo's airports, with President Haruka Nishimatsu saying the company currently is more interested in buying 787s and 777s, though he's giving no details on timing.
DayJet "per-seat, on-demand jet service" is preparing to taxi out to U.S. runways in the second quarter. President and CEO Ed Iacobucci says the $50 million in capital received last week in a third round of private equity funding was the "keystone" for launching service. The air taxi service targets the business traveler and plans to operate Eclipse 500s--it has ordered 239 of the very light jets and holds options for 70 more--to U.S. airports with limited or no scheduled airline service. Ticket prices will be comparable to regional, full-fare coach rates.
The next stop for Comair, now that pilots have accepted an amended contract, will be emerging from Chapter 11 reorganization with its parent Delta Air Lines. Comair management expects to be operating 130 aircraft when it emerges, probably in late April or early May. That is down from a 174-aircraft fleet when it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2005. The Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Assn. unit supported the new agreement, but the union and pilots were "not happy about this," says union President J.C. Lawson, 3rd.
Future growth prospects in the global commercial helicopter industry look bright as rising demand for new aircraft and support services is forecast to fuel expansion beyond 2010. Sponsored by the Helicopter Assn. International (HAI)--comprising more than 1,450 member organizations in 68 nations--Heli-Expo 2007 drew nearly 15,000 people and 500 exhibitors and saw record sales of new aircraft. Airframe and engine manufacturers and service/support suppliers said this year was one of the strongest, with some operators overwhelmed by contractual demands.
The next-generation radar for the U.S. Navy's F/A-18F Super Hornets is not yet ready for combat, says a newly completed operational evaluation. But a key Navy official says it will be fine-tuned for war in time for the first operational deployment in 2008.
As a crewmember for a now defunct DC-8 night freight hauler and a former Air Line Pilots Assn. Air Safety Committee chairman, the letter "FAA, Disaster Is in the Making" brought back many bad memories. Having been subjected to this insanity, it is past time for the truth to come out.
Hainan Airlines has received government approval for a long-standing plan to establish a new carrier by merging with subsidiaries under the name Grand China Airlines.
The structure of Brazil's commercial aviation may be in for substantial change. Chile's Lan Airlines, has loaned Varig $17 million for an exclusive option for shares. Profitable Lan this month reported a fourth-quarter 2006 net income of $93.6 million compared to $49.9 million in the same quarter of 2005, and a net income of $241.3 million for the full year, compared with $146.6 million for 2005. The investment could be Lan's foothold into Brazil's airline passenger business, says Raymond E. Neidl, analyst with Calyon Securities.
