Randall J. Brady has been promoted to director of sales and marketing from national sales manager of the Industrial Div. of Deft Coatings Inc., Irvine, Calif.
NATS and the Irish Aviation Authority welcomed what they called a ground-breaking report from consultants that finds that U.K. and Irish airspace could be consolidated into a "functional airspace block." The consolidated upper airspace over the two nations could be controlled from centers at Shannon, Prestwick and Shanwick, but more work is needed before such a proposal would be presented to the respective governments. Eurocontrol is encouraging nations to create larger functional airspace blocks as part of its single European sky initiative to increase ATM efficiency.
Pierre Dubois, former CEO of MBDA France, has been appointed to the strategic committee of Toulouse-based i3M. He has been an industrial and commercial consultant.
The notion of encouraging air travelers to undergo background checks in exchange for access to expedited security screening at U.S. airports has a lot of appeal to road warriors. Small wonder. They're fed up with the frustrations and indignities that pretty much define commercial flying.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro wants Defense Dept. Inspector General Joseph E. Schmitz to report the status of an investigation into an Air Force contract awarded in 2001 to Accenture under the supervision of then-USAF acquisition manager Darlene Druyun. She subsequently was convicted of conspiring with Boeing's then-chief financial officer to steer business to that aerospace company. DeLauro (D-Conn.) says she is particularly interested in the award of the Financial Information Resource System contract to Accenture because the company has an offshore corporate parent.
Bell Helicopter Textron plans to initiate flight testing of its M407 helicopter with the more powerful Honeywell HTS900 engine in the fourth quarter of this year. It replaces the Rolls-Royce 250-C47B. Bell officials determined they needed a more powerful engine for their U.S. Army Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter bid and to compete in India for the country's high-altitude utility helicopter program. Engine integration design has been completed. Flight testing would take place at Bell's XworX rapid prototyping facility.
Edward Fred, president/CEO of CPI Aerostructures Inc., Edgewood, N.Y., has won the Ernst & Young Metropolitan New York Entrepreneur of the Year 2005 Award in the manufacturing category. Paul Graziani and Scott Reynolds, cofounders of the Analytical Graphics Corp., Exton, Pa., have won in the technology category in the Ernst & Young program for Greater Philadelphia and Central Pennsylvania. Mark S. Newman, chairman/president/CEO of DRS Technologies Inc., Parsippany, N.J., won in the government services category in the program for New Jersey.
India and the U.S. will investigate the compatibility of data from U.S. Landsat and Indian IRS satellites under an agreement reached during the first meeting of the India-U.S. Joint Working Group on Civil Space Cooperation in Bangalore. The bilateral panel also set up a study of the feasibility of establishing an Earth station in India for the U.S. National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (Npoess).
FedEx's plans to introduce the Airbus A380 into its fleet is a major factor in its decision to move its Asia-Pacific hub from Subic Bay, the Philippines, to New Baiyun Interna-tional Airport in China in 2008, the same year it begins flying the new aircraft. Subic Bay's approaches are considered too restricted for safe operations with the A380, especially in typhoon season. The company now uses MD-11s as its transpacific freighters. Guangzhou's status as a major industrial city in the Pearl River Delta was considered a plus, as is China's booming economy.
Vought Aircraft Industries is responsible for construction of the Global Aeronautica manufacturing complex being built at Charleston, S.C. (AW&ST June 27, p. 58).
Problems with a critical development program and continued uncertainty in Sweden over the country's commitment to a European unmanned combat air vehicle project are adding to the list of woes for the country's main aerospace and defense company, Saab. Technical hurdles in developing the tactical mission system for Sweden's NH90s has forced Saab to take a second-quarter charge and will drive down earnings for the year. The $32.5-million charge alone will reduce this year's operating margin by 1%, the company reports in its half-year earnings statement.
JetBlue Airways will launch service Oct. 5 at Newark Liberty International Airport with nonstop round trips to two Florida points--Fort Lauderdale and Orlando--adding West Palm Beach, Tampa and Fort Myers on Oct. 19 and San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 17. Service will build through Nov. 22, reaching a combined 16 round trips per day in the six markets. Continental Airlines hubs at Newark and serves all six markets with nonstops. American Airlines flies nonstops between Newark and San Juan, one of its hubs, and offers one-stops in the other markets.
