Federal investigators are attempting to determine what caused a Cessna 560 Citation V to overshoot Runway 24 at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif., explode into flames and kill all four people on board. At 5:50 a.m. (MST) on Jan. 24, the aircraft (N86CE) departed Sun Valley (Idaho) Airport, according to preliminary FAA accident data. The twin-engine jet was registered to Goship Air LLC of Ketchum, Idaho, and operated by Jaxair of Hailey, Idaho.
NATO allies seek contingency plans to cover delays or price hikes in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) as a result of the U.S. Quadrennial Defense Review process. U.K. Defense Procurement Minister Lord Paul Drayson states that London is examining what he calls "Plan B" if the JSF fails to meet all of the U.K.'s requirements for carrier strike aircraft.
Scott J. Prouty (see photo) has been promoted to principal director in the Arlington, Va.-based Missile Defense Div. of The Aerospace Corp. from systems director for the Sensors and Battle Management Command and Control in the Missile Defense Div. Retired Pentagon official Nelson F. Gibbs (see photo) and former Rep. Jim Slattery (see photo) have been appointed to the board of trustees.
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Lee Gaillard says NASA should do more concerning its first "A" and then lists commercial and military programs that would benefit. What about us general aviation types? If it wasn't for home building, we wouldn't have the new high-performance composites from Columbia and Cirrus. We could use that research; how about more efficient propellers as a starter?
European defense giant EADS has developed an electronic nose that is sensitive enough to detect minute traces (parts-per-trillion) of dangerous substances on hands, clothing or objects. EADS has not built a prototype of the technology, which uses an ion mobility spectrometer with a laser beam and is still in the demonstration phase. Project manager Johann Göbel, in Germany, says it could be commercial in three years.
The University of Tennessee has teamed with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon to provide industry-specific research, thought leadership (a.k.a. strategy skills) and courseware on topics deemed critical to the aerospace industry. The first offering to emerge from this effort is "Making Performance-Based Logistics Real: the Basics and Beyond." In essence, PBL means government agencies contract with suppliers on a "pay-for-performance" basis rather than the more conventional transaction of selling or repairing spare parts.
On stage, the Airbus-Boeing rivalry continues as an exercise in vanity, with executives of both companies assigning more importance to press releases than the contracts themselves. In the last few weeks, these corporate officials desperately tried to conclude and unveil 11th-hour orders to surpass the competitor. The media obviously like such a fainthearted game. It generates dramatic headlines, produces amusing quotes and feeds readers' appetites for fierce battles in the global market.
With major program decisions now behind it, the European Space Agency can return to its long-standing priority of improving the way the agency operates. Speaking before reporters here on Jan. 16, Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain said ESA will seek to accelerate reform in three areas of operations this year--finance, risk management and technology. Streamlining agency operations has long been on the agenda of the ESA member states, and is a leading goal of Dordain's.
U.S. Special Operations Command is putting the screws to its Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) with new plans that leave the miniature submarine in murky waters. Prime contractor Northrop Grumman delivered the first mini-sub in 2003 for developmental testing. But Socom announced late last year that instead of buying two more mini-subs through 2011 as planned, it is redirecting some of that money to focus on reliability issues that have plagued the boat.
The Defense Dept., in expressing its ire with U.S. Air Force procurement scandals, had taken decision-making authority for 21 programs from the service. Now it has been given back about half.
The future attractiveness of Paris's big hub at Charles de Gaulle Airport could be in jeopardy, following a French government decision to boost fees 25% over the next five years, warns the International Air Transport Assn.
Launch of the next Soyuz crew vehicle to the International Space Station will slip a week, to Mar. 30, so technicians can replace malfunctioning parts for the vehicle control system, and test them. The delay also will cause postponement of the launch of a Progress supply vehicle until Apr. 24.
Ray Neidl's Viewpoint "U.S Airlines Need Consolidation and Rational Pricing" was right on as an effective prescription for a nearly comatose industry (AW&ST Nov. 21, 2005, p. 90). If I were the U.S. commissar of commercial aviation, I'd call all the CEOs, chief financial officers, congressional miscreants, union "leaders," vendors and lenders onto my carpet and carve the text of Neidl's piece on their foreheads. I remember a revealing comment by Chairman L.
Airbus is one of several organizations planning to conduct flight tests this year to better understand wake vortex phenomena. These have come increasingly under scrutiny as the A380 mega-transport edges toward service entry. Driven by a sense that model-based wake vortex assessments aren't providing sufficient and accurate data, researchers, including the Canadian National Research Council (NRC), intend to gain more data through flight test campaigns to actually measure the strength and location of turbulence that aircraft leave in trail.
Alaska Air Group was "very pleased" with 2005 full-year results--a profit of $84.5 million or $2.65 per diluted share, including special items, or $55 million excluding fuel hedge accounting, restructuring and navigation fees. This compares with 2004, when the group reported a loss of $15.3 million or $0.57 per share. Noting that the group was one of a few major airline companies to post a substantial adjusted profit, group Chairman and CEO Bill Ayer said: "Our job now is to stay the course."
Embraer facilities in Brazil suffered damage after strong winds struck the site last week. Parts of the ERJ 145 assembly line may have to be moved. Embraer says it doesn't anticipate aircraft delivery delays, though.
Alitalia's warring management and unions will meet this week under government supervision to try to resolve differences that have led to repeated labor actions and flight cancellations. The Feb. 1 meeting is crucial for all parties, and the outcome could decide the fate of Alitalia, which is trying to claw its way back from the brink of bankruptcy.
In one sign that the next wave of information technology innovation is starting in civil aviation, Rockwell Collins has become the provider of information management networks to two major airlines and NetJets.
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Key components in the Navy's fleet of so-called "silent service" boats include the nuclear-powered Virginia-class (SSN-774) attack submarine, which extends 377 ft. in length and has a 34-ft. beam. The Navy plans to build 30 Virginia-class subs. The larger Seawolf-class (SSN-21) boat, which has greater speed and operational depth than the SSN-774, was to have been the ultimate open-water, hunter-killer submarine, but the price became too steep as the list of naval adversaries dwindled.
James E. Hall (see photo), former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, has become of counsel to the Nolan Law Group of Chicago. He will continue as principal of consulting firm Hall & Associates.
The European Sostar-X ground surveillance demonstrator is moving toward full flight trials on a Fokker 100. The modified aircraft--fitted with a fuselage-mounted canoe to house a synthetic aperture radar--has commenced flight testing and a government go-ahead to integrate the mission equipment on the aircraft has been received. The contractually required flight test campaign of the entire Sostar-X system is slated for next year in France.
Bell Helicopter Textron flew its TR918 Eagle Eye unmanned aircraft system for the first time on Jan. 26 at its facilities in Fort Worth. The flight lasted 9 min. and included hover, yaw and translation maneuvers. Further tests will center on expanding the flight envelope to full airplane mode at higher speeds and payloads.
Colin Steven has been named Paris-based vice president-marketing and sales of Embraer Executive Jets, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. He was a regional vice president for the Swift Aviation Group.
