The U.S. Army plans to spend $1.3 million through Fiscal 2010 to advance compressor technology for a 6,000-shp.-class turboshaft engine. The effort is part of the service's Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine, intended to deliver a higher-performance, lower-cost, more fuel-efficient engine for rotorcraft and UAVs.
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Rob McDonald has become chief financial officer/group corporate general manager for Air New Zealand. Other new general managers are: Vanessa Stoddart, human resources and organizational change; Norm Thompson, short-haul flights; Ed Sims, international flights; chief pilot Capt. David Morgan, operations standards and safety; Chris Nassenstein, Anzes; Steve Bayliss, marketing; and Mike Tod, public affairs and group communications.
Alcatel Alenia Space has won a contract to study a second-generation hy- brid satellite/terrestrial network to replace Globalstar's low Earth orbit system. Alcatel had a major role in designing and producing the first-generation system for Globalstar, which received an ancillary terrestrial component license from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in January.
NASA has decided to mount a surface probe on its 2008 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) for "high-risk and high-return research of the lunar surface." The agency will announce details Apr. 10 of its decision to send a piggyback lander into a deep crater at one of the Moon's poles. The mission will attempt to find out what is generating strong hydrogen signatures detected by past orbiters in permanently dark crater bottoms there. Scientists hypothesize--and exploration managers hope--that it is water ice delivered by comets and preserved by the deep cold and lunar dust.
Also, Avion Aircraft Trading, which provides an aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance service, has ordered four 747-400 Boeing Converted Freighters to be operated by its subsidiary, Air Atlanta Icelandic. The -400BCFs are being purchased from All Nippon Airways and will replace four 747-200Fs. The first aircraft is to arrive in August 2007.
In the fall of 2004, as Delta Air Lines and its pilots went down to the wire negotiating concessions to keep the carrier out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a Delta captain was spotted at Los Angeles International Airport with a sticker on his flight bag. "Full pay to the last day," it said.
Virgin America, the San Francisco-based carrier that Virgin Atlantic founder Richard Branson is starting, will use a virtual call center concept for passenger reservations. It has signed WillowCSN Inc. of Miramar, Fla., to manage the calls using its CyberAgent system. Willow's agents operate from home offices and pay for their own training and equipment. It expects to hire 200 CyberAgents "in the coming months."
V-22 managers hope to gain more details this week on the recent crash of an MV-22, although information already in hand is leading to changes designed to prevent a repeat occurrence. These include modifications to the engine control system and flight manual as well as procedural changes.
Effective U.S. long-range strike capabilities will remain elusive unless the Air Force stops obsessing with short-range, small- payload fighters. The operational requirement: an aircraft that transits from the continental U.S. to an area of responsibility 12,000 mi. away in 6 hr., conducts survivable precision strike operations against about 100 targets for 4 hr. on station, then returns to the landing base within 6 hr.
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The Wichita (Kan.) State University-based National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has created the Advanced Joining Laboratory to conduct R&D of the friction stir welding process (FSW). Work will center on material properties testing, destructive and non-destructive inspection techniques and modeling of the FSW process. A key objective is the development of standards for aerospace structures built using FSW, based on strength, fatigue properties, fracture toughness, crack propagation and corrosion resistance.
It ain't over 'til it's over, but this time it's really over. On Mar. 31, National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. President John Carr said contract talks between his union and the FAA had broken down. Hours later, Administrator Marion Blakey replied that talks were continuing, and that Carr was "out of touch with what is really happening." On Apr. 5, after an exchange of final proposals, the FAA declared an impasse, drawing Congress into the fray--by law, the FAA's final offer will take effect unless Congress acts within 60 days to change it.
Bombardier Aerospace flew its Learjet 60 XR for the first time on Apr. 3. The business jet is equipped with a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics package with four 8 X 10-in. displays, and features a redesigned cabin. FAA certification is scheduled for the third quarter of 2006.
Taylor W. Lawrence (see photo) has been named vice president-engineering, technology and mission assurance for the Raytheon Co., Waltham, Mass. He was vice president/general manager of the C4ISR and Space Sensors Div. of the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Electronic Systems Sector.
Capt. James Ackerman has been elected chairman of the Master Executive Council of the Mesa Airlines unit of the Air Line Pilots Assn. He led the communications committee. Capts. Brian Rich- ardson and Todd Boyle were elected vice chairman and secretary/treasurer.
Air New Zealand is offering a new around-the-world service from North America starting Oct. 26 on its recently refurbished Boeing 747-400s. The existing direct service from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Auckland will be followed on the around-the-world journey with a second daily service between Auckland and London Heathrow via Hong Kong. The airline already operates a daily flight between Los Angeles and London.
Brian Watkins (see photo) has become vice president-technology of Landmark Aviation, Tempe, Ariz. He was director of program management at Landmark predecessor Garrett Aviation Services.
Virgin Atlantic's pilots will have the opportunity to do some very high-altitude flying. Richard Branson, chairman of the airline as as well as space tourism venture Virgin Galactic, is giving his 700 Virgin pilots a chance to train as astronaut pilots. Their cockpit: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two. Their mission: flying tourists out of this world beginning in about two years. Virgin expects to recruit about 30 pilots from all of Virgin airlines and will look to the expertise of NASA for training guidance.
The two members of Expedition 12 to the International Space Station were set to return to Earth on the evening of Apr. 8, accompanied by Brazil's first spacefarer. Russia's Valery Tokarev was scheduled to undock and deorbit the Soyuz capsule that delivered him and William McArthur of NASA to the ISS last October. A landing in Kazakhstan was scheduled for 7:46 p.m. EDT. Marcos Pontes of Brazil was to occupy the so-called "taxi seat" in the Soyuz after spending more than a week on the station (AW&ST Apr. 3, p. 17). Earlier, McArthur and his U.S.
Russian officials have dismissed European complaints about overflight charges that Moscow levies and say they will stick with their commitment to phase out those fees--but not until 2013. European air transport officials want the fees reduced, if not discontinued much earlier. And the European Commission late last month threatened to try to block Russia's World Trade Organization (WTO) accession over the issue. The EC only recently was empowered by the European Union's Transport Council to negotiate that issue.
FAA AND EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSN. (EAA) OFFICIALS are discussing aging issues affecting the airworthiness of vintage airplanes, primarily the potential effects of corrosion and fatigue on airframes, some of which are 80 years old. EAA is proposing creation of a new certification category that would permit owners and their mechanics to maintain vintage aircraft using "acceptable data, or safety-based form, fit and function criteria," says Earl Lawrence, EAA vice president of industry and regulatory affairs.
The U.S. Air Force has a lot riding on the Transformational Satellite (TSAT) project during the coming months. Besides trying to ensure that future combatants have enough secure bandwidth to carry out their missions, the service is attempting to restore its reputation as a space program manager.
Market Focus 10 Possible Alcatel, Lucent Technologies merger puts spotlight on Thales News Breaks 16 Urgent recommendation from NTSB regarding fires on CRJ200s 17 Soyuz TMA-8 and its launch vehicle head to pad at Baikonur 18 U.K. nears combat search and rescue (CSAR) capability 20 First frontline RAF Eurofighter Typhoon is formed World News & Analysis 22 ILFC chairman challenges Airbus to redesign the A350
Mark Landes has become head of Columbia Aircraft sales for Galvin Flying Services of Seattle. He had been head of Diamond Aircraft sales. Landes has been succeeded by Pete Aldassy, who was a first officer of SkyWest Airlines.
