WITH THIS ISSUE, former pilot astronaut William Readdy joins Aviation Week & Space Technology as editor-at-large and staff test pilot. Readdy (pronounced READ-ee) is a fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, where he was also an instructor. He flew three space shuttle missions, and he later was NASA's associate administrator for spaceflight. Readdy earned a degree in aerospace engineering with honors from the U.S. Naval Academy. He has logged 7,000 hr.
The House Armed Services Committee is enhancing Pentagon efforts against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have caused so many casualties in Iraq, by authorizing more than $200 million for counter-IED technology, including 10 manned surveillance aircraft.
USAF Lt. Gen. Kevin P. Chilton has been nominated for promotion to general and appointment as commander of the Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo. He is commander of the Eighth Air Force, Air Combat Command, Barksdale AFB, La. Chilton will succeed Gen. Lance Lord, who is retiring.
UAL Corp. is consolidating its airport operations and cargo divisions in an ongoing effort to streamline operations and gain cost savings. The new unit will be led by Scott Dolan, former senior vice president for cargo.
Lufthansa Technik is expanding its Platinet fixed-base operation (FBO) network into Russia. LHT recently agreed to supply line maintenance for VIP aircraft at the Vnukovo-3 FBO in Moscow as a first step to bringing the operation into Platinet. A new 7,000-sq.- meter VIP terminal is to open at Vnukovo in June. LHT also said it will double space for Learjet maintenance at the Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services FBO in Berlin. LHT is continuing talks to add Amiri Flight at Abu Dhabi into Platinet.
Alitalia failed to submit its proposal to fly a route between Sardinia and the Italian mainland on time to Italian authorities, leaving Meridiana and Air One as the only service providers. EasyJet and Ryanair requests to service the island have been rejected by Italian regulators, because they did not meet the criteria the government laid out.
The Lufthansa Technik/Rolls-Royce joint venture to overhaul Trent turbofans has begun work on its future home in Arnstadt, with the goal of having the site operational by April 2007. The N3 Engine Overhaul Services venture will feature Germany's largest engine test stand. Production at the location will involve overhaul of Trent 500, 700 and 900 engines. The facility will have a 23,000-sq.-meter (247,480-sq.-ft.) hall and should be able to accommodate 200 powerplants. The test stand can handle engines up to 150,000-lb. thrust.
Buoyed by a strong business jet market and ambitious plans to bolster profit margins, Bombardier Inc.'s stock is trading up nearly 50% since the start of the year, outperforming fellow aircraft builders Boeing Co., EADS NV and Embraer-Empresa Brasil ADR--and just about every other aerospace company.
Michael Mecham (Seattle), Frank Jackman (Washington)
The first major acquisition of the James McNerney era--Aviall Inc.--extends Boeing's service business base by bringing a leading parts distributor and forecaster into the fold at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, which has emerged as the company's earnings leader.
Negotiators for Comair's flight attendants are confident and will be looking for compromise when they meet with company representatives over their contract this week in Washington, says Connie Slayback, president of Teamsters Local 513. She maintains the 917 union members believe a bankruptcy court decision has validated their position. A judge called Comair's bargaining position too rigid and advised the two sides to return to the table.
The NASA-led A-Train constellation, intended to provide the first tridimensional view of the atmosphere, will soon begin receiving complementary data on aerosols and cloud particles, following the launch of two new satellites after a series of long delays.
Pressure is heating up on FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey to send an estimate to Congress on how much it will cost to build the Next Generation Air Transportation System. Two senior Democrats on transportation panels have asked Blakey when Congress will receive a cost estimate for NGATS. The Democrats' letter says the FAA is not providing enough capital funds to begin modernization and is freezing money for new technology.
W. Michael Hayman (see photo) has become president/general manager of the Night Vision Value Center of ITT Industries Inc., White Plains, N.Y. He succeeds Gary Aicher, who is now president of ITT Advanced Water Treatment. Hayman was vice president/director of operations of ITT's Aerospace/Communications Div.
Austria's Jetalliance has purchased an Airbus Corporate Jet. It is the seventh order this year for the Airbus corporate jet line, including one for an A330-200.
The annual Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment at Nellis AFB, Nev., usually provides hints of secret activities the Pentagon thinks will improve its warfighting skills. The just-completed 2006 edition focused on networking, but was also notable for what was not there. The "Suter 1, 2 and 3" series of communications network invasion and exploitation capabilities, initially associated with the EC-130 Compass Call electronic attack aircraft, were absent.
Grob Aerospace is offering the Honeywell Apex avionics systems on the SPn light jet now in development. Additionally, Grob says it is offering both an auxiliary power unit and enhanced vision system as options. Moreover, Grob says flight tests have shown the aircraft is beating its landing distance goal at maximum weight, coming in at 2,670 ft. or 10% better than first thought.
When Rolls-Royce started talking about the Trent engine family concept, it was dismissed by some as little more than a marketing gimmick. Now, about two decades after the engine maker committed to expanding its engine offerings to as many aircraft as possible, it may still be viewed as a gimmick, but apparently a quite effective one. Rolls has gained market share and now has a firm hold on the number two position in the global big-engine business, behind its U.S. rival, General Electric.
BAE Systems is increasing the pressure on EADS over the U.K. manufacturer's plans to unload its 20% shareholding in Airbus. After EADS officials complained BAE wanted too much money, the British defense giant issued a put-option notice to EADS for the sale. The clock now is ticking on a 30-day negotiating process.
There will be no space shuttle external tank cryogenic propellant loading test on Pad 39 at the Kennedy Space Center in early June, NASA has decided. Some managers had argued for a test to assess the performance of tank modifications under cryogenic thermal loads. But others were concerned the test, along with one or more STS-121 launch countdowns, could itself increase chances of foam cracking in flight.
GE Aircraft Engines recently tapped Smiths Aerospace for a $90-million risk- and revenue-sharing contract to supply six major components for nearly 750 engine upgrade kits for the J85 Propulsion Modernization Program on U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon trainers. Work will be carried out at Smiths' facilities in North Carolina and Connecticut, with deliveries expected to continue through 2012.
A Eurofighter Typhoon has completed flutter trials in heavy, air-to-ground weapons loadout. Further tests are planned to assess vibration for the weapons more accurately, and to conduct stores release and jettison trials.
Embraer's year-old very light jet/light jet aircraft programs have been given a firm footing by air taxi startup JetBird's large commitment to the Phenom product line. The deal also boosts the market segment in Europe, where the response to the small jets was expected to be more hesitant than in the U.S.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. completed ground vibration testing of the first pre-production F-35A Joint Strike Fighter on Apr. 30. The tests centered on how the fighter responded to vibratory inputs to the wings, empennage and flaps. Dan Crowley, executive vice president and F-35 program general manager, says the measurements "closely matched our engineering predictions."
EADS Space has handed over the Columbus orbital laboratory, Europe's key contribution to the International Space Station, to the European Space Agency. Merkel attended the handover ceremony at EADS's plant in Bremen, Germany. Germany is Europe's lead ISS contributor, providing 41% of European funds. At the end of May, the 13-metric-ton module will be shipped on an Airbus Beluga transport to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for pre-launch preparations.
Controllers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have started maneuvering the three micro-satellites in the Space Technology 5 (ST5) constellation into its operational "string-of-pearls" formation after finding everything nominal less than a month after they reached orbit. Checkout of the three technology testbeds was originally scheduled to take three months following their Pegasus launch Mar. 22 (AW&ST Mar. 27, p. 28). "We have begun demonstrating all of the New Millen- nium Program technologies," says Art Azarbarzin, the ST5 project manager at Goddard.
