Except for fuel prices, aviation security accounts for most of the airline industry's worries in Spring 2004. Air Transport Assn. CEO Jim May tells reporters he's "worried to death" that a shortage of screeners and a travel spurt will clog airports and delay flights this summer. Last summer there was a single month in which passenger volume hit 58 million, a pre-Sept. 11, 2001, level. This year the ATA sees about 65 million per month sustained through the season.
Recent clashes between BAE Systems and the U.K. Defense Ministry over the acquisition of a new class of aircraft carrier is exposing wider industry apprehension that defense-industrial policy is rudderless.
In its final report on the 2003 crash of a Raytheon Beechcraft 1900D at Charlotte, N.C., the National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the FAA amend the Federal Aviation Regulations to require that Instructions for Continued Airworthiness and air carrier maintenance manuals include "a complete functional check at the end of maintenance for each critical flight system."
During the recent X-43A scramjet test, this expensive vehicle was allowed to impact the ocean after its successful flight, denying any chance for post-flight examination and analysis of vehicle condition (AW&ST Apr. 5, p. 28).
Its hefty order for short- and standard-range 7E7s is in line with All Nippon Airways' five-year plan to standardize its flight operations, exploit new airport opportunities and extend its regional Asian services. Although Japan did not suffer as much from the severe acute respiratory syndrome health crisis as other Asian countries, its air travel market dropped 50% last spring, according to Shuichi Fujimura, director of ANA's corporate planning. That came after a 50% drop from the reverberation of the 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S. and the Iraq war.
Thanks to Michael A. Dornheim for "A Breath of Fast Air" (AW&ST Apr. 5, p. 28). This article bridges the gap between the dumbed-down press and advanced fluid dynamics journals. I was on the edge of my seat as I read some parts about a dozen times to absorb the raw power and complete wizardry of the X-43A flight test. This type of cutting edge research is what made this country great. Future reductions in these programs will seal our fate.
Companies at every level of the supply chain participated in the Aviation Week survey of the aerospace/defense industry workforce--including all the platform builders and systems integrators, most of the major subassembly manufacturers and many component makers. Those headquartered outside the U.S. were excluded because they are not required to report the same data for federal contracting purposes as their U.S. counterparts.
Charlie Addison has been named senior vice president-operational support services, Charlie McDonald senior vice president-operations and Rob Binns senior vice president-marketing and planning for World Airways. Addison was executive vice president-operations. Binns succeeds Jeff MacKinney, who has been promoted to chief operating officer. Binns was president/CEO and McDonald senior vice president/COO of TransMeridian Airlines.
William D. Green (see photo) has been appointed CEO of New York-based Accenture, effective Sept. 1. He has been chief operating officer for client services. Green will succeed Joe W. Forehand, who will remain chairman.
Two days after launching the 7E7, the ANA Group ordered four 74-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprops for use by its Naka Nihon Airlines subsidiary on short-haul routes from the Central Japan International Airport, which opens in Nagoya next February. ANA's inventory includes eight Q400s.
Airbus has received approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency for 180-min. extended range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) for the A319, A320 and A321 transports, including corporate versions. The company is seeking the same approval for the new A318. According to Airbus, the A320 family of passenger jets have accumulated more than 31 million flight hours and 10 years worth of 120-min. ETOPS operations worldwide. The airplanes are powered with either CFM or International Aero Engine powerplants.
To my knowledge, in all the time that has passed since the American Airlines Flight 587 accident of November 2001, the inflight separation of that Airbus A300's engines has never been addressed.
If, as expected, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) makes another run at strengthening "Buy America" provisions during this year's defense budget battles, the Pentagon plans to resist, sort of. "We'll fight," says a senior Pentagon official, but he's careful not to overstate the Defense Dept.'s zeal. "How hard we fight depends on what else is before Hunter. [The Defense Dept.] has a lot of other interests."
