WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 16 Iranian Fokker F-50 crash in UAE kills 43 16 EC division ratifies merger of Air France and KLM 17 General aviation shipments decrease 3.2% in U.S. in '03 17 Obituaries for Adm. Thomas Moorer and Jerome Lederer WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 20 France serves as economic lab for low-cost airlines 21 Lacking profits, US Airways fights to live another day 22 Air Canada pension rejec- tion may derail restructuring 23 British Airways on way to
Affiliates of the Snecma group will supply the A400M's landing system. EADS and Airbus Military last week selected Messier-Dowty and Messier-Bugatti to develop, produce and support the European airlifter's 12-wheel landing gear. Delivery of the first complete landing gear system to EADS' Spanish arm, CASA, is scheduled for 2006 in preparation for a maiden flight two years later.
The EC presented the 65-million-euro preliminary phase of its future homeland security research program to last through 2006. An initial call for proposals for this phase, which will focus on terrorism, communications systems and crisis management, is planned for March. The first full-scale homeland security research and development initiative, planned for 2007-10, is expected to cost some 1 billion euros (AW&ST Nov. 24, 2003, p. 25).
Bristow Helicopters of the U.K. will acquire two EC 225 medium-twins, becoming the first civil operator to introduce the new Super Puma derivative, Eurocopter officials said last week. No date was given for the first deliveries under the $32-million award, which includes two options. But officials indicated that four aircraft, to be used for oil field applications, will be delivered after the initial handover of machines for Canadian Helicopter Corp. CHC signed up for four EC 225s, plus two on option, and deliveries were originally to begin early this year.
A report by aviation career consultancy Air Inc. shows that 68% of 4,743 airline pilots hired last year were civilian-trained. The Atlanta-based company report indicates that civilian-trained new-hires at the majors have an average of 5,419 total hours and their average age is 34.6 years. For the military-trained, average age is 40 years with 3,205 total hours. Air Inc. is forecasting 6,500 new airline pilot jobs will open up this year, about a 40% increase compared with 2003.
Dreams of turning the Whenuapai AB into a second airport for Auckland have met stiff resistance from Auckland International Airport Ltd., which insists it has plenty of expansion potential to serve New Zealand's largest city. "The current site can meet all foreseeable demands for the next 50 years in terms of aircraft volumes, passengers and freight," AIAL (Auckland International Airport Ltd.) CEO Don Huse said in a report to the government.
EADS Sogerma Services will provide a complete support package for Airbus 330-200s operated by Livingston Aviation Group SpA.--Italy's new holding company founded in March 2003 with Lauda Air SpA. and Livingston SpA. airlines. The arrangement includes line maintenance and engineering; component support, including access to a pool of spare parts and associated repair work; and airframe maintenance for Livingston's three A330s. The five-year contract is the second of its type between EADS and Livingston Aviation Group. No dollar figure was disclosed.
Ginette C. Colot has become corporate secretary/treasurer/chief financial officer of the Washington-based Aerospace Industries Assn. As CFO, she succeeds George F. Copsey, who has retired. Colot was vice president-administration at Goodwill Industries International, Bethesda, Md. Michelle Princi has been named director of membership and Monika Neil director of electronic enterprise integration. Princi was senior manager of divisions and councils for the Vision Council of America, while Neil was coordinator of the SPEC2000 program for the Air Transport Assn.
Goodrich Corp. is to provide wheels and carbon brakes for South African Airways' new Airbus A319/A320 fleet. Eleven A319s are scheduled to enter service in 2004. The agreement also covers 15 A320s that the airline will purchase.
Capt. Dave Bushy has been appointed vice president-flight operations, Todd Thompson vice president-information technology and John Harvey vice president-corporate finance/ treasurer for JetBlue Airways. Bushy succeeds Al Spain, who was promoted to senior vice president-operations. Bushy was senior vice president-flight operations for Delta Air Lines. Thompson was director of the Western U.S. consultancy practice of SBI. Harvey was the airline's vice president/treasurer before leaving to become senior vice president at SkyWorks Capital. Capt.
