EUROPE IS PRESSING AHEAD with the implementation of 8.33-KHz. channel spacing: Operations above Flight Level 195 in the ICAO European Region are due to go into effect on Mar. 15, 2007. The reduced spacing (down from 25 KHz.) was introduced for Area Control Center services for aircraft operating above FL245 in seven nations in 1999; 23 other nations joined in 2002. In theory, the change allows a single 25-KHz. channel to be replaced by three 8.33-KHz. ones. In practice, owing to the fact that the 118-137-MHz.
What is the better tanker for the Air Force? Analyzing all of the statistics published in Aviation Week & Space Technology, and Boeing and Northrop Grumman web sites, the KC-30 is not even close to the Boeing 777LR or KC-10. It is only marginally better than the KC-135R and KC-767. *KC-135R: payload 183,000 lb. or 31,000 gal. of Jet A fuel. *KC-10: payload 348,973 lb. or 51,319 gal. of Jet A fuel. *KC-30: payload 212,500 lb. or 37,000 gal. of Jet A fuel. *KC-767: payload 166,600 lb. or 31,000 gal. of Jet A fuel.
Cessna Aircraft Co. CEO Jack Pelton cites an order backlog that will keep the company's production line humming into 2009. Orders for all of the product line are up compared with previous years, with a 60/40 split for domestic/ international sales. Pelton says the next challenge will be to "revamp" Cessna's piston-powered light airplanes.
Alaska Airlines is opening the next chapter of its transformation plan--adopting a single fleet type--which the airline expects will yield huge savings and help lead to sustained profitability. Last week's move to speed up retirement of Alaska's MD-80s and opt for an all-Boeing 737 fleet by December 2008 is a "major milestone" in Alaska's "2010" transformation plan, the long-term vision for the airline, says Chairman, President & CEO Bill Ayer.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is trying to get his colleagues to take seriously the threat posed to commercial aviation by ash clouds spewed 30,000-40,000 ft. into the sky by erupting volcanoes. The ash can cause millions of dollars in damage to aircraft and, in some cases, render them helpless. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), a joint federal-state-university operation, monitors Alaska's active volcanoes, which can disrupt the schedules of aircraft flying over the state between North America and Asia.
The success of the KC-10A in Iraq and Afghanistan dictates that the future U.S. Air Force refueling tanker should be at least as capable (AW&ST Mar. 6, p. 26).
Southwest Airlines raised its fares for the second time this year, boosting many one-way tickets by $2-10 and raising its one-way fare cap by $10 to $309. With its lucrative fuel hedges set to wind down over the next few years, analysts say Southwest has to raise fares to meet its goal of 15% annual earnings growth. J.P. Morgan analyst Jamie Baker calculates the increase as the single largest fare hike ever undertaken by the airline. The move was good news for money-losing legacy carriers, which quickly moved to match the increases.
I just wanted to compliment you for publishing the articles on the Blackstar system you believe was operated by the U.S. Air Force (AW&ST Mar. 6, p. 48). Disclosing this information on a previously secret program (apparently now defunct) was a bold and moral act. Often, our obsessive secrecy on such programs is suffocating America's space program, both military and civilian, and denies us the safe, reliable and effective vehicles we have spent so much time, effort, treasure--and so many lives--to develop.
At Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., union workers are in the fourth week of a strike that began Feb. 20. No discussions between representatives of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and company officials have occurred, according to Sikorsky.
Hundreds of images from NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter have gone into a new simulated flyover of the planet's huge Valles Marineris canyon produced by JPL and Arizona State University. Infrared daytime views from ASU's Thermal Emission Imaging System multi-band camera on Odyssey, which show features as small as 1,000 ft. across, were combined in the moving mosaic, along with false coloring to simulate a human-eye view. A computerized topographic model for Valles Marineris, which has walls as tall as Mt.
British defense research company Qinetiq is planning further flight trials of its Zephyr long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle in 2007, following successful flight-testing at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., last December.
6-8 Correspondence 9-10 Who's Where 13 Industry Outlook 15 Airline Outlook 17 In Orbit 18-21 News Breaks 23 Washington Outlook 80 Inside Avionics 83 Classified 84 Contact Us 85 Aerospace Calendar
The addition of a second spacecraft to the privately financed Spainsat/XTAR-EUR military satellite communications program will provide Spain and its NATO allies with global, secure X-band capacity for out-of-theater and other critical communications tasks.
Peter Diamandis, chairman/CEO of the X Prize Foundation, has been named to receive an honorary 2006 Lindbergh Award. Diamandis, a pioneer in the development of incentive prizes, will be recognized for his ability "to inspire the brightest minds on Earth to tackle some of the most pressing issues in the world today, including changes in modes of space travel." In 2004, Scaled Composites won the X Prize for its design of SpaceShipOne.
Leaders of United Aerospace Workers Local 1069 at Boeing Rotorcraft Systems in Philadelphia recommended a "yes" vote on Mar. 18 by 1,300 Boeing workers on a four-year contract that calls for a 10% increase in wages, cost-of-living adjustments and other premiums, plus lump-sum payments.
Alcatel Alenia Space will provide a synthetic aperture radar payload for Kompsat-5, a new X-band imaging satellite to be developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. Alcatel also will supply a data link and ground image processor, along with calibration algorithms and equipment. Intended for geoinformation and disaster management applications, Kompsat-5 is to be launched in late 2008.
Comair flight attendants are voting whether to grant authority to the Teamsters Union to strike the carrier if a bankruptcy judge voids their contract with the Delta Air Lines subsidiary carrier. The ballots will be counted Mar. 24. A hearing on the contract before Judge Adlai S. Hardin, Jr., of U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York is scheduled Mar. 27-29. The judge has until Apr. 10 to decide, but could extend the deadline.
International Space Station Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev was scheduled to undock the Soyuz vehicle that brought him and ISS Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur and move it to a new port this week, clearing the way for the next station crew to arrive Mar. 31. Tokarev will shift the Soyuz from the nadir docking port on the Zarya module to the aft docking port on the Zvezda service module in a 35-min. flight that was scheduled to begin at 1 a.m. EST Mar. 20. For safety's sake, McArthur will go along for the ride.
Air France says a new satellite terminal, S3, intended for the Airbus A380 will not be ready until June 2007. It was originally scheduled for April. The new terminal will be necessary to help reduce the number of flights being handled from remote parking slots. This percentage now exceeds 50%, compared to just 20% at Heathrow and none in Frankfurt, according to Chairman/CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta.
The first U.K.-modified Sentinel R MKI aircraft for the British Royal Air Force has been flown to Greenville, Tex., where it will take part in the flight test program.
Alliant Techsystems is getting a new chief financial officer as it repositions its operations under three business groups. The weapons and space systems contractor says Eric Rangen, who had been CFO for five years, will be replaced by John Shroyer, ATK's vice president of operations since last year. Rangen's departure coincides with ATK's plans to reorganize on Apr. 1 into three divisions: Mission, Launch and Ammunition Systems.
The last sentence of the letter from Lee Gaillard about the Airbus A380 wing test --"It will be interesting to see how the European Aviation Safety Agency and FAA handle certification"--is very significant (AW&ST Mar. 6, p. 6).
British Airways aims to cut costs by a further 450 million pounds ($783 million) as its rolling program of restructuring continues with its latest business plan covering 2006-08. The cost-cutting target is again raising concern over a further round of job losses. The airline is also beginning to consider future fleet plans, with options on 10 Boeing 777-200ERs set for delivery in 2009-10. The aim of the latest plan is to allow BA to hit its target of a 10% operating margin, currently at 8%.
