Jacqueline S. Everett (see photo) has been named vice president-General Services Administration for BAE Systems Information Technology, Herndon, Va. She was executive director of GSA/ GWAC programs at the Unisys Corp.
Robotic laser topographic inspection of the exterior of the orbiter Discovery is providing precise 2D and 3D data to make engineering judgments on the orbiter's readiness to fly a safe reentry by early next week. The new Canadian-developed Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) made precise scans of the Discovery's reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) wing leading-edge panels and nose cap.
Groupe Latecoere reports a 42% boost in 2005 revenue compared with last year. The company says revenue reached 171 million euros, largely on the strength of suppliers to Airbus, Embraer and Dassault.
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that federal agencies involved in responding to violations of restricted airspace lack fully developed interagency policies and procedures, information-sharing arrangements and a clearly designated lead agency. "As a result, opportunities may be missed to enhance the security of U.S. aviation," the report says. Between Sept. 12, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2004, the FAA counted 3,400 violations of restricted airspace in the U.S.
The Space Shuttle Discovery should leave the International Space Station (ISS) in much better shape than it has enjoyed since the last shuttle visit in November 2002, but history shows that the sooner NASA finishes fixing the external tank and flies again, the better. Discovery's crew corrected some troubling problems on the ISS that had persisted due to the 2.5-year grounding of the shuttle fleet after the loss of Columbia. Another long delay is sure to generate some of the same issues again.
Stork reported strong operating results in large part due to its aerospace operation. A strong second quarter should provide the conglomerate with 15% net profit growth for 2005. The aerospace sector generated 265 million euros in net turnover, with earnings before interest and taxes of 36 million euros. Company officials highlighted higher deliveries on NH90 components and additional agreements related to work on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Australia plans to spend $19 million to expand the Australian Aerospace helicopter production facility in Brisbane where the Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters are being assembled for the army. The money will allow MRH-90 troop transport helos to be built there as well. The spending plan was announced at the same time as delivery of the first Brisbane-assembled Tiger to the army--four were built in France; the remaining 18 are scheduled to be finished in Australia and fielded by 2009.
Your detailed article by Frances Fiorino and David Bond, "Great Expectations," on the proposed America West-US Airways merger was very informative, and I think the new, combined airline will be a great success (AW&ST May 30, p. 38). Since their routes barely overlap, their hubs complement each other and their fleets are very similar, it will be a great marriage. If seniority integrations work out, it will be testimony to cooperation and future success, as well as labor solidarity.
The European Space Agency is supporting development of a solar-powered airplane, the Solar Impulse, that Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard hopes to pilot around the world. Design and assembly are planned for 2006 and 2007, followed by a first flight attempt in 2008. The team expects to perform its first night flight that same year (AW&ST June 27, p. 48). Long-range trials are to take place a year later, including a transatlantic mission and an around-the-world tour, with at least one stop on each continent.
Raymond B. Greer has been named to the board of directors of Kitty Hawk Inc. of Dallas. He is president/CEO of Transport Industries Holdings Inc., Irving, Tex.
USAF Maj. Gen. Scott S. Custer has been appointed vice director for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He was assistant deputy chief of staff for air and space operations at USAF Headquarters at the Pentagon. Custer has been succeeded by Maj. Gen. Norman R. Seip, who was special assistant to the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations. Brig. Gen. Stephen L. Lanning, who has been chief of staff for the Defense Information Systems Agency, Arlington, Va., has been named special assistant to the commander of Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo. Maj. Gen.
Astronaut Daniel W. Bursch has retired from NASA to join The Aerospace Corp. as the National Reconnaissance Office Chair at the Naval Postgraduate School. He will be technical liaison between the Naval Postgraduate School Space Systems Academic Group (NPS SSAG) and the National Reconnaissance Office, NPS SSAG and The Aerospace Corp., and NPS SSAG and industry for space systems and related subsystems, technology, research and development.
