Demand for business jets in the Asia-Pacific region, historically little more than wishful thinking on the part of original equipment manufacturers, at last may be coming to life.
V-22 program officials are trying to fix flight control hardware and software anomalies discovered several weeks ago in flight testing, says Tom Laux, acting program executive officer for air anti-submarine warfare, assault, and special mission projects. Some of the MV-22s are operating with flight restrictions until the issues are resolved "in the next few months."
Regarding your story "Under New Management" (AW&ST Feb. 9, p. 44), seldom do our bureaucrats leave the cover of their obfuscations to show their true colors, but someone slipped in providing background for your article about FAA reorganization. After much rhetoric about "best (business-like) practices," and providing "benefits to the customers," we learn who the customers really are.
The two and a half years since Sept. 11, 2001, have seemed like a lifetime to the giants of U.S. commercial aviation, and the crises that created this impression aren't over (see p. 42). The prospects for survival and--dare they hope?--eventual stability of the Big Six airlines are assessed in an update of the "Restructure . . . Or Die" special report published Nov. 18, 2002, by Aviation Week & Space Technology. Cover design by the AW&ST Art Dept.; photo by Joseph Pries.
Frederic J. Jacoby has become chairman of Arinc Engineering Services, Annapolis, Md. He has been senior vice president of Arinc Inc. and was chief executive of the former Arinc Systems and Technology.
The interview with Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher shows his lack of commercial background in transport and helicopters (AW&ST Feb. 16, p. 40). This viewpoint may lead him to good decisions on military business, but he will lose sales on the commercial side.
Europe's EADS and Israel's Rafael have jointed forces to produce a new self-defense package to protect helicopters against the more sophisticated SA-16 and SA-18 shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, as well as antitank weapons, now reaching the world's insurgent forces. The composite HeliStar system combines EADS' AAR-60 missile warning system and Rafael's Aero-Gem jamming system. Approaching missiles are reported to a central computer, which begins jamming the missiles' seekers with a directed infrared beam from a turret with ultra-fast steering.
Effects of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's one-year delay (AW&ST Jan. 12, p. 33), caused by weight growth in the short-takeoff and landing (Stovl) version, are still rippling through the program. First flight of the Air Force's conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft, slated to be first into service, has been slipped as much as nine months--from late 2005 to spring 2006, according to Lockheed Martin, or more likely June, says the Air Force. A Lockheed Martin official says the company is shifting its focus and resources to solving the STOVL weight problems.
Scientists had luck with their first rock-grinding exercise at the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity site, when they were able to cut cross sections into two BB-sized spherules embedded in a rock. The spherules are one of the interesting discoveries at the Meridiani Planum site, found scattered on and buried in the soil as well as contained in the rock outcrop at the rim of the 22-meter (72-ft.)-dia. crater where Opportunity emerged from its lander. They are made of a different, harder material than the rock.
Russia's Energia Corp. and the Russian space agency have begun definition of a new six-passenger manned spacecraft that could begin to replace the Soyuz as early as 2010, Russian managers say. But the program is not very far along and will be hard-pressed to fly that early because of Russian funding and development challenges, according to other sources.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency hopes to fly experiments on board Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne suborbital spacecraft later this year, according to the agency's Stu Nozette, a program manager at its Tactical Technology Office. Initially, Darpa would fly "telemetry experiments," he said, which could later be expanded to fly a miniature synthetic aperture radar. SpaceShipOne's peak altitude and velocity are similar to a spacecraft in orbit around the Moon and could serve as a test run for some smallsat lunar missions being planned by Darpa.
Don Commare has been appointed product manager for controller systems platforms for the Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co., Winona, Minn. He was product marketing manager for Tektronix Inc., Portland, Ore.
James R. Sides, retired chairman/president/CEO of the Atlantic Research Corp., Gainesville, Va., has received the Albert Einstein Lifetime Achievement Award for Aerospace. The award recognizes Sides' leadership in the missile propulsion industry and was presented in Jerusalem during the first Defense Aerospace and Homeland Security Mission of Peace to Israel and Jordan.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Robert Wall (Singapore)
The U.S. Army is taking calculated risks that it can kill the RAH-66 Comanche scout helicopter and invest the savings in other aviation programs, even though a $50-billion bill for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan remains unpaid.
Pratt & Whitney has revealed details of the PW-EXX engine it is proposing for the Boeing 7E7. The 55,000-72,000-lb.-thrust successor to the PW4000 series will have a better than 10:1 bypass ratio and overall pressure ratio of 50:1. It also will feature a single-stage 108-in. fan, four-stage low-pressure compressor, 10-stage high-pressure compressor, two-stage high-pressure turbine and six-stage low-pressure turbine.
The thrust reversers on NASA's Gulfstream II Shuttle Training Aircraft (STAs) are being inspected more rigorously and have received improved attachments following separation of a reverser from an STA as it was making a steep night approach to practice shuttle landings here.
A six-month trial of just how much more efficient a busy airport's arrival queue can be will begin in Sydney and Melbourne next month when Airbus A330s and Boeing 747-400s from the Qantas fleet will be given electronic clearance instructions that they will follow from the beginning of their 140-mi. descent until landing.
Still smarting from a European Commission ruling, low-cost carrier Ryanair has begun to cut flights from Brussels Charleroi airport. The EC found the airline was receiving state subsidies as part of its operation at the Belgian airport. The airline is to ax its eight-times-a-day Charleroi-London service beginning Apr. 29. Ryanair is to appeal the EC ruling.
I am disappointed to see that soon after President Bush's call for manned missions to the Moon and Mars, Boeing posted concepts of lunar lander spacecraft that repeated the wedding cake design of the last two or three decades.
Two European space companies are among investors participating in a $26-million round of equity financing Orbcomm plans to use for an expansion into new markets for its "little LEO" low-Earth-orbit satellite narrowband service. Under the deal just announced, SES Global, the Luxembourg-based satellite operator, will take a 9% ownership stake in Orbcomm and gain a seat on the Orbcomm board.
Australia has chosen Boeing to provide Harpoon Block 2 missile retrofit kits valued at $20 million for that country's defense force (ADF). The retrofits will be installed at the Orchard Hills facility in Australia. ADF employs Harpoon missiles on surface ships, submarines and aircraft and has used Harpoons since 1982.
Alitalia's hope of joining the proposed Air France-KLM group has been put on hold indefinately, following worker unions' rejection of a restructuring agreement. Francesco Mengozzi, the Italian flag carrier's chief executive, was expected to resign late last week at a company board meeting. He had threatened to step down after he failed to convince unions to ratify job cuts and salary reductions. Unions have called for a strike on Mar. 5.
