Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. will supply four S-92 helicopters to CHC Helicopter Corp. for use in commercial search-and-rescue missions for the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Deliveries are slated to begin in July 2007. The sale marks the first time the S-92 has been chosen specifically for SAR missions.
UNITED STATES Editor-In-Chief: Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. [email protected] Managing Editor: James R. Asker [email protected] Assistant Managing Editor: Michael Stearns [email protected] Senior Editors: Craig Covault [email protected], David Hughes [email protected] NEW YORK 2 Penn Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10121 Phone: +1 (212) 904-2000, Fax: +1 (212) 904-6068 Senior News Editor: Nora Titterington
Missile manufacturer MBDA is pursuing a range of parallel development activities on its Meteor rocket/ramjet active radar-guided air-to-air missile, even though initial air-launched test firings have slipped into 2006. All three aircraft types on which the missile will initially be integrated were due to fly with test rounds of the weapon last week, the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen. The Gripen was flown with an avionics test version of the Meteor on the port outboard pylon.
Virgin Galactic plans to build a $200-million spaceport in southern New Mexico for its planned suborbital space tourism flights. The company, which bought rights to Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne technology after it won the Ansari X Prize, plans to break ground near Las Cruces in 2007, and begin tourist flights in 2009-10.
Russia is courting India as a development partner for a light fighter program, as Moscow continues to vacillate on its own combat aircraft procurement plans. Russian fighter manufacturer MiG briefed Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee during his visit to Russia last month. Mukherjee confirmed to the Russian press that amongst subjects discussed was MiG study work on a fifth-generation light fighter aircraft.
Peggy Ferris and husband Keith have worked together as a team in support of his artistic and photographic efforts for more than 50 years. She is responsible for the organization of Keith's reference files, library and collection of more than 50,000 35mm slides. Peggy has traveled extensively with Keith in support of his work for the aerospace industry and U.S. Air Force. Keith Ferris created the 25 X 75-ft. B-17 and Jet Aviation murals in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
London Heathrow Airport faces reduced fuel availability as a result of a fire last week that destroyed a fuel depot in central England. Heathrow-based airlines' long-haul flights will be provided with 84% of their normal intake, with flights under 5-hr. duration receiving 64%. The restrictions will likely stay in place until year-end.
Delivery of two Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles is expected by the end of the month in Central Command to support operations in and around Iraq, a program official says.
In the article "Pavement Paradox" (AW&ST Oct. 24, p. 46), the cost reported just to add a new runway to an airport in order to add capacity is a jaw-dropper. The $1.35-billion cost for adding one runway at Atlanta is probably more than the cost of constructing the entire airport in the first place. If it costs more than $1 billion just to add a runway at St. Louis, Atlanta or Seattle, it seems obvious that we will not be building any new airports in the U.S. soon, despite the badly needed capacity.
ROCKET ENGINEERING OF SPOKANE, WASH., says it plans to obtain FAA certification of the Turbine P/Baron in December 2006. The airplane is a pressurized Beechcraft Model 58P Baron powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-series turboprop engines flat-rated to 500-550 shp. in place of the original Teledyne Continental reciprocating powerplants. Performance projections include a maximum speed of nearly 305 kt. and a climb rate of 4,500 fpm. The conversion is priced at $750,000-800,000. First flight is scheduled for mid-2006.
Douglas Barrie (London), Michael A. Taverna (Berlin)
The U.K. space science community is seeing red over the latest round of government funding for the European Space Agency. The paltry sum made available for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program is tempering glee at the level of support for Mars exploration.
Robotics engineers will have chances to win two more $250,000 prizes from NASA's Centennial Challenges office, which runs competitions as a spur to development of the technology that will be needed to explore the Solar System. NASA, in collaboration with the Spaceward Foundation of Mountain View, Calif., plans a two-year competition beginning in August 2007 for telerobotic construction techniques that could be used on the Moon.
An upcoming commission report on defense acquisition reform will pull no punches, promises panel chair and former Missile Defense Agency head Ron Kadish. The group's recommendations are "very radical, and therefore have a high probability of being ignored, but that did not deter us from suggesting them," Kadish said during the first public preview of the findings at Aviation Week's Aerospace & Defense Finance conference in New York. The group urges the Defense Dept.
European Union transport ministers last week gave the formal nod to the creation of an EU-wide airline blacklist, which should be in place around springtime. The list will be reviewed at least every three months. For now, the ministers have put a hold on EC plans to expand the mandate to negotiating a comprehensive aviation agreement with China. The issue will be reviewed again at a later date. Lastly, the ministers says they are looking to the U.S. for progress on airline ownership rules before a first-step open skies agreement can be inked.
Allen V. Compito (see photos) has been promoted to principal director from systems director in the Space Systems Directorate in the National Systems Group and Michael W. Fortanbary to principal engineer in the office of the group's senior vice president from chief systems engineer for communications technology programs, both in the Chantilly, Va., office of The Aerospace Corp. In the Columbia, Md., office, Kenneth B.
Boeing Phantom Works is trying again to demonstrate its X-50A canard rotor/wing helicopter, which attempts to blend virtues of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. The No. 2 X-50A Dragonfly made its first flight at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona on Dec. 2, after a 20-month recovery following the crash of the No. 1 prototype on Mar. 23, 2004, on its third hover flight (AW&ST Apr. 5, 2004, p. 19).
Colleen Back has been named director of sales, marketing and business development and Scott Clarey regional director of aircraft sales for Western Aircraft Inc., Boise, Idaho.
Bruce Drum has been appointed deputy director of operations and Ronald Smith chief of general aviation airports for the Miami-Dade Aviation Dept. Smith succeeds Drum and was manager of airside operations at Miami International Airport.
David ReDavid has become South Central U.S. vice president-operations for the Aircraft Service International Group, Orlando, Fla. He succeeds Gene Roy, who is now vice president-sales and customer service. ReDavid was a regional services director for AirNet Systems.
China will build a new medium-lift helicopter in partnership with Eurocopter, and reinforce cooperation on turboshaft engines and telecommunications satellites with European suppliers.
Bell/Boeing delivered the first Block B version of the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor to the U.S. Marine Corps on Dec. 8 at the company's facilities in Amarillo, Tex. The latest version has software, maintenance and reliability upgrades, according to Bell.
Dutch package delivery giant TNT's new strategy to sell off its logistics division is sending a ripple through the global mail, express and logistics industry. UPS is a likely contender, says Emilio Pedrinaci, analyst with London's Datamonitor, so the Atlanta-based transportation company can increase its European presence in logistics, an area in which it specializes.
Michael J. Piscatella has been named to the board of directors of International Water-Guard Industries Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia. He is president of the Industrial Tube Corp. and vice president-business development for Hartzell Propeller Inc., both subsidiaries of Charter Aerospace Inc.
NETJETS WILL ACQUIRE 50 HAWKER 4000 business jets for its global fractional fleet. The contract with Raytheon Aircraft Co. calls for deliveries to begin in 2007 and continue through 2013. The deal, worth more than $1 billion, is the largest single commercial order received by the Wichita, Kan.-based airframe manufacturer. Formerly known as the Hawker Horizon, the super-midsize Hawker 4000 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308A engines each rated at 6,900 lb. static thrust and features a composite fuselage.
The way is finally cleared for full-scale development of the Galileo satellite navigation system, and the conclusion of negotiations for the concession to deploy and operate it.
