Air cargo gateways continue to grow in the U.S., both in shipments and in facilities, but the many-faceted upheaval in the airline industry has left some small and midsize airports and even the occasional hub with plenty of room on freight pallets.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration plans a pilot program using backscatter X-ray technology at airports later this year. The technology has raised privacy concerns because of the revealing imagery it presents of persons screened. Other problems that have to be worked out, says TSA Administrator Edmund (Kip) Hawley, are the equipment's "fairly large footprint at the checkpoint" and slow rate of speed in scanning travelers.
Airborne electronic attack--including the increasingly sophisticated tasks of jamming as well as psychological and information operations--is in turmoil, with the U.S. Air Force and Navy in a quandary about having aircraft in place to fly these critical missions between now and 2014.
After months of on-and-off-again discussions, Alcatel plans to merge its space and secure communications activities into Thales in what is expected to trigger a new round of aerospace and defense consolidation in Europe.
The Air Force is investigating the crash of a C-5B transport that came down short of the runway at Dover AFB, Del., on Apr. 3, breaking into three pieces without exploding. All 17 people on board survived. "We got our 17 people back safe, that's the primary thing," said Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff, during a seminar here Apr. 4.
FL Group of Iceland has sold its 16.9% stake in EasyJet, barely two years after becoming a shareholder, saying it expected growth in the share price to slow down. The 140-million- euro ($170.8-million) profit will go toward new investments in Northern Europe, including airlines, the company said. Investments in Icelandair, Finnair, Sterling and Maersk Air are not expected to be affected.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin is considering an autumn trip to China, following a renewed invitation from the China National Space Administration. Luo Ge, one of two vice administrators at CNSA, reopened his agency's invitation to the top U.S. civil-space official during an Apr. 3 drop-in on Michael O'Brien, assistant administrator for external relations, and NASA didn't say no. "An invitation has been extended," says Dean Acosta, Griffin's press secretary.
Astrobiologists stung by cuts in NASA's science budget hope to find common cause with well-funded human space explorers as they hunt the heavens for signs of extraterrestrial life. U.S. astronauts are already joining their academic counterparts as they explore extreme environments on Earth for evidence of life's adaptability that can guide exploration on Mars and elsewhere. The astronauts go along for the training, primarily, although some of the sensors and equipment astrobiologists are developing for terrestrial work may find its way into space, too.
Thales has received contracts in China for 11 Doppler-VORs for en-route navigation, 20 distance measuring equipment units for en-route and approach procedures and three instrument landing systems to be installed at airports in 13 cities, including Hong Kong, Linzhi (in Tibet) and Xi'an, as well as the southeast training center for the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The company has provided 100 DMEs, 50 DVORs and 30 ILS systems to China in the past five years.
Exploring all the moons that have a possibility of life would be a better use of funds than trips to the Moon and Mars. The chance to discover life is true exploration and science. The web hits of recent missions are proof positive of public interest. Human missions should be international endeavors due to costs and the relationships they create and maintain. Even a common transport design would allow the International Space Station to earn its name and be used to its utmost.
EADS Space has acquired a 49% stake in the London Satellite Exchange, a clearing house for spot market satellite capacity, in particular for government users. EADS is an important customer of the exchange, notably for France's Astel S milsatcom program (AW&ST Jan. 2, p. 58).
China still lags 15 years behind the U.S. and Russia in space program developments, but could catch up in 10 years with enough funding from the government. Huang Chunping, who leads manned launcher programs, made the assessment to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a major Communist Party planning organization. The fact that his statements were aired publicly by the government-controlled Xinhua news agency may suggest a spending boost is at least under consideration.
Bracketing important markets, Southwest Airlines will begin service at Washington Dulles Airport this fall, announcing the move as AirTran Airways launched service at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y. Southwest asked for two gates at Dulles, which would support about 20 departures per day, and will announce initial routes and prices this summer.
In another deal, Icelandair exercised options for two Boeing 787-8s, adding to the two initial aircraft it ordered last year. The new aircraft, worth a total of $290 million at list prices, are to be delivered in 2012 and will be operated on long-haul routes.
Iran's tactical missile capability continues to benefit from Chinese support, with Tehran revealing during a military exercise last week that it has acquired a radar-guided version of the Chinese C-701 antiship missile.
Infotech provider SITA, which tracks airline baggage information, says the mishandled baggage problem is getting worse on both sides of the Atlantic for a number of reasons, including airport congestion, tight turnaround times and mounting passenger volumes. SITA asserts that the airline industry in 2005 lost about $2.5 billion in efforts to reunite mishandled baggage with the owner. The happy side, according to SITA, is that reunions occur 99% of the time.
Raytheon has completed the first export of the Joint Standoff Missile--to Turkey. The missiles are to be used on F-16s. Turkey is buying both the A-model with the BLU-111 warhead and the C-model that employs the Broach penetrator warhead.
Dan Johnson has been named chairman and Tom Gunnarson president of the Frederick, Md.-based Light Aircraft Manufacturer's Assn. Founder Larry Burke will be chairman emeritus. Johnson operates the Light-Sport Aircraft Marketing Group. Gunnarson chaired the FAA Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee and was a staff member of the U.S. Ultralight Assn. He also was U.S. representative to the Federation Aeronautique Internationale.
Operational and equipment upgrades are looming for the Airbus single-aisle family as the European aircraft maker looks to increase its market share lead over rival Boeing in the narrow-body segment.
John Grisik has been appointed executive vice president-operational excellence and technology for the Goodrich Corp., Charlotte, N.C. He was president of the Electronic Systems segment. Grisik has been succeeded by Jerry Witowski, who was president of the Sensor Systems Div. Brian Gora, who has been president of the Actuation Systems Div., succeeds Witowski.
Based on information provided by Airbus, an item in the Airline Outlook column (AW&ST Apr. 3, p. 14) misstated details about the deployment of a slide used in the Airbus A380 evacuation trials. The slide, manufactured by Goodrich Aircraft Interior Products Div., remained fully inflated throughout the test.
Weather forecasts for the U.K. called for visibility to be down to landing minimums, and no alternate airports would be open. That effectively halted all air traffic across the North Atlantic. All except the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and our Consolidated B-24 Liberator, that is. After all, we were at war.
Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic are discussing the potential policy implications of the FAA's proposed $25,000 civil penalty against British Airways--a fine that threatens to sour relations among civil aviation officials.
Bill Zoeller has been named executive director of the Ottawa-based Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council, effective May 1. He is the retired president of Air Canada Technical Services.
