Boeing subsidiary Alteon Training will test a multi-crew pilot licensing (MPL) program at its Brisbane, Australia, facility in November. Alteon says the goal is to have a first officer course fully underway in November in order to produce a batch of qualified pilots by January 2008.
Farnborough International has snagged a contract with Aero India to run the international sales and marketing effort for the 2007 air show, to be held in Bangalore Feb. 7-11.
Korean Air Chairman/CEO Yang Ho Cho has received a Medal of Honor from the government of South Korea. He was cited for contributing to the establishment of South Korea as Northeast Asia's transportation and logistics hub and an increase in exports by tapping into world airline markets.
The European Commission's plan to issue common aviation-security rules across the 25 European Union member states has made its way to the European Parliament. The EC also intends to issue guidelines on financing aviation and other transport-security efforts in the next few months. Leaders of the Parliament's transport and tourism committee have voiced support for the states to fund elevated security measures, rather than passing the costs on to governments.
A team that includes ATK/Mission Research, Northrop Grumman, Voss Scientific, Electro Magnetic Applications, ITT and SAIC snagged a $24-million contract for research and development into electromagnetic (EM) effects. The concept is to search for new capabilities in all aspects of high-power EM lethality. It also is to find ways to protect U.S. military assets operating in high-power microwave environments. The program will take advantage of work and facilities already available at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's directed-energy facilities.
USAF's Warfare Center at Nellis AFB, Nev., has escalated integration of Air National Guard and Reserve personnel into UAV operations. Reserve Lt. Col. John Breeden was named to command the 11th Reconnaissance Sqdn., one of three active-duty Predator squadrons. The wing plans to graduate 105 crewmen in Fiscal 2007 and 120 in Fiscal 2008. Fourteen reservists and 47 guardsmen are now involved in Predator operations.
6 Correspondence 8-9 Who's Where 12 Industry Outlook 13 Airline Outlook 15 In Orbit 16-20 News Breaks 21 Washington Outlook 40 Arrivals 54-55 Classified 56 Contact Us 57 Aerospace Calendar
Doug Oliver (see photo) has been appointed director of communications for the Cessna Aircraft Co., Wichita, Kan. He was communications director for North America for Embraer.
Finmeccanica is reporting preliminary consolidated 2005 results that show a 58% jump over 2004 in earnings before interest and taxes to 735 million euros ($882 million), with new orders worth 15.4 billion euros. After seeing debt swell during the year to pay for acquisitions, cash flow allowed the company to trim the debt level to 1.1 billion euros by year-end. Output last year reached almost 11.5 billion euros, up 25% from 2004.
Dr. A. Ross Tilley (1904-88) is one of four people who will be inducted into the Edmonton, Alberta-headquartered Canada Aviation Hall of Fame. The other inductees will be Robert B. McIntyre (1913-85), Walter Chmela of North York, Ontario, and Fern Villeneuve of Carrying Place, Ontario. Tilley is credited with developing medical techniques as a result of recognizing the nature of the burns that World War II aircrews suffered in aerial combat.
Boeing has installed a Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array antenna on the first of four 737-700s for Turkey's Peace Eagle airborne early warning and control program. The 35.5-ft.-long, 11-ft.-high antenna weighs more than three tons. Delivery of the four aircraft is to be completed by late 2008.
Matthew Jones has been elected chairman and Earl Madison vice chairman for 2006 of the Washington-based U.S. Chamber of Commerce Space Enterprise Council. Jones is manager of Air Force Space Systems for Boeing, while Madison has been director of space systems and operations for the Lockheed Martin Corp. and was chief of staff of the National Security Space Architect Office.
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Bell Helicopter Textron have signed a memorandum of agreement whereby KAI would become the sole-source provider of airframes for the new Bell 429 twin-engine, lightweight helicopter. In addition, KAI would secure rights to sell and assemble the aircraft for customers in South Korea and China. The pact, worth about $150 million, is expected to include manufacture of airframes for the next 10 years. Bell is developing the aircraft in cooperation with KAI and Mitsui Bussan Aerospace Co.
