Senior U.S. policymakers need to develop new parameters to test directed energy weapons because existing rules are too limiting for systems like the Airborne Laser (ABL), according to an official in the directed energy community.
German airline Hapagfly (formerly Hapag-Lloyd Flug) is purchasing 10 new Boeing 737-800s with Rockwell Collins programmable audio video entertainment systems and has an option for systems on 10 more aircraft. The system provides overhead video on a 10.4-in. retractable liquid crystal display. It also provides passengers with 22 audio channels.
The EAA AirVenture 2005--at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., July 24-30--is an annual event that attracts pilots, aircraft and airplane lovers the world over to explore and salute general aviation. Transport Editor Frances Fiorino visited with air traffic controllers who orchestrate the arrival of up to 1,000 operations daily. Here, a controller shows her airplane-spotting techniques employed at the FAA's Fisk (Wis.) approach control "facility" (see p. 49).
International Space Station operators believe the orbiting laboratory is in good shape to handle another indefinite stretch without space shuttle resupply, after three spacewalks and a lot of internal hauling and stowing by shuttle Discovery astronauts. Discovery is leaving the ISS so mechanically sound and well stocked that managers are going ahead with plans to receive a paying space tourist when the next Russian Soyuz vehicle arrives in the fall, and to increase the crew size to three whenever the next shuttle arrives.
A new U.S. Bureau of Land Management unit designed to hit wildfires hard and fast appears to be delivering excellent results this summer. The BLM's Air Task Force (ATF) combines three Air Tractor AT-802 single-engine air tankers (SEATs; see photo), one helicopter and nine "helitack" firefighters into a team that can deploy to a fire within minutes.
The vulnerabilities of India's overtaxed airport infrastructure were prominently displayed by the worst rains to hit Mumbai in a century, knocking out the main runway at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport for eight days. The flooding was bad enough to close the facility completely on July 26-27, and only skeleton services were being offered through Aug. 3. Aside from the inconvenience and lost revenue, the chaos from this particular storm raised questions about how well India can cope with one of the world's fastest growing aviation industries.
CHINA EASTERN GENERAL AVIATION CORP. (EGAC) will acquire two Sikorsky S-76 helicopters to support offshore missions to oil platforms in the Bohai Bay area of northern China. Both aircraft will be equipped with enhanced ground proximity warning and health usage and monitoring systems. The S-76 has been operating in China since 1984. EGAC, based in Tianjin, is one of three largest offshore operators in the country. The Ministry of Communications flies two S-76s for offshore search-and-rescue missions.
The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) in Wichita, Kan., is using its human factors laboratory to compile a report to determine if existing information supports higher insurance premiums charged to general aviation pilots over the age of 60. The program is part of an aging pilot study by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn. to assess whether the higher premiums are justified. Alex Chapparo, director of the lab, says the research is focusing on documentation regarding age-related changes in sensory, cognitive and motor abilities.
NASA is investigating whether test data--that perhaps could have warned of the shuttle Discovery's external tank debris problem months before launch--was too narrowly interpreted. Although the data was viewed as within specification, questions are being raised about whether it should have been elevated for broader assessment by other safety levels outside of the Michoud, La., assembly facility.
The Russian airline sector is poised for major change, with two large airlines joining forces to form a more powerful carrier. As part of the realignment, management of St. Petersburg's airport also is in flux, along with the operation of some of the Russian government's executive aircraft fleet.
Boeing is selling its fabrication plant in Arnprior, Canada, to Arnprior Aerospace Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Industries Inc. of Cheshire, Conn. Terms were not announced. Consolidated is an operating affiliate of American Industrial Acquisition Corp., a closely held firm that has manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Canada and four European countries. The sale fits Boeing's drive to focus on large-scale integration tasks for Boeing Commercial Airplanes and spin off manufacturing operations. Arnprior's 370 employees are expected to be retained.
Why and how did Air France Flight 358 end in a fireball and black smoke? A 35-member, multinational investigation team immediately set out to find the answers. On Aug. 2, the Air France Airbus A340-313 (F-GLZQ) departed Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) Airport at 1:32 p.m. local time bound for Toronto with 297 passengers and 12 crewmembers. The flight--which had a 3:53 p.m. EDT estimated arrival time--proceeded uneventfully.
In a deal worth a potential $2 billion, Northwest Airlines says it will power the 18 Boeing 787s it has ordered with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000. The contract includes Rolls' TotalCare maintenance package. It is the third 787 engine deal for Rolls--in competition with the General Electric GEnx--following orders by All Nippon Airways and Air New Zealand.
Anthony A. Viotto has been appointed executive vice president/chief financial officer and Shane Eddy has been named vice president-customer service and product support/deputy chief service officer for Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth. Viotto was vice president-business management integration for the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., also in Fort Worth. Eddy was executive director for commercial helicopter programs.
The air navigation service providers (ANSPs) in the U.K. and Spain are forming a joint venture to develop a new air traffic management system that can be used in their respective nations. Partners National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and Aeropeurtos Espanoles y Navegacion Aerea (AENA) will initially collaborate to develop the Sistema Automatizado de Control Transito Aereo (SACTA) to manage air traffic operations in Spain. The system will also be capable of handling future requirements in Britain.
Capt. Allender is on the button with his comments about the new P-8A needing to have a more realistic mission profile (AW&ST July 25, p. 6). Yes, the ability to loiter at medium level will be important in some tactical situations, but any new Maritime aircraft that wants a serious ASW role must also have the capability to spend extended periods down in the localization levels, invariably below 5,000 ft.--and sometimes down below 1,000--where the data from sensors such as MAD might be needed for a final attack solution.
The European Commission has given approval for EADS to acquire Nokia's professional mobile radio (PMR) business. The proposed sale, announced in April, has been under anti-trust scrutiny. A central element of the deal is the Tetra-based secure communications system used by security forces. The commission determined the sale would not "significantly impede" competition. By acquiring the PMR activity, EADS will be able to compete more effectively, according to the commission.
Daniel J. McClain (see photo) has become corporate director of media relations for the Northrop Grumman Corp. at its Los Angeles headquarters. He succeeds Frank Moore, who is now director of communications for the company's Information Technology Sector, McLean, Va. McClain was director of communications for Northrop Grumman's Space Technology Sector, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Rockwell Collins won a $477-million contract to provide engineering services and upgrades to the command and control, communications and avionics systems for the CH-47, MH-47, MH-6 and MH/UH-60 helicopters.
The U.S. Air Force's YAL-1A Airborne Laser Program has completed initial flight testing of its Lockheed Martin beam control fire control system at Edwards AFB. The low-power passive capabilities were demonstrated as part of a 20-flight program. The goal was to validate target tracking capability and the system's ability to align the high-energy laser's full optical path during flight. Boeing officials said the trials also involved testing of the battle management command and control system.
U.S. airports estimate they will need $71.5 billion for capital improvements from 2005 through 2009 but believe they may fall $3-4 billion short per year.
BAE Systems plans to fly an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle/Uninhabited Combat Air Vehicle (UAV/UCAV) control technologies demonstrator in 2009. The flight trials may use a vehicle similar in design to the Eclipse model (shown). BAE is working on a number of UCAV and UAV technology programs, some of which are with the U.K. Defense Ministry and remain classified. This program, dubbed Flaviir, is being carried by BAE with a number of academic institutions as part of an overall UAV/UCAV research effort.
Steve Hampton, associate dean for research in the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., has been appointed to the management council of the FAA-created Next Generation Air Transportation System Institute. He will represent federal advisory committees, universities and nonprofit research organizations.
