USAF Lt. Gen. Ronald Keys, the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, attributes a Predator UAV's near-miss attacking an Iraqi fighter to latency in the communications that delayed release of its missile. Because Predator pilots are actually controlling their vehicles from the U.S., using satellite communications, the operator's command to fire took a critical extra few seconds, Keys says. The result was that the Predator missed and the Iraqi fighter got away.
Before the U.S. cracked down on passengers bringing potentially dangerous items on board, many of Asia's leading airlines would collect them at the gate. But they had a much more passenger-friendly approach than the U.S. system of seize and discard. They would simply identify the object, such as pocket knife or lighter, by passenger name and seat number, put it in a lockbox and return it at the end of the flight. Two years ago, CheckPoint Mailers introduced an alternative for U.S. travelers in its home city of Charlotte, N.C.
Dublin-based Ryanair, which will transition its fleet to Boeing 737-800s, has ordered CFM56-7 engines to power 140 737-800s, 70 on firm order and 70 on option, for delivery between 2008-12 (see p. 44). The firm orders for the GE-Snecma engines are valued at $900 million at list price. By year-end 2005, Ryanair will be operating 100 737-800s. Ryanair also ordered 225 blended winglet systems from Aviation Partners Boeing for the airline's existing -800s. New aircraft will come with factory-installed blended winglets after January 2006.
Farnborough air show organizer SBAC (The Society of British Aerospace Companies) is backing off overhauling the format and organizational structure of the event. The 2006 show will be held from July 17-23. SBAC's 2004 Strategic Review called for shortening and outsourcing the event. Outsourcing has been partially achieved through establishing Farnborough International Ltd., although the intended selection of a strategic partner has not been made.
Bob Kenney has become vice president of the Bell Boeing V-22 Joint Program Office at NAS Patuxent River, Md. He succeeds Mike Tkach, who is now vice president of Boeing's Army Rotorcraft Systems in Philadelphia. Kenney was a vice president at the Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is soon expected to give operational approval to Okay Airways Co. Beijing-based Okay, with $36.3 million in capital and a fleet of three Boeing 737s, is expected to offer cargo/express, passenger charter and ground distribution services. Shanghai-based Spring International Airlines, Chengdu-based Eagle Airlines and Huaxia Airlines in Gansu Province are also expected to obtain CAAC clearance to start low-cost operations.
Fresno Yosemite Airport's first flight information display system is also the first live, web-based, wireless FIDS to be installed in the U.S. The information technology is making it possible for smaller airports to adopt affordable systems that provide accurate arrivals/departures information at the airport--and anywhere there's a link to the airport web site.
The European Space Agency says its Smart-1 lunar orbiter has enough fuel to prolong its mission for one year, to August 2006. This will enable high-resolution mapping of both the southern and northern hemispheres, and 3D maps of areas of particular interest for future missions. Smart-1 arrived in lunar orbit last autumn and is spiraling down to its science orbit after taking advantage of good solar illumination to map the lunar surface from higher altitudes.
The Air Line Pilots Assn. welcomed the FAA's action, but stressed that the agency should respond to "longstanding industry concerns about the abuse and misuse of flight safety data" and take decisive action to ensure the information is used strictly for safety purposes. Terry McVenes, ALPA executive air safety vice chairman, noted no rules exist to prevent airlines from using flight data for disciplinary action.
Lisi Kaufman has been named Washington-based senior vice president-government and international affairs for the United Technologies Corp., Hartford, Conn. She was chief of staff to U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans. Kaufman succeeds Ruth Harkin, who has resigned.
U.S. funding for defense has increased dramatically during the past five years. Including the cost of ongoing military operations, the country now spends nearly $200 billion more a year on defense than it did in 2000. In 2005, even adjusting for inflation, funding for defense will exceed the level reached in 1968 at the height of the Vietnam War, and in 1985 at the height of the Reagan buildup.
Reeling from a proposed $600-million cut to the E-10 program in the 2006 budget, Northrop Grumman officials have suggested a program restructuring that includes scaling back investment on the Boeing 767 testbed and funneling more resources toward validating key performance parameters for the sophisticated, electronically scanned, long-range radar. First cast as an operationally suitable testbed, the 767 aircraft will now be developed as a flying laboratory without such military attributes as a refueling receptacle and anti-icing capability.
