Investigators probing the Air France Airbus A340-313 runway overrun accident at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Aug. 2 have discovered no "significant anomalies" in the aircraft systems, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Physical examination of the wreckage and a digital flight data recorder review of parameters detected no problems with flight controls or with spoilers, which were deployed at touchdown.
News Breaks 18 Ariane 5 ECA completes second launch 19 Engine tweaks add range to Boeing 787-9 19 Lockheed Martin sweetens F-16 bid to Indian air force 20 Airbus mandate to suppliers: Outsource to Asia 20 Obituaries for net-centric expert Cebrowski, photographer Adshead World News & Analysis 24 Boeing lands first orders for stretched 747-400 26 Engineers' union recommends 'yes' vote on Boeing contract
HOUSTON-BASED UNIVERSAL WEATHER and aviation has expanded its online trip information tools and made them available on its web site. These include the ability to create and modify trips, check status of flight plans and request international overflight and landing permits.
The Defense Dept. is suffering from a "lack of focus" and needs a comprehensive plan to handle the politically sensitive problem of unexploded ordnance (UXO) on the battlefield, according to a Defense Science Board study. The independent analysis suggests this will be a problem as the Army continues to develop smaller fighting units that can maneuver unimpeded on the battlefield. USAF is upgrading the CBU-87 and CBU-97 cluster bombs, chronic offenders, and the Army is improving its Multiple Launch Rocket System.
Lorraine Martin (see photo), who is vice president-flight solutions for Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training and Support, has become chair of the Washington-based Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium. She succeeds Carl O'Berry of Boeing, whose one-year term has concluded. Martin was vice chair. USN Capt. (ret.) Kevin J. Reardon (see photo) has been named executive director. He was an executive with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics.
With sales of C$21.7 billion ($18.2 billion) last year, the Canadian aerospace industry is not much more than one-third the size of the Boeing Co. Then again, Canada is the world's fourth-largest aerospace producer and home to the world's third-largest commercial airplane company, Bombardier Inc. The industry is a leading supplier of regional and business jets, small gas turbine engines, flight simulators and landing gear. It's also a vital part of Canada's economy.
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The U.S. Army's Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center is running the world's largest water purifier on the Gulf Coast, supplying potable water from a fire hydrant and the ocean. The Expeditionary Unit Water Purifier (EUWP) was designed by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) and funded entirely by $23.35 million in congressional plus-ups since 2003. Sen. Peter Domenici (R), of water-poor New Mexico, is behind the effort and has already secured $11 million for the program in 2006.
Flight testing of the first Saab Gripen fighter for South Africa has begun in preparation for deliveries scheduled to start in 2008. The initial flight occurred on Nov. 11 at Saab's Linkoping facility in Sweden and lasted for 70 min. Following system integration and additional flights in the next few months, the fighter will be transported to South Africa in August for development testing. South Africa has ordered 28 Gripens--19 single- and nine two-seat versions.
Australian budget airline Virgin Blue--which recently reported a $76.7-million annual net profit--has launched a frequent-flier program, Velocity. The program allows customers to redeem points on flights all year, with no blackout periods. CEO Brett Godfrey says the company's strategy is to broaden its appeal to frequent fliers in the corporate and government sectors.
The British Trade and Industry Dept. is on the brink of approving technology validation programs at the heart of the country's aerospace road map. An announcement had been expected to coincide with the first meeting of the Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team leadership council on Nov. 8, but procedural issues have delayed formal approval.
Future communications capability is playing a dominant role in the business aviation sector. Iridium Satellite LLC, for example, reported that its aeronautical satcom business more than doubled this year. The number of its subscribers passed the 5,000 mark, and includes a cross section of customers--airlines, fractional jet services and helicopter fleets. At the recent National Business Aviation Assn. (NBAA) meeting here, Executive Vice President Don Thoma referred to the aviation sector in general as a "core and growing market."
Space-based radar altimetry data collected since 1991 indicate that the ice sheet blanketing Greenland is thickening at an average rate of 5.4 cm. (2.1 in.) per year. The phenomenon may be related to relatively short-term variability in regional atmospheric circulation. Greenland is home to the second-largest concentration of freshwater ice in the world, with an average thickness of 2.3 km. (1.4 mi.). If it were all to melt, world sea level would rise about 7 meters (23 ft.), scientists estimate.
