GROEN BROTHERS AVIATION IS APPLYING to the FAA for an exemption to the experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) rule. It is asking the agency to allow the company to certify, produce and sell ready-to-fly, experimental gyroplanes. Existing E-LSA rules prohibit certification of gyroplanes, but the FAA says it will consider creating a category for the aircraft after an assessment. If an exemption is granted, Groen and other manufacturers would be allowed to produce an aircraft that meets E-LSA requirements and would be eligible for certification.
Delta Air Lines pilots will strike if their contract with the airline is rejected, according to Delta Master Executive Council Chairman Lee Moak. To prove the point, hundreds of them conducted a practice strike at Hartsfield Jackson-Atlanta airport last week. Delta's fate lies in the major decisions to be made in April: On Apr. 4, the union's strike vote closes. On Apr. 10, the Air Line Pilots Assn. Executive Committee is to decide whether to grant $10 million from its major contingency fund to aid Delta's pilots in executing a walkout. And by Apr. 15, a U.S.
Mitchell B. Rambler has been named president of the Support Services Group of Engineered Support Systems Inc. of St. Louis. He was senior vice president of BAE Systems Military Operations.
Air Combat Command says over- compensation on the refueling boom flight control stick, as an operator tried to avoid a rapidly rising F-16, caused $75,000 damage to the KC-10's boom and $930,000 worth to the F-16C. Both aircraft landed without further incident. An investigation determined the incident was caused by "abrupt and excessive stick inputs" that first avoided the fighter, then avoided KC-10 impact, but finally hit the F-16's right aft fuselage.
The British Defense Ministry has conducted imagery transmission trials from a UAV to a helicopter as part of its Joint UAV Experimentation Program. Imagery from a Boeing ScanEagle was sent to a Lynx helicopter at what was described as "operationally useful ranges." Reception was via an antenna developed by QinetiQ, a defense technology specialist. An experimental version of the antenna was installed on the Lynx, and offers both high gain and wide beam width. These characteristics were required because of weak signals produced by the UAV's transmitters.
ASSOCIATED AIR CENTER IN DALLAS HAS SIGNED a contract to complete its 10th Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ). The twin-engine transport will be operated by an Asian customer. Associated Air Center is outfitting six ACJs and has delivered four. Last year, the company completed the first five-year maintenance check of an ACJ.
April sees the formal establishment of the first frontline RAF Eurofighter Typhoon unit, 3 Sqdn., which had operated Harrier GR7s in the ground-attack role. A ceremony at RAF Cottesmore also marked the reformation of 800 Naval Air Sqdn. as part of the Defense Ministry's air force and navy Joint Force Harrier. The unit, disbanded as a Sea Harrier F/A2 Sqdn. in 2004, is reforming as a GR7/GR9 operator. 3 Sqdn. moves from RAF Cottesmore to RAF Coningsby, the first Typhoon base. The event also noted the setup of expeditionary air wings.
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.
