The Boeing 787 will trust its fly-by-wire control system to a commercially available real-time operating system from an outside vendor, instead of the proprietary or simpler systems that are being used on existing fly-by-wire airliners.
Japan's JAXA and French space agency CNES are discussing the installation of a pair of radiation measurement instruments on the next-generation U.S.-European Jason 2 oceanographic satellite. The instruments would replace a wide-swath ocean altimeter that was to have been supplied by NASA. CNES officials say a green light for the new payload, expected in mid-October, will depend among other things on guarantees that it will not further delay the launch.
The $1-billion sweeping overhaul of flawed space shuttle management and engineering carried out over the last 2.5 years by 20,000 NASA and contractor personnel is moving toward test here this week for the hypersonic transport's return to flight. Weather permitting, Discovery and its seven-member STS-114 crew, commanded by USAF Col. (ret.) Eileen Collins, are aimed toward a liftoff at 3:50:47 p.m. EDT July 13 on 7.4 million lb. thrust (see p. 56).
Lufthansa plans to increase its stake in Swiss International Air Lines to 49% in the coming days, following last week's regulatory approval from U.S. and European competition authorities to proceed with the deal.
Lockheed Martin pilots have completed initial test flights of the first F-16 built for the Chilean air force. The aircraft is to be delivered to Chile in early 2006. The next milestone will be acceptance this month of the first three F-16s by the U.S. government. One aircraft will be used for flight testing. The others will be detailed for maintenance training of Chilean technicians. Deliveries of the 10 aircraft in the order are to be completed by July 2006.
NASA engineers on the Hubble Space Telescope program are actively preparing a shuttle mission to service the orbiting observatory, perhaps as early as 2007, pending a safe return to flight of the shuttle fleet.
A U.S. Air Force MQ-1L Predator unmanned aerial vehicle ran out of fuel and crashed in Southwest Asia on Jan. 14 after operators lost control of the aircraft during a mission, it was reported last week by an Air Combat Command accident board. The $3.5-million UAV, was being operated by the 15th Reconnaissance Sqdn. at Nellis AFB, Nev., when a malfunction of the computer control system caused all communication links to fail.
The VVV-Avia factory in Samara, Russia, is planning to introduce its new Sigma light-sport airplane at the Experimental Aircraft Assn. AirVenture show later this month. Powered by a Rotax 912 engine, the two-place Sigma features an aluminum alloy airframe, a composite "pod" for the pilot and passenger, a steerable nosewheel, disc brakes and a landing gear designed for operations on rough fields. Maximum speed is 126 mph. with a cruise speed of 109. Takeoff roll is a mere 335 ft. and landing distance, 492 ft. A 17-gal. fuel tank allows the airplane to fly for nearly 4 hr.
The terrorist attacks on subways and a bus in London appeared to have little immediate impact on air travel other than causing travelers some delays at airports there. But BAA plc reported the day of the attacks that all airports it operates--including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted--remained open with flights operating normally. Train service to these airports was suspended for awhile, however.
Privatization of German air traffic control provider Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) is expected to be delayed, after Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder lost a vote of confidence in the German parliament and now that national elections are becoming more likely in the fall.
State-owned Pulkovo Airlines, Russia's third largest carrier, has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-500, and expects four more later this year. The aircraft, which will be leased for a five-year period, will have a two-class, 106-seat configuration. They will replace fuel-inefficient obsolete Tu-134s on routes connecting Pulkovo's base in St. Petersburg with Western and Central European destinations.
Claude Luisada suggests traffic lights should be installed at runway intersections to reduce incursions and radio congestion, and says government agencies don't understand the advantages (AW&ST May 16, p. 8).
Gregory Olsen, the 60-year-old founder of Sensors Unlimited, has signed a $20-million deal to become the third space tourist to visit the International Space Station. Olsen, whose company specializes in indium gallium arsenide arrays, could fly as early as October in the third seat of the Russian Soyuz vehicle that is scheduled to deliver a new ISS crew then.
