Aviation Fleet Solutions expects FAA/EAA certification of its Quiet MD-80 noise reduction system late this summer. The system, developed in cooperation with Pratt & Whitney, is expected to reduce noise levels up to 6 dB. and allow the aircraft to meet FAA Stage 4 and ICAO Chapter 4 limits, thereby extending the service life of MD-80 series aircraft. Approval of two configurations is anticipated, one for airplanes with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) below 149,500 lb. and another for MD-80/ -83s with an MTOW up to 160,000 lb.
Ask a U.S. Army or Marine Corps combat commander what he needs, and his list probably will include "better situational awareness." In essence, he wants his own eyes-in-the-sky to reveal the location of enemy forces and what they're doing, day and night, in all types of weather.
John Godsman has been appointed a director of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. in New York, specializing in the global aerospace and defense industry. He was a director in Credit Suisse First Boston's London office, heading its European aerospace and defense coverage.
Aermacchi has its hands full with its two trainer programs, the M-346 and M-311, over and above preparing them for their first appearance at the Paris air show at Le Bourget. The Finmeccanica unit is in the midst of an intensive technical and commercial effort to fully develop the two aircraft. Along the way, it is signing up industrial partners in the hope the international ties will lead to informal commitments by various governments to buy the aircraft, which is already in flight testing.
THE NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT INC. HAS DELIVERED the 200th Malibu Meridian. The single-engine airplane is powered by a 500-shp. Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine and is certified for flight into known icing, and features a glass cockpit. Piper is making the Avidyne FlightMax Entegra integrated flight deck standard equipment. It includes three 10.4-in., high-resolution displays. Piper delivered the first Meridian in November 2000.
Imaging Technology International announces new features in the Automated Data Acquisition Software (ADAS) for the Drop Watcher III, an analytical ink jet measurement tool, which provides automated, exact and repeatable measurements of ink jet drop formations and flight characteristics of any jetable fluid from a wide range of print heads. Magnification can be adjusted by the viewer. A strobe delay and pulse width are also adjustable for analyzing various stages of a fluid drop formation.
Coming fast on the heels of French voters' decisive "Non!" to the European Constitution, this Paris air show at Le Bourget marks the 20th anniversary of another famous--indeed infamous--French "Non," one that brought about the collapse of the five-nation European Fighter Aircraft program. The rest, as they say, is history, but the ramifications of the failure still shape and shackle Europe's combat aircraft sector. Compare this with the verve with which France has championed Airbus, as a symbol of Europe's collective capacity.
Bernard W. Chau has been promoted to general manager of the Imagery Programs Div. of the National Systems Group of The Aerospace Corp. at its Chantilly, Va., office. He was a member of the senior staff of the group's senior vice president.
Batavia, Ohio-based Modus Verticraft Inc. is submitting its "rotorfan" Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) jet concept for consideration in the Joint Heavy-Lift competition (AW&ST May 16, p. 22). Modus President Frank Black holds patents for the concept of a circular wing, stop-rotor vehicle including one patent for the system that controls lift and thrust. Vertical lift is accomplished through the circular overhead hub which contains retractable fan blades and a turbofan powerplant. The design calls for side-mounted engines for forward motion.
Aircraft Security & Alert Systems, manufacturer of Medeco locks for aircraft, has introduced locks for the Cessna Caravan series. They are now being installed on all new Caravans as well as being offered as a service bulletin for older aircraft. Each set contains individual locks for the pilot's, copilot's air stair, cargo and belly pod doors, and engine cowl. Locks are custom engineered and align vertically when in the locked position so pilots can tell at a glance that all doors/panels are properly secured.
Russia plans to launch four major unmanned space missions on four different types of rockets by late June. The first is to be the Progress 19P tanker/ transport scheduled for liftoff to the International Space Station June 16 on board a Soyuz booster fired from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Two other missions are slated for June 21: the launch of a military spacecraft from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on board a Molniya booster and a solar sail demonstration satellite on board an SS-N-18 Volna booster fired from a submarine in the Barents Sea.
