India is considering withdrawing from the Galileo team because of security concerns over the sharing of data. Its concern is that Galileo has insufficient firewalls to protect national data. Concerns have been voiced since the project's onset over access to Galileo's public-regulated service (PRS) because it was unclear how the system would function in an emergency. Since the U.S. has withdrawn from Galileo, Indian officials are concerned whether funding will be assured.
Richard Hallion, a former museum curator and U.S. Air Force historian, has received the 2006 Combs Gates Award from the National Aviation Hall of Fame, Dayton, Ohio. Hallion was recognized for the research he conducted before writing High Enterprise: America and Aerial Competitiveness in the Golden Age of Flight, 1919-1939. The award was established to encourage and support aviation history research and preservation.
The Defense Science Board is focusing on export controls' impact on the space industrial base. A board task force expects to make recommendations to Pentagon acquisition chief Kenneth Krieg this spring. The tea leaves are hard to read so far. Some members say industry complaints show the U.S.'s international licensing is gummed up but don't point to systemic problems. Others aren't so sure and want to probe deeply into how ITAR arms trafficking rules and other regs affect companies deep into the supply chain.
Three investor organizations have acquired 50.5% of Icelandair Group shares from FL Group. Langflug holds 32%; Naust, 11.1%; and Blue-Sky Transport Holding, 7.4%. Glitnir banki HF will underwrite Icelandair's remaining shares for sale to other investors in a public offering, with up to 4% for employees and 4% for airline management. FL Group estimates proceeds from the sale at €410 million ($512 million).
Robert P. Frueholz has been promoted to general manager of the Communications and Networking Div. of the The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif., from principal director of the Communication Systems Subdivision. William C. Krenz has been promoted to general manager of the Computers and Software Div. from principal director of developmental planning. William H. Hiatt has been named general manager of the Electronics and Sensors Div. and Marilee J. Wheaton general manager of the Systems Engineering Division.
Dennis E. Ferguson has been appointed CEO of the Mooney Airplane Co., Kerrville, Tex. He succceeds Gretchen L. Jahn, who has resigned. Ferguson was president of Airshow Inc.
Letters 6 Who's Where 8-10 Industry Outlook 13 Airline Outlook 15 In Orbit 17 News Breaks 18-22 Washington Outlook 23 Contrails 70 In Review 73 Classified ........................................75 Contact Us 76 Aerospace Calendar 77
U.S. Air Combat Command says it has set a new record in Fiscal 2006 for the lowest number of Class A mishaps (ground and flight) and has completed its fifth year without a weapons accident. There were four Class A accidents compared to 12 in Fiscal 2005. It is the lowest rate for 16 years if Tactical Air Command's record is considered. Class A ground accidents dropped to 14 in 2006 from 20 in 2005.
Raytheon has fired the surface-launched Advanced-Range Medium Air-to-Air Missile against a sub-scale target drone, demonstrating the system's command destruct/self-destruct capability. The tests at Sweden's Vidsel test range were managed by Raytheon, the Spanish army and U.S. Air Force.
Deidre E. Cusack has become vice president/general manager of the Measurement and Power Systems Div. of Ametek Aerospace Defense, Paoli, Pa. She has been vice president of the Sensors Fluid Management Systems Div.
The article about using synthetic kerosene on the B-52 (AW&ST Oct. 9, p. 62) seems naive. The numbers for the demonstration plant compute to being more than $400 per barrel more expensive than crude oil, but that's the least of the B-52's problems. The B-52H's TF33 engines, when enter- ing service more than 45 years ago, were among the most efficient in the fleet. Years ago, I suggested the eight engines on the B-52H be replaced by four that have more power, longer range, less fuel consumption and fewer problems with particulate.
An inert model of France's next-generation M51 intercontinental ballistic missile clears the water during breach tests performed recently off Toulon in southern France. The first missile firing, from land, is set for year-end (see p. 56). The M51 will provide a more potent, flexible deterrent to fit the country's evolving nuclear policy. DGA photo.
Raytheon is continuing its work on expanding the capabilities of Active Electronically Scanned Array radars. The company snagged a $9.7-million award from the U.S. Air Force to assess the feasibility of using radars as communications data links. Raytheon has demonstrated the capability in flight, but this assessment will make the effort official. The idea is to transmit synthetic aperture radar and other data--using a modified common data link waveform--in real time. The effort is due to be completed in October 2011.
