Duncan B. Koerbel (see photo) has been named president of Adam Aircraft, Englewood, Colo. He succeeds Joe Walker, who will continue as a consultant. Koerbel was vice president/general manager of the Global Express and Global 5000 programs at Bombardier Aerospace in Montreal. John Wolf (see photo) has been appointed lead director and board of directors liaison. He is retired chief operating officer of the Fairchild Dornier Corp. and a former senior vice president of McDonnell Douglas.
Spacehab is dropping all litigation against NASA seeking reimbursement for the company's Research Double Module (RDM) that was lost in the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003. Spacehab had sued for $87.7 million for loss of the RDM in one claim and for $79.7 million under the Federal Tort Claims Act, arguing that NASA's negligence in shuttle safety led to destruction of the module. NASA paid $8.2 million on the first claim. In dropping the remaining litigation, the company said on Feb.
XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio will have to overcome intense regulatory scrutiny to complete their proposed $11.4-billion "merger of equals." But even if the companies are able to meet their ambitious goal of closing the deal by the end of 2007, integrating their satellite-based systems could take years longer.
Defense Acquisition University President Frank Anderson says only 9% of our ninth graders go on to attain a technical degree (AW&ST Feb. 5, p. 48). By the age of 13, most individuals have decided to pursue a non-technical field. If our industry is to reverse its loss of technical candidates, we need to start earlier than middle school.
The International Civil Aviation Organization's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) has approved a set of instructions to aid nations planning to incorporate emissions from international aviation into their emissions trading schemes. CAEP's guidance seeks to reduce engine emissions by the use of technology, operational means and market-based measures.
Members of the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space are expected to recommend a set of space-debris mitigation guidelines to the General Assembly in June, following their adoption by a technical panel that included China, whose Jan. 11 anti-satellite weapon test created more debris than any previous event. The General Assembly is likely to adopt the guidelines next fall. "People had expected that they [the Chinese] would try to make changes, and they didn't," says Kenneth Hodgkins, the State Dept. representative to the technical talks.
The FAA's decision to make Deputy Administrator Robert Sturgell the acting head of the Air Traffic Organization, as the agency searches for a successor to hard-to-replace Russell Chew, looks good to some savvy ATC industry executives. Their reasoning: It gives Sturgell a chance to show his leadership capabilities. Recruiting a permanent ATO chief would take a while in the best of circumstances.
Mark Ronald, former president/CEO of Washington-based BAE Systems Inc. and former chief operating officer and director of BAE Systems plc, has become chairman of the company's U.S. board of directors.
Three Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft likely will be cut from the proposed Defense Dept. supplemental budgets for Fiscal 2007-8, says Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii). The aircraft are not emergency procurement items and have no place in the supplementals, he says. The cuts are a product of a line-item scrub by the House Armed Services' air and land forces subcommittee, which Abercrombie chairs. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) says the Pentagon needs to stop using supplementals and include war costs in its baseline budget for Fiscal 2009.
A European mission intended to explore the origins of the Universe with unprecedented accuracy is nearing completion, preparing scientists for a peek into previously unknown regions.
Continued schedule problems are driving partners in the NH90 helicopter program to devise a new production plan. Nevertheless, more delays lie ahead. After more than two years of deadlines pushed back by development, production and certification issues in the NH90 transport and naval helo program, Germany in December finally accepted the first of the rotorcraft. But concerns remain in Germany, the Netherlands, France and other customer countries about late deliveries.
Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) is testing a Block 20 version of the Global Hawk UAV configured to carry an improved radar system. It will be capable of providing coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan with information on stationary vehicles, low-flying aircraft and cruise missiles.
Emirates took another step toward expanding its North American presence and increasing long-haul operations to the Middle East and India. The carrier announced plans to start three weekly nonstop Dubai-Houston services in December to coincide with delivery of new Boeing 777-200LRs. Emirates plans to initiate daily service between the two cities beginning Feb. 1, 2008.
Agam Sinha has become senior vice president of the Mitre Corp., McLean, Va., general manager of its Center for Advanced Aviation System Development and director of the FAA's Federally Funded Research and Development Center. He was a vice president.
SENSIS CORP COMPLETED FOUR ADDITIONAL Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model X (ASDE-X) systems for the FAA in 2006. ASDE-X uses surface movement radar and the reception of transponder signals at antennas on the airport surface to fix the position of aircraft for air traffic controllers. The system improves situational awareness, especially during low visibility. New systems were commissioned at Seattle-Tacoma, Lambert-St. Louis and Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International airports as well as at Bradley International in Windsor Locks, Conn.
I am a commercial airline captain. I am also Vermont's lieutenant governor, and I chair the Aerospace States Assn. With more than 20 years and thousands of hours of flying experience in both commercial and military aircraft, I know I speak for all pilots when I cite the great pride we take in operating our aircraft not just as safely as possible, but also as cleanly, and with the best fuel efficiency as possible.
Arianespace will boost annual production of the Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle to seven from six beginning next year, reflecting an uptick in anticipated business. An agreement signed by CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall and Evert Dudok, president of Ariane prime contractor Astrium Space Transportation, on Feb. 15 includes provisions for an additional mission annually for the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle or other special application.
BOEING DEMONSTRATED THE USE OF AN ELECTRO-optical/infrared targeting pod on a B-1. The Lockheed Martin Sniper XR pod was used to illustrate a B-1 crew's ability to positively identify moving and stationary targets in a variety of conditions. It was mounted on an external pylon below the cockpit. Images and data are displayed at all four crew positions. B-1s recently provided close air support via GBU-38s for international forces in Afghanistan who were under mortar and small arms fire.
European countries are sharpening their focus on communications satellite research and development as they vie with one another to support domestic suppliers and react to rising military and civil R&D expenditures in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Italy's Galileo Avionica is to provide 12 mission systems for Australian maritime surveillance aircraft/helicopters. The company's surveillance information management system will be fitted to 10 Bombardier DHC-8s along with two helicopters for use in Australia's Coastwatch program under the €20-million ($26-million) contract.
Your articles on the aerospace workforce provide more evidence that American CEOs have not given a second thought about creating a stable, competent American engineering workforce. The onetime CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Carleton S. Fiorina, once said no American has a birthright to a job. This, after she outsourced a majority of HP's engineering projects to China and India.
MARKET FOCUS Northrop Grumman wins applause by naming new CFO 10 NEWS BREAKS Israel in new Arrow ballistic missile defense weapon test 18 Safran expects to turn around troubled Defense Security division this year 19 U.S. Navy testing models of its F-35C version in wind tunnel 20 Telecom satellite operator Eutelsat again posts solid growth 20 USAF to test eight Stage 3 booster motors for Minuteman ICBMs 22 WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS
Airlines have long protested Toronto Pearson International Airport's high fees. Now Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which runs the airport, has joined airlines as well as business and community groups in seeking a fair rent deal from the landlord, the Canadian government. The group has launched a public awareness campaign, asking passengers to support the effort by ballot or online. The government, according to GTAA, made an election promise to address the rent issue.
