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.
On the face of it, the European Commission's regulatory review of Ryanair's attempt to acquire Aer Lingus ought to be relatively straightforward. Led at the turn of the new century by then-Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio, the EC has embraced airline consolidation as inevitable and, perhaps, economically positive. Ryanair says its service and Aer Lingus's overlap on 17 direct routes, not a large number.
High-resolution radar returns from the Moon's poles strongly suggest that future lunar explorers won't be able to mine deep craters there for water ice to convert into oxygen and rocket fuel. The finding by U.S. and Australian researchers, if true, could have a dramatic impact on the lunar-surface infrastructure NASA is developing.
French defense exports for the year are likely to top the €4.11 billion achieved in 2005, with roughly €4 billion in orders already in hand, according to the defense ministry. It's the second year of growth after exports fell in 2003 to €3.4 billion Helicopter activities, such as NH90 orders and the U.S. Army decision to buy Eurocopter EC145s, dominate so far this year.
A coalition of airlines, companies, government agencies and aviation alphabet groups interested in alternative fuels are agreed on a name: the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI). Nearly 80 delegates attended sessions Oct. 23-24 in Atlanta sponsored by the FAA and Georgia Tech. They received updates of reports from the initial meeting last May and authorized a steering committee to begin the task of mapping out goals.
Virgin Atlantic Airways is deferring delivery of the Airbus A380 for the second time, but isn't canceling any part of its six-aircraft order. The airline has opted to push the handover date back to 2013, rather than taking the first aircraft in late 2009. Virgin says it can bridge the period by extending use of its Boeing 747-400s. Virgin expects that by the time it fields the A380, teething problems will have been resolved.
The first strike in Learjet's history ended last week when union workers approved a revised contract offer by parent company Bombardier. About 1,100 production and assembly workers in Wichita, Kan., walked off the job Oct. 2 after rejecting an offer for a 10% pay raise over three years. The new contract provides an 11% raise over three years, a $1,500 one-time bonus and higher pension and insurance contributions by Bombardier.
Liberalization of anachronistic airline-ownership rules would benefit both carriers and consumers, claims a British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) discussion paper. While there has been progress in removing "arcane controls over market access . . . strict nationality-based controls on . . . ownership" continue to hamper development. The CAA argues that additional liberalization, accompanied by sensible prerequisites . . .
ONE ECLIPSE CUSTOMER, DAYJET CORP. OF DELRAY BEACH, FLA., is hiring captains for its operation expected to start up in Florida early next year. Bill Thomas, manager of flight standards, says the company plans to hire pilots with a minimum of 3,000 hr. (including 500 hr. in jets). Some of the captains being hired even have airline experience and have either retired early from financially troubled carriers or have passed the age of 60 and still want to fly. DayJet is gearing up under the leadership of airline pros such as Don Osmundson, vice president of flight operations.
Radar will begin making its transformation by year-end from the large, heavy device inside aircraft to large, thin arrays that become part of the wings of long-endurance unmanned vehicles or the skin of a high-altitude airship. Within a few more years, radar will be available in shapes that fit one-dimensional curves like reconnaissance pods or the fuselages of large, manned reconnaissance platforms. These include the E-10 surveillance aircraft, E-3 AWACS and RC-135 Rivet Joint (signals intelligence) follow-on designs.
MTU Aero Engines has upped its earnings guidance for 2006. The company now expects an operating profit of €310 million ($391 million), about €20 million more than projected and 33% better than last year. Revenue for the year is estimated at €2.35 billion, up 9% over 2005. Through the first three quarters, revenue stands at €1.75 billion.
Democrats' plans to make the war in Iraq their top priority in the next session of Congress could take the heat off some troubled defense programs--especially if the party regains control of the U.S. House or Senate. Ironically, if Republicans stay in power, military aircraft procurement and the Army's Future Combat System could come under greater scrutiny in oversight hearings that would divert attention from the war.
A SITA study of information technology trends predicts 2007-08 will be the period in which radio-frequency identification begins to make an impact in airline operations. By then, around 40% of airlines expect to use it for baggage tags. Because RFID tags have a higher incidence of accurate machine reads than bar-coded ones, they are expected to help reduce the number of misplaced bags, although there is widespread industry skepticism.
European researchers are increasingly confident they will be able to produce curved radar antennas that will give fighter aircraft better situational awareness and deliver crucial survivability enhancements. One of the most promising applications is giving fighter pilots the ability to see all around them by fusing data collected by radar apertures spread around the aircraft. It would allow pilots to see threats earlier and also guide missiles to targets behind them.
NASA is mounting an alternate effort to develop thermal protection system (TPS) materials to protect the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle during a return from lunar orbit, after having disappointing results from the primary development program. The agency said it will procure alternate TPS materials and enclosing structures for the high-speed lunar-return reentry. A draft RPF is due out Nov. 1, with the final expected Nov. 13.
Bob Jordan has become executive vice president-strategy, procurement and technology; Ron Ricks executive vice president-law, airports and public affairs; and Lori Rainwater vice president-internal audit for Southwest Airlines. Jan Marshall has been promoted to vice president-technology/chief information officer from chief development officer and Kerry Schwab to vice president/chief technology officer from director of application architecture.
