Regarding the continued flight to London Heathrow (LHR) of a British Airways Boeing 747-400 on three engines: The support of the captain's decision by BA management and pilots, and the U.K. CAA, should be reassuring. But I have serious doubts. A similar event a week later, which again involved 10 hr. of operation on three engines, would seem to show that very long engine-out sectors are now thought regularly acceptable. And acceptability encourages repetition.
The British Defense Ministry is to skip the bidding process and directly procure the AgustaWestland Future Lynx to meet a major portion of its next-generation helicopter requirement.
Boeing and SAIC have released separate requests for proposals for development of the Future Combat System's Class II and III UAVs. Multiple contract awards are expected in early August. After a two-year concept maturation phase, the finalists will be selected for the system design and development phase, after which Boeing and the Army will select the winning systems.
The almost-all-electric Boeing 787 is prompting a novel engine design from Rolls-Royce, after forcing it to reconsider the fundamentals of extracting shaft power.
Germany's Rheinmetall says it has completed its restructuring efforts and logged a 13-million-euro ($16.9-million) boost in earnings despite reduced business volume. Rheinmetall reported 217 million euros for 2004 earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT). Earnings margin increased to 6.4% from 4.8% the year before, and net income ballooned to 101 million euros from 68 million for the defense and automotive company. EBIT for the defense segment grew to 77 million euros from 69 million, with a margin of 5.6%.
The French government has accepted delivery of the first Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter for the Franco-German pilot training facility in Provence. Deliveries, in HAP support configuration, had been delayed because of software problems affecting end-to-end system performance (AW&ST Jan. 31, p. 30). Eurocopter says 10 HAPs for France and Spain are to be delivered this year.
U.S. and European Commission officials are aiming to overcome obstacles and begin formal negotiations leading to an "open aviation area" accord. After two failed attempts, it won't be easy. In October 2003 and June 2004, divergent perspectives halted talks--with the Europeans aiming for a cabotage structure and relaxed government controls, and many in the U.S. perceiving the OAA as a multilateral open skies agreement (AW&ST Nov. 17, 2003, p. 44).
In a bid to ensure customer satisfaction and potentially boost aircraft orders, Airbus is teaming with several established maintenance, repair and overhaul providers to build a network aimed at assisting airlines that outsource their support activities.
A prototype, full-scale aft fuselage Section 47 of the 787 is a demonstration of Boeing's commitment to using composite structures to improve the aircraft's operational and lifecycle performance (see p. 46). Note the "coupon" cutouts at top where Boeing's composite team has removed portions of the skin for analysis. The 787 program gives greater design authority to major suppliers and brings a new definition to the phrase "an electric airplane." Jeff Corwin photo for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The FAA and European counterpart DGAC issued airworthiness directives mandating inspections of rudders on certain Airbus A310s, A300-600s, A330s and A340s. The directives come in the wake of a Mar. 6 incident in which the rudder of an Air Transat A310 separated in cruise flight. The event occurred about 30 min. after Flight 961's departure from Varadero, Cuba. The A310 returned and landed without incident or injuries to the 270 on board the Canadian charter.
The U.S. Marines are looking for a stealthy, long-endurance UAV to take to war as part of an expeditionary unit. And they want it by the end of Fiscal 2005.
The U.S. Marine Corps approved the Goodrich-made Integrated Mechanical Diagnostics Health and Usage Management System for full-rate production. It will be used on board the service's CH-53E Super Stallion fleet. The company expects to install 28 kits in 2005-06; the Marine Corps has 147 Super Stallions. The system is designed to reduce maintenance by diagnosing vibration-related problems on the helicopters.
U.S. launch services operators are looking forward to the planned retirement of the space shuttle fleet at the end of 2010 as a significant new source of business. In addition to possible work for startups like Kistler Aerospace, which hopes to win clearance to emerge from bankruptcy this week (see p. 29), the shuttle's retirement could mean more government work for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs)--Atlas V and Delta IV.
NH Industries has begun flight-testing a new high-cabin version of the NH90 transport/frigate helicopter intended for search-and-rescue and other requirements where extra cabin volume is desirable. The aircraft--the fourth production unit to fly--is part of an 18-unit Swedish buy.
David Egner, Director of External Communications The RAND Corp. (Arlington, Va. )
Rachel Ehrenfeld's article (AW&ST Mar. 14, p. 98) advocating immediate full installation of flare-based anti-missile systems on board U.S. commercial airliners ignores two key considerations. First, the cost of operating such a system is uncertain. Second, a flare- or laser-based anti-missile system on all airliners could consume nearly half of all U.S. spending on transportation security, reducing available funds for other transportation security activities.
Italy's Alenia Spazio has awarded RSC Energia a 40-million-euro ($52-million) contract to provide docking, refueling and electronic control systems for six production Automated Transfer Vehicles intended to resupply the International Space Station. The Russian company will supply the systems under a framework agreement with the European Space Agency to adapt the ATV to the ISS. Energia already supplied one equipment set, plus a spare, for the prototype, scheduled to fly in early 2006.
The $1-billion effort to return the space shuttle to flight will accelerate here next week with rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B of the orbiter Discovery attached to its external tank and solid rocket boosters. The loss of Columbia and her seven-member U.S./Israeli crew halted U.S. manned flights in early 2003, threatened the International Space Station (ISS) and plunged NASA into its worst crisis since the Challenger accident 17 years earlier.
Budget carrier Air-India Express, beginning Apr. 29, plans to offer 37 flights weekly to nine Middle East destinations with three Boeing 737-800s leased from Boullioun Aviation Services. The cities include Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Muscat, Oman; Bahrain and Kuwait City. The board of parent company Air-India has approved the acquisition of 18 Boeing 737-800s over the next three years and approval by the Indian government is expected by the end of March. This summer, Air-India Express plans to offer 28 flights to U.S.
Singapore Technologies Aerospace has signed a preliminary agreement with Airbus to provide MRO support for all Airbus aircraft worldwide. The agreement includes ST Aerospace Co. in Singapore, Bournemouth Aviation Services Co. in England, ST Mobile Aerospace Engineering in Mobile, Ala., and San Antonio Aerospace.
USN Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael C. Bachmann has been appointed vice commander of Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. He has been assistant commander for logistics. Succeeding Bachmann will be Rear Adm. (lower half) Peter J. Williams, who has been assistant commander for aviation depots.
Gary/Chicago International Airport has moved a step closer to playing a greater role in providing for Chicago area airport capacity improvement. The FAA recently gave its stamp of approval on the airport authority's plan to extend Runway 12/30 and other safety improvements that will permit large aircraft to operate from Gary. The first step will be to relocate the EJ&E railroad, which now crosses the end of 12/30 on a 15-ft.-high embankment. Airport Director Paul Karas estimates a total cost of $85 million.
ARINC INC. OF ANNAPOLIS, MD., IS USING its expertise in radio communications--gained in 75 years of serving the airlines that own it--to branch out into public safety and homeland security-related communications. The organization has developed the Arinc Wireless Interoperability Network Solution (AWINS) that relies on commercially available equipment (such as Cisco routers) to tie together mobile public-safety radios in an Internet Protocol network. These analog radios are widely deployed in police, fire, security and federal government applications. Wesley D.
Lewis A. Von Thaer and Tommy R. Augustsson have been named corporate vice presidents of General Dynamics, Falls Church, Va. Von Thaer also is president of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, while Augustsson oversees GD's information technology and compensation programs. Augustsson succeeds Kenneth Hill, who has retired.
