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.
Narrowly averting the collapse of its acquisition strategy for two next-generation aircraft carriers, the British Defense Ministry now faces the task of resolving clashing industrial and military imperatives in reaching key milestones for the program. Warnings from BAE Systems--that it would pull out of the carrier (CVF) project owing to the ministry's approach to the so-called physical integrator role--prompted discussions throughout January as the two sides attempted to reach agreement.
MTU of Germany, owned by U.S. private equity firm KKR, said it's planning its first public stock offering by midyear--earlier than expected. The move is part of a trend by equity firms to sell aerospace stakes acquired during the past two or three years to take advantage of favorable market conditions.
The United Arab Emirates air force has ordered eight Agusta/Bell AB139 medium-lift helicopters from Bell/ Agusta Aerospace Co. (BAAC). Six will be configured for search and rescue, and two will be used for VIP transport. BAAC has an order backlog of more than 100 AB139s.
6-7 Correspondence 8 Who's Where 10 Market Focus 13 Industry Outlook 15 Airline Outlook 17 In Orbit 18-20 World News Roundup 21 Washington Outlook 59 Contrails 62-63 Classified 64 Contact Us 65 Aerospace Calendar
Robert E. Brown is no stranger to turbulence in Canada's aerospace sector. In December 2002, he resigned as president and CEO of Bombardier Inc., taking the fall for the regional jet manufacturer's financial downturn, which continues to this day. Last year, he served as chairman of the board of Air Canada during the airline's restructuring and emergence from bankruptcy protection.
India's military wants the nation's aerospace command to be fast-tracked, even as the Indian Space Research Organization insists it should concentrate only on civil programs. "The Indian air force is always interested in aerospace, an arena that is a natural progression for us," says Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi. "We are already using space in different areas.''
Japan's Transport Ministry in September will implement reduced vertical separation minimums for aircraft operating above FL290 (29,000 ft.). The reduction to 1,000 ft. from 2,000 ft. is expected to double the capacity of Japan's airspace and save $15 million in annual fuel bills, according to the ministry.
Alan L. Caraway (see photos) and Donald G. Sather have been promoted to principal director in the Satellite and Launch Control Div., and Gina D. Galasso to principal director in the Electronics System Div. of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif. Caraway was systems director for systems engineering and integration in Spacelift Range, while Sather was director of the Telemetry and Hardware Technology Dept. within the Computer Systems Div. Galasso was director of the Space Systems Evaluation Dept. in the Systems Engineering Div.
Aerial firefighting tanker pilots, "air attack" command-and-control specialists, and leadplane crews will soon be trained and certified through low-cost flight simulators that capitalize on computer-game technology.
A jury in Grimes County, Tex., has ordered engine manufacturer Textron Lycoming to pay $96 million to Interstate Southwest, a company that had supplied crankshafts to Lycoming for engines installed in Cessna and Piper airplanes. During 2000-02 there were 24 failures of the crankshafts that resulted in 12 deaths.
While the Transportation Security Administration plans to spend 90% of its proposed $5.5-billion budget on aviation security, including $3.8 billion for screeners and equipment, the "guns, gates and guards" approach has its limitations. A Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing last week produced a lot of discussion on the 90% and little on port security, which only gets a trickle of money.
The European Union's arms embargo on China will be lifted, says EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. He called on the U.S. and Europe to establish a high-level strategic dialogue to manage China's emergence as a world power. The statement echoed earlier remarks by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who urged the formation of a high-level group within NATO to discuss such sensitive political matters as the arms embargo and nuclear weapon proliferation.
Wet runway conditions caused the Nov. 30, 2004, crash of Lion Air Flight JT583 at Indonesia's Solo-Adi Sumamo Airport, according to the Indonesian safety board's accident report. Following a rainstorm, the runway flooded, which caused the MD-82 to hydroplane on landing and skid off the runway. Twenty-six of 146 people on board were killed.
Stephen Kalish has become president of Washington-based Crown Consulting Inc. He was a group president at the Computer Sciences Corp. Robert Rosen has been appointed vice president-transportation systems, Linda Schuessler vice president-advanced programs, Suzette Matthews vice president-government and industry affairs, and James Cistone senior systems engineer. Rosen was associate director of the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., while Schuessler was vice president-systems operations for the FAA Air Traffic Operations Service.
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) is the new chairman of the House Science Committee's space and aeronautics subcommittee. He spoke this month at FAA's eighth annual conference on commercial space transportation in Washington. Excerpts follow: With the recent success of SpaceShipOne in the field of private human spaceflight and the attention it received, it is evident that ordinary citizens want to take the extraordinary journey into space. Now, the government must adopt a regulatory framework that enables you in the industry to make those dreams a reality.
Insights gained from the Schriever III Wargame here may lead to significant revisions of U.S. national security space policies and rules-of-engagement in the war on terrorism.
Delegations of Chinese airline and regulatory officials will begin arriving in the U.S. this spring as part of a broad effort to raise the profile of U.S. aerospace in the world's fastest-growing large aircraft market. Individual manufacturers and airlines have hosted training seminars for Chinese government and industry officials since at least the early 1990s. But their efforts were regarded as too fragmented to boost America's image.
Alexis C. Livanos (see photo) has been named corporate vice president/president of the Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Space Technology Sector. He succeeds Wesley G. Bush, who is now the corporation's chief financial officer. Livanos has been vice president/general manager of the Navigation and Space Sensors Div. of the company's Electronic Systems Sector.
World News Roundup 18 Eclipse 500s are readied for flight test 19 First of new EELVs to fly NASA/NOAA payload is erected at Cape 20 John Negroponte nominated as first Director of National Intelligence Laurels 2004 22 AW&ST presents its 48th annual Aerospace Laurels selections World News & Analysis 28 Airbus suggests it could support dropping 'launch aid' for transports 29 Europe on brink of further A&D consolidation
Robert Wall and Pierre Sparaco (Paris and Toulouse)
Europe's aerospace and defense industry is poised for further significant consolidation that is expected to kick-in this year and last through 2006. Moreover, as activity in the investment banking community heats up, there is a dawning recognition that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers in Europe still trail their U.S. counterparts in competitiveness.
Jim Benson, who is chairman/CEO of SpaceDev, Poway, Calif., has received the first Business Leadership in Science and Technology Award from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. He has been credited with taking a long-term vision of building private sector exploration and profitable economic development of space and demonstrating that a business can deliver quick, innovative, practical and low-cost space solutions to drive the expansion of human space exploration and development.
Aviall Inc. has been chosen by General Electric to be the worldwide distributor of spare parts for the CF6-50- and CF6-80-series turbofan engines in a contract that could be worth up to $5 billion over the remaining service life of the power plants.
The National Assn. of Flight Instructors (NAFI) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are coordinating a major safety initiative to study the quality and depth of spin training within the U.S. flight instruction industry. Opinions will be sought from thousands of certified flight instructors (CFI) regarding how they approach, explain and teach spins to student pilots. Although the FAA does not require spin training for private pilots, it is mandatory for CFI applicants. Stall-spin accidents account for a significant percentage of fatalities in general aviation.
