Your Oct. 2 editorial (p. 74) states: "When an AW&ST pilot flew the A380 recently, the flight validated with certainty one important point about the airplane: It is a technical success." Many in the industry were taught that technical success must include many more facets than a good pilot interface and flying qualities. To state just a few: performance and operating cost as promised, reliability, environmental impact, flexibility, passenger appeal, long life and, most importantly, safety.
General Electric is ready to begin initial work on the CT7-engine program for the AgustaWestland/Lockheed Martin VH-71 Marine One presidential helicopter, now that GE had opened a dedicated engine works at its Lynn, Mass., factory.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has declined protests from MD Helicopters and AgustaWestland, the losing bidders to the Army's award to EADS North America for helicopters. The company has continued work on its EC145-based UH-72As during the protest period, and the first of 322 Light Utility helos will be delivered to the Army next month. Life-cycle cost is estimated at $3 billion.
Israel Military Industries is close to landing initial orders for a ship-launched version of its Delilah air-launched cruise missile, a sign of growing demand for littoral combat weapon systems, according to the company.
The shift in aircraft design toward stealthy, radar-scattering structures is pushing the communications antenna industry to continue advancing designs of conformal antennas, which keep platforms disguised while providing wide coverage. Applications are now being developed and fielded for the Pentagon's Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (Amraam), F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), Navy ships and even ground vehicles used by the Marine Corps.
French defense ministry officials have hinted to their Indian counterparts they would consider making an offer to sell about 20 Dassault Aviation Rafale fighters to provide an inventory bridge as New Delhi considers its larger fighter requirements and Pakistan stands to receive F-16 Block 50s.
Also, the Italian air force has opened its first integrated air traffic control center simulator in Practica di Mare. The facility will be used to qualify military air traffic controllers, as well as to train foreign and civilian controllers under a fee-for-service arrangement. The simulator was built by Selex Sistemi Integrati in cooperation with Vitrociset.
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways says its takeover of regional carrier Dragonair will have an immediate payoff for passengers by reducing connection times. Cathay, which held a minority stake in Dragonair, has taken 100% ownership of it in a deal that also includes cross-shareholding with Beijing-based Air China. Cathay says the two carriers have more closely coordinated their schedules so that with the start of the winter schedule, Oct. 29, passengers will encounter only a 50-min. "minimum connecting time" between flights instead of 1 hr.
Air One has taken delivery of the first of 40 Airbus A320s it has ordered. The aircraft are arranged in a two-class configuration with 159 seats. CFM International is the engine provider, with the CFM56-B6/P engines. Air One intends use Airbus single-aisles to replace its entire 737 fleet, which currently stands at 31 aircraft. The carrier also operates five Bombardier CRJ900s in regional operations. Projected delivery rates for the Air One A320s call for one aircraft to be handed over each month, starting in February.
The Italian government, increasingly concerned about Alitalia's long-term viability, has told carrier management to find partners to help it emerge from its financial morass. Additionally, Rome has approved a revised industrial plan, for 2007-09, prepared by the airline's board, affirming its goal to make Alitalia an efficient network carrier. There's no immediate financial risk to the airline, even at its current red ink status, with available funds expected to keep it solvent for about a year.
Saturn, with its ring system spanning 621,000 mi., is imaged from the NASA Cassini orbiter flying 1.3 million mi. above the planet as it eclipsed the Sun. Earth is visible (arrow) nearly 1 billion mi. away. For scale, the width of the entire Saturn ring system is 2.5 times greater than the distance from Earth to the Moon. A ray of sunlight refracted by Saturn's atmosphere peeks under the 121,000-mi.-dia. planet at bottom left.
Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England conducted yet another high-level meeting late last week to chart a course for the $276-billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The secretaries and chiefs of staff of the Air Force and Navy and the commandant of the Marine Corps were summoned to attend, as were a handful of assistant and undersecretaries of defense. This followed an England session with the Pentagon's Cost Analysis Improvement Group and a special team he assembled to analyze the impacts of congressional cuts for Fiscal 2007.
Robert D. Taylor has been appointed to the board of directors of Frontier Airlines. He is managing director of Blue Capital Management of Los Angeles and a former partner in McKinsey and Co.
Arianespace affiliate Starsem plans to orbit a modified Soyuz 2.1b launcher, equipped with a new Khimavtomatika RD-01124 third-stage engine, on Dec. 21. The launch, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, will orbit France's Corot planet-finding mission.
Airbus will start producing single-aisle aircraft in China in 2009, having completed talks to establish a final assembly site in Tianjin to help satisfy demand in that country for such aircraft. The strength of the market was amplified by a decision from China Aviation Supplies Import and Export Group Corp. (Casgc) to order for 150 A320 family aircraft. China last year already ordered 150 of those aircraft, as well as committed to taking the same number of Boeing 737s. What airlines will operate the new A320s hasn't been decided.
ONE TURBOPROP AIR PILOT AT THE NBAA CONVENTION noted that satellite weather transmissions of returns from U.S. National Weather Service Doppler radars on the ground beamed to the cockpit are so good that he turns the airborne weather radar off at times. Other pilots say they use satellite-delivered weather pictures for strategic flight planning and airborne radar for tactical guidance to avoid thunderstorm cells nearby.
British Royal Navy Adm. (ret.) Sir Alan West has been named to the Defense Advisory Board of QinetiQ. He is a former first sea lord, chief of the Naval Staff and a member of the Defense Council and Admiralty Board.
Brazil has taken delivery of its first EADS CASA C-295. Another three aircraft are to be handed over this year, two more than initially planned. The total order is for 12 aircraft. The C-295s replace Brazilian air force C-115s. The order for transport aircraft also put EADS on contract to modernize eight P-3BR maritime patrol aircraft, through use of the European defense company's Fully Integrated Tactical System.
Cessna's Light Sport Aircraft, with company test pilot Dale Bleakney at the controls, flew for the first time Oct. 13 from McConnell AFB, Wichita, Kan., and landed 30 min. later at the city's Mid-Continent Airport.
AirTran Airways estimates lost bookings resulting from the London terrorism scare cost the carrier $8-12-million in lost revenue and says it countered a 51.8% increase in fuel costs with a fare increase. But the carrier still posted a $4.3-million loss in the third quarter.
In the last few weeks, in the aftermath of Airbus's latest setbacks and EADS's concerns about the A380 mega-transport's tenuous future, European political leaders committed some serious gaffes. They publically aired opinions that interfered with the aircraft manufacturer's corporate governance and revealed meddling of the highest degree by French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel into the Airbus boardroom.
You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only) Nov. 13-15--Aerospace & Defense Programs, Phoenix. PARTNERSHIPS Nov. 29-30--Aeromart 2006, Toulouse. Nov. 14-15--CPI for Aircraft Maintenance, Phoenix. Dec. 5-6--Essentials of PBL Contracting Process, Washington.
Filipe Morais de Almeida has been appointed CEO of TAP Air Portgual subsidiary VEM Maintenance and Engineering. He was chairman/CEO of Bombardier Portugal.