Boeing's Conical Microwave Imager/ Sounder (CMIS) is up for a beating as the next problem sensor for the National Polar Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (Npoess), a joint venture between the Defense and Commerce Depts. CMIS technology has not developed as quickly as planned and might delay the Npoess development, program officials say. Earlier, they blamed part of a multibillion-dollar Npoess cost overrun on Raytheon's Visible/Infrared Imager/ Radiometer Suite.
The Cape Town Treaty, an international agreement that is designed to reduce risk for financiers of aircraft, engines and helicopters, is on track for full implementation Mar. 1, now that it has been ratified by Malaysia. Eight nations including the U.S. have ratified it. The treaty is a product of more than a decade's work by manufacturers, governments and organizations to establish a legal framework that protects rights of buyers and investors.
The rampant threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq has inspired the defense industry to look for cheap ways to armor humvees and other military vehicles. Enter Caracal, a modified Ford sport utility vehicle unveiled by Israeli company Plasan Sasa at the Assn. of the U.S. Army's annual convention in Washington. Caracal, which means desert fox in Hebrew, uses a commercial chassis that makes it cheaper than a conventional armored vehicle. The company pegs the price of the full system at $150,000, but says cost depends on the options.
The Pentagon's second-in-command is shifting the focus of the Defense Dept.'s work to counter improvised explosive devices away from short-term solutions toward more basic research to mimic the effort focused on developing the first atomic bomb.
Boeing's forecast for the Asia-Pacific region over the next 20 years shows demand for 7,000 new aircraft worth $770 billion. It's no surprise that the region remains the largest market outside the U.S. for commercial aircraft. The detailed outlook looks much like Boeing's world forecast released earlier this year: Single-aisle aircraft dominate, with 3,690 deliveries expected. Intermediate twins will account for about 2,430 deliveries; regional jets, 540; and Boeing 747/Airbus A380-size jumbo jets, 510.
As the Pentagon prepared for a November meeting to decide how to proceed with a $32-billion program to deploy its next generation of secure, software-defined radios, many troops in Iraq have their own solution: commercial handheld radios that cost less than $100 a set.
Is the airline lobby trying to drive a wedge between business-jet operators and private pilots as the 2007 FAA reauthorization bill debate approaches? National Business Aviation Assn. President and CEO Ed Bolen fears that it might be. He is wary of recent comments by Jim May, president and CEO of the Air Transport Assn. (ATA), that the business-jet community should pay more for the ATC services it consumes while fees don't need to be increased for general aviation.
Now that Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Independence Air have joined the Chapter 11 ranks, almost half of the U.S. airline capacity is operated by carriers in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. United, Aloha and ATA airlines are still reorganizing. US Airways and Hawaiian Airlines recently exited the process, but others are likely to join this parade of failure for a lot of reasons.
Darpa wants to develop software that can analyze strange maritime behavior, alerting the U.S. Navy when terrorists might be transporting weapons of mass destruction or pirates, contraband. Predictive Analysis for Naval Deployment Activities (Panda) would track local and global patterns of behavior by commercial vessels including shipping routes and routine detours for fuel or paperwork. If a ship that always travels between Malaysia and Japan winds up in the Indian Ocean, authorities would be alerted.
USN Rear Adm. John C. Harvey, Jr., has been nominated for promotion to vice admiral and appointment as deputy chief of naval operations for manpower, personnel, training and education. He is director of Warfare Integration and Assessment Div. in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
Evergreen Helicopters has taken delivery of an Agusta/Bell AB-139 and a Bell 412, bringing the company's fleet of rotorcraft to more than 75. The McMinnville, Ore.-based company already operates one AB139 and uses the medium-lift aircraft for transporting workers to offshore oil platforms, emergency medical services and search-and-rescue missions.
Finmeccanica has seen revenue grow 17% during the first nine months of 2005 compared to last year, reaching 7.5 billion euros ($8.78 billion) and a net profit of 180 million euros (up 22% from 148 million euros). The operating profit jumped 51% to 406 million euros. Finmeccanica is riding a wave of new orders, worth 10.6 billion euros, boosted by the U.S. presidential helicopter and Eurofighter Typhoon programs.
