A Cessna 150's flight into prohibited Washington airspace not only sent the U.S.' terror and anxiety levels soaring--it appears to be regenerating a belief that general aviation is a "soft" target for terrorists.
An Air France Airbus A330 en route from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Boston Logan Airport was diverted to Bangor, Maine, last week at the direction of the U.S. government after a passenger's name turned up on the no-fly list. The Associated Press reports that the aircraft continued to Boston a few hours after landing in Bangor without the passenger of interest and three of his family members who were detained by U.S. immigration officials--but it was not certain at the time whether he is the person on the no-fly list.
The U.S. Air Force will continue Follow-on Operational Testing and Evaluation of the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (Jassm) despite a failed drop from a B-2 last month. The Jassm was recently recertified for operational testing after a string of problems last year and a near-shutdown by Congress. Tests in the $4.6-billion program began in March with drops from an F-16.
Jamco Corp. will provide flight deck interiors, including a stowage area, linings and stowage consoles near the seats, the flight deck door and bulkhead assembly for all 787's. Boeing previously awarded Jamco the 787's contract for lavatories.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Air Force, Navy and Boeing have completed a requirements review of the X-45C Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS). The joint assessment allows Boeing to continue its capability demonstration program. A final design review is slated for later this summer. Under the program, Boeing will build and demonstrate three X-45Cs, two mission control elements and integrate a common operating system. The first X-45C is to be completed in 2006, with flight testing to begin in early 2007. The 39-ft. long, 49-ft.
Northrop Grumman has responded quickly to the Pentagon's request for proposals for a next-generation long-range strike aircraft that could be ready for operations by about 2018. Company designers are offering four options. First is a stealthy, manned high-altitude, half-size B-2-like flying wing design. Second is an unmanned version with even longer range and endurance. Third is a bomber version of its F-23 fighter with only minor changes to the diamond wing, V-tail design.
The Apache helicopter used by the U.S. Army received its first Arrowhead targeting system last week from Lockheed Martin. The system features an advanced forward-looking infrared that allows operators to engage the enemy from longer distances with better accuracy. The system is better known as the Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/ Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/ PNVS), and it will be installed on existing and new Apache Longbow aircraft. The Army intends to buy 704 of the new targeting systems by 2011.
The 2005 Regional Airline Assn. Convention convenes May 16-19 in Cincinnati. Members will examine ways to meet the great challenges ahead as their symbiotic relationship with legacy partners undergoes transformation in a rapidly evolving industry environment. Transport Editor Frances Fiorino and Midwest Bureau Contributing Editor James Ott compiled this report. As go the majors, so go the regionals. With that in mind, the Regional Airline Assn. has set its sights on one goal it believes will ensure survival: maintaining cost-effective operations.
THE NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSN. (NBAA) has made the defeat of any attempt by Congress to impose user fees its top legislative priority. NBAA officials want the existing fuel tax paid by users to remain the "sole means" for general aviation to pay for using the ATC system, according to Ken Emerick, chairman of the NBAA's board of directors. Edward Bolen, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Assn., will represent business aviation in opposing user fees when Congress holds hearings on the subject.
Eurocontrol wants airports, airlines and air navigation service providers in Europe to utilize departure management systems like one being pioneered at Zurich International Airport in Switzerland. Zurich is using the Darts tool developed by Delair Air Traffic Systems GmbH. of Germany. Darts is a computerized system that enables airports, airlines and air traffic control to plan the optimum sequence of departures (and arrivals) at an airport to get the most efficient use out of existing runways.
The FAA plans to roll out 200 more area navigation procedures at 35 airports during the next few years as airlines eagerly await fuel savings like those Delta Air Lines is starting to reap at Atlanta.
Japan Airlines Chairman Isao Kaneko has resigned in the wake of a continuing series of safety violations by JAL pilots and technical crews. Kaneko had resigned as president and CEO in March after the safety violations came to light but retained his chairmanship. But further revelations have prompted him to also resign as chairman. He was initially expected to step down after the annual shareholders' meeting in June. The position will remain vacant for the time being.
Raytheon gathered a $162.8-million addition to a contract to procure 251 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles and spares for a NATO consortium including Australia, Canada, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Greece and Turkey.
