Recovery of the business aviation market from a wrenching downturn is rapidly gaining strength, with the stage set for strong deliveries of new jet aircraft at least through the next year or two. Beyond 2006, the outlook is much less clear.
Scaled Composites is shifting focus to designing and building suborbital rocket gliders for the new Virgin Galactic space tourism operator, based on its SpaceShipOne design that won the Ansari X Prize last week. Virgin Galactic, a Delaware-incorporated operation started by Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson, is eyeing an enlarged version of the three-place SpaceShipOne that could carry about five passengers plus crew. The company hopes its $100-million investment will fly the first paying passengers in 2007 (AW&ST Oct. 4, p. 30).
Scaled Composites pilot Brian Binnie took this photo from SpaceShipOne near the 367,000-ft. apogee of the Oct. 4 flight that won the Ansari X Prize (see p. 34). Virgin Galactic hopes to market a similar experience to space tourists. The window frame is at left, and the view is looking southeast of Mojave, Calif. A cloud layer is at top right, and the Salton Sea is near the horizon at center, more than 160 mi. away.
The unusual partnership of Boeing and Hurel-Hispano, a Snecma affiliate, will attempt to solicit more maintenance, repair and overhaul business in the commercial transport market. Last week, they signed an accord to maintain engine nacelles equipping Classic and next-generation 737s and Embraer 135/145 regional twinjets. The agreement involves Boeing Wichita (Kan.) Service Center and Hurel-Hispano European Services.
The Pentagon is evaluating a classified British program and a German high-power microwave payload potentially suited for guided weapons. A prototype HPM system is also being deployed in Iraq. John Wilcox, U.S. assistant deputy undersecretary of Defense for precision engagement, identified MBDA U.K. and Diehl with Rheinmetall as two providers of HPM packages.
EADS' $105-million purchase of Racal Instruments represents a first "baby step" in the company's acquisition strategy in the U.S., while also establishing the final element in its wide-ranging plan to capture U.S. defense market share.
The Model 680 Citation Sovereign's combination of performance, comfort and price sets a new mark for value and raises the stakes in the crowded, mid-size business jet market.
PHIL MICHEL, CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO.'S VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, says the upturn in the general aviation marketplace has given the company "optimism" for increased sales of new business jets. This year Cessna is introducing three jets, the CJ3, Sovereign and XLS, and customer interest is strengthening, according to Michel. He said although Cessna has no plans to reenter the twin-engine, piston-powered market, the company is studying the feasibility of producing a retractable gear version of the Model 182T.
The US101 team competing in the U.S. presidential helicopter replacement program (VXX) last week completed its first flight with General Electric CT7-8E engines and large-screen cockpit instrument displays. The flight lasted about 2 hr. The CT7-8Es boost power over the standard CT7 family by 12%, giving the three-engine helicopter the ability to carry an additional 2,000 lb. The new cockpit equipment--five 10 X 8-in. multi-function displays--provides 70% more display area than predecessors, says US101 prime contractor Lockheed Martin.
French space leaders have urged Europe to launch a slate of new imaging programs, including a satellite data relay system and submetric and geostationary Earth-orbit imaging spacecraft. Space leaders say the systems are needed to preserve Europe's autonomy in strategic technologies, help meet new asymmetric threats and ensure viability of the commercial imaging sector.
EADS has delivered a company-funded report on the KC-330 to Rand in a bid to articulate the characteristics of its refueler offering before the Air Force's preferred think tank issues its verdict on how the Pentagon should proceed in terms of tanker modernization. The report pits the KC-330 and KC-310 against the Boeing KC-767 being proposed to the Air Force, and an enhanced KC-767 that includes features that were taken out to reduce cost.
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DASSAULT FALCON HAS OPENED A FLIGHT OPERATIONS facility at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. The building will accommodate the flight department staff, local field representatives and the company's fleet of business jet demonstrators. The hangar can house up to six airplanes including the new Falcon 7X. The building is the third hangar installation opened by Dassault Falcon in the past four months. Sites at Little Rock, Ark., and Wilmington, Del., were opened in June and July.
PanAmSat opted for Sea Launch for the fourth time to orbit one of its communications spacecraft, this time the Galaxy 16 satellite being built by Space Systems/Loral for a 2006 launch. The 1300-series satellite's footprint will cover the U.S., Mexico and Canada with 24 C-band and 24 K u-band transponders.
Ishay Davidi, Gillon Beck and Yechiel Gutman have been appointed to the board of directors of Israel-based TAT Technologies Ltd. Israel Ofen, Moshe Tachnai, Yossi Rosenberg, Yael Rosenberg and Lior Zeelim have left the board, but Ofen remains executive vice president/chief financial officer. Davidi is senior partner/CEO of the FIMI Opportunity Fund and a director of Tadiran Communications. Beck is a partner in FIMI, while Gutman is a public member of the Israeli Security Authority and a director of El Al Israel Airlines.
Ian Walsh has been appointed vice president/general manager of Textron Lycoming Engines, Williamsport, Pa. He was director of pricing strategies for all Textron businesses.
It'll be weeks or months before the aerospace industry knows whether the U.S. and European Union are headed for an all-out World Trade Organization fight over their respective support for Boeing and Airbus. But the first steps were taken after the U.S. initiated WTO action in a bid to squash Airbus' emerging A350 in its infancy.
Alison Wood has been named group strategic development director for Farnborough, England-based BAE Systems, effective Jan. 1. She has been managing director for future systems.
Philip de St. Aubin (see photo), who is Washington-based vice president-international relations for Boeing, has been named of the U.S.' 50 most important Hispanics in technology and business by Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology magazine. De St. Aubin has held leadership positions in Europe and South America.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible foreign military sale to Canada of 2,000 radio-frequency TOW-2A and 600 TOW-2B antiarmor guided missiles, 400 RF "bunker buster" missiles, and associated equipment and services. The value, with all options exercised, could be $136 million, if the deal is approved. Raytheon Co. in Tucson, Ariz., would be the prime contractor
Your Aug. 23 issue provided an excellent survey of cargo and baggage security. I would agree with U.S. Rep. John Mica's Viewpoint support for in-line screening of baggage (p. 73) provided that airlines call the owners of suspicious bags to open them. Furthermore, no passenger should be forced to check unlocked bags. I keep sensitive business papers in my locked bag and want to be present when it is opened. The advantage of check-in or lobby screening is that I am present if my bag is opened.
Protecting aluminum body aircraft from lightning strikes involves wicking away the electric charge through the conductive metal structure. With advances in the use of composites to fabricate aircraft structures, including use of more composite materials in the fuselage, new systems for dealing with lightning strikes are being introduced. Alcore's PAA Strikegrid 1145 continuous expanded aluminum foil is the industry's highest-performing lightning strike dissipation material, according to the company.
DDC's RPC (remote solid-state power controller) board technology offers substantially lower costs per channel than traditional RPC modules, sometimes called Solid State Power Controller (SSPC) modules, according to the company. Military ground vehicle, commercial and military aircraft applications may benefit from this cost-effective solution for power management systems that control power and protect wiring from overload conditions. RPC boards combine multiple channels on a single board, and utilize surface mount technology.
