David C. Wajsgras has been appointed chief financial officer of the Raytheon Co., Waltham, Mass., effective Mar. 13. He was CFO of the Lear Corp., Southfield, Mich. Wajsgras succeeds acting CFO Biggs C. Porter. At Lear, Vice Chairman James H. Vandenberg will be interim CFO.
The Spanish air force is expected next month to begin operational deployment of the first of five upgraded P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft. The first of the P-3Bs to be modified to the P-3M standard is now undergoing final operational testing at Moron AB.
Delta Air Lines has gained U.S. Transportation Dept. approval to inaugurate flights between its hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta and Johannesburg, South Africa, via Dakar, Senegal. Beginning Dec. 4, the airline will operate the route with Boeing 777s configured to seat 50 in business class and 218 in economy.
India and the U.S. signed a civilian nuclear cooperation pact during President George W. Bush's state visit last week. A major breakthrough in political terms between the two countries, the pact is subject to congressional approval. Although the agreement is not directly connected to defense cooperation, sales of military equipment and joint exercises were discussed during Bush's visit.
Eileen Denne has become vice president-communications and marketing, Jessica Steinhilber senior manager of environmental affairs and Elle Han manager of economic affairs, all for Washington-based Airports Council International-North America.
"Big. White or beige color. Very loud. I've never seen an airplane like it." Those are typical descriptions from people who reported seeing an unusual aircraft, yet who characterize themselves as "not that familiar with airplanes."
NASA science managers are reevaluating the mix of space science programs in their Fiscal 2007 budget request, promising changes, if warranted, in the face of warnings from top scientists that the present plan threatens U.S. global scientific dominance.
For 16 years, Aviation Week & Space Technology has investigated myriad sightings of a two-stage-to-orbit system that could place a small military spaceplane in orbit. Considerable evidence supports the existence of such a highly classified system, and top Pentagon officials have hinted that it's "out there," but iron-clad confirmation that meets AW&ST standards has remained elusive.
In a report on U.S. trade, the European Union puts research and development subsidies that Boeing received from the U.S. government at 13.9% of the company's turnover in 2004, and argues there has been a steady increase in the support level. The EU's annual report also expresses concern about what it sees as $2 billion in annual assistance provided to engine makers General Electric and Pratt & Whitney. The report is silent on subsidies given by the EU and its members to European aircraft and engine manufacturers.
The modified external tank for the next shuttle mission is starting a processing flow with no schedule margin, while engineers here assess issues that could affect NASA's May launch target for Discovery, such as those with engine cutoff (ECO) sensors. The external tank (ET) arrived at Kennedy Mar. 1, a week earlier than envisioned. This followed a Herculean effort to complete the tank by the Michoud, La., Lockheed Martin/NASA workforce, most of whom continue to suffer personal hardship from Hurricane Katrina.
The FAA's annual 12-year forecast depicts as narrow a path to success for itself, with fully as many pitfalls on either side, as for the airlines whose fortunes usually are the center of attention. For profit-starved major U.S. airlines, the Fiscal 2006-17 forecast suggests the current boom in yields is actually a boomlet, destined to last only a year or so before the steady post-deregulation decline resumes. Allowing for inflation, the FAA believes yields will drop an average of 0.8% per year through the forecast period.
Ever since this magazine began covering homeland security--albeit with a focus on air transportation--there has persisted a nagging question: Is the U.S. less vulnerable to terrorist attacks as a result of all the passenger and baggage screening procedures that have been put into place?
Jeff Cryder (see photo) has been promoted to executive vice president/chief financial officer from senior vice president of finance/CFO of Cincinnati-based Executive Jet Management.
The U.S. airport hassle factor is still sending some former airline passengers to the bus, train or cars, but a new analysis shows there are other barriers to airline growth on short flights--and even low fares may not be able to bring people back.
John M. Doyle and David A. Fulghum (Washington), Douglas Barrie (London)
The hint of a lifeline is being thrown out by U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne to General Electric, Rolls-Royce--and even British Prime Minister Tony Blair--over the alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Wynne, appearing before the House Armed Services Committee, said: "If we had an extra dollar, would [the F136] be one place that we would look to spend it? Yes."
This year and next will be critical to how air traffic control is conducted in the U.S. for decades to come, and aviation "alphabet groups" are girding for battle. The issues are weighty and being mulled by all aviation stakeholders in Washington.
You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.AviationNow.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only) Apr. 5-6--U.S. Defense Dept. Budgets and Programs Conference, Arlington, Va. Apr. 25-26--MRO Military Conference, Phoenix. Apr. 25-27--MRO USA Conference & Exhibition 2006, Phoenix. May 16-17--MRO Military Europe, in conjunction with ILA air show, Berlin. Sept. 19-21--MRO Asia Conference & Exhibition, Xiamen, China.
India has increased its Fiscal 2006 defense budget by 7.2% over last year, bringing it to $20 billion. Of that, $8.5 billion, or 42%, has been set aside for acquisitions. The biggest prospective buy is 180-200 multirole fighters.
Great Britain's Cranfield University is teaming with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise to establish an aerospace institute in the Middle East with the goal of accommodating 8,000 students by 2015. Cranfield will provide support for a range of subjects leading to master's and doctorate degrees. The new institute would be located at Dubai's Jebel Ali Airport City.
Vexcel Canada, an Ottawa-based remote sensing company, has used 10-year-old data from ESA's ERS-Tandem mission to map elevations on Baffin Island and elsewhere in the territory of Nunavut with unprecedented accuracy, demonstrating the long-term utility of space-derived data sets. Vexcel has produced 21 digital elevation model map sheets of Nunavut as part of a Canadian government effort to update its geographic data on the mostly Arctic territory.
The European Space Agency's Earth observation program board has OK'd construction and launch of a new CryoSat ice-measurement mission to replace the one lost in an October 2005 Rockot booster mishap. The go-ahead will allow the start of contracting and pre-launch scientific validation campaigns for the mission, which is intended to measure land and sea ice with unparalleled accuracy. The ESA ministerial summit in December assured a green light for the new mission--to be launched in March 2009--by deciding to hike the agency's science funding.
NASA is studying a hybrid Mars orbiter that would combine science instruments and a communications relay to support future missions to the red planet. Launch of the as-yet-unnamed spacecraft would come in 2013, meaning development would have to begin in earnest in 2007 or 2008, according to Doug McCuiston, NASA's director of Mars exploration. Study teams for the current early phase of planning are looking at the best balance between science and communications on board the spacecraft.