BUSINESS AVIATION HAS A "GOOD STORY TO TELL" regarding the industry's safety record, which has been under fire in recent months, says Robert Matthews, analysis team leader at the FAA's Office of Accident Investigation. According to Matthews, for the past four years corporate aviation has experienced fewer than six accidents annually and 1.6 fatal accidents per year, but the fatal accident rate remains higher than U.S. airlines operating under FAR Part 121. Business flying accounted for 0.066 fatal crashes per 100,000 flight hours compared with 0.010 for the airlines.
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) May 24-25--Homeland Security Summit & Exposition, Washington. 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:
EADS corporate leaders will face a flurry of decisions in the coming weeks, in part to resolve the difficult transition at the upper echelons of management. The road ahead on several industrial and program matters is clear. But on the management front, the situation remains murky after the company board at last week's annual shareholder meeting in Amsterdam opted not to name a new Airbus chief for the time being.
Southwest Airlines is intensifying its campaign to repeal the Wright Amendment, which the carrier claims stunts growth at its Dallas Love Field home base. The 1979 law, designed to foster growth at Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW), limits commercial operations at Love to aircraft with 56 or more seats operating short-haul routes within Texas and to four bordering states--New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
To the relief of everyone, the intrusion of a Cessna 150 far into the Flight Restricted Zone over Washington last week proved to be a false alarm, not a terrorist attack (see p. 49). That said, the two air heads (as one New York newspaper cleverly called them) flying the little airplane were anything but harmless. The effect of their misadventure threatens to be the continued blanket closure to general aviation of Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
USN Capt. Michael D. Hardee is among four officers who have been nominated for promotion to rear admiral (lower half). Hardee has been chief of the Naval Aviation Repair Staff and Airspeed project officer at NAS Patuxent River, Md. The other captains are: Donald P. Quinn, who has been director of aviation officer distribution in the Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tenn.; William E. Shannon, 3rd, who has been deputy program executive officer for air antisubmarine warfare within Assault and Special Mission Programs, NAS Patuxent River; and Stephen S.
L-3 Communications' Link Simulation and Training division will develop and build a third F/A-18C Distributed Mission Training (DMT) suite for the Naval Air Systems Command (see photo). The $7.4-million contract will require Link to manufacture two F/A-18C Tactical Operational Flight Trainers (TOFT) that will be integrated with baseline and advanced software to support simulator interoperability. The first DMT suite is operating at NAS Oceana, Va., training Hornet pilots and a second is being prepared for delivery to NAS Lemoore, Calif.
The same robotics company that developed the manipulator arms for the Mars Spirit and Opportunity rovers will upgrade a different manipulator to dig into the icy soil of Mars' north polar region. Alliance Spacesystems Inc. (ASI) will modify the arm it originally built for the canceled 2001 Mars Lander Project for the Phoenix lander, set for launch in 2007 and landing in 2008.
HONEYWELL AEROSPACE IS THINKING MUCH MORE these days about "adjacent markets," such as the potential for aerospace technology in automotive applications. And auto makers are talking about features like "drive by wire." As aerospace companies are moving toward a "more electric" airplane, car makers want to develop vehicles that depend less on heavy hydraulic and mechanical systems. "They love our technology. The problem is the price point," says Roman Jamrogiewicz, vice president of technology and engineering at Honeywell.
Donald R. Kamenz has been appointed vice president-sales and marketing for Montreal-based ExelTech Aerospace. He was vice president-sales for Saab Aircraft Leasing, Sterling, Va.
Singapore Airlines chalked up a record operating profit of S$1.36 billion ($826 million) last year based on a strong rebound from the previous year's Asia-wide health crises, favorable exchange rates and the sale of aircraft and spare parts. The results showed little effect from the rise of regional discount carriers, but SIA expects competition to intensify.
The FAA could save $6 million a year if it curtails nighttime control tower operations at 42 airports around the U.S., according to FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey. But "we have not yet reached a decision," she told a House subcommittee hearing on the FAA's Fiscal 2006 budget last week. Word of FAA plans to cut costs by closing some air traffic control operations between midnight and 5 a.m. leaked out in February, touching off a wave of criticism from lawmakers, airport officials and the controllers' union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn.
