Grasshopper Aviation's Maule of Wasilla, Alaska, cruises over the Knik Glacier during a sightseeing flight last April. Rich Hulina, Sioux Lookout, Ontario
The fatal shooting by federal air marshals of a passenger acting erratically in Miami has some observers wondering if the tragedy might provoke unintended consequences among travelers or terrorists. Edmund (Kip) Hawley, head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), says the passenger wasn't a terrorist and his death was "regrettable," but the air marshals acted as they were trained. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) says the incident shows that "such threatening conduct will not be tolerated." Though the passenger was unarmed, Rep.
Eurocopter will help develop a new utility helicopter for South Korea, barely a week after nailing down a deal to build a new-generation medium-lift helicopter with China. After a multi-round bidding process, the South Korea government settled on Eurocopter to aid Korean Aerospace Industries in design and development of the 8-metric-ton Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH), the main product of the Korea Helicopter Program (KHP). The EADS subsidiary beat out AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter Textron in the final round; Boeing and Sikorsky were eliminated earlier.
Don Ackles "Prop" Watercolor and Ink 13 X 11 in. Jean Barbaud "Bat out of Hell P-38" Ink and Watercolor 14 X 10 in. Ardell Bourgeois "On Guard for Thee" Oil 18 X 24 in. Hank Caruso "A Cut Above the Rest" Ink and Prismacolor 14 X 11 in. Tom Cronley "Banished in Beeville" Oil 30 X 18 in. Chas Downs "A Grumman J2F-5 Duck Waits at Pax River" Acrylic 30 X 18 in. Ron Hart "Amelia's Mystery" Pastel and Oil 19 X 25 in. Virginia Ivanicki "The Architects of Heaven: Rising" Oil 20 X 60 in.
Members of the International Air Transport Assn. and Star Alliance, fed up with high airport fees and rising ticket distribution costs, plan to take aggressive steps in 2006 to keep those expenses in check.
Twenty-two main rotor blades spin as Pave Lows escort the U.S. President from Prestwick Airport, Scotland, last July. Derrick Stamos, Mildenhall, England
A Franco-Indian oceanography mission will help ensure continuity of altimetry data critical for predicting large-scale weather phenomena like tropical storms. System and mission responsibility for the 400-million-euro ($470-million) OceanSat mission will be shared by the Indian Space Research Organization and French space agency Cnes.
Michael A. Taverna (Paris), Douglas Barrie (London)
France and Britain are signaling a readiness to help kick-start consolidation of European naval systems, with separate actions on both the supply and demand side of the equation. Last week, French armaments agency DGA signed a 20-million-euro ($24-million) "relay contract" with defense electronics contractor Thales and naval shipyard DCN to refine definition of a design for France's new aircraft carrier, designated PA2, based on the U.K.'s CVF.
C-130 from the 139th Air Wing flies out of storm clouds over northwestern Missouri. Jim Haseltine, Omaha, Neb. Contractor crew chief cleans the canopy of an F-4F Phantom II after a shower at Holloman AFB, N.M. Tony Chong, Burbank, Calif. CH-47 makes its approach to the Quad City Air Show in Davenport, Iowa. Paul Kilen, Sioux Falls, S.D. U.S. Marine Corps VMX-22 MV-22B Osprey maneuvers off the coast of North Carolina. Ted Carlson, Mission Viejo, Calif.
With a 45-aircraft order for 787s worth a theoretical $7.6 billion, Boeing has added to an already enviable lead in this year's wide-body sales, sweeping past rival Airbus in every product category. The purchase decision came from Qantas and is the second largest recorded for the 787, after the 50 aircraft All Nippon Airways purchased last year as launch customer. But Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon said neither Boeing nor Airbus have satisfied the airline's needs to fly nonstop from Sydney to London.
