James R. O'Neill (see photo) has been appointed corporate vice president of the Northrop Grumman Corp. of Los Angeles and president of its Information Technology sector, effective May 1. He will succeed Herb Anderson, who will become corporate vice president-special projects for the CEO until retiring on Nov. 1. O'Neill has been president of the IT sector's TASC business unit.
There's a new twist in the escalating battle between Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and the Pentagon over access to documents concerning the Boeing KC-767 tanker deal. Marvin R. Sambur, the Air Force acquisition chief, says he personally would be willing to have McCain see his correspondence concerning the KC-767, on grounds it would vindicate him. But Sambur hastily added that the decision isn't his, and said there are other issues at stake--intimating that the Pentagon is the hold-up.
Encouraged by signs of indusry recovery, Virgin Atlantic Airways Richard Branson launched an extensive growth plan for the airline that includes adding new routes, services, aircraft and staff. The business travel sector in particular shows signs of renewal, he said, with the airline seeing a 10% increase in premium cabin services year over year. Within a year, Virgin plans to add new routes, including those from London to Sydney, Havana and Nassau.
Swiss International Air Lines' cash flow is becoming stronger and an agreement with a consortium of banks is at the ready to help ease the carrier's financial problems, according to company executives. In the aftermath of its chief executive's resignation, Swiss' management is confident its restructured business plan is already producing promising results.
Australia has awarded Boeing a $20-million contract to provide Harpoon Block II missile upgrade kits. The retrofitting will be done at Australia's Orchard Hill facility and involve Block I missiles used on surface ships, submarines and aircraft.
George Tenet, the director of central intelligence, trying to refute a claim by former White House counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke, says the CIA didn't object to arming the Predator UAV. But the story isn't that simple, according to testimony before the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks. "At this level we wanted to go ahead with arming the Predator," Tenet told the panel.
Air Canada is taking many small steps and a few stumbles while walking the restructuring tightrope. The carrier's pension plan is posing one of the biggest obstacles that could hinder restructuring efforts. Air Canada's equity plan sponsor, Trinity Time Investments, on Mar. 17 announced it was reconsidering its entire C$650-million ($488-million) equity investment in Air Canada as a result of "union intransigence" in refusing to discuss pension structure.
Supporters of commercial human spaceflight are optimistic this Congress will enact a law that would help nurture the infant industry. Strategists expect Senate action this spring on a House-passed bill (HR 3752) that clarifies which part of the FAA would regulate suborbital flights carrying passengers, how launch permits would be issued and makes clear that passengers are participating in experimental flight. Space entrepreneurs believe the legislation would provide enough regulation to encourage investment, but not enough to choke their companies.
A month after narrowly winning a recertification election, the engineers' union at Boeing's Wichita, Kan., plant strongly rejected a three-year contract offer because members said it contains medical benefit traps that favor non-union workers. Boeing's contract with the Wichita Technical and Professional Unit (WTPU) of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) ran out on Feb. 19. Members are working under their existing contract.
The Saras, India's first domestically produced aircraft with a push-prop turbojet engine, has entered ground tests at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment in Bangalore. The aircraft uses twin Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66 engines driving five-bladed propellers. First flight is expected in April. The aircraft is being designed as a replacement for the Dornier 228 license-produced by Hindustan Aeronautics. Its likely first customer will be the Indian air force. Commercial production is anticipated by early 2006.
Gregory A. Feest, deputy director for requirements at Headquarters Air Combat Command (ACC), Langley AFB, Va., is among the U.S. Air Force colonels who have been nominated to become brigadier generals. Others are: Frank Gorenc, commander of the 1st Fighter Wing of ACC; Blair E. Hansen, commander of the 366th Fighter Wing of ACC, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; Mary K. Hertog, director of security forces at Headquarters ACC, Langley AFB; Jimmie C. Jackson, Jr., commander of the 305th Air Mobility Wing of Air Mobility Command, McGuire AFB, N.J.; Frank J.
