U.S. low-cost carriers knew that rival network carriers would eventually lower their labor costs to a competitive level, but that day is coming sooner than many expected, forcing LCCs to delve into the contentious world of labor concessions.
Nuclear submarine Ekaterinburg has launched a Sineva ballistic missile, which was converted into a launcher to carry the Compass-2 scientific satellite for Earth observation. The satellite, however, suffered a malfunction of its stabilization system just after being placed in orbit. Initial assessments indicate the payload will have to be scrap- ped. It was intended for ionosphere analysis in forecasting earthquakes.
Diamond Aircraft Industries plans a flight demonstration of its five-passenger D-Jet at EAA Airventure Oshkosh July 24-30. The new entrant in the very light jet market first flew on Apr. 18.
Developing an engine with all the power and flexibility to fly supersonically and then land a stealthy, bomb-carrying fighter vertically is proving to be a tough proposition for all the propulsion companies involved.
The European Space Agency has agreed to provide funding to extend the mission of the venerable Soho solar observatory, allowing it to be used in combination with five new spacecraft due to join the international solar fleet over the next two years. The additional money will extend the operation of Soho, which was launched in 1995, from April 2007 to December 2009. Japan's Solar B is to be launched this year, along with NASA's Stereo twins. ESA's Proba-2 will follow in September 2007 and NASA's Solar Dynamics Orbiter in 2008.
Anita Beier has become senior vice president/controller and Tim Carnahan vice president-financial operations, of Washington-based Intelsat. Beier held the same positions at US Airways. Carnahan was an executive with ShopRite Supermarkets Inc.
Turbomeca is opening a support center in Malaysia and reinforcing an existing facility in Manila, set up in 1998, to be closer to the 110 operators it serves in the Asia-Pacific region. The Malaysia office, to be located in Kuala Lumpur, is scheduled to open mid-year. Turbomeca's Asia-Pacific network includes a support center in Singapore and a field rep office in Macau.
Pilot shortfalls as forecast are an echo of the past. In 1993 the FAA convened a panel of experts to look at the supply of pilots and aviation maintenance technicians into the 21st century. Their conclusion was similar to that of the Fltops.com study--foretelling a shortage of both specialities by 2010.
ESA has downselected six candidate projects for its next Earth Explorer core mission, which is to be launched in the first half of the next decade. The projects concern forest biomass; air pollutants; processes linking trace gases, radiation, chemistry and climate; global photosynethesis; the place of regional carbon dioxide fluxes in the global carbon cycle; and the hydrology of cold regions. The first core mission, the Goce Earth gravity field and ocean circulation experiment, is to be orbited next year.
Russia, which pioneered and then abandoned robotic exploration of the Moon after loss of the Space Race and collapse of the Soviet Union, is starting the development of its first lunar mission in 30 years. The ambitious flight, entering initial design, will include a lunar orbiter that, under the current plan, will also simultaneously deploy 13 probes across diverse regions of the lunar surface.
At its Renton factory south of Seattle, Boeing is assembling the first of its 737-900ERs, which incorporate a flat rear pressure bulkhead, optional fuel tanks and additional emergency exit doors to create a 215-seat long-range competitor to the Airbus A321. The 180-215-seat aircraft is set for an Aug. 8 rollout, followed by a five-month flight test/certification program that begins in September. As with all 737s, the fuselage is manufactured by Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita, Kan., and the CFM56-7B powerplants by CFM International.
Gecas (General Electric Commercial Aviation Services) has ordered cockpit door surveillance systems for India's Go Air A320 aircraft from California-based Global ePoint's Global Airworks division. The U.K.'s First Choice Airways has also placed surveillance system orders for two of its Boeing 767s.
GKN Aerospace has delivered the first of six "hand-layed" ship sets of composite wing spars for the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft. The composite spar sets are being sent to the Airbus U.K. site at Broughton. After the first six sets, GKN will shift to an automated manufacturing process for the remainder of the production run.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. (ret.) Paul Cerjan has been named president of New York-based L-3 Communications' Government Services Inc. He succeeds Joseph Saponaro, who has left the company. Cerjan was vice president/program manager for Logistics Civil Augmentation Program III Middle East/Central Asia.