Boeing has launched its new mid-sized twinjet as the 7E7 Dreamliner, but that heavenly moniker may not be what the real plane will be called when All Nippon Airways takes delivery of the first one in the second quarter of 2008.
Saab Aircraft Leasing has delivered the first Saab 340 cargo version to launch customer Castle Aviation. The Akron/Canton, Ohio-based carrier will operate the twin-engine turboprop aircraft for on-demand freight charters.
On July 1 AirTran is scheduled to enter the Dallas-Fort Worth/Los Angeles nonstop market with twice-daily flights offering one-way fares of $99 with a 14-day advance purchase. Walk-up fares would be as low as $199, according to the airline. The new service, which is priced in the mainstream for DFW-LAX one-stop flights, spells more trouble for yields at American, United and Delta, which have been charging $640-750 for nonstop service between the two major cities.
You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.AviationNow.com/conferences or call Ryan Leeds at +1 (212) 904-3892/+1 (800) 240-7645 (U.S. and Canada Only) May 17-19--Aerospace & Defense Finance Conference. CS First Boston Headquarters, New York. June 2-3--Netcentric Conference & Exhibition, Washington Convention Center. June 2-4--Homeland Security Summit & Exposition. Washington Convention Center. Sept. 14-16--MRO Europe. Bella Center, Copenhagen.
Oscar Munoz, who is executive vice president/chief financial officer of the CSX Corp., has been named to the board of directors of Continental Airlines.
6 Correspondence 10 Who's Where 12-13 Market Focus 15 Industry Outlook 17 Airline Outlook 19 In Orbit 20-22 World News Roundup 25 Washington Outlook 70-71 Classified 72 Contact Us 73 Aerospace Calendar
A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying the Expedition 8 crew home from the International Space Station, along with a Dutch astronaut who spent 11 days in space, landed safely in Kazakhstan Apr. 30 after 6.5 months docked to the ISS. NASA astronaut Michael Foale, Russian Aerospace Agency cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers were reported in good health following the landing, which came right after sunrise at 7:12 a.m. local time (8:12 p.m. Apr. 29 EDT).
Scott Anderson has become manager of national accounts for Southwest Airlines' www.SWABIZ.com. Members of his team will be Terry Eisenbart, Western U.S.; Joyce Hobbs, Midwest U.S.; Kevin Sullivan, Northeast U.S.; and Alison Hoefler, Southeast U.S.
A leading member of the French aerospace community has told Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin in a report that no growth in the country's aerospace industry can be expected for the next 20 years. In addition, says Yves Michot, unprecedented concerns and weaknesses such as the dearth of new product launches coupled with increased life cycles of in-production aircraft and armaments need to be addressed immediately.
Russia continues to upgrade its Soviet-era communications satellite fleet. The Russian Satellite Communications Co. (RSCC) has launched the second of five planned Express AM spacecraft, which NPO PM is building with Alcatel Space payloads to replace the aging Gorizont satellites. A Proton K/Block DM-01 booster launched Express AM11 Apr. 27 to a position at 98.5 deg. E. Long., where it will serve Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The first AM series unit, AM22, was orbited in December. The remaining three are to be deployed over the next 12 months.
Four NASA T-38s fly over the Kennedy Space Center during the time when space shuttle flights were operating. NASA uses the two-seat trainers for astronaut training, proficiency and travel requirements (see p. 64). Thirty-one of the agency's T-38Ns have been equipped with new Martin-Baker ejection seats, engine exhaust ejectors and updated avionics. The T-38s are still powered by the original General Electric J85 engines. The T-38Ns are based at NASA's Aircraft Operations Div. at Ellington Field, adjacent to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA photo.
To provide the safety net that is now deemed necessary for another shuttle Hubble servicing mission, why doesn't NASA schedule a second shuttle mission that could be on the pad during the repair flight? Its International Space Station mission could be planned for a quick conversion to a two-man crew and launched early for a rescue if the Hubble mission runs into trouble. If a rescue flight is not necessary, the ISS shuttle would launch on its scheduled date.
