Arinc Inc. and Jeppesen Inc. are partnering to produce Class 1 and Class 2 Electronic Flight Bags for current and new civil and military aircraft. Two weeks ago, the FAA approved Jeppesen's terminal chart application, which is to be first applied on a Boeing 777. Individual operators must still have their systems certified. Jeppesen's Class 1 EFB is a portable laptop that provides navigation charts and data applications, but it cannot be operated below 10,000 ft. during the takeoff/ landing phase.
Britain's moves to completely overhaul its long-range airpower road map will build on classified research efforts being carried out by BAE Systems. However, because of the secrecy surrounding some of the underlying research, British government and industry officials are reluctant to discuss the change in any detail. The ministry is breaking up its Future Offensive Air System (FOAS) work and replacing it with the Strategic Unmanned Air Vehicles (Experiment), or Suave, to meet its deep-strike and surveillance needs.
You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.AviationNow.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only) Oct. 18-20--MRO Europe. Estrel Hotel & Convention Center, Berlin. Nov. 8-10--MRO Asia, Suntec City, Singapore. Nov. 14-16--A&D Programs & Productivity Conference, Phoenix. PARTNERSHIPS Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Seminars:
Robert E. Davis (see photo) has been named vice president/general manager of the Raytheon Technical Services Co.'s Depot Operations in Norfolk, Va. He was business development growth leader for Raytheon Integrated Defense System in the Tidewater region of Virginia.
Korean Air chose the Engine Alliance GP7200 to power its five Airbus A380s, which are due for first delivery in 2007. The order was for 23 engines and marks the EA's fifth customer. Certification of an 81,500-lb.-thrust growth engine is set for the third quarter of 2006.
World News Roundup 18 Camera on rover captures distant Sun setting behind Martian crater 18 Ex-Boeing President Malcolm Stamper dies, led development of 747 19 Aircraft engine orders among activities headlining Paris air show 19 Pakistan in line to receive one of most modern versions of F-16 19 Boeing displaying 'gullwing' 777-200LR business-class interior 20 Rafael completing trials of newest Spice wing-and-guidance kit
Airbus faces several busy months and some hard decisions as it makes critical supplier and configuration decisions on the A350 in the run-up to the aircraft's formal industrial launch later this year. The European aircraft maker has been able to strengthen its A350 position significantly, after appearing to be in trouble with the new widebody only a few months ago and seeing its formal industrial launch delayed earlier this month.
India is discovering the fare war. Four more budget carriers say they will start operations by year's end, joining SpiceJet and Kingfisher Airlines, which began flying within the past two months. The "establishment"--two-year-old discounter Air Deccan--is serving up its own enticements: a 1-rupee (2.5-cent) fare for 1,000 lucky travelers a month.
CFM International says it took 218 engine orders, worth $1.3 billion. Included were orders from Egyptian carrier Air Cairo, a new customer, which is purchasing CFM56-5B/P engines to power six Airbus A318s. The carrier is slated to be Airbus' first A318 customer in the Middle East. Other orders included those from Air Europa, which will use CFM56-7Bs to power 18 Boeing 737-800s and Alaska Airlines, which will do the same for the 35 737-800s for which it placed firm orders. The Alaskan agreement eventually could include 100 aircraft.
Hi-Tec Systems has been awarded a five-year security consulting contract by the Advanced Airport Systems Technology Research Consortium (Astrec) in Japan to strengthen security procedures for all modes of transportation, including those at Narita International Airport. The goal is to improve the "Hands-Free Travel" initiative for intermodal transportation, which includes use of Radio Frequency Identification luggage tags. This would permit travelers to arrange luggage pickup at home or hotel," says Ronald R.
United Airlines could have avoided terminating its defined-benefit pension plans if the Air Transportation Stabilization Board hadn't turned down the carrier's application for a $1.1-billion loan guarantee in June 2004, CEO Glenn Tilton tells the Senate Finance Committee (see p. 60). The loan was to have lifted United out of Chapter 11, but instead the board sent the carrier to the private financial and capital markets to pursue its exit financing.
The proliferation of modern laser and radar-guided missiles is driving electronic warfare developers to pursue new aircraft self-protection options. But so far, customers are slow to embrace these devices.
The European Commission and African community have endorsed a project aimed at using satellite data to improve management of water and land resources--an important link in the Global Earth Observation System of Systems initiative (AW&ST Feb. 21, p. 32). The African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development project will distribute space-based data via Eumetsat's EumetCast system and a network of 53 Puma ground stations being installed to serve its Meteosat Second-Generation satellites.
Michael A. Taverna (Paris), Neelam Mathews (New Delhi)
Eurocopter is hoping an attempt to set a high-altitude landing record by alighting atop Mount Everest will not be marred by a dispute with the Nepalese government.
Gorik Hossepian (see photos) has been appointed vice president-situational awareness systems, Mark Casady vice president-navigation and positioning systems and Carl A. Alleyne, vice president-components, commercial and overhaul and repair, all for the Northrop Grumman Corp. Electronic Systems Sector, Woodland Hills, Calif. Hossepian was the sector's executive leader for situational awareness systems, while Casady was director of precision guidance systems for the Raytheon Co. Alleyne was sector director for software engineering.
I agree with your timely article "Turboprop Turnaround," which described the resurgence of demand for turboprop transports due to better fuel economy compared to small jets (AW&ST May 23, p. 46).
Robert D. Collet has become vice president/chief engineer for the Transformation, Training and Logistics Group of the Science Applications International Corp. of San Diego. He was vice president-engineering/chief technology officer for AT&T Government Solutions.
THE CIVIL AIR NAVIGATION SERVICES ORGANIZATION (Canso), a group of air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and affiliated suppliers, declared at a meeting last month that ATM harmonization and greater cooperation among ANSPs should be top priorities. Canso members have been researching how cooperation can deliver operational and economic benefits to the industry. And it has created a customer relations working group so members can exchange information on best practices in this field.
In a series of closely guarded tests, Raytheon researchers have shot down a variety of shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles--the nightmare of airline operators--with pulses of microwave energy at a distance of several miles.
U.S. Air Force officials say a Dec. 20 crash at Nellis AFB., Nev., that destroyed an F/A-22 Raptor was the result of a flight control system problem. The malfunction was caused by a power interruption to the aircraft's three rate sensor assemblies (measuring pitch, roll and yaw), which made them fail and left the aircraft unflyable. When the engines were shut down for maintenance servicing before takeoff, the pilot had left the auxiliary power unit running, believing it would supply continuous power to the flight control system, the report says.
Bravo to reader Claude G. Luisada's reference to his "decades-ago suggestions" for runway/taxiway intersection stoplights to reduce incursions (AW&ST May 16, p. 8).
Broad government-industry support is mounting to roll out many more Required Navigation Performance approaches in the U.S., but don't expect this to happen overnight. RNP's accuracy and integrity monitoring provide even more precision than conventional area navigation (RNAV) procedures. But the two are quite similar in that both free an aircraft from having to fly over a series of ground-based navigation aids.
Nikolai Sevastianov, 44, the new head of Energia, Russia's largest space company, is preparing to make major personnel and policy changes after ousting long-time company President Yuri Semyonov, 70, after a major stockholder battle for control of the company. Semyonov had earlier hired Sevastianov to commercialize Energia's Gazkom communications satellite business, but the younger manager turned against his old boss with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