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IS SCHEDULED TO FLY ITS D-JET prototype Very Light Jet (VLJ) late this year, with initial customer deliveries set for 2007, according to the company. The twin-engine D-Jet is projected to cost about $1 million. Performance estimates include a maximum cruise speed of 315 kt., takeoff distance less than 2,400 ft. and a maximum certified altitude of 25,000 ft. IFR range would be 1,320 naut. mi. at a maximum takeoff weight of 4,750 lb. The airplane would have a wingspan of 39.4 ft. and a cabin width of 4.8 ft.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE CORP. HAS DELIVERED the first G350 business jet to a customer. The airplane, which has the same size cabin and baggage compartment as the G450, can accommodate up to 16 passengers. The jet is powered by two Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8C engines, cruises at speeds up to Mach 0.88 and has a range of 3,800 naut. mi. at an altitude of 45,000 ft. FAA certification occurred on Nov. 1, 2004, followed by European Aviation Safety Agency approval on Mar. 30, 2005.
Michael A. Taverna and Douglas Barrie (Le Bourget)
As Russia's government dithers over the fate of its aerospace sector, manufacturers are struggling to put their own houses in order in anticipation of the eventual shake-out. Revision of the initial draft for the creation of a unified Russian aerospace manufacturer, known as OAK, is still in the political sphere--an end-of-April target for the draft was missed--and is not now expected to be ready until later this summer.
The European Commission's ambition to play a larger role in negotiating international aviation agreements is gaining strength, although upcoming talks with the U.S. and China could provide the first test of its power. The European Council of Ministers last week expanded the commission's negotiating role and empowered it to handle open skies agreements with countries such as Russia and China. The plan was put forward earlier this year by European Union Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot.
Major New York area airports are expected to handle about 100 million passengers this year--more than a 6% increase over 2004, when 94 million used JFK International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says the three airports will handle more than 35.5 million passengers during June 1-Sept. 30, compared with 33.9 million last year.
Germany has secured a first export order for the Taurus KEPD-350 land-attack cruise missile, with a Spanish government decision to approve the purchase for its F/A-18 Hornet and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. Spain will place an initial order for 43 of the 500-km.-plus-range (270-naut.-mi.) missile. Contract details will be negotiated with the Spanish air force in the coming weeks. The German air force has already ordered 600 of the Taurus.
Singapore Airlines is showing little interest in a merger proposal with Qantas proposed by the Australian government as it worries over the future of its flag carrier. The government's anxiety is rising as the low-cost carrier that Qantas backed in Singapore, Jetstar Asia, appears to be an early casualty in what promises to be a brutal, multinational war to define an Asian model for discount operations.
A Ukrainian military court has handed down lengthy prison sentences for an incident in which a Sukhoi Su-27UB fighter/trainer crashed into a crowd at an air show in 2002, killing 77 spectators. The pilot received a 14-year sentence and the copilot eight years. The investigation commission accused the pilots of violating safety rules during the aerobatic presentation. The flight operations officer and show organizer were sentenced to six years each.
The military is clamoring for UAV access to national airspace for border patrol and other new applications. Nick Sabatini, FAA associate administrator for aviation safety, suggested at a pre-Paris air show UAV conclave that it is time to harmonize airspace integration for unmanned craft on a global basis. Citing command, control and communications and collision avoidance as the main problems, he proposes an initiative starting in the U.S.--with international participation--through a special federal advisory committee.
Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 crews have used a recently acquired ability to transmit imagery during combat operations in Afghanistan, including a mission to protect an ambushed convoy. RNLAF F-16s are being fitted with the Symetrics Industries photo reconnaissance intel strike module (Prism) package for the improved data modem. This allows video frames to be transmitted over the combat net radio. The Prism images show a bomb-damaged vehicle, part of a convoy ambushed in northern Afghanistan in May.
The chronic problem of ground troops being unable to communicate with aircraft overhead or support ships offshore due to incompatible radios, data links and computer systems is being resolved. Now, even military forces and civilian "first-responders" are able to share data during emergencies, thanks to new hardware and software translators and interfaces.
