CIRRUS DESIGN CORP. DELIVERED 600 NEW AIRPLANES in 2005--a 9.2% increase compared with 2004--and received orders for 701 aircraft. By comparison, rival Cessna Aircraft Co. delivered 822 single-engine, piston-powered airplanes. Cirrus has delivered 2,000 airplanes since beginning operations six years ago. The Duluth, Minn.-based manufacturer attributes the strong growth to a combination of domestic sales and an increased presence internationally.
John Smith has been named senior vice president-human resources and administration of EnPro Industries, Charlotte, N.C. He succeeds Dick Driscoll, who will be retiring on May 1. Smith has been senior vice president-human resources at Integris Metals.
Boeing is finding that rather than choose a more spacious eight-abreast seating option in economy, most of its 787 customers are opting for nine-abreast. That means coach passengers will have about the same seat comfort as on a 747.
The Pentagon's nonlethal heat beam is set to undergo a new round of testing this month to assess its effectiveness over water, potentially expanding the technology's use in fending off threatening boats from ports or ships.
Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, Tenn., is using its 16-ft. transonic wind tunnel to demonstrate data analysis tools and the center's ability to adapt propulsion test technologies for use in wind tunnels. A series of aerodynamic evaluations was recently conducted to analyze high-speed inlet data for the Lockheed Martin F-35 in near-real time, says Donald J. Malloy, the Aerospace Testing Alliance's project manager at Edwards AFB, Calif.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has notched up her support for a German contribution to a European Union peacekeeping mission in the Congo. In contrast to cautious backing last December, Merkel last week strongly urged the Bundestag to approve the mission when it comes up for a vote in May. Berlin is expected to take operational command of the 1,500-man force, which is to be dispatched to monitor elections in June.
Travel industry executives are unhappy with a blacklist of unsafe carriers issued by the European Commission, and want the emphasis to shift from control of the airlines to the governments that regulate them.
Bell Helicopter Textron has begun construction of an Army Programs Center in Fort Worth. The 206,000-sq.-ft. facility will consolidate the company's personnel responsible for support of Bell helicopters in the U.S. Army's aviation programs. In addition, the building will house upgrade and assembly work for the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior as well as completion of the new ARH-70A helicopter.
A new FAA airworthiness directive will order operators of certain Airbus A300-series aircraft to examine rudders, this time for signs of "disbonding" or separation of composite layers. The agency was preparing to publish its directive last week, ordering examinations of A300-600 and A310 rudders, and their repair or replacement if necessary.
United is getting its first competition from a U.S. rival on the Chicago-Shanghai route with the start of service by American Airlines. As are other U.S. carriers, American is pushing international services. International routes are expected to account for 40% of its capacity this year, up from 29% in 2003.
Cessna Aircraft Co.'s entry-level Mustang very light jet is closing in on the goal of obtaining FAA certification late this year, including single-pilot IFR approval. Two flight-test airplanes have accumulated about 800 hr. since flights began in April 2005. A third Mustang is scheduled to join the certification fleet this summer, says Russ Meyer, 3rd, program manager. Wing mate for that airplane will occur this month at Cessna's Mustang production facility at Independence, Kan. FAA pilots began flying the aircraft in January, according to Meyer.
The Office of Naval Research and Northrop Grumman joined forces to demonstrate that communications ranges can be extended by using the RQ-8A Fire Scout helicopter-based UAV as a relay node. The test at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., was the Fire Scout's 200th flight. The Beyond Line-of-Sight Tactical UAV Communications Relay demonstrated that battlefield commanders can share uninterrupted voice, data and real-time video with ground troops on the move.
The Air Force is looking to cut 30 general-officer billets, including "some" three-stars, according to top Air Force officials. Wynne says the reorganization would focus generals around warfighting headquarters, to support combatant commanders, and away from administrative work. The move, spearheaded by Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, is part of an Air Force personnel reduction targeting roughly 40,000 full-time equivalents by Fiscal 2011. The leadership changes would have an effect throughout the service, not just at the ground level.
Beverly Carmichael has been appointed vice president-staffing and organizational development for Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She was vice president-people of Southwest Airlines.
U.S. Central Command says that Boeing's Combat Survivor Evader Locator communications systems has been authorized for use by forces operating in Iraq. The move follows the completion of testing for the system, which allows rescue teams to quickly and securely locate and recover isolated personnel, using GPS location and assured communications, sometimes within minutes. The capabilities are made possible by a system of 14 fixed and six portable joint search-and-rescue centers around the globe. The military has received more than 6,000 of the radios.
While Southwest executives have won well-deserved praise for the company's fuel-hedging policy that has saved millions of dollars, they have used other strategies to keep costs in line that attract much less notice.
A broken leg, other injuries, and a deflating emergency slide marred the much ballyhooed Airbus A380 evacuation drill, but the 871 persons involved did get off the airplane before the 90-sec. target expired. The evacuation drill is part of the A380 certification process. The aircraft was fitted in a high-density configuration with 853 economy seats and 18 Lufthansa-provided cabin crew. The test had to be interrupted when one of the slides began to deflate, after the personnel had vacated the aircraft.
A Libyan Jetline Ilyushin Il-62 skidded off the runway on landing at Moscow's Domodedovo airport and broke into several pieces. Two of six crew on board were reported injured in the Mar. 26 incident.
Boeing's decision to stretch its 787 beyond 300 seats for long-haul operations moves the mid-sized jet into an even more prominent role as the company's template for future aircraft designs. When Boeing launched the jet two years ago, its role was clearly defined as three models covering 200-300 seats with ranges from 3,500-8,800 naut. mi. As airlines offered advice, the numbers changed a bit, but the basic configuration remained solid.
John Marino (see photos) has been appointed vice president-defense training systems for New York-based FlightSafety International. He was vice president-government relations. Gary Porterfield has been promoted to assistant manager from program manager at the West Palm Beach (Fla.) Learning Center.
Boeing's biggest 737 sale so far this year goes to GE Commercial Aviation Services for an unspecified mix of 30 firm orders for 737-800/-900ERs, the model's largest variants. Valued at $4 billion in list prices, the order includes 30 options and is significant because Gecas is the first leasing company to order the -900ER. The firm order portion is worth $400 million to CFM International for the CF56-7Bs. Deliveries will stretch from 2008-10. The Gecas sale brings Boeing's 737 order book to 95 aircraft this year.
Space shuttle commander-turned-aerospace executive Terence T. (Tom) Henricks has been named president of McGraw-Hill Aerospace & Defense, which publishes Aviation Week & Space Technology and provides other business information products and services across multiple media. In leading what was until recently Aviation Week Group, Henricks, 53, succeeds Kenneth E. Gazzola, who will serve as the 90-year-old magazine's publisher emeritus through 2006. Gazzola was the chief of the group for 18 years (see p. 3).
Kingfisher Airlines has taken delivery of the first of 35 ATR 72-500s. The Indian carrier, which is on a rapid expansion path, also holds options for another 15 of the type. The contract was inked in November.
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy last week flung down the gauntlet over the proposed design of the Airbus A350. In front of an audience of aircraft dealers, the chairman of International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) criticized the design as too dependent on the A330 and urged the manufacturer to commit to a new mid-size wide-body product line.
