The merger of legacy U.S. Border Patrol and Customs Service aviation assets (Office of Air and Marine Operations or AMO) into an organization with two chains of command is regression to business of 10 years ago (AW&ST Aug. 15, p. 17).
The National Weather Service awarded a contract for operations and maintenance of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System, a nationwide weather data analysis and dissemination system. The $300-million contract includes a five-year base period and five one-year options. Raytheon will operate a network control facility in Silver Spring, Md. Teaming with Raytheon are Keane Federal Systems of McLean, Va.,; Ensco of Falls Church, Va.; and Globecomm Systems of Hauppauge, N.Y., plus others.
JetBlue Airways sees bright skies amid industry gloom. With the delivery of its first Embraer 190 jet aircraft, the low-cost carrier looks to expanding its fleet, markets and staff. CEO David Neeleman accepted the aircraft--named "Brazilian Blue" by the carrier--at Embraer headquarters here last week and plans to put it into service in November. Ninety-nine more are to follow, an additional eight this year and about 18 per year until 2011, when the aircraft's launch customer may exercise options for 100 more.
MUNICH AIRPORT IS JOINING Frankfurt and Dusseldorf airports as a user of an air traffic slot management tool from Barco of Kortrijk, Belgium. The software tool, or "airside slot capacity assistant," is designed to improve efficiency in flight schedule processing and reporting, matching of flights to available slots and distribution of information, according to Barco. Slots at major airports are valuable economic assets--Frankfurt earns significant additional landing fees just by ensuring the available slots are used.
A Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182 Skylane flies over the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. CAP is gradually replacing its fleet of aging, piston-powered single-engine airplanes with new Skylanes (see p. 60). Each aircraft is being equipped with a special mission package that includes a glass cockpit and new avionics. A key feature of the package is the ability to provide aerial reconnaissance for the Homeland Security Dept. CAP's role as a low-cost asset in the war on terror is expected to expand in the future. Civil Air Patrol photo.
Honeybee Robotics, the New York-based company that built the Mars Exploration Rover rock abrasion tool affectionately known as the RAT, has developed and tested a high-temperature electric motor that could have application on the hot surface of Venus. Honeybee used a modified jeweler's furnace to heat the motor to as much as 460C, roughly the mean surface temperature beneath the greenhouse-effect clouds of Venus. Overall, it operated for more than 2 hr. at that level, which left the motor's steel casing (below) and mounting brackets oxidized.
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Tuff-Seal interlocking tiles are designed for use by aircraft owners and aircraft homebuilders in hangars and workshops. A patented, hidden interlock system creates a secure, watertight and virtually seamless surface, according to the company. The tiles aid in noise reduction, help reduce dust and humidity and are more comfortable to stand on than concrete surfaces. The tiles will not break, loosen or shift even under heavy loads so do not require frequent repair. They can be easily removed and relaid in other areas.
Capt. Lee Moak has been elected chairman of the Delta Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Assn., effective Oct. 1. He succeeds Capt. John Malone. Capt. Tim Canoll has been elected vice chairman and Capt. Kingsley Roberts secretary-treasurer.
Shareholders of America West Holdings Corp., America West Airlines' corporate parent, voted 95% in favor of their carrier's merger with US Airways, setting the stage for the start of court hearings Sept. 15 on US Airways' emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and for closing the merger this month, as planned. America West also severed its code-share relationship with British Airways, citing BA's position in the Oneworld alliance and its own coming affiliation with the Star Alliance. America West will operate its last code-share flight for BA on Oct.
USAF Lt. Gen. John F. Regni has become superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He was commander of the Air University at Maxwell AFB, Ala. Regni will be succeeded by Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz, who has been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general. He has been deputy assistant Air Force secretary for budget at the Pentagon. Maj. Gen. Douglas M.
The humorist Dave Barry once suggested U.S. airlines could make a "bold move toward efficiency" if they ceased flying airplanes and simply set fire to bales of money.
The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon a $38.8-million contract to provide AN/AAQ-29A Forward Looking Infrared (Flir) imaging systems for Marine Corps's Super Stallion CH-53E helicopters to support its navigation, surveillance and target acquisition missions. The company's Space and Airborne Systems Div. will deliver 83 Q-29A Flir kits and software under the Naval Air Systems Command sole-source ID/IQ (Indefinite Delivery/ Indefinite Quantity) deal.
