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.
After several disappointing years, the commercial space sector is picking up, with satellite operators seeing capital availability for new projects and launch providers looking at order books that are essentially full through 2007. Nobody is predicting boom times around the corner, but the mood at the Satellite 2006 conference and exhibition held here last week was decidedly optimistic compared with a year or two ago. Among the recent developments:
Singapore Airlines has told travel agents in Australia that commissions will be reduced to 5% from 7% to help compensate for higher fuel costs. The airline says the "move is in line with the global industry trend" that has seen commissions decline in a majority of major international markets. In addition to Singapore Airlines, Australia's Qantas Airways plans to reduce commissions on international fares to 5% effective Apr. 1.
World Airways is reviving its cargo operation idled during a nine-day pilots' strike that ended Feb. 5 with a tentative agreement between the company and the Teamsters Union (AW&ST Feb. 6, p. 21). Union negotiator Gary Goodpaster says the three-year contract provides increased job protection and settles back pay and benefit issues. Goodpaster, one of World's 430 pilots, says the pact's job scope clause became an issue when World established World Air Holdings last year and acquired North American Airlines.
Aloha Airlines has equipped 21 of its Boeing 737s with units of AeroMechanical Services' Automated Flight Information Reporting System (Afirs) that records data from onboard sources. Lee Steele, senior vice president of operations, says Afirs provides a more accurate picture of the carrier's flight operations. Aloha is using the data collection for 737-700 engine monitoring to meet the FAA's criteria for extended-range operations.
Boeing will deliver a 777-200LR to Pakistan International Airways on Feb. 24, followed by a second airplane at year- end. Air India will accept the next three aircraft, which will seat 301 passengers and have the world's longest range at 9,420 naut. mi. Boeing has sold 195 777-300ERs, 23 -200LRs and 23 freighters. These sales include 23 to Air India (eight -200 LRs and 15 -300ERs), and 18 to Air Canada (potentially six -200LRs and 10 -300ERs plus freighters).
6 Correspondence 8 Who's Where 13 Industry Outlook 15 Airline Outlook 17 In Orbit 18-21 News Breaks 23 Washington Outlook 54 A European Perspective 65 Inside Avionics 66-67 Classified 68 Contact Us 69 Aerospace Calendar
Japan Airlines reports bullish third-quarter demand on transpacific and Taiwan routes, a flat market to Europe and a sluggish one in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Individual demand on domestic routes was slow, but group demand was strong. Overall, the carrier continues to struggle with high fuel costs and an increase in personnel costs relative to last year. The carrier recorded a third-quarter net loss of 11 billion yen ($92 million) and a net loss for the first nine months of 23 billion yen.
The Russian Space Agency Roscosmos has given contractors an extra month to submit revised proposals for a new human-rated space transportation system to serve the International Space Station (ISS) and future space exploration programs. Roscosmos says earlier proposals that were intended to meet new competitive procurement rules did not fully fulfill requirements. Vehicles proposed were Energia's Clipper vehicle; a Khrunichev winged vehicle carried by the new Angara booster, and an air-launched system conceived by Molniya. The winner was initially due to be picked by Feb.
Airbus customers and suppliers can now use realistic 3D digital mockups of the A380 over the Internet to help define the configuration of the aircraft to be built.
Icelandair has chosen Rolls-Royce as its engine supplier for the Boeing 787. The deal includes orders for two airplanes with an option for another five. The airline is the sixth 787 customer to choose the Trent 1000 over competitor General Electric and its GEnx. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2010. If all options are exercised, the Icelandair deal would net Rolls-Royce about $650 million.
US Helicopter will operate Sikorsky S-76s on 8-min. shuttle flights between New York's Wall Street heliport and American Airlines' new terminal at Kennedy International Airport beginning Mar. 13. Premium passengers will be able to check in at the heliport, obtain boarding passes and baggage tags, and pass through security. Arrivals at JFK will take the shuttle to Manhattan outside of American's new Admirals Club facility. Introductory fare is $139 one way, plus taxes and fees.
George B. Hull (see photo), who is principal engineer for the Northrop Grumman Information Technology Sector's TASC unit, McLean, Va., has been named to the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, which counsels the Air Force secretary and chief of staff. He has been chief engineer for strategic communications and chief engineer for multinational information sharing for the Defense Information Systems Agency.
Talk about shifting defense. Organizers for Asian Aerospace in Singapore, opening Feb. 21, will present military delegation leaders with Treo 650 handphones so they can "change their schedules on the move." A proprietary software program will provide these delegates and major exhibitors real-time access to daily programs, including the ability to request shifts in meeting times. Show President Ed Ng says it's all about time management.
USN Adm. (ret.) Walter F. Doran (see photo) has been appointed Navy service executive for Raytheon, based in Arlington, Va. He was commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and had been assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
I just finished reading the Contrails article "Three-Engines-Out Ditching" (AW&ST Jan. 9, p. 53). As an EC-121 pilot from 1972-76, I flew Lockheed Super-Constellation Gs like the one in the story, as well as the radar D and T models of the Super G for the U.S. Air Force. As I read the story, I was anticipating the next emergency that was going to pop up, and indeed it did. What a joy it was to read a story that was accurate and very believable.
S.G. Cowen & Co.'s recent annual investor conference featured the usual lineup of big guns--plus one company that can literally lay claim to that label. Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., the well-known but moderately sized U.S. handgun maker, promoted an ambitious plan to expand into the defense and homeland security markets.
Aerospace and defense is leading other industries in the implementation of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and processes, according to Bernard Charles, president and CEO of Dassault Systemes in Paris. While the auto industry led the world in the move to 3D digital mockup of products a decade ago, aerospace is moving ahead of auto manufacturers with PLM--a combination of software and processes that carries a product from design through manufacturing and the rest of its life cycle.
European government and industry leaders are setting near-term funding and policy benchmarks in an attempt to breathe life into the European Union's flagging military research and technology spending program. But while officials are urging prompt action, the relatively low financial requests being put forward have some industry officials frustrated.
MEANWHILE, IN THE U.S., officials of the Airports Council International-North America slammed what they say is a "severe budget cut" in the President's request released Feb. 6 that will hamper U.S. airports' ability to grow. ACI-NA says the budget request calls for a decrease in the FAA's Airport Improvement Program funding to $2.7 million, from the $3.7 billion for Fiscal 2007 legislated three years ago. This is about $765 million below 2006 and comes at a time of record passenger and cargo traffic.
Rolls-Royce pre-tax profits climbed by 49% to 584 million pounds ($1.016 billion) on the back of the buoyant commercial aircraft market. Its 2005 preliminary results show sales for the group totaling 6.6 billion pounds, with an order book of 22.9 billion pounds. Commercial engine sector sales grew to 3.51 billion pounds, a 470-million- pound increase over 2004. Rolls booked orders for 246 of its Trent family of engines, valued at $3 billion. International Aero Engines, in which Rolls-Royce has a 32.5% share, snagged orders for 600 engines worth $1.5 billion.
An article in the 2006 Aerospace Source Book (AW&ST Jan. 16, p. 179) mentions "the surprise cancellation of the (Lockheed Martin) Joint Common Missile." This statement was based on the Office of the Secretary of Defense's decision not to fund the program in Fiscal 2006. However, in its Fiscal 2006 Appropriations Conference Report dated Dec. 18, 2005, Congress earmarked $30 million for JCM research, development, test and evaluation, which will keep the program alive for at least another year.
France has completed the first test firing of its upgraded ASMPA nuclear cruise missile. The MBDA missile, to be fitted on Rafale fighters starting in 2008, was fired from a Mirage 2000N flying testbed.
