TO MODERNIZE THE U.S. AVIATION SYSTEM, the federal Joint Planning and Development Office is targeting five near-term priorities: Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), System-Wide Information Management (SWIM), trajectory-based flight operations research, required total system performance (RTSP) and weather. It's important to get started on these key issues right away, says JPDO Acting Director Robert Pearce. In the Fiscal 2007 budget request for the FAA, there are two proposed new program starts: $80 million for ADS-B and $24 million for SWIM.
Space shuttle operators will have to meet their 25-year average flight rate to make the 16 flights that will be needed to finish the International Space Station before the fleet is retired in 2010. Given post-Columbia safety constraints, flying at that rate--and making a 17th flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope--will be difficult. But Boeing's shuttle program manager is optimistic it can be done, drawing on the lessons of the 1986 Challenger accident.
Washington is preparing for the possibility that Norway may drop out of the present phase of the Joint Strike Fighter, while Oslo's future choice of fighter is taking on even greater significance for Saab. Oslo will officially announce at the beginning of next month whether it will continue in the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the Joint Strike Fighter. Norway is dissatisfied with its level of industrial participation. One Washington insider, however, is already cautioning that withdrawal is a real prospect, and not merely a bluff.
Engines are generally the first areas designers turn to when they want to reduce fuel burn on an aircraft. But increasingly, researchers are out to prove how the more expansive use of electrical subsystems can make the total aircraft system more efficient.
We may have an accurate figure on how much F-22s cost. Lockheed Martin has a new contract for $143.1 million for a replacement test aircraft. That, of course, does not reflect total program cost, which includes the price of research, development and testing.
EasyJet's pre-tax loss came in at 40 million pounds ($74 million), slightly better than first thought. The low-fare carrier managed to trim non-fuel-related costs by 6.2%, but an almost 50% jump in fuel costs compared with the first six months of the prior year offset those improvements.
Lockheed Martin is being awarded a $901-million advanced acquisition contract for long-lead work and materials associated with Lot 1 low-rate initial production of five conventional takeoff and landing F-35As. Work is to be completed in January 2010. Meanwhile, the company snagged a $52.4-million addition to an earlier award to certify the small-diameter bomb for use with the F-35A.
It may look like clear air ahead for the business aviation community, but industry officials are keeping a close watch on issues such as security and fuel to gauge if they need to worry about unexpected turbulence to come. Marco Tulio Pellegrini, Embraer vice president for market intelligence, says unless there is an "event" that upsets the business climate, he expects "a bright future."
Worldwide passenger traffic in March indicates a stable growth trend, according to Airports Council International. Compared to March 2005, traffic increased 3.8% to 201,573 passengers and, compared to the first quarter last year, increased 4.5% to 551,770. For the 12 months ending Mar. 31, passenger traffic increased 4.9% to 2.3 million and international traffic, 5.7% to 1.1 million. The Middle East region showed "remarkably" strong growth--a 16% increase in total passengers for March and a 12.8% increase in the one-year period.
Ever Barbero of West Virginia University is among the five people who have been named Fellows of the Society by the Covina, Calif.-based Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering. The others are: Larry Drzal of Michigan State University; John Halpin, who is retired from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Dayton, Ohio; Ray Hauser of Hauser Laboratories, Boulder, Colo.; and Keith Kedward of the University of California-Santa Barbara.
Defense officials on both sides of the Atlantic will attempt in the coming weeks to provide key approvals to clear the impasse on Britain's long-running Future Strategic Tanker Transport Aircraft. The British Defense Ministry's Investment Approval Board will consider the 13-billion-pound ($23.9-billion) tanker program at either its early June or July meeting. U.S. officials will, in a similar timeframe, review a draft of the proposed Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) contract to ensure that it meets its concerns over technology release.
Just in time for a May 9 Senate Commerce Committee hearing, the Transportation Dept. tightens up its proposed loosening of rules limiting foreign ownership of U.S. airlines. Jeffrey Shane, undersecretary for policy, still will be surrounded by a hostile group of witnesses, but he will use the changes to try to deflate some of their arguments. He is navigating a challenging course, trying to allay security, competitiveness and job concerns among U.S.
Meanwhile, Lufthansa's Private Jet service, created to feed first- and business-class passengers into Lufthansa airline hubs in Munich and Frankfurt using NetJets' Bravo and Excel fleets, also is planning to move into Russia. It will use Falcon 2000s and Hawker 800s, and plans to operate up to 10 flights a day and add about 25 customers a month. The network expanded into the U.S. last month through an agreement with N.Y.-based charter operator BusinessJet Class.
Lyal H. Bauer of Rockwell Collins Commercial Systems of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is among the four company employees who have been named Rockwell Collins Engineer of the Year. They received the Arthur A. Collins Award, which recognizes engineers and scientists for technical service to the company, their profession and the community at large. Two other honorees are: Roy W. Berquist of the Engineering and Technology Div. and John T. Nielson of Government Systems. James B.
India's first military facility abroad is expected to become operational by the of end of the year in Aini, about 6 mi. northeast of the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe (AW&ST Nov. 24, 2003, p. 17) where a squadron of MiG-29s will be stationed. Three hangars are under construction. The Indian air force is training Tajikistan air force personnel under a 2002 defense cooperation agreement. India is also scheduled to retrofit Tajikistan's Soviet-era fighters.
SAS Group saw first-quarter losses increase to 1.1 billion Swedish kronor ($157 million) from 1 billion kronor the year before. Performance was hampered particularly by weakness at Spanair, because the Easter travel period fell in April, and costs associated with Blue1's expansion.
Italian efforts to develop critical technologies for future reusable or semi-reusable launchers are slated to take a major step forward in the coming weeks with first drop tests of a demonstration vehicle.
The U.S. Air Force has demonstrated flexibility in bringing its new information distribution and connectivity skills to non-warfighting situations, says Lt. Gen. Michael Peterson, the service's chief information officer. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, 10 small UAVs were dispatched to New Orleans to assess damage and locate survivors. However, the FAA did not let the unmanned craft fly in the helicopter-congested area. Instead, USAF operators sawed the wings off the UAVs and taped six of the UAVs to the landing skids of manned helicopters.
Italian engine maker Avio generated a 5% revenues increase last year to 1.28 billion euros, but still ended the year with a net loss of around 110 million euros. Avio is working on reducing its debt, which stands at 595 million euros. Avio's order book has grown 52% to 3.6 billion euros, with a positive cash flow of 135 million euros.
MBDA has conducted a test firing of the vertical launch Mica air-defense missile from a ship. The system adapts the infrared-guided air-to-air Mica for ground- or ship-based applications, serving as an adjunct to longer range air defense systems, including the naval Aster system. The test firing took place at the missile launch test facility (CELM) on France's west coast and used a production-standard Mica. It intercepted a sea-skimming target at a range of 10 km. (6.2 mi.). The missile used a lock-on after-launch engagement scheme.
The music is still playing loudly in the game of alliance musical chairs and is not expected to stop anytime soon as the groups make changes and additions and push to line up partners in China, India and the Middle East.
Brad Beakley has been named vice president-reservations and inventory services and Tom Trenga vice president-revenue management of US Airways. Beak- ley was managing director for revenue management, while Trenga was managing director for revenue management.