Americom introduced a new platform, dubbed IP Prime, that will enable telecom operators to bundle standard- and high-definition television programming with voice and broadband services. A preliminary agreement to test the platform early next year was signed by the National Rural Telecommuni-cations Cooperative.
Acting NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker says the FAA's Airport Movement Area Safety System (Amass) is not adequate to prevent serious runway incursions. He noted that Amass, which warns controllers of potential surface collisions, did not perform in several recent near-misses. In some instances, Amass was disabled to prevent nuisance alerts or could not provide warnings in time to allow controllers to contact crews. Instead, flight crews took corrective actions.
With deposits in hand for more than 100 of its two-seat, fighter-like Javelin aircraft, the Aviation Technology Group (ATG) is setting up production and flight test facilities at Front Range Airport, a general aviation field east of Denver. The company expects to build more than 1,800 of the high-performance aircraft, including approximately 400 civil-certified versions slated for personal and business applications. A military-trainer derivative, called the Javelin Mk.-20, will be codeveloped and marketed with Israel Aircraft Industries.
AirCell Inc. has begun a flight demonstration program with a broadband communications system on a Dassault Falcon business jet. The program is designed to let airline passengers use their own mobile phones, laptop computers and personal digital assistants. The system, targeted for deployment in 2007, uses a 5-oz., belly-mounted blade antenna to create a wireless broadband downlink.
The U.S. Air Force is beginning to see cracks in some of its A-10 wings. Air Combat Command is studying whether and how to fix them. To continue to operate the Thunderbolt until the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter comes into the fleet, USAF may be forced to delay some other planned upgrades, such as targeting pods, to pay for structural improvements.
Barriers to industrial cooperation between Italian and Russian aerospace companies could be crumbling as a direct outcome of a recent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Companies on both sides recently devised several agreements targeting cooperation on everything from commercial aerospace to military manned and unmanned aircraft to space. But observers have worried that good intentions would be stifled by Russia's notorious bureaucracy that has often stood in the way of such agreements.
TELEPHONICS CORP., A GRIFFON COMPANY, has rushed 60 of its new TruLink wireless communications devices to the 82nd Airborne Div. Black Hawk helicopters operating in Hurricane Katrina relief operations on the Gulf Coast. The 8-oz. transceivers, running on AA batteries, allow personnel carried on a helicopter to dismount and communicate with the aircrew by wireless means (see device on marshaller's belt in C-130 photo). Usually, dismounted crewmembers communicate with the aircraft via a wired intercom connection, or, when very far from the aircraft, hand signals.
The Galileo satellite navigation program has failed for a third time in its bid to win additional funding from the European Space Agency to build four In-Orbit Validation (IOV) satellites. Four countries--Germany, the U.K., Spain and Finland--indicated they are not yet in a position to approve their part of the 420 million euros ($512 million) in extra funding; another 14 signaled they are ready to do so. Attempts to reach agreement in July and August also failed (AW&ST Sept. 12, p. 53).
Bell Helicopter Textron has chosen a Chelton Flight Systems glass cockpit for the 407 light single-engine helicopter and plans to offer it as preferred equipment on the 206B JetRanger, 206L LongRanger and new Bell 210. Chelton says the contract has a potential value of more than $100 million. The avionics will be available starting in 2007.
The Air Force is eyeing the wreckage of the Army's Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) effort, derailed because prime contractor Lockheed Martin's chosen airframe--the ERJ 145--is too small. ACS is dead due partly to the enormous cost of switching to a larger platform, prompting the Navy to run away from the effort. However, sources in the military and industry say USAF is poised to gobble up the program. Gen. (Buzz) Moseley tells reporters his service has "offered assistance" to the Army. That is a bit of an understatement.
Less than three weeks after taking office, the Air Force's chief of staff is already proposing a new program--for a light cargo aircraft--despite hefty financial pressures on the service. This pronouncement is sparking questions about whether the service would purchase the same aircraft the Army selects in its ongoing competition for the Future Cargo Aircraft or if the programs would merge.
