Airbus engineers and A380 certification authorities are trying to sort through the implications for the mega-transport now that results from static tests have discovered the aircraft's massive wings fail just below the ultimate design load.
Sama, Saudi Arabia's first low-cost carrier, is to start service by summer with leased Boeing 737-300s configured in one-class seating, according to Arab News. The new airline is to operate domestically and to destinations in the Persian Gulf and North Africa. Sama aims to carry 500,000 passengers by the end of 2006 and has begun personnel recruiting. About 350 employees are expected to be hired this year and the airline hopes to expand the workforce to 1,200 by 2010.
Finnair increased unit revenue and almost tripled its profit to 87.5 million euros. But management sees fuel costs usurping 20% of revenue in 2006, up from 2005, making operations difficult particularly when examining results in the first quarter. But President and CEO Jukka Hienonen still expects profitability for the year, arguing that the introduction of Embraer 170s to replace MD-80s will help.
A.L. Ueltschi, a founder of New York-based FlightSafety International, has received the Orbis Lifetime Achievement Award. Orbis International is dedicated to eradicating blindness in the poorest parts of the world, and Ueltschi was recognized for helping Orbis to realize its vision of using aviation to deliver medical training and treatment to these areas. He is credited with helping to develop the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital.
Israel intends to further bolster its presence in the aerospace and defense expert market by increasing its business representation well beyond those countries with embassies or consulates. The Israel Export Institute, which promotes all of the country's manufacturing capabilities overseas, intends to set up a network of representatives in countries where it either lacks any presence or wants to enhance one. Institute Chairman David Arzi says there may be as many as 80 states, many in the Asia-Pacific region, where further representation is needed.
Pratt & Whitney missed the boat on providing an engine for current single-aisle transports and ceded it to CFM, but it is confidently charging after CFM and its partners in the aftermarket. Pratt already repairs and overhauls the ubiquitous CFM56, but now it's going to start re-engineering, manufacturing and certifying replacement parts, too.
Arlene Nielsen has been named charter services manager for Executive Jet Management at San Jose (Calif.) International Airport. She was director of charter sales for ACM Aviation in San Jose.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) teams at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and at Lockheed Martin near Denver have shifted into final "approach phase" operations as they prepare for the spacecraft to enter Mars orbit Mar. 10. Launched from Cape Canaveral last summer, the NASA orbiter is about 75% of the distance from Earth to Mars, with the planet now looming much larger ahead. Spacecraft and instrument checkout is largely complete, and trajectory data indicate MRO is well positioned in its approach corridor to intercept the planet for orbit insertion.
Thales' revenue dropped slightly in 2005 to 10.26 billion euros from 10.28 billion the year before. The decline comes from a drop in naval activity, associated with a December 2004 billing that increased the results for that year. Overall, Thales achieved 9% growth in its aerospace sector and 7% for air systems. Sales in North America grew 19%, while those in France grew merely 1% and fell by 7% in the U.K.
Don Osmundson has been appointed vice president-flight operations and Mark Reed vice president-maintenance operations at DayJet, Daytona Beach, Fla. Osmundson was an executive at Comair, while Reed was vice president of NetJets.
The FAA deserves kudos for its Required Navigation Performance (RNP) program. In his letter (AW&ST Jan. 30, p. 6) retired Capt. Jim Gombold criticizes the FAA for being 20 years late with terminal RNP procedures.
The Torkdisc compact rotary torque sensor system from the force/torque div. of PCB is an in-line sensor suited for spindle qualification testing of machining center and other torque measurement applications that require a robust torque transducer where axial space is at a premium. It can aid in selecting proper spindle sizes by comparing rated power to actual torque delivered to cutting tools.
Bill M. Williams has become director of initial phase procurement of materials for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga. He was vice president-supply chain for GKN Aerostructures of St. Louis.
An article on the Joint Planning and Development Office, a group of federal agencies planning the next-generation air transportation system for the U.S. (AW&ST Jan. 30, p. 48), should have said the following: The lower the Required Navigation Performance rating the more precise the sensors on the aircraft must be in maintaining accuracy within a certain distance of centerline.
John M. Doyle (Washington), Douglas Barrie (London), Robert Wall (Paris)
China's military development continues at a pace that has Pentagon planners and some members of Congress concerned to such an extent that legislation could follow in an attempt to curtail the export of militarily-sensitive technology overseas.
With little headway made between the U.S. and European Union on resolving their spat on aircraft subsidies, EADS Co-CEO Noel Forgeard says it is more likely Airbus will call on government-approved launch aid for the A350 widebody. Airbus decided not to draw down the loan support offered by France, Germany, Spain and the U.K. this year, to try to entice the U.S. to negotiate. The partner countries kept the option open of doing so, though, if no negotiations were taking place. U.S.
The Boeing/Lockheed Martin space-launch merger logjam may be clearing. Air Force Undersecretary Ronald Sega says he's "hopeful" the Defense Dept. can get its formal recommendation on the proposed United Launch Alliance to the Federal Trade Commission within a month. If it's a yes, FTC can then make its final decision (probably a yes) on the two companies' plans to merge production of their Delta IV and Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles.
Lawmakers who follow NASA and the civil space program closely probably won't propose major changes in the agency's Fiscal 2007 budget request, even though at its first airing on Capitol Hill, they clearly were unhappy with the funding profile it outlines.
Spain's largest airline, Iberia, is hoping to double the number of daily flights from its Madrid hub in the medium term, after the airport unveiled a new terminal building and two new runways earlier this month.
Trek Inc. has introduced Infinitron, a ultra-high impedance voltmeter. Its hand-held probe enables contacting voltage measurements to be made with virtually no transfer of electric charge to or from the measured object, unlike other products in the market that transfer charge upon contact, according to the company.
BAE Systems has been test flying an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator, called Raven, as part of a classified research program since late 2003 (see p. 34). Flight trials of the blended wing-body design were conducted at the Woomera Range in Australia. BAE also is involved with Rolls-Royce in further risk-reduction work on UCAV technology for the U.K. Defense Ministry. In addition, the engine manufacturer is examining novel lift-fan configuration under a U.S. research program. BAE Systems photo, with inset from SonicBlue Aerospace.
Penny Young has become chief financial officer of the Alexandria, Va.-based Flight Safety Foundation. She was CFO of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contactors National Assn.
Airbus will increase the inspection intervals of its A330/A340 long-range products starting next year. What started out as a 500-hr. interval between A checks has already been extended to 600 hr., and will now increase to 700 hr., says Roger Lecomte, senior vice president for programs and technical support at Airbus. In the case of C checks, inspection periods are being extended to 24 months, from 18. Heavy checks will have intervals of 12 rather than 10 years.
Ultra Motion's redesigned series of Bug linear actuators offers improved strength, precision and reliability while keeping the same compact footprint, according to the company. The small footprint, low weight and high performance make the series a well-suited alternative to pneumatic or hydraulic systems. New features include: ABEC-7 angular contact bearings and interchangeable motor mounting plates. A Kevlar drive belt and pulleys provides 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1 and 5:1 drive ratios with low backlash and low audible noise by eliminating gears between motor and drive screw.