Air Canada has expanded its multi-trip "Flight Pass" ticketing to include London, its first international destination. Passengers may purchase (from the airline's web site or travel agents) a pass for six one-way trips between Canadian cities and London Heathrow Airport. Ticket prices and trip planning are good for a year. By next summer, Air Canada plans to offer up to 15 daily nonstop flights to London from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and St. John's.
Moscow Domodedovo International Airport handled 11.7 million passengers in January-September--a 9.8% increase compared with the same period in 2005. International routes showed a 7.3% increase to 6.5 million passengers; domestic routes in the first nine months had a 13.1% increase compared with the same 2005 period. Bangkok, Sochi, Rostov-on-Don and Volgograd are among the destinations with the highest traffic growth.
Illinois-based simulator manufacturer Frasca International received an order for two flight-training units from China's Qingdao Jiutian Spartan Flight Academy. The units, to be configured as Cessna 172s, will become part of the training curriculum in early 2007. One will be equipped with Garmin advanced avionics, while the other will have conventional instrumentation.
Ostensibly all options are still being explored, but the most likely outcome is that Britain will remain one of five nations to deploy nuclear ballistic-missile submarines in the strategic deterrent role. The British government and Defense Ministry have been working on options to identify a successor to the Trident II D5 missile and its Vanguard-class boats for at least the past 3-4 years.
The repeal of the Wright Amendment lifts limitations on service from Dallas Love Field, home to Southwest Airlines. Previously, carriers were restricted to fly to certain destinations in surrounding states. With the repeal, Southwest moved quickly, and on Oct. 19 added one-stop connecting flights from Love to 25 new destinations. They include Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Cleveland, Denver and Detroit.
Aviation Week has transferred its electronic magazine, Aviation Week Contrails (AWC), to Shadowlawn Press, which is changing the online publication's name to SkyWriter and plans to relaunch it. Subscribers to AWC should contact Shadowlawn at [email protected] or (310) 306-5664 with any questions.
French armaments agency DGA says it has handed over the second new-generation Syracuse 3 spacecraft for routine in-orbit operations. The unit, Syracuse 3B, built by Alcatel Alenia Space and launched in mid-August, is expected to support Franco-Italian-led operations in Lebanon (AW&ST Aug. 21/28, p. 39). Syracuse 3A is supporting allied forces in Afghanistan.
The National Business Aviation Assn. convention held in Orlando, Fla., last week drew more than 31,000 people and its exhibit space was sold out well in advance of the event. The flood of announcements at the show included:
Now serving a life term in the Fort Leavenworth, Kan., federal slammer is a clown whose path crossed mine some years back. That encounter resulted in my TWA airline confreres giving me a nickname which, to this day, surfaces at retiree gatherings, when the lads want to jerk my incompetence chain. The subject of this yarn is one Zvonko Busic. It began on Sept. 10, 1976, as domestic TWA Flight 355, a Boeing 727, was routinely making its way from New York La Guardia to Chicago O'Hare airports with 86 passengers and a crew of seven on board.
Andrew G. Morch has been appointed Chicago-based regional director/area manager for the Americas for Volga-Dnepr Group subsidiary AirBridge Cargo. He was director of operations for the Americas for KLM Cargo.
Frank Morring, Jr. and Michael Taverna (Valencia, Spain)
Scientific data from Europe's Smart-1 lunar-orbiting technology testbed are still under study, but the operational feedback will help the European Space Agency plan future missions beyond Earth orbit. Chief among those lessons is the utility of solar-electric propulsion (SEP) in moving spacecraft around the Solar System, says Smart-1 project scientist Bernard H. Foing. The Swedish-built spacecraft used SEP to power through the Van Allen belt and on to lunar orbit, and ESA already has baselined SEP technology for its planned Bepi-Colombo Mercury probe.
SES Global has successfully priced a two-tranche €800-million ($1-billion) bond offering--the second time this year it has ventured into the market to refinance drawn bilateral credit facilities issued notably to cover high-cost bonds held by its New Skies Satellites affiliate. The offering, which includes a €300-million three-year floating-rate note and a €500-million fixed-rate note priced at the tight end of price guidance, was oversubscribed 2.6 times, SES said.
