Jim Schlueter (see photo) has been named vice president-communications for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Renton, Wash. He was head of the division's media relations and international and sales communications. Schlueter succeeds Tom Downey, who was promoted to vice president-corporate communications.
Last month's shutdown of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on the Hubble Space Telescope gives instrument managers a chance to reset the operating temperature on the camera's charge-coupled devices (CCDs), something they'd wanted to do for some time to reduce noise in the signal caused by "hot pixels" in the CCD arrays. As expected, controllers were able to restart the ACS by switching to a redundant power supply. The temperature will be reset to -81C from -77C as well.
Spain's second-largest airline, Spanair, has devised a plan to boost market share to 27% from 22%. Moreover, it wants to reach 15 million passengers, from around 10 million. Barcelona is the hub for the expansion strategy, where it hopes to double the number of domestic destinations.
The British Defense Ministry and Raytheon are negotiating changes to the support deal for the Airborne Stand-Off Radar (Astor) program, to shift to an availability-based contract. The Astor program will provide the U.K. with five Sentinel R Mk. 1 aircraft and a 10-year support package. The ministry would like to convert the support element to the now-preferred availability-based approach from a traditional fixed-price arrangement.
Paris airport authority ADP has opened an executive aviation terminal to serve operators at Le Bourget airport. The 4-million-euro ($5.1-million) 3,200-sq.-meter (34,432-sq.-ft.) facility will house Flying Group, a Belgian aircraft management company; Avialair, a Cessna distributor; and an unnamed operator expected to move in shortly. The building is part of a major expansion and modernization plan for Le Bourget, Europe's largest business aviation facility.
International Launch Services has set Aug. 5 for the launch of the 4.9- metric-ton, 64-transponder K u-band spacecraft Hot Bird 8 for Eutelsat from Baikonur. The new satellite will add capacity and redundancy at Eutelsat's 13 deg. E. Long. broadcasting neighborhood and allow an older unit, Hot Bird 3, to be moved to an as-yet undetermined location. The spacecraft arrived at the pad on July 6.
A flurry of budget committee approvals last week, on the eve of the German parliament's summer recess, will permit the armed forces to proceed with several key modernization efforts.
The British Defense Ministry aims to launch a raft of key programs at the Farnborough air show. These include an unmanned combat air vehicle technology demonstrator and a production contract for the Nimrod MRA4. However, an ambition to ink the Hawk 128 production order at the same time could be thwarted.
Algiers has opened a new airport terminal capable of handling 6 million passengers annually. The 82,000-sq.-meter facility was built with design assistance from Aeroportes de Paris, which also seeks to run the facility.
Britain's aerospace sector, with substantial sales and order book growth, is riding the peak of the commercial and defense cycle, and employment is up by 9%. A 2006 industry survey by the Society of British Aerospace Companies, a lobby group, shows a sector that--for the moment at least--is robust. Sales have grown by 25%, up to 22.67 billion pounds ($41.64 billion). It was also a bumper year for orders, up 33% above 2004. Order intake for 2005 rose to 30.7 billion pounds.
General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are hardly alone in benefiting from a 55% inflation-adjusted uptick in U.S. defense spending since President Bush took office. What sets the companies apart from their peers is the manner in which they've put to use each additional dollar of revenue that flows into their coffers.
Northrop Grumman and Boeing have each received study contracts to begin defining the payload for the Air Force's next-generation polar-orbiting satellite communications system. The Enhanced Polar System will provide protected satellite communications for the extreme northern latitudes and fill in gaps with other satcom systems now in development. The initial contracts cover six months of work; Phase II contracts would extend that research.
A major theme in this year's Top-Performing Companies study is that the European aerospace/defense industry is ripe for a major restructuring, and early signs of it are here. Large, traditional European companies are increasingly challenged, while a few smaller, high-performing players are breaking through, capturing and creating value through swift and well-executed business strategies and the exploitation of new sources of competitive advantage.
Thales expects to record its first full-flight simulator sales in India in a decade at the Farnborough air show when Kingfisher Airlines signs a contract for two Airbus A320 and two ATR 72 simulators. Kingfisher also is expected to order an A380 simulator later. Meanwhile, Thales is pursuing a contract to upgrade 52 Indian air force Mirage 2000s to 2000-5 status.
Eumetsat says Europe's first polar orbiting weather satellite, Metop 1, will be ready for launch on July 17 atop a Soyuz Fregat booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch campaign was initiated on June 17, after resolution of an advanced microwave sounder defect.
OHB System of Germany was selected to integrate and launch six replenishment satellites for the Orbcomm position-fixing system. OHB will also provide an initial replacement spacecraft in cooperation with Orbital Sciences Corp., which is responsible for the payload, and Polyot of Russia, which is handling the bus and launch.
The FAA is institutionalizing its security rules on VFR flying over and around Washington in an attempt to reduce the number of pilots that stray into the capital's Area Defense Identification Zone (within 100 naut. mi. of the Washington VOR/DME). There have been more than 1,000 incursions since the ADIZ was established in February 2003, all of which generated military and other responses, including a few evacuations of the White House, the Capitol and other federal buildings. All but one were inadvertent.
Ryanair is adding to its fleet of Boeing 737-800s. The low-fare carrier is buying 10 more aircraft and holds 169 options that could be exercised during 2008-14. The current inventory is 107 of the Boeing single-aisle type, with another 142 on order. The order for the latest batch should be fielded in March, April and June 2008. Ryanair operates an all-737-800 fleet. The latest deal is valued at $700 million, Ryanair says.
Alitalia is discussing the sale of up to 123.5 acres of agricultural land alongside its Fiumicino hub outside of Rome. ADR, the company that runs Fiumicino, has expressed keen interest. Alitalia, which has already sold its headquarters building and put its aircraft up as loan collateral, is searching for funds to stay afloat.
The 17th of July marks the 10th anniversary of the loss of TWA Flight 800. Incredibly, time has not brought full closure--not for the families of victims, not for air travelers, not for industry. A decade later, the FAA is just beginning an evaluation of industry challenges to its proposed rule that FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey once said would "close the book" on fuel tank explosions.
Loftleidir Icelandic, the charter subsidiary of Icelandair Group, has taken a 55% investment interest in the privately held Latvian charter operator, LatCharter Airlines of Riga. An agreement calls for Loftleidir Icelandic to take total control of shares. Sigthor Einarsson, managing director of Loftleidir, says the acquisition strengthens Icelandair Group's position across the Baltic region and Commonwealth of Independent States. The Icelandair subsidiary operates four Boeing 757-200s and two Boeing 767-300s. LatCharter operates two Airbus A320s.
The Embraer 195 jet aircraft has received type certification from Brazil's new airworthiness authority, the National Civil Aviation Agency. The manufacturer expects European Aviation Safety Agency approval to follow soon. This will pave the way for first deliveries of the 108-118-seat aircraft to Flybe. The U.K. low-cost operator ordered 14 Embraer 195s. Other customers include Royal Jordanian and Swiss.
Gregory A. Hann has been appointed vice president/chief financial officer/treasurer of Los Angeles-based Ducommun Inc. He was CFO of Alcoa's Fastening Systems and Mill Products businesses.
The Aerospace Industries Assn. believes U.S. industry sales will exceed its previous forecast by about 10% in 2010, but government spending plans make up more of the current forecast than the old one.
Michael T. Strianese (see photo) has become interim CEO and Robert B. Millard non-executive chairman of New York-based L-3 Communications. Strianese has been chief financial officer and succeeds the late Frank C. Lanza. Millard is a managing director of Lehman Brothers Inc. and head of Lehman Brothers' Global Trading Strategies.
