I agree with the viewpoint of USAF Lt. Col. (ret.) Robert J. Brun concerning the decision by a British Airways Boeing 747-400 captain to continue a long-distance transpolar routing with one engine inoperative (AW&ST May 2, p. 8). Quite simply, that airplane should have landed as soon as possible.
Stan Wraight (see photo) has become vice president of the Volga-Dnepr Group of Companies, responsible for AirBridge Cargo (ABC). Denis Ilyin has been promoted to managing director of ABC from director of operations for Volga-Dnepr Airlines. Tony Bauckham (see photo) has been promoted to managing director of Volga-Dnepr U.K. Ltd. from London-based group commercial director, based at London Stansted Airport. He succeeds Evgueni Filatov, who has moved to a new role.
NASA will tap its research and new-technology development accounts--delaying missions or eliminating them outright--to finance near-term priorities, such as closing the gap between the space shuttle and the follow-on Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV).
The pilot of the Cessna 150 that penetrated Washington's no-fly zone May 11 faces possible revocation of his license, according to the FAA. The official grounds for revocation will be detailed when the investigation of the incident, which was set to wrap up late last week, is completed.
The Stand-off Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response (Slam-ER), made by Boeing, recently demonstrated its capability to fly its maximum distance of more than 170 mi. to a direct hit on a target. The missile was dropped from an F/A-18B flying at 40,000 ft., and it received targeting update messages and corrected course twice during flight.
To submit Aerospace Calendar Listings, Call +1 (212) 904-2421 Fax +1 (212) 904-6068 e-mail: [email protected] June 1-3--American Helicopter Society's 61st Annual Forum & Technology Display, Gaylord Texan Resort, Grapevine, Tex. Call +1 (703) 684-6777, fax +1 (703) 739-9279 or see www.vtol.org June 2-3--Assn. of the U.S. Army Symposium: "Joint C 4 and Space Operations for the Current and Future Force." Westin Long Beach, Calif. Call +1 (310) 764-6550 or see www.ausa.org/glac
Dean Evans has become president of the Chandler, Ariz.-based Triumph Precision Castings subsidiary of the Triumph Group Inc. He was corporate director of aerospace sales and marketing for the Hitchiner Manufacturing Co.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff last week voiced strong support for giving the private sector a major role in airline passenger security screening, as well as developing a registered-traveler screening program. Companies can help the department construct a data-gathering architecture with built-in safeguards against unwarranted invasions of privacy, he says. In addition, the private sector can create a demand for the technology needed for more-effective screening.
Derek Lewitton has become vice president-sales for ITA Software Inc., Cambridge, Mass. He was director of distribution strategy and planning for United Airlines.
Japan's MTSat-1RC will be activated in early June, a month later than expected. The Japanese space agency JAXA says the satellite's health is good, but it has taken longer than expected to coordinate ground systems. Launched Feb. 26 by JAXA's H-IIA medium-lift rocket, the Space Systems/Loral MTSat-1RC is both a weather satellite and the first step toward a space-based air traffic control system. It will operate from 140 deg. E. Long. (AW&ST Mar. 7, p. 38).
Two prototypes of a wing that changes shape radically in flight will undergo structural and aerodynamic testing in July and August by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). These "morphing" wings--the next step beyond traditional variable-geometry wings that change position mechanically--are in development by Lockheed Martin and Hypercomp/NextGen as part of Darpa's Morphing Aircraft Structures (MAS) program.
Robert Wall, Michael Mecham and Andy Nativi (Toulouse)
Airbus has again revised its plans for the A350, turning it from an A330-derivative to a new widebody in the face of rival Boeing's success with its 787. After first saying the existing A330/A340 family would suffice to compete with the 787, and last year amending that to projecting a mere derivative of the A330, the aircraft will now undergo a more dramatic transformation--a new development at a higher price. About "90% of the part numbers are going to be changed" over the current aircraft type, says Olivier Andries, A350 program manager.
