Having been employed in the airline industry since 1937, I must question Joseph R. Halter's analysis of the "core value" differences between Airbus and Boeing (AW&ST Feb. 23, p. 8). I find the difference quite logical. Airbus can protect its airframe manufacturing base through government subsidy but Boeing, as a U.S. private enterprise, has to go it alone.
With a shift in business strategy, Shanghai Airlines, one of China's second-tier independents battling Beijing-backed majors, has gained permission to launch long-haul services to Europe later this year.
Company officials were grumbling about the high cost of exhibitions during the Asian Aerospace 2004 event in Singapore last month. Although representatives of the Paris air show noted that they have cut the schedule by two days, contractors said shaving 48 hr. does little to help because it will not affect their upfront costs for floor space and chalets. A larger problem, however, is emerging for air show organizers: many companies are reevaluating whether the shows make economic sense in an industry that is consolidating and has fewer national competitions.
Leonard Luke has been named vice president-homeland security and government business for Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd., Broomfield, Colo. He was a senior manager in the Aviation Div. of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Presenting the image of a glass half full to securities analysts and a glass half empty to securities regulators, United Airlines is entering another make-or-break period of its bankruptcy reorganization.
Azerbaijan is expected to jointly form with Russia an investigation team set to determine why an Ilyushin Il-76TD freighter on Mar. 4 crashed shortly after takeoff from Baku airport. The aircraft, en route to Kabul, Afghanistan, was operated by Azov-Avia Airlines. Three flight crewmembers were killed and four survived the impact 3-4-km. from the runway.
Congratulations to ShinMaywa for its continued success with the third-generation US-1A Kai amphibian (AW&ST Feb. 16, p. 26). One statement in the article gives pause: "Japan considered importing a replacement aircraft, but opted to retain the manufacturing capability at home even though the Japanese defense budget can only support low-rate--about one a year--production schedules."
American Airlines and the U.S. Transportation Dept.'s Aviation Enforcement Office settled charges that the carrier discriminated against passengers perceived to be Arab, Middle Eastern, South Asian and/or Muslim following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Under the settlement, American will spend at least $1.5 million during the next three years on civil rights training for flight-deck and cabin crewmembers, passenger service representatives and other personnel who come in contact with the public.
Boeing has selected Pratt & Whitney's PW4062 as the engine for the U.S. Air Force KC-767 tanker and as the baseline for other competitions, although customers can choose a different propulsion system. The decision is an important win for Pratt & Whitney, after Japan and Italy picked GE's CF6-80C2 for their KC-767s. USAF officials have suggested that as the tanker fleet grows, they will likely want a mix of engines.
The A380 is more than just the Europeans' biggest industrial undertaking in civil aviation; it also signals a milestone in Airbus' worksharing strategy and the appearance of an all-new supply chain.
Michael A. Taverna (Paris), Douglas Barrie (London), Robert Wall (Washington)
After years of arguing over navigation satellites, the U.S. and European Union are poised to ink a formal deal covering the Galileo satnav system during a summit this June. Washington had long been skeptical about the Galileo program, with the Pentagon initially implacably opposed. Conversely, many in Europe saw U.S. opposition as an attempt to retain a monopoly position, and came to view Galileo as a standard-bearer for European sovereignty.
Five baggage handlers at Milan Malpensa Airport were arrested last week after police cameras filmed them stealing articles from passenger luggage. Italian police are also questioning about 150 others, including the workers' families and friends, who may have been implicated in the thefts. A similar incident occurred at Milan in March 2002, which resulted in the baggage handling company, SEA, firing 34 workers.
The U.S. Homeland Security Dept. is about to launch a pilot project in which U.S. customs and border protection agents will be stationed at Polish airports to keep an eye on passengers bound for America. However, no decision has been made yet on whether to expand the program to other European airports.
Could it be the Pentagon still hasn't learned it needs to be meticulous when it kills a program? When then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney terminated the Navy's A-12 program, the Pentagon didn't follow regulations exactly, which is one reason the contractors, General Dynamics and McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing), were able to launch a legal challenge. Now, it seems, the Army has made a similar mistake on Comanche. Processes weren't followed exactly, so the required stop-work order hasn't been issued in a timely way.
U.S. lawmakers are likely to watch with great interest whether the European Union proceeds with plans to lift an arms embargo on China (AW&ST Feb. 2, p. 18). Although there is a feeling such a move by the EU "wouldn't necessarily open the flood gates" of arms shipments, it's a highly "symbolic issue," says Peter Yeo, deputy staff director for the House International Relations Committee. With continued concern in Congress about China's human rights record, the EU's move would raise questions, added Dennis Halpin, professional staff member on the same panel.
At least one U.S. Air Force Defense Support Program (DSP) missile-warning spacecraft detected the Feb. 28 explosion off the coast of Virginia of a tanker ship carrying 3.5 million gallons of ethanol. The large infrared telescope on the DSP positioned in geosynchronous orbit over the equator to watch for submarine-launched ballistic missiles targeted against the U.S. saw the brilliant thermal plume from the 570-ft. ship. The Bow Mariner exploded and burned 55 mi. off the coast of Chincoteague, Va., killing 18 crewmen and injuring six.
A broad range of experts will gather Mar. 31-Apr. 2 in Washington to begin the process of developing a stand-alone aviation environmental design tool that will provide an integrated assessment of impacts of noise and emissions. The National Research Council is sponsoring the workshop at the request of the FAA. Approximately 50 specialists from industry, academia and the government have been invited to participate.
Michael Ingram (see photo), an information systems manager for the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Herndon, Va.-based Information Technology Sector who works at Schriever AFB, Colo., has won a 2004 Modern-Day Technology Leader Award from US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine. He provides hardware and software support to the Air Force Satellite Control Network Command and Control Ground Segment.
Korean Air has launched an aggressive, 10-year, 10.6-trillion won ($9-billion) capital investment plan. According to Chairman and CEO Yang Ho Cho, the carrier's "new vision" is to be a leader in the global airline community, in both passenger and cargo traffic. To that end, Korean's investment plans include development of a new corporate identity and new technologies as well as fleet renewal. The airline has ordered five Airbus A380s, seven Boeing 777s, and two Boeing 747 freighters. It will also add two Boeing 737s for short-haul routes.
United Airlines is back on a glidepath to oblivion (see p. 35). To emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, it must secure approval of federal guarantees for $1.6 billion of the $2 billion in borrowing that the carrier has lined up. There are no assurances such approval will be forthcoming, of course, so the next few months will tell the tale. It all depends on how the Air Transportation Stabilization Board assesses the airline's reorganization plan; the board rejected the first one.
Mountain High Equipment & Supply Co. has received an FAA STC for the EDS-IP "Pulse Demand" in-panel multiplace oxygen system. The STC will establish an approved model list for most certified Part 23 general aviation operators. The manufacturer will apply for STC certifications for Part 25, 27 and 29 gen av aircraft as well. The oxygen delivery system enables gen av flight ops at pressure altitudes up to 32,000 ft.
Astronomers angry and confused at NASA's decision not to mount another servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope say Administrator Sean O'Keefe has cut down the orbiting observatory in its prime, using specious reasoning about the risk of a mission at a time when the telescope may offer answers to some very basic questions about the Universe.
Top officials at ATA Airlines are looking to establish an airport hub dedicated to international services and fed by its network of domestic flights. Indianapolis International Airport, where ATA maintains its headquarters, is not an immediate possibility, as it has delayed plans to build a mid-field terminal at the airline tenants' request. In any case, Indianapolis is "no Chicago," said ATA's chairman and founder George Mikelsons.
