A top Chinese space official has reaffirmed China's plan to launch a 20-ton space station following additional Shenzhou Soyuz-type manned test flights. The deputy designer of the Long March 2F booster program, Song Zhengyu, tells the official government newspaper, People's Daily, that the station is China's next major manned space development. A space station has led Chinese space planning for several years (AW&ST Nov. 12, 2001, p. 56).
Greg Thomas has been appointed director of supply chain services for the Tulsa, Okla.-based Nordam Group. He was vice president-supply chain at Garrett Aviation Services.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. might never win a sprint, but then again developing a combat aircraft is a distance race. Project definition for HAL's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) began in the second quarter of 1987; almost 20 years later, the aircraft has yet to enter service. As an exercise in technology development, however, the program has been valuable, even if the learning curve has been dauntingly acute at times.
Taiwan-based Mandarin Airlines has signed a contract with GE Commercial Aviation Services (Gecas) to lease five new Embraer 190 and 195 jet aircraft now in Gecas's backlog. Both types will be configured for single-class service with 31-in.-pitch seats. The three Embraer 190s will have 104 seats and the two Embraer 195s, 116 seats. Aircraft deliveries are scheduled to begin in second quarter 2007. Mandarin's Embraers replace the Fokker 100s and 50s in use on domestic routes and will be used to develop short-haul markets in Asia.
Engine manufacturers face a conundrum: how to cut emissions when decreasing one main pollutant encourages the creation of another in the atmosphere. The two main gases at the heart of environmental concerns are carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides (NOx)--both contribute, directly or indirectly, to global warming. In the case of the latter, its impact on atmospheric chemistry is more complex.
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise has appointed Bob Johnson, former chief executive of Honeywell Aerospace, to run the new company, which was set up in February to manage phased development of an integrated aerospace cluster near Dubai.
Time is money is perhaps never more true than in the MRO realm, where turnaround time is golden. So it is no surprise that TriskAero, a British paint-curing company, says it's seeing its aerospace customer list grow, along with its bottom line, thanks to its speedy infrared technology paint cure.
I was shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of AW&ST Senior Engineering Editor Michael A. Dornheim on June 3. Mike was one of the main reasons I eagerly awaited every issue. He had a special talent for putting complex topics into simple terms that everyone would understand. I enjoyed his technical writings immensely. Thank you for the tribute to his many accomplishments. Even though he is irreplaceable, I hope you will continue his tradition of excellent engineering reporting.
It didn't take Norman Mineta long to find a new job. On July 24, after two weeks off, Mineta will become vice chairman of prominent communications consultancy Hill & Knowlton, operating in Washington. When he left office as Transportation secretary, Mineta explained the FAA's failure to propose a new, fee-based plan for raising Aviation Trust Fund revenues after Sept. 30, 2007, when current taxes and fees expire. It seems there is a considerable difference of opinion among the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Transportation Dept.
For a treaty designed to ease aircraft financing and offer ownership protection of an asset, particularly in developing countries, the Cape Town Treaty has had unintended consequences for some involved in buying and selling U.S. private and corporate aircraft.
Reader Timothy Nichols might want to take a closer look at a couple of issues in his letter on very light jets (AW&ST July 3, p. 6). With VLJs, the cost of dedicated transportation for one or two passengers from a lightly trafficked airport is likely to price most travelers out of the market, just as it does with small aircraft whose acquisition and pilot training costs are much lower.
Former four-term Texas Democratic Rep. Nick Lampson says he's confident he'll return to Congress in the fall, regardless of whether former Rep. Tom (The Hammer) DeLay succeeds in getting off the November ballot. A U.S. District Court has ruled DeLay is the Republican candidate, even though he has resigned from Congress to face state money-laundering charges. A decision on DeLay's appeal is expected in 2-3 weeks, and Lampson says the issue might be presented to, if not accepted by, the Supreme Court.