HONEYWELL AEROSPACE IS AIMING to expand its business interests in India and China both in terms of tapping into suppliers in those nations and selling more products and services there, says President/CEO Rob Gillette. Honeywell has a significant position in India, where it has software engineers developing code for avionics, automated controls and automotive applications. As for aerospace-related software, it takes many years to develop "domain" expertise, Gillette notes, since it's one thing to write code and quite another to know how to apply it to an aircraft.
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Marvin K. McNamara has become deputy director of the Missile Defense Agency. He has been deputy director for force structure, integration and deployment.
Randy Schmitz (see photo) has been appointed director of operations for facilities in Columbia, Mo., and Mexico for the St. Louis-based Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co. He was plant manager in Columbia.
United Airlines will pull the plug on the $250-million automated baggage handling system at Denver Interna- tional Airport at the end of the summer travel period. DIA will adopt a more traditional "tug-and-cart" process of sorting the bags at the terminal and driving them up to the aircraft, according to an airline spokesperson. Why the switch? United has spent a lot of money over the years in software upgrades and maintenance on the old system, but it is still not fully automated.
Aiming to hold its own against larger, better-funded competitors in the MRO industry, The Nordam Group is teaming with giant 3M Co. in an agreement to be announced at the Paris air show. Privately owned Nordam will collaborate with 3M on research while leveraging that company's expertise in lean manufacturing processes. Nordam CEO Ken Lackey says the Tulsa, Okla.-based company is interested in 3M's expertise in radio frequency identification and advanced materials. "We expect to be a test lab for 3M," he says.
The market is ripe for a Mach 1+ business jet, but without sweeping changes to rules governing sonic booms over land, the dream of a CEO flying faster than the speed of sound may never get off the ground.
It's as if they're trying to describe the same circus elephant seen through different lenses. Boeing and Airbus agree that the next 20 years of air travel will bring a huge demand for new aircraft and they agree on the general growth trends for air travel by region. But beyond that, they are describing two different beasts.
Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. (New York), Robert Wall (Paris)
Just in time for the Paris air show, the gloves are off between the European Union and the U.S. in their dispute over government financial support to their respective large commercial aircraft makers, Airbus and Boeing.
THE U.S. NAVY HAS WON ITS BATTLE against the general aviation community by changing a temporary flight restriction over a submarine base at Bangor, Wash., into a Prohibited Area designated "P-51." Although the change was strongly opposed by state and national pilot groups, P-51 is scheduled to become effective Dec. 22. General aviation officials are concerned that the establishment of P-51 at Bangor will lead to airspace changes over other military facilities in the U.S., including the Navy's submarine base at St. Mary's, Ga.
The clock is running relentlessly as Airbus labors to complete critical test events with the goal of receiving A380 certification next year. Although all eyes may be on the flight trials, important A380 ground tests also are slated to be conducted in the coming months.
The European Union and European Space Agency have agreed on the framework for a common space program for 2007-13, following a second meeting of their joint council last week. Under the framework, the EU will define applications related to its political objectives--notably the Galileo satellite navigation system and Global Monitoring for Environment and Security System--and ESA will cover space exploration, science and technology, including access to space, in cooperation with national agencies.
USN Rear Adm. David Architzel has been named Washington-based commander/program executive officer for aircraft carriers. He has been commander of the Operational Test and Evaluation Force, Norfolk, Va. Architzel will be succeeded by Rear Adm. (lower half) William J. McCarthy, who has been commander of Carrier Strike Group 8 at Norfolk. Other new appointments are: Rear Adm. Frederic R. Ruehe as commander of Navy Region Mid Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., from commander, U.S. Naval Forces Japan/commander of the naval component, U.S. Forces Japan, Yokosuka, Japan; and Rear Adm.
Aitech Defense Systems' rugged new CC106 single-board computer is a VME64x-compliant solution featuring up to 1.5 GHz. of processing power and 4 GB. of onboard NAND flash memory. The SBC is designed to meet demands for expanded I/O capabilities and powerful processing in harsh environments, such as as mission computers, remotely piloted vehicles and mission control subsystems, according to the company. The NAND flash memory, which functions like a USB memory stick without the need for a PMC site or USB interface, is independent of user application program Flash.
