The Boeing 7E7 may be part of Air Canada's future. CEO Robert Milton says the airline will decide next year whether to replace Boeing 767s with 7E7s. The carrier, which filed for creditor protection in April 2003, last month met restructuring requirements. This makes Air Canada the first legacy carrier to achieve a low-cost structure, according to an airline spokesman (AW&ST May 31, p. 17). With that behind it, the airline is free to concentrate on simplified fares, online redistribution, rebuilding the North American fleet and international expansion.
Sikorsky Aircraft has standardized its new S-76 and S-92 helicopter safety baseline to include enhanced ground proximity warning systems (EGPWS) in all civil aircraft configurations. The built-in terrain and obstacle information can be shown in the cockpit on a variety of compatible displays (EFIS or Weather Radar) so pilots can immediately determine if surrounding terrain or obstacles are above or below the aircraft's altitude.
Tom Barber (see photo) has been named director of sales for the Westlake Village, Calif.-based Semflex/Trompeter Group of Stratos International. He was director of operations.
A district court in Tokyo has ordered Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to pay $4.45 million in compensation to the Japanese Defense Agency (JDA) for the loss of a Sikorsky SH-60J antisubmarine warfare helicopter that MHI built under license. After participation in joint Rimpac (Rim of the Pacific) exercises in June 1996, the helicopter landed at the U.S. Naval Air Station Barbers Point AB on Oahu, Hawaii. An engine fire developed during taxiing, causing extensive damage to the main rotor blades and tail boom. All four crew and two of four passengers received light injuries.
An Army War College faculty study published before the invasion of Iraq makes frustrating reading today. Warning that "a war tactically and operationally won can still lead to strategic loss if post-conflict operations are poorly planned or executed," the February 2003 study predicted many subsequent events with uncanny accuracy. After an "initial honeymoon period," it warned that "long-term gratitude is unlikely and suspicion of U.S. motives will increase. The United States is deeply distrusted in the Arab World because of strong ties to Israel and fears that it seeks .
There are as many as 18,000 Al Qaeda operatives worldwide, according to an annual strategic survey by a London-based think tank. The International Institute for Strategic Studies says as many as 20,000 went through terrorist training camps in Afghanistan since 1996; about 2,000 have been killed or captured. The total does not include new recruits, increasing in number since the Iraqi conflict.
Rolls-Royce Corp. is developing an advanced full-authority digital engine control (Fadec) for its large-engine line that should boost functionality and processing speed while reducing cost.
Plans by Lufthansa Technik to move into the fixed-base operator market could have enormous repercussions for the business aviation sector. The Lufthansa maintenance, repair and overhaul arm announced here that it will partner with U.K. fixed-base operator Harrods Aviation (formerly Metro Business Aviation) and four other after-sales service providers to set up an FBO, MRO and logistics network for business aviation users.
Francois Bujon de l'Estang, former French ambassador to the U.S. and now chairman of Citigroup France, has been named to the board of directors of Paris-based Thales.
Congratulations on 20/15 hindsight in your Apr. 19 editorial "A Trail of Clues." Your editorial writer neglected the need for knowledge of plan-of-attack details. Otherwise, the government would be in the position of trying to protect everything, which you admitted is impossible.
The U.S. Army's Aerial Common Sensor program has been slowed by at least a month, until July or August, by the decision to delay selection of a prime contractor--either Lockheed Martin with the Embraer EMB-145 or Northrop Grumman with the Gulfstream G450. The aircraft is expected to replace the Navy's EP-3 signals intelligence aircraft and the Army's RC-7 Airborne Reconnais-sance Low and RC-12 Guardrail aircraft. The Pentagon's top senior officials contend the Army's $5.9 billion cost estimate is too low.
Air Canada CEO Robert Milton is confident his airline will emerge from creditor protection this fall, as a result of "tremendous work" completed in the past few weeks. This included Air Canada's reaching an accord with all its unions. The agreements, in turn, enabled the carrier to meet the target of C$200 million ($146 million) in labor cost realignments to satisfy conditions under the Deutsche Bank Standby Purchase Agreement and GE Capital Aviation Services Global Restructuring Contract.
The Kamov Co. has launched 30 Ka-226 Hoodlum utility helicopters--ordered by the Russian Emergencies Ministry and Gazprom (a large gas utility)--into series production, the Russian news agency Interfax-AVN reports. Ka-226s have also been offered for export. The helo is listed as being capable of operating in extreme climate conditions. Kamov anticipates an interest from the military and countries needing border patrol support.
European Space Agency members have agreed to accept a U.S. calendar for a proposed international exploration initiative, but, despite the ultimate goal of landing a man on Mars, they are insisting that the focus will be squarely on robotic, not manned, missions. However, European plans to participate in the U.S.-led space exploration initiative may take longer to gel than previously thought, as planners wrestle with conflicting aims and budget realities, particularly in Germany.
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Stonehenge Capital Co. has completed a $6.5-million financing agreement with Rotorcraft Leasing Co. for fleet expansion. It now operates 38 helos that provide service to offshore production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. Both companies are based in Baton Rouge, La.
Senior Editor Craig Covault (left) and Steve Squyres, Mars Exploration Rover principal investigator from Cornell University, take a break from reviewing Mars rover science discoveries, in Squyres' office in the rover control center at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Covault has spent a total of seven weeks at JPL covering Mars surface operations since the rover landings in January. In one of the weeks, he was embedded with the Opportunity science team (see story, p. 62).
In a long-awaited move, Boeing says it will sell its Commercial Financial Services business unit to GE Commercial Finance, an action that's expected to generate more than $1.7 billion in deployable cash after taxes and expenses.
The 3,400 members of the Wichita Technical and Professional Unit represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace were voting through May 28 last week on a three-year contract offer from Boeing that SPEEA's board recommended they reject. Instead, the board asked for an authorization to strike-- but not an immediate strike itself--as a bargaining chip to gain more concessions from Boeing. The dispute centers on an increase in medical benefit premiums that SPEEA's leadership maintains penalizes union members.
Both David R. Englert and Richard Robert- son in their letters take you to task for the editorial "A Trail of Clues" (AW&ST May 10, p. 6; Apr. 19, p. 102). Although I agree with their points, I disagree that partisan politics has no place in your publication.
Dennis Burnett has become vice president-export controls and licensing for Washington-based EADS North America. He has been president of Pentriad Inc. and was a partner in the law firm of Pierson & Burnett.
NH Industries will provide on-condition maintenance and spares for German NH90 transport/frigate helicopters under a contract awarded earlier this month. The agreement covers three years of operation for those aircraft, the first of which are to be delivered at year-end. Similar awards have been inked within the framework of Italian, Swedish and Norwegian NH90 purchases.
David R. Englert and Richard Robertson appear to have forgotten those strong roots on which their country was founded. Freedom and democracy, it is the magic and simple mixed drink that has allowed the U.S. to be the great power that still tows the rest of the world behind. Those letters reminded me of an editorial of yours from more than 15 years ago entitled "Don't Let These Sharks Invade Our Waters." It discussed financiers and freelances (Frank Lorenzo's times) landing in the field of aviation.
