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.
I saw the comments by Neal Chrism on the first Boeing 767 as adapted for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's Airborne Surveillance Testbed program (AW&ST Mar. 20, p. 8). I got to see VA1 at the Victorville, Calif., boneyard in 2004 and took this picture. It would be a shame if this plane is cut up and not saved for the history it has created.
U.S. lawmakers are vying to show who loves the endangered C-17 Globemaster III more. The Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) is recommending $227.5 million toward advance procurement for more of the heavy lifters in Fiscal 2008. Last month the full House agreed to appropriate just $100 million for the Boeing C-17, which is slated to cease production in 2008 (AW&ST Mar. 27, p. 38).
The U.S. Army is seeking a radar for a Predator-B-class unmanned aerial vehicle that will have foliage and ground-penetration capability. The Tactical Reconnaissance and Counterconcealment-Enabled Radar program would comprise three systems that should be developed, built and tested in 30 months. The radar is intended to provide near-real-time intelligence--with on-the-ground processing--and have an imaging capability.
Brazil's main international airline, Varig, is facing an imminent cash shortage that could lead to the grounding of more aircraft or even the entire fleet. Varig last week asked the Brazilian government for financial support, either through additional loans or a temporary waiver on payments due the state-owned airport authority and fuel supplier. Brazil's airport company Infraero gave the airline until late last week to resume payments for ground-handling services and landing fees.
Flag carrier Aeroflot has devised a fleet plan that calls for replacement of its inventory of obsolete, Soviet-made aircraft by 2015. The strategy would see Aeroflot operate Russian Regional Jets as well as Western aircraft. Aeroflot recently firmed up its decision to buy 30 95-seat RRJs, with an option for 20 more (AW&ST Apr. 3, p. 20). In the mid-size, single-aisle sector, Aeroflot plans to expand with Airbus A320s, with 30-35 expected. Long-haul flights will be operated with Boeing 767s.
The rules governing financing support for the export of commercial aircraft are being rewritten to head off a potential battle at the World Trade Organization. What's at stake is trying to maintain a level playing field between countries that help subsidize the sale of aircraft made in their country through export loan guarantees.
A Boeing 747 freighter is front-loaded on the ramp operated by Swiss-based Panalpina at the Port of Huntsville, Ala. Panalpina started a trend toward inland cargo gateways in 1991 at the Huntsville-Madison County Airport. Fuel surcharges and airline reorganization have caused shifts that are placing more cargo into traditional gateways (see p. 42). Panalpina/Port of Huntsville photo.
Cessna Aircraft Co. has begun delivery of 42 Skyhawks to the Civil Aviation Flying University of China. Half of the fleet is equipped with Garmin G1000 glass cockpits while the remainder feature analog instrumentation. Students will learn to fly in the Skyhawks before transitioning to Citation CJ1 business jets. In addition, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has ordered 16 Skyhawk SPs with G1000 avionics.
Test pilots have flown the third 767 for modification to an Italian air force tanker from Boeing's Everett, Wash., facility to the Aeronavali Modification Center near Naples. The first KC-767A is undergoing flight test and aerial refueling certification in Wichita, Kan. The 767 will also be a candidate for the new U.S. Air Force tanker program, for which a request for information is expected in the next couple of weeks, says the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Michael Moseley.
Maryland-based ViaSat has landed a $57-million contract from Boeing to supply a ground-based beam-forming system for Mobile Satellite Ventures, a hybrid geostationary Earth-orbit network that is slated to enter service at the end of the decade. The contract includes $15 million in options.
Boeing has named Intelleflex Corp. of San Jose, Calif., to provide silicon chips for the radio frequency identification (RFID) "smart labels" that will be required of all suppliers for the 787 program. The FAA's approval of passive RFID data storage and collection labels for parts and components allowed Boeing and Airbus to lead the RFID bandwagon. The labels bring more descriptive power of the use history and characteristics of a part than a basic bar code.
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee wants to boost Defense Dept. research, development, testing and evaluation by $382.63 million under the latest emergency supplemental bill. About $320 million would go to classified efforts. The White House has only asked for a total of $67.13 million.
