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) Dec. 6-8--Aerospace & Defense Finance Conference, New York. Apr. 5-6--U.S. Defense Budgets and Programs Conference, Arlington, Va. Apr. 25-26--MRO Military Conference, Phoenix. Apr. 25-27--MRO USA Conference & Exhibition 2006, Phoenix. May 17-18--MRO Military Europe, Berlin.
Senior Editor Craig Covault (left) and Steve Squyres, Cornell University principal investigator for the Mars rover program, review the rover Spirit's Mars surface plans in the Ithaca, N.Y., university's rover coordination facility. Covault participated with Squyres and other Cornell science team members as they planned and carried out Spirit's final critical investigations at mountain summit on Mars. The Cornell team is linked real time to the rover engineering team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. (see p. 48).
The high-resolution panoramic Pancam systems on Spirit are being used to image the night sky on Mars, much as 18th century astronomers began to document Earth's sky using the rudimentary instruments of the time. "We're trying to imagine being 18th century astronomers, but with equipment on another planet, documenting the most simple things that can produce good science," says Jim Bell, who heads the rover Pancam team at Cornell. "It has also been invigorating for the Pancam team to do something entirely different and novel."
ACE Aviation Holdings, parent company of Air Canada, last week concluded its agreement with Boeing to acquire up to 36 777s and 60 787s. It includes firm orders for 18 777s, and purchase rights for 18. The mix of 777s has not yet been determined, according to the airline, but will include the -300ER and 777-200LR as well as 777 Freighters. Deliveries of the first six 777s are to begin in March and continue through July 2007. The agreement contains a firm order for 14 787s with options/purchase rights for another 46. GEnx engines will power Air Canada's 787 fleet.
Research is underway on a hypersonic transport vehicle capable of delivering a 12,000-lb. payload 9,000 naut. mi. in less than 2 hr. A technology demonstrator could be ready to fly as early as 2007. A Hypersonic Test Vehicle-1 model, designated Falcon, recently completed a series of technology simulations in Arnold Engineering Development Center's (AEDC) Hypervelocity Tunnel 9 complex in White Oak, Md.
David Bond (Washington), Robert Wall (Paris), Douglas Barrie (London)
Reflecting optimism about revenue on the U.S. side of the Atlantic and concern in Europe--not to mention losses in the West and profits in the East--four airlines are dealing with disparate financial results for the third quarter of 2005.
Francis (Buzz) Raborn has been named to the board of directors of Proxy Aviation Systems Inc., Germantown, Md. He was chief financial officer of United Defense Industries.
Ronald W. Haney, who is director of the Aviation Technology Div. at the University of Alaska Anchorage, has won the University Aviation Assn.'s (UAA) William A. Wheatley Award. The 2005 President's Award was presented to Christopher D. Wickens, who is professor emeritus of experimental psychology, former head of the Aviation Human Factors Div. and associate director emeritus of the Institute of Aviation, all at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Wickens was cited for long-term commitment to aviation human factors education and aviation research.
Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL) and the Indian Space Research Organization are setting up a $50-million satellite and fiber-optic network that will deliver distance-education and telemedicine links to Africa. The Pan African Network--funded by the Indian external affairs ministry under its Aid-to-Africa Budget program--will connect five universities, 53 learning centers, 10 specialty hospitals and 53 remote hospitals in the 53 countries of the African Union.
The Mars Exploration Rover program is at the core of one of the most ambitious aerospace education programs in the U.S., exposing thousands of students daily to career possibilities in science and aerospace.
The German air force will begin to receive the Taurus land-attack cruise missile by the end of this month, providing its Tornado strike aircraft with a step-change in capability. Approval for the delivery of production standard missiles comes following the conclusion of operational testing. The final test campaign was carried out from the Overberg range in South Africa.
Airports Council International, the lobbying group for airports, and its airline counterpart, the International Air Transport Assn., are not getting along. At its recent general meeting, ACI officials criticized IATA as relying on rhetoric and media pressure to inflame issues related to airport fees and charges. ACI contends such matters should be handled as straightforward business issues between the organizations. IATA officials agree they've been aggressive in attempting to secure lower rates, and won success recently with a 10% reduction at Tokyo Narita.