Last month, I bade good-bye to the 25-year-old son of a friend who was off to be a real airline pilot, make that a real regional airline pilot. He had just completed a regional's flight school, paid his $15,000 and was, with 340 hr. flight experience, off to become an Air Line Pilots Assn. first officer.
Researcher Henk Blom of the National Aerospace Laboratory in the Netherlands says the Hybridge Team (see p. 44) has just submitted a proposal to the European Commission under the sixth framework program to extend work on the application of innovative mathematical approaches to air traffic management. The proposal calls for development of advanced concepts of operations involving autonomous aircraft supported by ATM. This approach would contribute to Europe's goal of handling three times more air traffic in 15-20 years. National Air Traffic Services NATS of the U.K.
When an unknown company such as India's $3.2-billion InterGlobe Enterprises orders 100 Airbus A320s without the traditional fanfare, it's bound to attract notice . . . and criticism. But InterGlobe has done just that on behalf of IndiGo, which expects to begin flying during the coming winter using leased aircraft to tide it over until its own fleet arrives.
Despite congressional reluctance and industry opposition, the Bush administration still intends to seek approval for funding aviation security through increased passenger user fees, says Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. He thinks air travelers are willing to pay "a few dollars more per trip to improve aviation security and enhance efficiency," and he's asking Congress and the aviation industry to work with him on developing an acceptable formula to fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Moog Inc. has agreed to acquire FCS Control Systems, a Netherlands-based manufacturer of simulation equipment and test systems for aerospace and automotive markets. Terms were not disclosed. FCS, which had $24 million in sales in 2004, will be combined with Moog's current simulation business, which had sales of $26 million last year, primarily in North America. The deal is expected to close in August.
I was amused at Neelam Mathews' article detailing Airbus "astonishment" at the Boeing 787 win in India (AW&ST May 30, p. 40). Mathews quotes Airbus Vice President Nigel Harwood, who called for an independent inquiry, as saying: "We are not disappointed, but astonished; we were not given fair and equal treatment." Since when did Airbus compete on a level playing field? European governments are set to pick up the tab for developing the A350, while Boeing pays for the 787 R&D itself.
SN BRUSSELS AIRLINES plans to CONDUCT trials next year in receiving taxi clearances via data link at Brussels Airport. The airline is part of a consortium that will join with Belgocontrol for the tests. Other members include SITA, the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory and BluSky Services (an air traffic management consultancy in Belgium). The airline intends to equip its fleet of more than 30 aircraft for the trials to demonstrate how the service can reduce congestion on voice channels and improve safety by reducing the possibility of miscommunications.
If L-3 Communications Corp. Chairman/CEO Frank C. Lanza ever decides to retire, perhaps he'll reveal the secret sauce behind his strategy. In eight years, Lanza has used dozens of niche acquisitions to transform the discarded defense electronics units of the old Loral Corp. into one of the world's largest defense contractors. The company's revenue growth has averaged 37% a year and, since going public in 1998, L-3 has returned 26% annually to its shareholders. By contrast, the average return of the S&P 500 during the same period was 1%.
The Pentagon seems to be facing the music: Its acquisition system--and credibility--is crippled. The chairman of a massive new review of Defense Dept. acquisition practices says the system is suffering from a "crisis of confidence" and--after a series of skewed contract decisions came to light--he intends to propose improvements in as open and public a fashion as possible.
USAF Capt. Nicole Malachowski (see photo) of the 494th Fighter Sqdn. at RAF Lakenheath, England, has joined the USAF Air Demonstration Sqdn., "Thunderbirds," as the first woman demonstration pilot on a U.S. military high-performance jet team. Lt. Col. Kevin Robbins, from the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev., was named lead pilot and squadron commander. Capt. Ed Casey, of the 56th Training Sqdn. at Luke AFB, Ariz., is the Thunderbirds' other new demonstration pilot. Capt. Tad Clark, of the 52nd Operations Support Sqdn.
As Boeing Commercial Airplanes enters a summer of contract talks, engineers, technical and professional workers at the company's former Wichita facility approved a four-year contract last week with its new owner, Canada's Onex Corp. Now called Mid-Western Aircraft Systems Inc., the Kansas facility is Boeing's supplier for 737 fuselage and tail sections, along with various other Boeing parts. Boeing continues to own facilities involved in military programs, including KC-767 tankers.