Pakistan International Airlines took delivery of the first of seven ATR 42-500s. Two more will be delivered by December 2006 and four by May 2007. The aircraft will replace PIA's aging F-27 fleet operating on "socioeconomic" routes. The seven aircraft are valued at around $100 million. This is ATR's first sale in Pakistan.
To submit Aerospace Calendar Listings, Call +1 (212) 904-2421 Fax +1 (212) 904-6068 e-mail: [email protected] June 9-11--EAA Regional Fly-In. Yuba County Airport, Marysville, Va. And, June 24-25--Front Range Airport, Denver. Call +1 (920) 426-4876, fax +1 (920) 426-6761 or see www.eaa.org June 12--Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lean Aerospace Initiatives' Rockwell Collins Presentation. University of Iowa, Cedar Rapids. Call +1 (617) 253-7633, fax +1 (617) 258-7845 or see www.lean.mit.edu
Turkish Airlines and TAP Portugal have agreed to enter a code-sharing arrangement. The plan covers the Lisbon-Istanbul flights that Turkish Airlines operates three times weekly. TAP becomes Turkish Airlines 12th partner and, the airline's management says, the code-share will give its customers access to locations in South America and Africa where TAP is well represented. Meanwhile, TAP also has signed a code-sharing deal with Thai Airways International that becomes effective June 15 (both are Star Alliance members).
Raytheon Aircraft Co. has completed FAA function and reliability testing of the Hawker 4000 business jet. Agency officials are completing requirements for documentation leading to issuance of a type certificate.
The long-simmering concept of automated satellite servicing is stuck short of implementation by questions about technical feasibility, economics and who will risk billions of dollars to make the first step. To move the concept along, the Orbital Express demonstrator, set for launch in October, will try to show that at least the technology is ready to refuel, repair and otherwise service spacecraft.
Kudos to James Ott for his astute analysis of the airline industry in "What If Delta Goes Down" (AW&ST Apr. 17, p. 43). More importantly, he brings up a point that the pilots' union fails to make: The lure of the profession is beginning to dim after draconian wage and benefit cuts and the "rape" of pension plans. Along with a $70,000-100,000 undergraduate education, most pilots spend a further $40,000-50,000 on flight ratings. This does not even begin to cover the sacrifices of low wages endured at flight schools and commuter airlines.
David V. Kalbaugh, recently retired assistant director for programs at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., has been awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service for contributions to national defense. The award notes Kalbaugh's accomplishments while a member of the Naval Studies Board and Defense Science Board Task Forces, and his expertise in cruise missile guidance and control; space and airborne over-the-horizon targeting; and command, control, communications, and intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance.
Innovative and small, Frontier Airlines is like a family group. It has a devoted following among consumers who are looking for something different in their flying experience. And it's fighting to stay alive. The first three months of this year were especially hard. Southwest Airlines entered the Denver market and United Airlines, its traditional rival at the Mile High City, expanded. The competition is tough, and is so on every route. Fares in Denver dropped an estimated 18% compared with the quarter a year ago, and Frontier wasn't quite prepared.
China's dedicated freighter services continue to expand. Great Wall Airlines has started six weekly freighter flights linking Shanghai to Amsterdam. The carrier, a joint venture headed by China Great Wall Industry Corp. that includes Singapore Airlines Cargo and the Singapore government's Temasek Holdings' subsidiary Dahlia Investments, will initially operate with two Boeing 747-400Fs.
Eurocopter has created a wholly owned training subsidiary intended to help meet the broader learning needs generated by glass cockpits and other next-generation rotorcraft systems, and new flight crew training regulations. Baptized Eurocopter Training Services, the affiliate will provide flight and maintenance instruction, multicrew coordination and crew-resource management using remote-web-based teaching resources, along with needs analysis and other consultancy tasks.
