Keith Williams has become Seoul-based vice president-Asia-Pacific region for Boeing subsidiary Alteon Training. He has been director of business and simulator operations.
Nanocomposites have been hyped as having the potential to be many times stronger and stiffer than standard composites, but experiments by an aerospace company show structural improvements so modest that they aren't worthwhile. Instead, the nanofillers might improve the properties of a composite resin in other ways, such as increasing electrical and thermal conductivity or fire-resistance. The "nano" refers to ultrafine fillers that are measured in nanometers, or less than a micron in size.
General Electric Aircraft Engines says it expects 2005 revenues to reach a record $13 billion because of strong demand in both the civil and military sectors. Revenues in 2004 were $12.6 billion.
The U.S. Transportation Dept. denied JetBlue Airways' November 2004 request for an exemption for its Embraer 190 aircraft, scheduled to enter service late this year, from the requirement for cabin space to stow a folding wheelchair. Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and the Air Carrier Assn. of America opposed the application, as did three disabled-persons advocacy groups.
Paul M. Murphy (see photo, p. 16) has been appointed president of Stowe Machine, Windsor, Conn. He was general manager of Precision Speed Manufacturing.
A group of 4-H students from Farmington, Minn., beat 99 other teams to win the 2005 Team America Rocketry Challenge, held in Plains, Va. At 59.9 sec., the agricultural youth organization team's rocket came closest to staying aloft for the specified 60 sec., and its payload of two hen's eggs returned to Earth uncracked. The event, sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Assn. to interest U.S. high school students in aerospace careers, drew 500 students from 27 states.
The European AeroSpace and Defense (ASD) industries association is asking governments to provide increased financial support to sustain a competitive industrial base and to live up to the financial commitments made by the European Union recently in its 7th Framework Program, 2007-13. Providing the resources for the R&D undertaking is vital, asserts ASD President Pier Francesco Guarguaglini who also heads Finmeccanica.
The European aerospace industry continues to lag U.S. competitors in terms of generating growth, with indications that matters will worsen unless significant restructuring takes place--at least according to the latest findings of an industry-wide assessment by Paris-based AT Kearney.
Air New Zealand has acquired a $20-million Boeing 777 flight simulator to train pilots to operate the new 777-200ER, which will replace the airline's 767s. By year-end, the first of eight 777-200ER that ANZ has on order will roll off the production line in Seattle, according to Chief Executive Ralph Norris. All eight ANZ aircraft are to be delivered by the end of 2006. Norris says some 777-200ERs would be put into service to San Francisco and Japan. The airline is a launch customer for the 787 and expects to take delivery of two aircraft in 2010.
Michael A. Taverna (Paris and Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany)
French defense research agency Onera and German aerospace center DLR are attempting to give new impetus to a long-standing plan to integrate their R&D activities--particularly in aeronautics--despite occasional conflicting political and economic realities.
This nondescript industrial city south of Frankfurt is Europe's eye on the cosmos, where data from European Space Agency (ESA) scientific spacecraft are first translated into new insights on how the universe works.
Threat perceptions are receiving high priority in Sri Lanka and India. The Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission is reporting that the "air assets" of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam include an airstrip in the north and two or three Czech-built Zlin Z-143 aircraft, but warned that any move by government forces to bomb it could lead to destabilizing of security in the region.
After reading concerns about airport capabilities for handling the Airbus A380 (AW&ST May 9, p. 38), I have questions about its weather-alternate requirements.
The $408-billion Defense appropriations bill for Fiscal 2006 is expected to go to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives later this week. In clearing the bill June 7, the House Appropriations Committee cut $143 million from missile defense, slashed more than $425 million from two military space programs and recommended terminating the troubled Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (Jassm) program. President Bush had requested $150 million for Jassm, but the committee's bill provides just $2 million to close out existing contracts.
South Korea's Jeju Air, which was founded in January to provide low-fare flights to Jeju Island, a popular vacation spot, has ordered five 74-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprops with options for three more. The deal is valued at $120 million.
Israeli defense electronics maker Elisra is rolling out new electronic warfare equipment applications aimed at the highly competitive military aircraft and helicopter upgrade markets.
Researchers are moving into the final phase of determining how much turbulence an A380 will leave in its wake. Airbus hopes its design will meet the goal of generating vortices no more severe than those of a Boeing 747.
The considerable capability of the Storm Shadow/Scalp EG cruise missile rests on the foundations of a two-decade effort, and European industry is now looking for the funding and requirements framework for its next generation of weapons.
World News Roundup 30 BA609 commercial tiltrotor scheduled for first flight in full airplane mode 31 Former L-3 president opening biometrics investment firm 31 Certification of MD-80 noise reduction system expected this summer 32 Stage set for virtual alliance of six Middle Eastern airlines 32 Jury backs Bombardier Learjet in Payne Stewart crash suit World News & Analysis 36 Northrop Grumman, EADS devise new tanker plan, but U.S. could shift focus
DEUTSCHE FLUGSICHERUNG (DFS), the German air navigation service provider, says Bremen will be the first airport in Germany to have a ground-based augmentation system with operations beginning in 2007. The GBAS will enable aircraft to fly precision approaches using satellite guidance instead of following an ILS. After the trial phase in 2007, a GBAS Category 1 approach procedure will be published in 2008. DFS notes that there are no certified ground station equipment for these trials available yet, but required hardware and software should be available when needed.
French aerostructures and cable/system supplier Latecoere says it plans to issue 2.4 million new shares to cover future investment and cash needs. The offering, to be priced at 27 euros a share, is set for June 7-17, and aims to raise around 64 million euros ($78 million). The company anticipates investing more than 100 million euros in the next five years to meet demand for the Airbus A350/A380, Boeing 787, Embraer regional jets and Dassault 7X programs, a company official says.
Sanjay Aggarwal has become vice president-operations and planning for Cleveland-based Flight Options. He was a senior director with Marriott International.
Inmarsat expects an initial public offering later this month to bring in more than 400 million pounds ($729 million) in new capital to strengthen its balance sheet and increase payout to shareholders (AW&ST June 6, pp. 19, 53). Chairman/CEO Andrew Sukawaty said, following a period of heavy investment in its Broadband Global Area Network, the company expects at least half of normalized free cash flow from operations to be returned to shareholders in the form of dividends.
I am a retired aircraft primary structures engineer with 35 years' design experience. When I designed a hinged item, I nearly always had two self-aligning ball joints so there was a straight hinge line and the item would be free to rotate about that line even with structural deflections under load.
The McPherson fluorometer gathers data for atmospheric photochemistry and facilitates better understanding of the general effects of pollution on climate and air quality. The filter fluorometer simultaneously detects fluorescence emission of four unique samples using line emission light sources and narrow-band filters for discrete wavelength excitation. The system is compatible with the company's high-pressure liquid chromatography flow cells. Flow cell volumes range from 6-24 microliters.