Satellite manufacturers in Asia continue to make headway in their bids to break into the highly competitive commercial satellite market, notching two sales this month. Japan's Space Communications Corp. picked Mitsubishi Electric Corp. to build Superbird 7, a 5-metric-ton, 28-transponder K u-band spacecraft to be launched in the first quarter of 2008. The deal marks the first time a Japanese commercial operator had purchased a locally built satellite. Meanwhile, Venezuela announced it will acquire a satellite from China's Great Wall Corp.
Hal Heule, who has been senior vice president-safety and regulatory compliance for US Airways Group, now will be senior vice president-technical operations. He succeeds John Prestifilippo, who has resigned.
BAA is proposing to further redevelop London Heathrow following the completion of Terminal 5. The authority is looking at demolishing Terminal 2 and the Queens Building, replacing them with a single site capable of handling up to 30 million passengers a year. BAA now intends to formally discuss the proposal with airlines.
Of all the changes roiling the aerospace industry--consolidation, subsidies, the scarcity of new aircraft development programs, to name just a few--globalization most likely will be the most disruptive. Like the proverbial genie that has escaped from the bottle, never to be put back, there will be no return to the previous world order in which the U.S. monopolized military and commercial aviation.
Aviation Week & Space Technology Senior Editor Craig Covault has received the 2005 Kolcum News and Communications Award at Cape Canaveral, Fla., for "sustained excellence in aerospace journalism." The award was presented Nov. 8 by the National Space Club's Florida Committee at a Cape Canaveral luncheon attended by about 100 top corporate and government managers and engineers involved in space operations at Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. The NASA Kennedy shuttle return-to-flight public affairs team was also honored.
Northrop Grumman's Information Technology is making headway in an emerging Defense Dept. market: analytical support for key missions related to the war on terrorism. The company nabbed a $375-million contract to provide "technical advisory and assistance services" to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and will help the agency to curb the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Services will range from planning to designing, developing, integrating and testing capabilities.
Timothy Fong has become general manager of Army operations and Robert Fecteau chief information officer for BAE Systems Information Technology, Herndon, Va. Fong was director of the Chief Technology Office, Army Signal Command, Ft. Belvoir, Va. Fecteau was chief information officer for the Army Intelligence and Security Command.
Les Aalders has been named acting executive director of the Ottawa-based Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council. He succeeds Steve Dick, who has left the organization.
It is true the V-22 will never be safe or efficient; it can do things no other vehicle can when it is properly operating, but a hummingbird it is not. We can walk on our hands, too, but few have such a need. Since World War II, had we spent what we have on the V-22 and wind turbines instead on sound engineering technologies, we would not have an energy-limited society.
French civil aircraft component maker Latecoere is riding the upswing in the commercial aircraft business to healthy growth in its turnover. The company says that in the first nine months revenue compared to last year has grown 35% and should end the year at least 30% above last year's level. Year-to-date revenue is 242.2 million euros ($285 million). Aerostructures represents more than three-quarters of the business activity. Latecoere is in discussion with Airbus about A350 work.
James F. Pitts (see photo) has become corporate vice president and president of the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Baltimore-based Electronic Systems Sector. He succeeds Robert P. Iorizzo, who plans to retire on Nov. 30. Pitts was vice president/general manager of the sector's aerospace systems division. He will be succeeded by John C. Johnson (see photo), who has been vice president-combat avionics systems. Johnson, in turn, will be succeeded by Joseph J. Ensor (see photo), who has been vice president-combat avionics programs.
The Airbus A380 was slated to arrive at Singapore late last week for airport compatibility tests after engines were changed. The first was pulled under an early plan to provide a Trent 900 to Rolls-Royce for close inspection after accumulating the first batch of flight hours. A second was replaced following the crew's noting of a slight engine rise; review of the Trent 900 is now underway. Airbus and Rolls then decided to replace the other two powerplants that had similar time on-wing since one of them was under inspection.