The U.S. Defense Dept. has been boosting investment in unmanned aerial vehicles, but interoperability and weather problems, as well as bandwidth congestion, are still affecting some missions, according to a GAO report. The department has not developed detailed interoperability standards for the unmanned aircraft, payloads and ground controls that make up unmanned aircraft systems, the GAO says.
The American Society of Aviation Artists is pleased to join Aviation Week & Space Technology for the sixth year in presenting the art in this annual special issue as selected from ASAA's 2005 Exhibition. In addition to the "Best of the Best" award winner selected by Aviation Week Art Director Robert P. McAuley--along with his top choices for honors in the categories of Military, Commercial, General Aviation and Space--this year's selections include ASAA's annual prize winners selected by its judges.
The Australian government has unveiled a national security update that supplants its 2003 issue White Paper. New initiatives recommended in the plan include studying additional heavy-lift options beyond the C-130J, which could result in Canberra buying Boeing C-17s or Airbus Military A400Ms.
Boeing has named Evergreen International Airlines to operate the three-aircraft fleet of 747 Large Cargo Freighters it will use to transport assemblies for the 787 to final assembly in Everett, Wash. Evergreen has named Cargolux as a subcontractor to fly routes from Europe. Sojitz Corp. will coordinate logistics and other services for Boeing suppliers in Japan.
COMMERCIAL 2nd PLACE Paul Burrows "A Clearing Sky" Paul Burrows is a retired U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard pilot who flies his homebuilt aircraft and paints aviation subjects. He has belonged to ASAA since 1987. While Burrows does portray historic events in some of his paintings and at all times strives for technical accuracy, he most often sets out simply to capture the feeling of flight--to tell non-fliers what it's about and in other fliers, evoke a spark of recognition. COMMERCIAL 3rd PLACE
Uncertainty about who can fly unmanned aircraft and where they can be flown in U.S. airspace has reached a critical point. The Air Force wants to equip a number of Air National Guard units with Predators and Global Hawks for the war on terrorism, and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency wants to buy Predators to begin high-resolution mapping of most of the nation. Each faces two big problems: a shortage of UAV pilots and too little restricted airspace where they can fly.
The FAA projects an $8.2-billion shortfall through Fiscal 2009 as it faces the double whammy of rising costs and declining revenues, according to the Government Accountability Office. In fact, the money allocated will fall 17% short of what is needed on average each year. The FAA's current revenue structure relies heavily on the number of passengers using the National Airspace System (NAS) while the agency's workload is driven by the number of aircraft operating in the system.
Air Canada has taken delivery of the first of its ordered 45 Embraer 190 regional jets, which received its type certification from Canadian authorities this month.
Tahoe Special SeaBee touches down at Lake Winnebago, Oshkosh, Wis. Bonnie Bartel, Oshkosh, Wis. A calm Lake Hood reflects images of Cessna floatplanes moored at their docks at Anchorage, Alaska. Mark Naumann, Lafayette, N.J. Bob Lutz flies his Piper PA-18 Super Cub east of Palmer, Alaska, while approaching the Knik Glacier. Rich Hulina, Sioux Lookout, Ontario Ford Bushmaster Tri-Motor on display at EAA AirVenture 2005 in Oshkosh, Wis. Paul Kilen, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Israel's long-range, Green Pine radar--used to find targets for the Arrow 2 air defense missile--is being upgraded and doubled in power, possibly making it a candidate for conversion into a directed-energy weapon for use against Iranian and Syrian threats.
EADS Socata is reengining its turboprop business aircraft in a bid to combat increasingly stiff competition from the emerging very light jet (VLJ) market. The newly unveiled TBM 850 is powered by the 850-shp. Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66D, replacing the -64 to boost maximum cruise speed to 315 KTAS at 31,000 ft. The aircraft, which supplants production of the TBM 700, was conceived to counteract one of the main benefits offered by higher-speed VLJs. "We don't take that competition lightly," says Socata Vice President for Marketing Stephane Bernard.