Russian aviation safety officials are starting to analyze data from last week's fatal accident involving an S7 Airlines Airbus A310-300, which marked Russia's third fatal air accident this year. The latest incident occurred July 9 when Flight 778 from Moscow Domodedovo Airport to the Siberian industrial center of Irkutsk landed at 7:44 a.m. local time on a wet runway. The aircraft failed to slow down, overran the runway and struck a one-story concrete building. At least 125 of the eight crew and 195 passengers on board died in the crash and ensuing fire.
OHB System has won a 3-million-euro follow-on contract to further develop D-Werdas aircraft-to-ground data links for high-resolution reconnaissance applications. The award will cover testing and flight trials.
The U.S. Homeland Security Dept. wants to require airlines operating U.S.-bound flights to send passenger information to U.S. Customs and Border Protection before an aircraft leaves the ground, rather than the current practice of shortly after takeoff. The aim of the proposed rule is to enhance security but also cut back on the number of flights that have been diverted in recent years because a potential security risk has popped up on government watch lists after aircraft have departed.
Douglas Barrie (London), Michael A. Taverna (Paris)
If the turn of the century brought with it lofty ambitions to redraft the Anglo-American defense industrial framework, then the following years exposed an inability to craft a deal. When the then-U.S. and British defense secretaries inked the Declaration of Principles in February 2000, it was heralded as the vehicle through which the two countries would drive closer collaboration. President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair reaffirmed the aim in February 2001, intended to target "the removal of unnecessary governmental barriers."
Three crewmembers were killed and four injured when a Canadian AgustaWestland CH-149 helicopter crashed during a night search-and-rescue training mission. The cause of the crash has not yet been identified.
Boeing is delaying a decision on whether to close the C-17 production line in Long Beach, Calif., until next month after earlier saying it would consider closing the facility after a June sales push. "We are reaching a critical juncture that we've warned about for some time," a company official says. "We need to make some decisions by the end of August."
July 24-30--EAA AirVenture 2006. Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wis. Call +1 (920) 426-4800 or see www.airventure.org/2006 July 25-26--Precision Strike PEO Forum: "Integrated Joint Battlespace Management--Creating Desired Effects on the Battlefield." Marriott San Diego Hotel & Marina. Call +1 (703) 247-2590, fax +1 (703) 522-1885 or see www.precisionstrike.org
Kelly Chopus has been appointed director of community relations for the Goodrich Corp., Charlotte, N.C. She was vice president-business operations for the women's professional basketball team Charlotte Sting. Chopus succeeds Natalie English, who has returned to the Charlotte Chamber as senior vice president-public policy.
Prof. Eugene N. Parker, the world's leading expert on interplanetary gas and magnetic fields, has laid out his research on cosmic rays and the effects on astronauts in the March 2006 issue of Scientific American, in "Shielding Space Travelers."
South African Airways, building on a strong outlook for business growth at home and in West Africa, has added a second daily nonstop flight from the U.S. to Dakar, Senegal. The daily service from New York JFK International Airport and the new flight schedule from Washington Dulles International Airport each offer continuing service to SAA's Johannesburg hub. SAA's Dulles-Dakar service connects with the U.S. domestic network of United Airlines, a code-sharing partner. SAA operates Airbus A340-600s on the Washington route, with economy-class seats at 34-in. pitch.
Terry Allard (see photo) has been appointed head of the human factors research and engineering program at the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center near Atlantic City, N.J. He was associate director for human system research and technology in NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.
Bonnie S. Reitz has been named to the board of directors of ExpressJet Holdings. She is founder of consulting company Inside Out-Culture to Customer, and was senior vice president-sales and distribution for Continental Airlines.
Market Focus 31 Some airline stocks may have peaked, but growth remains for others News Breaks 38 Boeing delays decision on continuing C-17 production 40 Boeing takes Henry Ford approach on 787 nacelle colors 42 Island lifted onto U.S.'s newest aircraft carrier 44 New plan establishes French defense spending goals 44 Wisconsin court upholds tax exemptions for state-based airlines World News & Analysis