USN Rear Adm. George E. Mayer has been appointed commander of the Naval Safety Center, Norfolk, Va. He has been commander of Navy Region South/chief of naval air training, Corpus Christi, Tex. He will be succeeded by Rear Adm. (selectee) Donald P. Quinn, who has been director of aviation officer distribution for the Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tenn. Rear Adm. (selectee) Michael D. Hardee has been named assistant commander for aviation depots for the Naval Air Systems Command, NAS Patuxent River, Md. He has been NASC's air speed project officer. Rear Adm.
USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ronald T. Kadish, former director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, Va. He is now vice president/partner in Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
Michael A. Dornheim (Los Angeles), Robert Wall (Paris)
Airbus is being forced to respond to Internet-circulated pictures of A380 tow tests, which show the landing gear carving grooves in the asphalt during turns sharper than normal limits. Reaction pushed the company to issue a letter to "airline focal points" on July 19.
The way is clear for an extravehicular activity at the ISS next month, following a 30-min. flight to shift the station's Soyuz lifeboat from the airlock the crew will use. Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev maneuvered the Soyuz from the Pirs docking compartment to the nadir port on the Zarya module on July 19. He was joined in the Soyuz by Flight Engineer John Phillips during the maneuver, which took the capsule 82 ft. away from the Pirs and 45 ft. along the length of the station.
The British Defense Ministry is reconsidering a decision to ax its C-130K Hercules fleet in 2012, and instead may pursue a life extension for some aircraft, in part to meet special forces needs. The alternative is to earmark some of its C-130Js for the role.
Fred George, senior editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology sister publication Business & Commercial Aviation flew one of the Eclipse 500 flight-test aircraft and reported it in the July 2005 issue of B&CA. A condensed version of that article follows. We strapped into the left seat of serial No. 109, the third flight-test aircraft and the one Eclipse will use primarily for avionics and electric system certification. Terry Tomeny, Eclipse Aviation director of flight-test engineering, occupied the right seat as pilot in command.
Adelle M. Pierce and Michael A. Young have become co-chairs of Arinc Engineering Services (AES), Annapolis, Md. They succeed Frederic J. Jacoby, who is retiring. Pierce has been vice president of the AES Defense Systems Engineering Unit, while Young has been vice president of the AES Aircraft and Weapons Systems Unit.
More than ever before, today's commercial aircraft and weapons systems are the end product of significant customer input. Gone are the days when OEMs presumptuously put into production what they thought the market needed. From Puget Sound to Toulouse, from Montreal to Sao Jose dos Campos, customers are serving as risk-sharing partners with engineers and designers--often on-site--throughout the development process.
The U.S. Navy is beginning to introduce a slew of upgrades to the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to ensure the aircraft will be part of the Pentagon's emerging network-centric warfighting environment. The networking functions are only the latest element of the project's spiral development program. These are intended to allow the aircraft to form the backbone of an integrated force that will eventually include the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs).
The British Defense Ministry, faced with emerging requirements and the lengthy in-service delay of a key unmanned aerial vehicle program, is pushing for an interim system, along with armed long-endurance platforms.
NASA's Office of Inspector General says the agency is complying with recommendations on concerns that "the space shuttle program has not formally assessed the risk of aging and damaged wiring in accordance with [formal] Risk Assessment Procedures." But concerns remain, the IG said. A wiring problem was one option being assessed in Discovery's propellant sensor problem (see main article).
Air Canada is expanding its North America route schedule and providing more point-to-point services as its new regional jets are delivered. Effective Dec. 17, regional subsidiary Air Canada Jazz will start daily nonstop service with 75-seat CRJ705s between Vancouver and San Diego, as well as three-times-daily nonstops between Abbotsford (B.C.) and Calgary. On Dec. 1, the mainliner will provide daily nonstops with the 93-seat Embraer 190 between Calgary and Newark Liberty International Airport as well as from its Toronto hub to Abbotsford. On Dec.
Vought Aircraft Industries is looking forward to production after delivering the first elongated wing for the RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle. The delivery is a major step forward after a frustrating year for the program, which has suffered cost overruns due, in part, to delays in wing design.