American Airlines' experience is as good an example as there is of how fuel prices ruin carriers' successful attempts to reduce costs. According to the world's largest airline's annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission, American reduced its operating loss in 2005 by $51 million even as its fuel expenses increased more than $1.6 billion. In 2004, the contrast was even more dramatic--operating loss down $700 million; fuel costs up nearly $1.2 billion. Fuel hedging has been of little help, reducing expenses by $64 million in 2005 and $99 million in 2004.
John M. Doyle and Amy Butler (Washington), David A. Fulghum (Canberra)
Top U.S. Air Force planners told lawmakers that they are divided over how to replace the fleet of aging KC-135 tankers. However, they were unanimous in warning that any delay in starting the purchase of new aircraft would leave the service flying some 80-year-old aircraft before the program is complete. Asked at a congressional hearing last week about what aircraft is best for the job, Lt. Gen. Christopher Kelly, vice commander of the Air Mobility Command, said he favors a mix of large and medium-sized aircraft "from an operational perspective."
The International Registry of Mobile Assets, an electronic repository of aircraft and engine contracts, is recording transactions under the protection of the Cape Town Treaty, which became effective Mar. 1. The treaty, ratified by nine nations including the U.S., establishes a legal framework for the protection of asset rights of owners, underwriters and lessors (AW&ST Nov. 28, 2005, p. 52). Aviareto, a joint venture of SITA and the Irish government, operates the registry under International Civil Aviation Organization supervision.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-Va.) wants to know how and when Pentagon officials consulted with international Joint Strike Fighter partners about a decision to drop the alternative engine program. "We have to maintain the closest and best possible relationships we can when we enter into these joint contracts with our allies," he tells Air Force officials. Warner is among a growing number of Senate and House leaders concerned about the Defense Dept.'s elimination from JSF of an engine to be produced by General Electric and Rolls-Royce.
Airlines are not just placing a large numbers of orders for new turboprops with Bombardier and ATR because of the interest in efficient aircraft induced by high fuel prices, they are also snapping up what turboprops they can through other means. Saab Aircraft Leasing, for instance, reports that last year it placed 32 aircraft with nine existing and five new customers. Its aircraft inventory is reaching its lowest point in years, with only seven Saab 340As and one Saab 340B on hand--all Saab 2000s are on lease. Saab has already placed four Saab 340s this year.
Russia's air transport industry faces a capacity crisis, warn two of the world's largest aircraft leasing companies. But so far, Russia's government hasn't been ready to step in and address the problem.
The new US Airways reported big improvements in yield and unit revenue, higher-than-forecast merger synergies, ahead-of-schedule integration--and continued losses in 2005. The losses are real, but each partner in the newly merged carrier--America West Airlines and the old US Airways--did better individually in the fourth quarter of 2005 than in the same period of 2004. The airlines became one last September, right after US Airways emerged from its second bankruptcy reorganization since 2002.
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) will begin soliciting proposals in June for 21 projects aimed at solving airport management problems, ranging from passenger processing to dealing with the environmental hazards of runoff from aircraft deicing compounds. The board's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) is an applied contract program funded by the FAA and managed by the U.S. National Academies of Science.
A committee headed by former astronaut Mary Cleve, now associate administrator for science, is revamping NASA's public relations rules following the flap over attempts by public affairs officers at headquarters to meddle in the release of NASA-funded science results. But some public affairs professionals at the agency--and some of the scientists they serve--are pessimistic about the chances for real change.
Land Launch, a derivative of Boeing's Sea Launch to be based at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, will orbit Israel Aircraft Industries' Amos-3 K u-/K a-band telecom satellite. The launch, set for the fourth quarter of 2007, will be the third for Land Launch. The first mission, scheduled for the second quarter of 2007, will be for PanAmSat's PAS 11; the second, for Horizons-2, a joint venture of PanAmSat and JSAT of Japan.
Steven Dorfman has been appointed to the board of directors of San Francisco-based ProtoStar. He is retired CEO of Hughes Space and Communications/vice chairman of Hughes Electronics.
The Airbus A350 will begin incorporating Keval paper to make a honeycomb composite, according to its manufacturer, DuPont. The material will be used in flaps, radomes, leading edges, as well as interior walls and cabin racks. A weight saving is expected, DuPont says, claiming a 30-50% reduction while increasing the structural integrity of an item. To meet overall demand, the company this year is expanding capacity in its Maydown facility in Northern Ireland by 10%.
