EADS is gearing up to propose to the U.K. a far-reaching partnership built around the UK90, a version of the NH90, and the EC635 helicopters, as the British government tries to revamp its military support and reconnaissance fleet despite a reduced budget. The Defense Ministry is in the midst of drawing up a revised helicopter road map, accommodating a $2-billion cut in funding, while addressing emerging requirements for both additional lift and improved reconnaissance. Industry officials say the U.K.'s entire military helo strategy is in flux.
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) Feb. 16-17--World Aerospace Symposium/Toulouse. Pierre Baudis Toulouse Congress Center, Toulouse, France. Apr. 19-20--MRO Military Conference. Also, Apr. 20-21--MRO USA Conference & Exhibition. Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Dallas. May 24-25--Homeland Security Summit & Exposition. Washington.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a fire in the avionics bay of a British Airways Boeing 777 as passengers were departing the aircraft after arrival at Boston's Logan International Airport from London Heathrow Airport on Nov. 15. An NTSB spokeswoman says the ground crew was hooking up external power when an electrical failure occurred. They noticed smoke and fumes coming from the avionics bay. The fire was extinguished quickly, and none of the 219 passengers or 14 crewmembers were hurt.
The tortuous path of legislation designed to clarify federal regulation of suborbital "space tourism" flights comes to an end--with a House-Senate compromise being driven off a cliff. After a joint hearing in the summer of 2003 at which space entrepreneurs testified, the House followed up and passed a bill (HR 3752) this March by a vote of 402-1. It would have made clear that paying passengers are "spaceflight participants" who understand the risks, and it defined suborbital flight so it would not be held to the sort of safety regulations that apply to aviation.
Asian markets are likely to provide Boeing with its first customers for the 777 freighter, which the company is now offering with the promise of the lowest trip-mile costs of any current or anticipated freighter. Based on the 777-200LR, the freighter is to be ready in fourth-quarter 2008, according to Lars Andersen, manager of Boeing's 777 derivatives program. The formal "authority to offer" decision announced last week means Boeing's sales force can present active prices and performance data to airlines.
With all due respect to Ron Davies' esteemed body of work, I think he may be misreading history with some of his arguments--as noted below--regarding superior market potential for the Airbus A380 versus Boeing 7E7 (AW&ST Nov. 8, p. 70).
America West is considering making an offer for aircraft that ATA has available in Chicago after ATA Holdings sought bankruptcy protection last month. America West Senior Vice President-Technical Operations Hal M. Heule said the company will decide by a court deadline of Dec. 10 whether to seek the aircraft and hire some of ATA's Chicago personnel. America West is not considering a move from its Chicago base at O'Hare International Airport, he said. ATA operates from Chicago's Midway airport.
Japan's space agency, JAXA, reports the redesigned nozzle it developed for the H-IIA's solid rocket booster motor has completed its second burn test successfully. On Nov. 9, engineers hot-fire tested the nozzle for 114 sec. An SRB nozzle burn-through was blamed for loss of the H-IIA mission in November 2003, and a new method of laying down carbon fiber material was developed as a fix. A third test is anticipated in December. If that is successful, the H-IIA program is expected to begin operations next year.
The U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority expects to rule by the end of November on allotment of additional flights to India. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and BMI are competing for rights to fly 21 new weekly services on the lucrative London-to-India route. Virgin's Richard Branson, BMI's Michael Bishop and BA's Rod Eddington presented their airlines' cases in a "scarce routes" hearing in London. Virgin Atlantic is applying for 18 new flights, BMI for 13 and BA for all 21. Branson based Virgin's plea on the value of competition for consumers.
R.E.G. Davies argues that Boeing's strategy of going point-to point with the 7E7 will fail due to demographics, hub congestion and the Airbus A380. But recent events and the pattern of travel around the world would suggest that Boeing has it right.
AIRFRAME AND AVIONICS COMPANIES ARE ADAPTING open systems to make it easier to add software applications to cockpits in future years. LynuxWorks Inc. of San Jose, Calif., has just released an updated real-time computer operating system to support this process. The company is now shipping its LynxOS-178 version 2.0. which is compatible with the Arinc-653 interface standard used in military and commercial avionics systems as well as the Portable Operating System Interface (Posix), a standard that provides for software portability.