Expanded air defenses in the U.S. National Capital Region, backed by a strategic communications plan still in development, are sending a loud-and-clear message to terrorists who might consider another Sept. 11-type attack: "You're on a fools' errand," says Adm. Timothy J. Keating. Since last November, he has headed both North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) and U.S. Northern Command (Northcom).
Bell Helicopter will sell 24 of its Huey II upgrades to the Air Force for use at Ft. Rucker, Ala., where the service's helicopter pilots train. The Air Force has a fleet of UH-1N helicopters in service. USAF had used the UH-1H for training until the Army discontinued using that platform. USAF officials then elected to upgrade to the Huey II, which includes a fully integrated glass cockpit and up-rated engine as well as the ability to carry a larger payload.
Northrop Grumman is expected to announce a $100-million contract soon with Rockwell Collins to modernize the 1970s-era cockpits of its E-8 Joint-STARS ground-surveillance radar aircraft fleet. The first E-8 to sport the new glass cockpit is expected to be delivered in 2007. It will allow the flight deck crew to view the data being gathered by the mission crew, thereby increasing pilots' situational awareness.
Don Bateman, chief of technology for Honeywell's Commercial Electronic Systems business and inventor of the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), has been named for induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Bateman led a team of engineers that developed GPWS in the 1970s and the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System in the 1990s.
The German low-fare carrier market is quickly moving toward more consolidation, after DBA and Germania Express (Gexx) announced a merger that will see Gexx vanish as a separate entity by the end of March.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee deflects questions about the Corps' new tactics for using EA-6B Prowlers and the Air Force's EC-130 Compass Call to jam remote triggers used with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq, but he allows that lots of problems remain. For example, the infantry has plenty of jammers but may not have the right frequencies. And when enemies realize they are being jammed, they may switch from a radio-controlled device to a hard-wired one.
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) Apr. 19-20--MRO Military Conference. Also, Apr. 20-21--MRO USA Conference & Exhibition. Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Dallas. May 10-11--Net-Centric Operations Conference 2005. Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington. May 24-25--Homeland Security Summit & Exposition, Washington.
Michael Mecham (San Francisco), Michael A. Taverna (Paris)
Rockwell Collins Vice President Mark Harris, who heads the company's global drive to create inflight broadband connections, says it's all a matter of expectations. "There's an intuitive understanding of value," he says. "Airlines and passengers are continuing to increase their expectations for connectivity" in this Internet age. "Most people are so used to being connected in their office, in their home, with Blackberries you can carry on your hip," that connections in airplane cabins are a logical next step.
There have been very few success stories in U.S. commercial aviation since 2000. The application of information technology in the drive to reduce airline costs without sacrificing service to customers is one of them.
Despite strains on its acquisition budget, the Marine Corps is still supporting its short takeoff and vertical landing (Stovl) version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with some vigor, says Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee. "I'm satisfied with where we are. We're below the weight [limit]. It always grows a little bit as production goes along," but it's being monitored. "Stovl is critical to the way we are going to fight," he says.
As Japan's two main carriers, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, engineer fleet consolidations that are turning them into all-Boeing customers, Airbus has named Glen Fukushima, former deputy assistant U.S. Trade Representative, as president of its Japan unit. Airbus SAS is to double the size of its Japan office under Fukushima, an American, who once served as vice president of AT&T Japan Ltd. Airbus' goal is to win A380 orders; it's lost recent competitions for single-aisle and mid-range jets.
Michael A. Boden has been named executive vice president-programs for the AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md. He has been president of the subsidiary AAI Services Corp.
WestJet blamed high fuel and airport costs and "irrational" pricing for a fourth-quarter loss of C$46.3 million ($37.4 million), its first after 31 profitable quarters. The loss deepened from a C$47.6-million write-down for early retirement of 18 Boeing 737-200s. WestJet will replace the aircraft over 12 months with five Boeing 737-600s, six 737-700s and five 737-800s. Despite the loss, WestJet is planning capacity growth of 17% in 2005, down from 30% last year.
