Seven U.S. major airlines are committing to G2 SwitchWorks Corp., an alternative ticket distribution system, in a calculated maneuver that exerts pressures on legacy distribution systems to reduce fees charged for airline services.
The FAA issued an airworthiness directive requiring inspections of the Raytheon Hawker 800XP to detect wire damage in the flight compartment. The action is prompted by reports of miswiring in the power distribution system. The FAA notes that damage to wiring and surrounding equipment could result in smoke or fire. The agency also is proposing an AD for Boeing 737-600/-700/-700C/-800 and -900 aircraft.
Boeing expects defense and intelligence markets to remain strong through 2006 as airlines continue a gradual recovery leading to 7% revenue growth and 20% higher earnings per share next year over 2005. This year's revenues are expected to be $58 billion, driven by moderate growth in network, support, launch and orbital systems, while aircraft and weapons systems remain stable. Earnings per share this year are put in the $2.40-2.60 range. Next year's revenues should climb to $62-63 billion with earnings in the $3-3.2-billion range.
U.S. Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Henry (Trey) Obering says quality control, configuration management and "workmanship" problems contributed to the unexpected abort of a silo-based interceptor during a February test. Obering last week told a small audience on Capitol Hill that the investigation into the testing problem continues. He expects a return-to-flight evaluation from Rear Adm. Kathleen Paige, the mission readiness director for the ground-based system, in the next couple of weeks.
In another move, the TSA is to begin Phase 2 of its Airport Access Control Pilot Program in June at five different airports. Aimed at access control for site workers, the project will test radio frequency identification (RFID), advanced video surveillance and various biometric technologies at secure zones such as cargo warehouses and baggage areas. At Boston's Logan International Airport, the TSA will use GPS voice-recognition cell phones and an infrared intrusion detection system to guard the water perimeter.
Kingfisher Airlines is expanding the type of single-aisle Airbus aircraft it will operate, with a recent contract to acquire three A319s. The Mumbai-India-based budget airline already has firm orders for 10 A320s, with options for another 20 of the type in place. The first A319s, to be powered by International Aero Engines V2500s, are to be delivered in December.
I continue to read breathless descriptions of the posh amenities I can expect to find on Airbus A380s when they enter service: private salons, meeting rooms, piano bars, fitness centers, bowling alleys.
NASA-backed Earth scientists losing funds to President Bush's deep-space exploration efforts were heartened when incoming Administrator Michael Griffin told his Senate confirmation hearing that "NASA has certain responsibilities in these areas which cannot and should not be set aside." Now it looks like they'll get a little help from Congress in holding Griffin to his words. "The planet that has to matter most to us is the one we live on," declares Rep.
Boeing delivered its final 757 to Shanghai Airlines last week. It was the 1,050th aircraft produced over 23 years. Only six other commercial aircraft have sold more than 1,000 units. Of the total, 1,030 757s are still flying.
Paris air show security will be tighter than ever for the June event, with armed French police and military keeping a close eye on things for four trade and three public days. There will be bag searches, and service providers will be tracked. The U.S. Defense Dept. will be more fully engaged than two years ago when its presence at the show was curtailed due to political differences between the U.S. and French governments over the war in Iraq.
The three instruments on the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) will use a mix of U.S.-and-Canadian-developed laser, television, infrared and 3D imaging technologies. The sensors are:
The Transportation Security Administration plans to test this year a freight assessment system that will identify "elevated-risk" air cargo through a prescreening process. This will comprise parts of the Known Shipper program, a second program in place for freight forwarders, the use of shipment-specific data as well as technology, says Pam Hamilton, TSA's director of cargo screening. She addressed the Independent Pilots Assn. recently in Washington.
The preproduction prototype Cessna Citation Mustang business jet made its first flight Apr. 23 from McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kan., inaugurating an aggressive flight test program aimed at achieving FAA certification in 2006. Flown by Scotty Jergenson and Dave Bonifield, the twin-engine airplane took off at 10:26 a.m. and landed at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport after various stability and control checks were completed, along with cycling of the landing gear, flaps and speed brakes. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F engines, each rated at 1,350 lb.
The Army signed a $32.3-million deal with Raytheon to produce Improved Target Acquisition Systems (ITAS) for Tube-launched Optically Tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) weapons. ITAS is an advanced fire-control system that guides the TOW to its target. The Army had purchased 709 ITAS kits from 1999-2003, and this new contract marks the resumption of production. Raytheon also won a $32.5-million order for the ninth production lot of ALE-50 towed decoys. This lot consists of 1,249 units for the U.S. Air Force and another 245 for U.S. Navy use.
Charles Harlan has been named a senior assurance engineer and W.J. (Buddy) Pattison director of aerospace safety and mission assurance in the Houston office of the Ares Corp. Harlan was director of safety and mission assurance at the NASA Johnson Space Center, while Pattison was deputy manager of safety and mission assurance for NASA for the International Space Station program.
An Aero Union P-3B firefighting airtanker that crashed Apr. 20 during a recurrent-training mission apparently did not suffer an inflight structural problem, based on a preliminary NTSB report. Consequently, four Aero Union P-3s now on U.S. Forest Service contracts were put back into service after a brief standdown.
NASA's DART spacecraft struck its rendezvous target during a prematurely aborted autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations demonstration Apr. 15, knocking the old military satellite into a slightly higher orbit. A NASA spokeswoman says additional telemetry analysis and U.S. Air Force tracking revealed the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology testbed had bumped the Multiple Paths Beyond Line-of-Sight Communications satellite into a new orbit 3-5 naut. mi. higher than the one it was in before the collision.
Japan's air force scrambled 141 times last year to intercept intruders, 17 fewer than 2003. Of the total, 118 encroachers were Russian aircraft and only 13 were Chinese. But Japan intercepted only two Chinese aircraft in 2003 and the Japanese Defense Agency expects more Chinese air activity near disputed island chains and as a result of the strain in Sino-Japanese relations.
After Japan Airlines was cited for a series of safety and maintenance violations during the past two months, it has occurred to the Japanese transport ministry that its message isn't getting through. So it has issued a new batch of warnings. The ministry acted after an Air Nippon Boeing 737-500 didn't "hold on runway" as directed by air traffic controllers because the first officer forgot the order.
Air Canada stands to gain more than widebodies with its 32-aircraft Boeing 777-787 buy--by 2010, it expects to be a top global competitor, operating one of the world's youngest, most efficient fleets to more varied destinations.
A slowdown in U.S. defense spending may be on the horizon, but it hasn't impacted aerospace companies yet. From the giants to the small-cap contractors, they reported another round of robust earnings for the quarter ended Mar. 31. Results also were bolstered by continued improvement in the commercial aviation market.
Science Applications International Corp. won a $184.7-million contract to design and build an advanced version of the Joint Mission Planning System to converge the Defense Dept.'s different planning systems into a common function. The 12-year program is to allow migration of more than 40 weapon systems to JMPS. The work is set to be completed by September 2016.
Michael H. Grossmann (see photos), who is president of Castle Aviation Inc., North Canton, Ohio, is one of three new members elected to the board of directors of the Alexandria, Va.,-based National Air Transportation Assn. The others are: Theo Staub, president /chief operating officer of Jet Aviation Holdings Inc., Teterboro, N.J.: and Reed W. Pigman, Jr., president of Texas Jet Inc. of Fort Worth.
