After being told not to expect any guarantees of outsourcing, India may shelve its plans for a $100-million, 10% equity stake in the Russian Regional Jet project.
The Air Transport Assn. (ATA) says U.S. carriers' record cargo and passenger traffic in 2005 emphasizes the need for an overhaul of the nation's air traffic control system. Transportation Dept. data shows that in 2005, U.S. airlines operated 11.5 million departures and carried 738.6 million passengers and 28 billion cargo revenue ton miles.
Chinese combat aircraft manufacturer Chengdu has flown the first prototype of its FC-1 light fighter that incorporates aerodynamic changes intended to improve its overall performance. This fourth prototype of the fighter includes redesigned, and enlarged, air intakes, as well as leading edge root extensions. The maiden flight took place in late April. The FC-1 is being developed with Pakistan, which has ordered an initial batch of 16 aircraft. Pakistan may order more than 100. The extent of Chinese air force interest in the aircraft is not yet clear.
British Airways' initiative to slash short-haul fares clearly indicates that the European airline industry is heading into a heavy turbulence zone. Legacy carriers can't evolve overnight into low-cost, low-fare players, especially with fuel prices at an unprecedented high.
Netjets Europe will take delivery of 30 aircraft in 2006, 13 of which will be Hawker 800XPs. It also is fielding four Hawker 400XPs, five Citation Excels, two Gulfstream 550s and Falcon 2000Ecs, and one Falcon 900EX and Beechcraft 1900D. The company expects to make an operating profit this year.
Joanne M. Maguire has been appointed executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif. She has been deputy to G. Thomas Marsh and will succeed him when he retires July 1.
Airbus has scheduled for May 18 the first visit of the A380 to London Heathrow, which is slated to be the first European airport to handle the mega-transport. The A380 will undergo gate and other compatibility checks like those carried out at Frankfurt and several Asian airports, and planned for New York JFK. At Heathrow, the aircraft will park at Terminal 3's new Pier 6, which has stands for up to four A380s.
Serious organizational issues within the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), compounded by the dismissive attitude of Congress, suggest that a new aviation agency for aerial firefighting may be the only answer. This agency should be created from the current USFS divisions or branches, and staffed by quality people. Since NASA apparently intends to close the Dryden Flight Research Center, its talented workforce could become the new agency's engineering authority and aviation research arm.
Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (SALE) has added 10 737s, valued at $675 million, to the 20 aircraft it purchased last May. The new order includes 10 options and 10 purchase rights. SALE's first 737s are to begin arriving in 2009.
China's 6,000-lb. Remote Sensing Satellite-1 is undergoing checkout in a 375-mi. near-polar orbit following launch on board a Long March 4B Apr. 26 from the Taiyuan launch center. The spacecraft will be used for land and agricultural surveys. It is one of 18 Earth remote-sensing satellites China plans to launch over the next 10 years.
The Defense Dept. is tackling "lean" again in a drive to improve the life-cycle readiness and costs of its weapon systems, but this time its vow is to keep its focus on the "customer"--the war fighter.
Lockheed Martin's board of directors discussed the company's planned United Launch Alliance (ULA) with Boeing during a meeting Apr. 27, but did not decide to pull out of the deal because of laggard government approval. "We expect further discussions with the customer about the approval process as we attempt to bring ULA to closure," the company said in connection with the pending arrangement, which would see its Atlas V and Boeing's Delta IV produced in the same Decatur, Ala., factory.
The European Aviation Safety Agency has given A330-200s and -300s powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 772C engines approval for 180-min. ETOPS. Air China will take the first aircraft fitted with the engine type this month. The 772C features design changes for increased takeoff and maximum continuous thrust for better performance in high-altitude/hot-day conditions.
NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center has decided to return its Boeing B-52H drop aircraft to the USAF Air Combat Command, without it ever having been used to make an operational drop. The decision was made in February without being publicly announced. Dryden received the B-52H in 2002-03 after a roughly $10-million modification, replacing its venerable B-52B, which had become increasingly hard to maintain (AW&ST Aug. 20, 2001, p. 70). The B-52H was to first drop the X-37 reusable launch vehicle demonstrator, but that task was last fulfilled on Apr.
Midwest Airlines is in talks with Airbus and Boeing about buying A320s or 737s to replace its fleet of MD-80s and may make a decision later this year, CEO Tim Hoeksema reports. The airline has 12 MD-80s in service and wants to replace them and add a few more aircraft for growth. Hoeksema says new aircraft will be more fuel-efficient with longer ranges.
FAA certification and initial deliveries of Raytheon Aircraft Co.'s Hawker 4000 super-mid-size business jet are anticipated later this year, as the company begins deliveries of the Hawker 850XP and boosts production of the Premier IA to meet demand.
Globalstar has closed a deal for $400 million to finance the launch of eight spare spacecraft for its existing low Earth orbit mobile satellite constellation, upgrade of the ground system and development of a next-generation hybrid terrestrial/satellite network.
When Boeing CFO James Bell announced first-quarter earnings a year ago, he was cautiously optimistic that the company's floundering commercial aircraft business was finally on the mend. "The recovery is taking place and it's gradual," he said.
It isn't just retired generals taking potshots at civilian leadership these days. Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, is very unhappy about rumblings in the GOP wonkery that new budget reductions for the service might mollify taxpayers worried about Bush administration deficits. While he doesn't agree with his former colleagues' complaints about the way Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has conducted the Iraq war, Schoomaker says he's "not just accepting the fact that there will be a $25-billion cut" in Army spending.
Philip Saunders has been named vice president-sales, marketing and loyalty for the Frankfurt-based Star Alliance. He was executive vice president-commercial of SN Brussels Airlines.
Aviation Week & Space Technology remembers pilot's pilot A. Scott Crossfield as an engineer, pioneer and icon, in a tribute on p. 62. Among the late Crossfield's aeronautical feats were breaking the Mach 2 barrier while flying the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket in 1953, and piloting the space-capable North American Aviation X-15 to Mach 2.97 on Nov. 15, 1960. He stands in his flight suit with the X-15 in the background in this AW&ST file photo. See related story on p. 21.
Socata officials are aiming to achieve above 15% growth in revenue for the second year in a row and, in a related activity, are planning to aggressively boost output for their latest product, the TBM 850 turboprop.
Remy Maitam (see photo) has been named vice president-customer services for Messier-Dowty, Velizy, France. He succeeds Daniel Gruaz, who has retired. Maitam was vice president-sales and marketing for aftermarket services.
