The first salvo has been fired in the environmental skirmishes leading up to the British government's progress review on its Aviation White Paper, due at the end of 2006. Government policy on reducing carbon dioxide emissions, including from commercial aviation, is being severely criticized by the British Parliament's Select Committee on Environmental Audit. The panel argues in its ninth report, published Aug. 4, that the government must unilaterally move to "constrain its aviation future growth."
Virgin Atlantic plans to add a new in-flight entertainment component, Any Question Answered, this month. AQA is a text message service now available in the U.K. It will allow passengers to enter questions from their seatback television screens, ranging from simply curious ones--such as "Why is the sky blue?"--to information about tourist sights. A text response is promised within minutes. London-based AQA launched its 24-hr. service in 2004 and has a staff of 500 researchers.
One of several very light jets expected to hit the market in the next few years, the Adam Aircraft A700 "AdamJet" is kicking off an intense period of flight testing aimed at securing FAA certification in 2007. Adam's No. 2 A700, a preproduction twin-turbofan, will start stall-speed, runway performance and other initial tests this month. The first fully "conformed" aircraft, No. 3, is scheduled to join the program in October.
A critical ground test in Utah this fall will give engineers a much better idea of how the Ares I launch vehicle will fly. NASA plans to announce as early as Aug. 31 whether Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman/Boeing will build the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) that will replace the shuttle as the primary route to space for U.S. astronauts.
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Adam Aircraft's backlog of 342 A700 orders is unevenly split among owner-operators (66 jets) and fleet sales (276), but deliveries are scheduled so cancellations will have minimal impact on production. "We blend the owner-operator orders with all the air-taxi orders over several years," says Joe Walker, Adam's president.
Stephen Dodd has been promoted to director of corporate finance and information technology from manager of corporate finance and IT division controller for Miami-based Astar Air Cargo.
Eight employees of Swiss air traffic management authority Skyguide have been indicted by a local prosecutor for alleged involvement in the 2002 midair collision of a Bashkirian Airlines Tu-154 and a DHL Boeing 757 cargo aircraft near Ueberlingen, Germany, in which 71 people died. The lone controller in the tower had instructed the Tu-154 pilot to descend in order to avoid a collision, although the collision avoidance equipment called for a pull-up.
Midwest Airlines in the coming months will make several significant fleet decisions that will guide the carrier through a planned network and schedule expansion. This marks a significant turnaround for the airline, which barely averted bankruptcy three years ago.
Japan Airlines (JAL) is facing an uphill battle to regain confidence of consumers and investors, as Asia's largest airline struggles to return to profitability this year.
John Junkins, a professor of aerospace engineering at Texas A&M University, has been selected to receive the 2006 Aerospace Guidance Navigation and Control Award from the Reston, Va.-based American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has been cited for contributions to aerospace guidance, navigation and control, and leadership in the aerospace community.
It's funny that George W. Hamlin, in his Viewpoint "Hold the Red Herrings" (AW&ST July 24, p. 82) that advocates open skies between the European Union and U.S., speaks at length about the advantages of a treaty to the Europeans but omits the consequences to the Americans.
The Adam Aircraft A700 composite-material twinjet is into its FAA-certification flight test program (see p. 41). The company's first A700 has been to 41,000 ft. and 340 KTAS, checking high-altitude operation of its Williams FJ-33 engines. Because A700 No. 1 is not in production configuration, it has been retired from testing. Climb, high-altitude performance and handling qualities evaluations will be completed after aircraft No. 3 starts flying in October.
USMC Col. (ret.) Roy R. Byrd has become vice president-Marine Corps relations for the New York-based EDO Corp. He was director of the USMC Security Cooperation Education and Training Center at Quantico, Va.
One need look no further than the recent financial results of SES Global SA to find evidence that the clouds are starting to lift in the satellite services business. Net profit for the first six months of 2006 was up 29% from a year earlier, to 216 million euros ($276 million) on a 17% gain in revenues. A glut in global satellite capacity is easing, and big acquisitions by SES and rival Intelsat Ltd. have brought a much-needed consolidation to the industry.
Indra is getting ready to put into operation air traffic management equipment for Morocco's Agadir airfield, giving it ADS-B capability. The country's airports authority awarded the contract in 2003. The control center at Casablanca also will be upgraded by year's end. Indra will be in charge of establishing ADS-B at Casablanca, expanding coverage from the coastal region to the entire country, according to the Spanish aerospace electronics manufacturer.
Slowly but surely, turboprop-maker ATR continues to build its order book. The latest agreement is with Precision Air Services of Tanzania. The $97-million deal includes three ATR 42-500s and three ATR 72-500s. The aircraft are expected to be delivered in the 2008-10 period. The carrier already operates four older ATR 42s and two ATR 72s. The new aircraft will replace some of the current fleet and be used for route expansion.
Terry Rolfe has become a principal in New York-based Integro's aviation practice and Edward Nicholls managing principal and aviation insurance/risk management practice leader. Rolfe was senior vice president/head of the general aviation practice at Marsh Inc., while Nicholls was executive vice president of the Aon Corp.
Taking a page from high-tempo U.S. operations since 2001, the Israel Air Force has introduced a new generation of higher-resolution sensors and network-centric operations to tightly integrate data from its fighters. A fleet of unmanned aircraft, including the newly operational longer-range Heron/Eagle I, is also on the scene. An even longer-endurance UAV, the Eitan from Israel Aircraft Industries' Malat division, made its first flight, but is not participating in the conflict.
Don McCreesh and Paul Jaggard have been appointed to Rand's board of directors. McCreesh is a corporate director/president of The Garnet Group and was senior vice president-human resources for Celestica. Jaggard is president of Vincero Capital Management.
To submit Aerospace Calendar Listings, Call +1 (212) 904-2421 Fax +1 (212) 904-6068 e-mail: [email protected] Aug. 29-31--SAE's General Aviation Technology Conference & Exhibition. Wichita (Kan.) Hyatt. Call +1 (724) 776-4841, fax +1 (724) 776-0790 or see www.aerospace.sae.org Aug. 29-31--AUVSI's Unmanned Systems North America 2006. Orlando, Fla. Call +1 (703) 845-9671 or see www.auvsi.org
Israeli defense and aerospace suppliers are weathering the fighting between the country's military and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, so far. But more upheavals in schedules could emerge once combat operations wind down and the country reassesses its defense priorities.
Finmeccanica is deciding whether to cut its stake in Italy's Avio engine and space company as part of the majority ownership transfer to private equity firm Cinven from the U.S. Carlyle Group.
There is a gap between cargo and passenger aircraft when it comes to security--an area where cargo pilots continue to fight for regulations mandating hardened cockpit doors, secondary barriers in the cockpit, crew training and improved cargo-handling procedures.
Isaac Yeffet, former director of global security at El Al Israel Airlines, has been named to the business advisory board of HiEnergy Technologies Inc. Irvine, Calif.
