Sveneric Persson, who has been president/CEO of the Finland-based Blue 1, an affiliate of SAS Scandinavian Airlines, has been appointed SAS' New York-based vice president-The Americas, effective Sept. 1. He will succeed Jorgen Hoe-Knudsen, who will retire.
The in-service date of the Tranche 3 Eurofighter Typhoon is being shunted further into the next decade, with aircraft unlikely to be on the flight line earlier than 2015-16. Production of the advanced version of the four-nation aircraft will begin no sooner than 2013. Political issues are impacting the timing of a Tranche 3 production run, which some previous plans had envisaged finishing by 2014.
In the Industry Outlook item "Future Cloudy for MU-2s" (AW&ST Apr. 25, p. 15), you state that "most [Japan Air Self-Defense Force] search-and-rescue (SAR) missions are carried out by helicopters." This tragic accident, the fourth involving an MU-2, has occurred even as the JASDF MU-2 fleet is close to being retired.
UNITED STATES Editor-In-Chief: Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. [email protected] Managing Editor: James R. Asker [email protected] Assistant Managing Editor: Michael Stearns [email protected] Senior Editors: Craig Covault [email protected], David Hughes [email protected] NEW YORK 2 Penn Plaza, Fifth Floor, New York, N.Y. 10121 Phone: +1 (212) 904-2000, Fax: +1 (212) 904-6068 Senior News Editor: Nora Titterington
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems President/CEO Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr,. (right) shows an MTS-B laser designator sensor on a Predator B unmanned aircraft to Business Editor Joseph C. Anselmo. During a day with Cassidy, Anselmo viewed a flight demonstration of a new Predator B at the company's flight operations facility east of Los Angeles. The two also spent time at the Predator production facilities in San Diego. Anselmo's profile of Cassidy and his company begins on p. 50.
Air-India reintroduced its service to Toronto this month after an eight-year absence. The thrice-weekly Boeing 777-200ER flight will operate on the Delhi-Amritsar-Birmingham (England)-Toronto route. Air-India Chairman and Managing Director V. Thulasidas says this is the second long-haul flight to be introduced from Delhi this year; the first, inaugurated in March, operates via Dhaka and Kolkata to London. Beginning June 18, the carrier will launch three additional flights on this sector, bringing the total number of flights to the U.K. to 24 per week.
Led by Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the Georgia congressional delegation is raising questions about the Defense Dept.'s handling of the highly sensitive base closure process. The Pentagon says it can save billions by closing a number of bases and realigning missions at the remaining facilities around the country. A bipartisan Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission has begun a nationwide tour of hearings to collect input on the Pentagon's proposal.
Spacehab Inc. will work with Zyvex Corp., which specializes in molecular nanotechnology, to develop and test a micro-miniature mass spectrometer that could be used to monitor air quality in human spacecraft. Under a Space Act agreement with NASA, the two companies will develop a ground-based brassboard system that can be adapted for space applications.
Building new airports or high-speed rail lines between cities could be one solution to the growing problem of flight delays, according to a congressional auditor. Gerald Dillingham, director of civil aviation issues for the Government Accountability Office, says expanding capacity--not by building new runways or terminals, but entirely new airports--could help ease the growing crunch at the nation's airports. "The current rebound in air travel has been a significant factor in a resurgence of flight delays today," Dillingham tells the Senate aviation subcommittee.
The House Appropriations subcommittee responsible for NASA funding adds its voice to the chorus urging more attention to the dwindling aeronautics program. The science subcommittee boosts the agency's aeronautics line by $53.9 million in its Fiscal 2006 markup, bringing it to the $906 million enacted for Fiscal 2005. The Republican-led panel also calls on the White House to develop a national aeronautics policy to go with the space exploration policy President Bush introduced in January 2004.
Kevin Neels has become a principal and head of the transportation practice at the Cambridge, Mass.-based Brattle Group. He has been vice president of Charles River Associates.
Francois F. Dupont has been named New Delhi-based head of Thales International for India and the Indian subcontinent. He was group delegate for Thales in Malaysia and Brunei.
Does the emptying of our halls of government on May 11 because of the big bad Cessna 150 remind anyone else of the elephant fleeing in panic from the mouse? Can we balance the evacuation cost against the benefit? The airplane's maximum weight is 1,600 lb., its standard fuel capacity 26 gal., and it was at or near its maximum payload with the two people on board. It probably wasn't carrying a destructive munitions load.
Captive carry trials of the Paveway IV precision-guided bomb have begun on a British Royal Air Force Harrier GR7 aircraft. The Raytheon-developed weapon is due to enter service in mid-2007.
Siberia Airlines, Russia's second largest carrier, has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-500. The airline plans to operate five of the narrow-body transports, all under five-year lease agreements. The 104-seat aircraft will enable Siberia to phase out 30 obsolete Tupolev Tu-154Ms. Moreover, the airline should soon receive two Airbus A310-200s. They come on top of three A310-300s in service since last year. The rest of the fleet includes nine Ilyushin Il-86 widebodies and two Tupolev Tu-204s.
Business aviation groups and congressional supporters, while hailing the return of general aviation flights to Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) after a nearly four-year ban, are already planning ways to expand operations.
Veteran U.S. Navy fighter pilot Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., president/CEO of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, has made a name for himself bucking the military bureaucracy to win acceptance for low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (see p. 50). Remotely piloted from halfway around the world, the company's Predator aircraft have gained wide notice for hunting down enemy combatants in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Cassidy is shown with a next-generation Predator B aircraft at the company's flight operations center in California. William G. Hartenstein photo for AW&ST.
Pratt & Whitney Canada said it would invest C$250 million ($197.4 million) in research and development in the Montreal area after the Quebec government agreed to provide C$75 million that is to be repaid over 25 years from royalties on the company's sales. P&WC said its money would be used for design validation and improved engine performance, weight and environmental impact. P&WC, which has 5,000 employees in Quebec, says it has invested C$3 billion in aerospace research in Canada since 1996, more than any other company.
As our Lockheed C-141 StarLifter left Hickam AFB, Hawaii, the blue Pacific contrasted sharply with the islands' lush green vegetation, colors accentuated by a sun-drenched spring day. We were heavy. Our fuel tanks were full, and we had a cabin loaded with people prepared for a long, but very special flight. Switching to departure frequency, I notified the controller we were climbing through 1,000 ft.
To submit Aerospace Calendar Listings, Call +1 (212) 904-2421 Fax +1 (212) 904-6068 e-mail: [email protected] June 5-7--National Consortium for Aviation Mobility, NASA and FAA's SATS 2005: "A Transformation in Air Travel." Danville (Va.) Regional Airport. Call +1 (313) 394-0304 or see www.sats2005.com