The NTSB dispatched a team to investigate the crash of an Eva Aviation Inc. Sikorsky S-76 helicopter that was missing on Mar. 22 after leaving Scholes International Airport near Galveston, Tex. The helicopter was last heard from about 30 min. later when it was 90 mi. south of Galveston over the Gulf of Mexico. It was headed for an oil exploration vessel. As of late last week, a large debris field had been found along with four bodies. The helicopter had a crew of two and was carrying eight passengers.
World airport traffic is rebounding, with passenger traffic back to 2000 levels, according to Airports Council International. Director General Robert J. Aaronson predicts the industry is poised for "robust recovery" next year. Preliminary statistics from 820 airports worldwide indicate passenger traffic increased to 3.4 billion in 2003, an increase of 2% compared with 2002. However, total aircraft movements of 62.8 million reflect a decrease of 1%. The Middle East showed the biggest growth, a 5% increase to 71.7 million passengers.
Europe's increasingly influential environmentalists and "green" politicians are decrying what they see as the harmful ecological effects of air transportation. Action is urgently required, according to Keith Mans, chief executive of the Royal Aeronautical Society. RAeS' recent Greener by Design initiative is indicative of how ill-prepared airline and aircraft manufacturers are to counter rising environmental challenges. "It is arrogant to pretend that everything that could be done has been achieved," Mans stressed.
Europe's SAAM naval air defense system has completed a successful test firing from a Saudi Sawari 2 frigate. The system, equipped with a vertically launched Aster 15 missile and Arabel radar, is in service on France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
Aermacchi is working toward a revised first flight of the prototype M346 advanced jet trainer, aircraft PO1, by mid-May. It had been set to fly last December, but a delay in the development of the flight control system, among other factors, led to the pushback. Prototype PO2 is scheduled to be flown by the second quarter of 2005, while a third, fitted with definitive landing gear (the PO1 uses gear borrowed from the AMX fighter-bomber), is slated to fly in mid-2006. The third prototype is viewed as representative of the initial production standard.
The GE-P&W Engine Alliance anticipated running the first GP7200 for the Airbus A380 at full power late last week, following earlier trials conducted at flight-idle speeds. Full power tests had been delayed a couple of weeks while engineers modified the operating schedule of the powerplant's variable stator vanes. Meanwhile, the General Electric core of the second GP7200 is now being mated to its low-pressure section at Pratt & Whitney facilities in Connecticut. On completion, the engine will be shipped to GE's Peebles, Ohio, test site.
Boeing's X-45A unmanned combat aircraft dropped a bomb for the first time last week, releasing an inert, unguided Small Smart Bomb (SSB) near Edwards AFB, Calif. The demonstrator for the Joint Unmanned Combat System competition conducted the launch from 35,000 ft. and Mach 0.67. Around Apr. 1 the aircraft will drop a fully functional, precision-guided SSB to attack a vehicle on the Naval Air Warfare Center weapons range at China Lake, Calif. After the weapons tests, the Boeing program will demonstrate multiple vehicle coordinated flights using the two X-45As.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. (ret.) John F. Michitsch has been named executive vice president of the AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md. He was vice president-ground, air and unattended systems in the Electronic Systems Sector of the Northrop Grumman Corp.
Marty Blaker (see photo) has become head of the Communications Dept. of the San Diego-based King Schools. He was manager of the user experience department for Microsoft's Flight Simulator.
Anticipating that passenger traffic in the U.S. will rebound this year to levels not seen since the peak of congestion and delays four years ago, the Transportation Dept. is implementing new ways to keep flights moving.
Europe's increasingly influential environmentalists and "green" politicians are decrying what they see as the harmful ecological effects of air transportation. Action is urgently required, according to Keith Mans, chief executive of the Royal Aeronautical Society. RAeS' recent Greener by Design initiative is indicative of how ill-prepared airline and aircraft manufacturers are to counter rising environmental challenges. "It is arrogant to pretend that everything that could be done has been achieved," Mans stressed.
The two four-star generals who head U.S. Air Force Space and Materiel commands are improving the odds that tomorrow's space-based "systems-of-systems" will perform as intended by exchanging personnel among organizations today.
