Michele Toth (see photo) has been appointed vice president-human resources and administration for the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Information Technology Sector, McLean, Va. She was vice president-human resources for the company's Space Technology Sector, Redondo Beach, Calif.
In preparation for the A380 mega-transport's entry into service next year, Airbus is scheduled to complete in July 2006 an airport terminal-type delivery center located near its twin-aisle transports' final assembly lines.
There are a record-setting 30,000 flights a day in Europe, with 2,600 flights in the air at any one time, a 15% increase from 2000, says Eurocontrol Director-General Victor M. Aguardo. During peak activity, as many as 3,500 flights are in the air. One reason is the growth of traffic in Eastern Europe, where 10 new European Union member nations saw increases of 10% in 2004 alone. Low-cost carriers now have a 13% share of the market, from 10% last year. Aguardo says extra effort is needed to avoid a return to the level of flight delays in Europe during the late 1990s.
Vice Adm. (ret.) James B. Stockdale, recipient of the Medal of Honor, U.S. naval aviator, prisoner of war, teacher and vice presidential candidate, died July 5 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 81. Stockdale graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1947. His aircraft was shot down over North Vietnam in 1965 and he was captured while serving as commanding officer of Carrier Air Group Sixteen on board the USS Oriskany.
Military, technical and trade cooperation will be on the table when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits President Bush here. They will flesh out a cooperation agreement reached by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee that builds on defense cooperation talks in India last year. India's development of nuclear weapons kept it on the political outs with the U.S. for years, to the point of an arms embargo, but the two countries are reconciling. India's turn toward more robust capitalism and heavy trade with the U.S.
Investors in commercial aerospace stocks can be pardoned for being a bit skittish these days. Some of the brightest minds that track the industry are divided as to what the future is likely to hold.
The design team of Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson's new international terminal had until last week to offer solutions for projected cost overruns. The airport administration on June 30 delivered a default-of-contract notice to the team of four companies that designed the Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr., International Terminal (MHJIT), giving it seven days to "find a cure."
Cirrus Design Corp., based in Duluth, Minn., reports a 27% increase in deliveries of new airplanes in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period a year ago. Company officials say orders for new airplanes are exceeding initial projections. In related news, kit-built airplane manufacturer Glasair Aviation is experiencing a spike in sales numbers that already have exceeded total deliveries in 2004. Glasair officials attribute this to a strong economy and interest in building and flying a personal airplane.
Singapore Technologies Aerospace has won a five-year, $15-million contract to provide maintenance support and components management for 11 A319/A320s of China's United Eagle Airlines. This is STAero's third maintenance contract in China, following agreements with private carriers Okay Airlines and Spring Airlines.
Even though he was publicly berated in a hearing last year by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for the Air Force's lack of oversight during the KC-767 tanker-lease controversy, the Senate has confirmed Gen. T. Michael Moseley as the 20th USAF chief of staff, succeeding Gen. John Jumper.
Northrop Grumman may be one of the Pentagon's top suppliers, but don't make the mistake of calling it a weapons platform company within earshot of Chairman/CEO Ronald D. Sugar. "We fundamentally are an information and electronics company that also happens to build aircraft, ships and spacecraft," says Sugar. "Information in networks is central to warfare. Platforms are important, but electronics will be the discriminator."
The Society of British Aerospace Companies' (SBAC) annual health check of the U.K. industry reflects a welcome recovery--but it also flags a potential weakness on which the longer term prognosis hangs.
An improved order book and productivity gains in the U.K. aerospace sector for 2004 reflect a global upturn, but underlying concern remains over research and technology spending levels.
Computers on the plane can "talk" to computers on the ground now that the FAA air traffic control system is operational over the Atlantic. It's like having a phone system go from the switchboard era's party lines to the cell phone era's text messaging and built-in GPS positioning capabilities. The system is also due to go into action over the Pacific later this year so pilots can obtain preferred routes and save fuel as aircraft fly closer to each other than before.
Safety risks at the Boston Tracon, denial of access to the Defense Dept. school system for FAA employees' children in Puerto Rico and Guam, understaffing and a "reduced . . . margin of safety" at the Syracuse, N.Y., tower--such are the grim stories as the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. turns up the press release pressure on the FAA these days. On July 1 comes "FAA to Controllers Looking Out for Safety: You're Dismissed!" It turns out the agency decided to cut the last nine controller slots at FAA headquarters for liaison and feedback on modernization programs.
Tim Wray has been named general manager of the Signature Flight Support fixed-base operations at Jacksonville (Fla.) International Airport and nearby Cecil Field. He was general manager of the Raytheon Aircraft Services operation at the Van Nuys, Calif., airport.
Continental Airlines reports June statistics that bear out earlier indications that the carrier may have turned a profit in the second quarter. As airlines prepare to issue their financial reports in the coming weeks, Continental estimates that its consolidated unit revenue increased 6-7% in June, following gains of 2.2% in April and 9.5% in May. Profitability turns on whether revenues caught up with costs, considering big year-over-year increases in fuel prices. Another favorable indication: Unrestricted cash and short-term investments grew from $1.4 billion on Mar.
Thales will incorporate lithium-ion battery technology from GS Yuasa of Japan in the electrical power conversion system for Boeing's 787. The French electronics contractor says this will be the first use of Li-ion in a commercial aviation application. The batteries, which offer double the energy capacity as comparable nickel-cadmium units and can charge from 0 to 90% in just 75 min., will be used for Auxiliary Power Unit and emergency power backup.
Honeywell Aerospace is reducing its workforce of avionics engineers by about 400 personnel including subcontractor positions. A Honeywell official says the cutback is not related to the recently announced reorganization of Honeywell Aerospace, which also could affect employment in the commercial electronic systems business unit.
Britain is confronted by a choice of moving to sign up for an improved version of the U.S. Trident D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile or pursuing a potentially genuinely independent--and initially significantly more expensive--nuclear delivery system. The government is using an investment decision on whether to pursue the improved version of the Trident II D5, the D5A, as an opportunity to evaluate the British nuclear posture--and the nature of its strategic weaponry.
The U.K.'s air force chief is cautioning that key issues still clouding British involvement in the U.S. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter must be resolved soon. Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup says there is "clearly a growing urgency" in addressing technology access and the related ability to independently support and upgrade the aircraft.
Arianespace says the launch of Thailand's Ipstar-1 (Thaicom 4) initially set for July 8, then July 11, has now been delayed "several days" for additional checks. Ipstar-1 will be one of the largest telecom satellites, with a total bandwidth of 45 Gbps. Also, satellite owner Shin Satellite has ordered a new spacecraft, Thaicom 5, from Alcatel Space. The satellite was a backup for Thaicom 3, launched in 1997. The K u/C-band spacecraft is to be delivered next year to replace Thaicom 1 and 2.
Karl Kettler's letter about using idle airports sits well with me. But in order for his type of thinking to be taken seriously by all the decision-makers in the business there are many other considerations when using an unused airport. Just to overcome the technical problems of safe separation is expensive and will take years to get off the ground (AW&ST June 13, p. 54).
While recent British trials of Boeing's ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle have gone well, at least one UAV received an inadvertent dunking. The UAV was being tested as part of the British Defense Ministry's Joint UAV Experimentation Program (JUEP). Trials covered the control of a UAV from a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate using a range off the northwest coast of Scotland. For the purpose of the tests the UAV was launched and recovered from land.