Stephen E. Maloney has been appointed chairman/CEO of Aviation Management Systems Inc., Portsmouth, N.H. He has been president and will succeed William J. Quinn, Jr., who has resigned. Quinn will remain a member of the board of directors.
A human-rated launch vehicle based on a single space shuttle solid-fuel booster is "a very attractive proposition," says NASA's new administrator, Mike Griffin. Long pushed by booster-builder ATK Thiokol and others (AW&ST June 28, 2004, p. 26), the concept would need an upper stage to get the planned Crew Exploration Vehicle to orbit. But that could be an advantage, too, says Griffin, wondering aloud whether the same upper stage could be used on both the solid booster and a human-rated variant of the Atlas V or Delta IV.
Preparing for a slowdown in defense spending, General Electric (GE) Transportation Aircraft Engines' leadership plans to fight back. Its weapons will be a stable of flexible engine designs, company-run maintenance programs and transfers of airliner technology into military programs that have already been paid for with commercial investments.
TAP Air Portugal and Brazilian airline Varig are moving toward a formal hookup. The Portuguese airline has initiated talks with an investment firm to acquire up to 20%--the limit Brazil places on foreign investment--of Varig. With the initial legal steps taken, discussions have progressed to an operational level. The move would see TAP CEO Fernando Pinto once again have a hand in Varig, which he once led.
Two recent test failures of Lockheed Martin's Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile in the last month are raising new concerns about the program's future as an already skeptical Congress begins dissecting the Pentagon's budget plans to continue developing and purchasing the system.
EADS/Astrium has won a contract from Korea Aerospace and Research Institute (KARI) to build an advanced, multifunctional imaging and telecom satellite system, dubbed Coms. The system will operate from geostationary Earth-orbit positions at 116 or 138 deg. E. Long., where it will provide continuous coverage of surface and cloud cover for global users, and ocean data on the waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Space Systems/Loral and Orbital Sciences Corp. were said to be among the bidders.
The crash of FedEx Flight 647 could lead to wider establishment of Part 121 programs to detect and correct pilot performance deficiencies, and to enhanced emergency evacuation training for flight crews. These are among several recommendations issued by the NTSB last week at its final hearing on the Dec. 18, 2003, accident involving a FedEx MD-10-10F (N364FE). The safety board found flight crew actions as probable cause of the hard landing on Runway 36R at Memphis (Tenn.) International Airport that injured two of the seven people on board.
Gulfstream says its G450 long-range business jet has demonstrated a range of 3,550 naut. mi., 300 naut. mi. above forecast performance, at Mach 0.85 high-speed cruise. The feat, performed between Chicago and London, set a record--7 hr. and 19 min.--for the route, in no-wind conditions, with 3,500 lb. of fuel remaining. The first G450 entered service on May 7.
Taking a symbolic step--although a small one--toward eventual service entry with the Royal Air Force, the first BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 aircraft has been been painted in air force livery. The MRA4 has a tentative in-service date toward the end of 2009.
Barely days after revealing plans for light- and very-light-jet models, Embraer is already eyeing the next step in its bizjet plan. Last month, Chairman/CEO Mauricio Botelho said he intended to make Embraer a major force in the business aviation industry within 10 years, building on its success in the regional airline market. He appointed Luis Carlos Affonso, manager of the company's 170/190 regional jet line, to lead the effort.
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The Defense Dept. is shifting from a close-in, reactive posture to a proactive, layered approach that requires new technology, the Pentagon's top homeland defense official says. Most pressing is the need for a capability to detect weapons of mass destruction en route to the U.S. Officials hope to collect intelligence on these dangerous materials abroad in order to intercept them before they get to U.S. soil. Paul McHale, Defense Dept. assistant secretary for homeland defense, likens this cat-and-mouse game to tactics developed by the U.S.
David A. Fulghum, John M. Doyle, and Amy Butler (Washington)
The U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy Reserves components are taking an inordinate number of cuts in the Defense Dept.'s proposal of bases to be closed and realigned, although analysts are split over whether they are painful enough to start driving citizen airmen away from service. Meanwhile, lawmakers are vowing to defend what they say are key installations that should not be closed.
