Many in the emerging commercial spaceflight business will be heartened by G. Scott Hubbard's Viewpoint. Space tourism entrepreneurs must feel much more secure now that Hubbard and seven university students have confirmed the validity of their business plans.
I really must take issue with David Maker's plea for keeping hobbyism out of space (AW&ST Nov. 20, p. 7) and side somewhat with G. Scott Hubbard's Viewpoint article. If, in the early 1900s, hobbyists such as the bicycle maker Wright brothers, motorcycle builder Glenn Curtiss and their numerous European counterparts had stayed in the boxes assigned to them by the David Makers of this world, we probably wouldn't have an aviation industry today.
Ashleigh de la Torre has become director of legislative affairs for the Washington-based National Business Aviation Assn. She was director of the Airport Legislative Alliance for Airports Council International-North America.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is reviewing what went wrong during a Dec. 7 test of the Aegis missile defense system at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii. Two targets launched from the USS Lake Erie were to be engaged by two interceptors--a Standard Missile 3 and a Standard Missile 2. After an "incorrect configuration prevented the fire control system . . . from launching" the first interceptor, MDA scrubbed the test.
United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture that combines Boeing's Delta and Lockheed Martin's Atlas rocket programs, officially became a stand-alone enterprise on Dec. 1. The new entity combines Delta and Atlas workforces, including mission management, support, engineering, production, test and launch operations. Annual ULA revenues are projected at $2 billion, and will be evenly split between the two shareholder companies, according to Michael C. Gass, president/CEO of the venture.
The Air Force is clarifying a number of controversial issues in its $200-billion refueling tanker competition that officials hope will keep both Boeing and a Northrop Grumman/EADS team in the running.
USAF Brig. Gen. James P. Hunt has been appointed director of air and space operations for U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany. He has been deputy director of force application for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. Hunt will be succeeded by Brig. Gen. Gregory A. Feest, who has been director of logistics, installations and mission support for the Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Tex.
Turkish Aerospace Industries has been contracted by the defense ministry to start the upgrade of 13 C-130s under the Erciyes Program. The 56-month effort will see TAI upgrade two aircraft at its facilities, with the rest of the work done at an air force maintenance center under TAI leadership. The avionics enhancement includes integrating 17 new systems and upgrading five, according to TAI. Turkey is bringing hardware and software of the central computer in-country, in the hope of reducing long-term maintenance and upgrade costs.
Legislation designed to revitalize the U.S. aerospace industry workforce is on its way to President Bush for consideration. The Aerospace Revitali-zation Task Force Act would establish an interagency panel to develop a national strategy for aerospace recruit- ment and training. The bill addresses the shortage of younger, technically skilled professionals in the industry.
Parker Hannifin Corp. has won a $500-million Airbus contract to provide fuel tank inerting systems for the A400M military transport and for Airbus's commercial transport aircraft. Cleveland-based Parker will provide the core inerting technology subsystem for integration with Liebherr's temperature-control subsystem.
The catastrophic breakdown of China's new Sinosat 2 direct broadcast satellite is the worst spacecraft failure in the history of the Chinese space program and a major setback to China's development of a new generation of larger, more powerful civilian and military satellites. The failure of this largest, most complex spacecraft ever developed by the Chinese--launched by China's most powerful rocket--portends a shakeup in the management of Chinese space system testing and quality control.
Pratt & Whitney and China Eastern Airlines (CEA) signed a joint venture agreement last week in Shanghai to create a CFM56 engine overhaul facility there. CFM56-3, -5B and -7s work will be performed at the facility, which will boast a 10-meter (33-ft.) test cell with capability of up to 75,000 lb. of thrust and state-of-the-art information technology system to provide MRO services to airline customers in China and the Asia-Pacific region, starting in 2008. Construction is expected to begin early next year.
The International Civil Aviation Organization's new Multi-Crew Pilot License program, which will prepare pilots to operate as first officers in as little as 13 months, is prompting the industry to reevaluate aviation maintenance training requirements. No organization has defined an accelerated maintenance license, similar to the competency-based Multi-Crew Pilot License (MPL) program, but industry officials are starting to examine the possibility.
Airbus Military briefed A400M customers late last week on the findings of a report on the program's status. The report was ordered by EADS to ensure the A400M wasn't suffering hidden problems like those bedeviling the A380. The report found that the program indeed is having some development challenges, but with three years to go before the A400M is to be fielded, program officials believe those can be overcome. Moreover, the report notes that the problems are typical for a military aircraft development program.
Joseph C. Anselmo's article on program management did not get to the real reasons for poor program performance, some at the front end and some at the back end: *The imperative to win by underbidding on cost and schedule. *Not knowing the real risks (range of possible outcomes) because of not having enough historical data on past programs. *Not wanting to put the effort into managing the program with work packages small enough to provide quick visibility to unfavorable variations in schedule and cost.
Supporters are calling on Congress to preserve Fiscal 2007 funding for NASA's Centennial Challenges prize program. "Centennial Challenges is currently returning highly leveraged and efficient research, development and engineering benefits to NASA at extremely low costs, and stands ready to accomplish even loftier goals if given additional funding," the Space Frontier Foundation says.
David J. Schramm has become president/CEO of EADS North America Defense Test and Services, Irvine, Calif. He will succeed Gordon Taylor, who is retiring. Schramm was president/CEO of Arrowhead Products, Los Alamitos, Calif.
General Electric Aircraft Engines was awarded a $532.9-million performance-based logistics requirements contract for repair, replacement and support of F414 engines used on the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G. Work is to be completed by the end of 2010.
In February, Environmental Tectonics Corp. will inaugurate a centrifuge-based flight simulation program designed to teach commercial pilots inflight upset recovery procedures.
How much does assigned seating set an airline back? Five minutes in turnaround time but virtually no cash cost if you do it right, according to the experience of Australian budget carrier Jetstar.
MARKET FOCUS Flat business aircraft orders join in Bombardier concerns 10 NEWS BREAKS Wreckage found, USAF F-16 pilot missing after crash in Iraq 18 U.S. military-industry team in large-scale test of UAVs in an urban environment 19 Boeing delivers 100th BBJ; aircraft going to India after interior completion 20 Three BA 767s grounded after traces of radioactive substance found 22 Euro airlines flying through Russian airspace will see costs reduced 22 WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS
A KEY QUESTION FOR THE MAKEOVER of the U.S. national airspace system is how will the Joint Planning and Development Office concept of operations and ideas on how to triple capacity be implemented by the FAA? While it still isn't clear how the JPDO's Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) will be funded or what the execution will be, the FAA says NGATS will be rolled into a revised version of the Operational Evolution Plan (OEP).
France's national space agency CNES and Ifremer, a French supplier of in-situ oceanography data, have agreed to reinforce efforts to develop operational oceanography services.
Andre Wall has been named chief operating officer of Zurich-based Jet Aviation for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America, effective in February. He will succeed Heinz Kohli, who will continue as CEO of the Jet Aviation Group. Wall has been president/CEO of MTU Maintenance in Berlin. Thomas Rimml has been appointed senior vice president/general manager of the Zurich maintenance operation, effective Jan. 1. He will succeed Werner Aerne, who will retire. Rimml was general manager of Jet Aviation Dallas.
Hellenic Aerospace Industry will work with BAE Systems on the further development, sale and production of a long-range maritime surveillance radar. The agreement calls for HAI to lead regional marketing and integrate the technology with command-and-control systems. The market is estimated at €20 million over three years.