OHB Technology says it has demonstrated end-to-end capability of the imaging chain for SARLupe, a German radar reconnaissance satellite system to be deployed starting next year. The test campaign, featuring high-resolution imagery of the International Space Station, was conducted in a new integration facility at OHB's engineering center in Bremen, Germany.
Remember the "opt-out" program, by which airports would be allowed to replace Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners with contractor personnel or their own employees? In a masterly euphemism, the TSA now calls it the "Screening Partnership" program and is accepting airports' applications. The "partnership" is with the TSA--contractor personnel will have to meet the same training and proficiency standards as federal screeners and contractor operations will have to be at least as effective as the TSA's.
Europe's Columbus Orbital Facility for the International Space Station is receiving a few more upgrades and check-outs as a result of the launch delay caused by the grounding of NASA's space shuttle fleet. The EADS-integrated European space laboratory had been due for launch last year. Enhancements include fittings that will make it easier to expand the lab in orbit. Some external sensors also are undergoing ground testing that would otherwise not have been possible.
Boeing has received a $21-million contract for modification of the Trident submarines' inertial navigation system, gyro monitors and navigators, and to make strategic program alterations.
Capt. Jack M. Broadbent (US Airways, Grasonville, Md.)
After reading David Bond's "Law of the Jungle" (AW&ST Nov. 1, p. 24) and your oft-repeated editorial ". . . the weakest airlines should be allowed to fail," the reader can't help but imagine a pack of wild dogs waiting to tear apart a large steak while those in the media watch the carnage from a safe distance. Your best advice to our industry is to stand back, let us devour each other and say, ". . . market forces should be permitted to work." Great. Is your doctrine rooted in the economic theory of Milton Friedman or a screenplay by Alfred Hitchcock?
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the French space agency, CNES, have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop and implement the Megha-Tropiques joint atmospheric satellite project. The satellite will investigate the role of the tropical atmosphere's water cycle in worldwide climate dynamics. ISRO will build and launch the satellite--similar to the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites--using its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The satellite will be placed in an 867-km.-high orbit at an inclination of 20 deg.
As 2004 winds up, Boeing 7E7 Vice President-Sales John Feren says "nothing's changed" in the company's prediction that it will have commitments for 200 aircraft by the end of the year.
Emirates saw revenue climb in the first half of 2004, up to $2.2 billion, a 42% increase on the same period for 2003. Its unaudited financial figures showed a profit of $236 million, as against $167 million for the first six months of 2003. Fuel cost hikes, however, have caused the airline to introduce ticket surcharges. Cargo volume rose by 27% to 401,500 tons.
While the future of Irish state-owned carrier Aer Lingus continues to be pondered by the Irish government, three of the airline's senior managers have resigned. CEO Willie Walsh, Chief Operating Officer Seamus Kearney and Chief Financial Officer Brian Dunne will leave in May. Irish government "inaction" was also a target for Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary. He criticized the government for failing to develop a second terminal at Dublin airport.
Jan K. Brueckner's Viewpoint calling for price-based approach whereby airline landing fees would rise during peak hours and be cut during off-peak hours is nothing new to general aviation. If I land my Beechcraft Bonanza at New York LaGuardia Airport between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. I am charged $123.58. If I land before or after those hours, my fee is $25. This works well for general aviation and should work for Part 121 operations.
Thales and Tenzing Communications have signed a memorandum of understanding to integrate both high-speed Internet services and other communications capabilities into the Thales TopSeries inflight entertainment system. Passengers will be able to access Tenzing data link services via a laptop or Thales in-seat display. Tenzing provides e-mail and text-messaging systems on more than 900 aircraft.
A number of hypersonic-related programs are drawing confidence from the back-to-back successful flights of NASA's X-43A research craft that show scramjet operation at Mach 7 and Mach 10. Last week's free flight at Mach 10 was especially important because it's difficult to test on the ground at that high speed. An early look at the data suggests that a series of 0.005-sec.-duration reflected shock tunnel runs did a very good job of predicting the flight, says Robert Bakos, vice president of ATK GASL in Ronkonkoma, N.Y.