Mesa Air Group has converted 20 of 40 options to firm orders for Bombardier CRJ700/900 aircraft. The order is valued at approximately $637 million, and the mix of aircraft is to be determined at a later date. The Phoenix-based regional carrier now operates 69 Bombardier CRJ 200/700/ 900s aircraft in its 158-aircraft fleet.
Regarding your editorial "Bush's Space Plan: Bold Vision or Moondoggle?" (AW&ST Jan. 26, p. 58), sending humans to Mars won't inspire our children to become engineers and scientists.
James W. Dunn has been promoted to corporate senior vice president of the Sensors and Simulation Group of New York-based L-3 Communications from president of the Link Simulation and Training Div. He has been succeeded by John McNellis.
Amanda North (see photo) has been named Western U.S. vice president-charter services for Executive Jet Management of Cincinnati. She has been a consultant to venture capital firms and was founder/CEO of Ascend Aviation.
Orbital Sciences Corp. has completed another flight test of its ground-based, mid-course missile defense interceptor. No intercept was attempted, although the missile carried a mock kill vehicle. The next test for the missile is slated for mid-March, with a target launch from Kodiak, Alaska, and the interceptor fired from Kwajalein Atoll. An intercept isn't planned at this point, although Pentagon officials have said that may change.
The Coast Guard and Honeywell do not see eye-to-eye on putting new engines on the HH-65 Dolphin. The Coast Guard decided just last month to reengine the aircraft immediately, with installation of new and more powerful engines by as early as this summer. The helicopter is seen as under-powered by the Honeywell LTS-101. The service also cites a soaring incidence of mishaps, such as engine rollbacks. But it agrees with Honeywell that some of the problems are being caused by a 25-year-old hydro-mechanical engine control system that isn't a Honeywell product.
Robert Wall (Washington), David A. Fulghum (Washington)
The U.S. Air Force is facing new scrutiny over the potential acquisition of 100 Boeing KC-767 tankers and faces another hurdle as it charts the future for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.
MTU Aero Engines has awarded UGS PLM Solutions, the lifecycle management subsidiary of EDS, a $19-million pact for Teamcenter software for MTU's aircraft engine manufacturing and maintenance operations.
Germany is reexamining the role it might play in space exploration based on the plan presented by President Bush last month, according to Sigmar Wittig, head of German aerospace center DLR. Like Italy, Germany has yet to join Europe's nascent Aurora space exploration program. But unlike Sergio Vetrella, his counterpart at Italian space agency ASI, Wittig left open the possibility DLR might eventually join Aurora, provided it does not negatively impact Germany's investment in the International Space Station--Europe's largest (AW&ST Feb. 2, p. 42).
Two Japanese amateur hot-air balloonists, Michio Kanda and Naoki Ishikawa, attempting a transpacific flight from Tochigi near Tokyo, were forced to ditch after just 13 hr. and a transit of 1,460 km. (900 mi.). Appar-ently the pilot flame ignition in their 26-meter (85-ft.)-dia. balloon failed. They were rescued by a nearby container ship. Kanda holds a world duration record for hot-air balloons of 50 hr. 38 min.
Europe has okayed an action plan for a new dual-use Earth-observing network and approved a package of critical launcher initiatives, averting a major crisis in its sputtering space program. On Feb. 5, the European Space Agency's governing council voted to release funding for a series of measures intended to put Europe's launcher program on a sounder technical and economic footing and lay the groundwork for next-generation vehicles. The measures include:
The FAA is now planning the U.S. air traffic management system for 2025 with the help of the Defense Dept., NASA and other federal agencies in an effort that appears to have broad support.
Three aviation consulting firms--AvStat Associates, Miller Air Group and Potomac Aviation--have merged to form The Velocity Group of Washington, which is expected to focus on next-generation airline business models and competitive strategies.
In your editorial "Bush's Space Plan: Bold Vision or Moondoggle?" you summarized by saying, "President Bush has done a good job of saying where he wants NASA to go. Now, he must do a better job of explaining to Americans why NASA should go." I agree and suggest the President declare a few concurrent and/or consecutive goals for America--and by default, the world--to pursue in the next several decades and set an agenda for the advancement and betterment of humanity.
The Air Line Pilots Assn. is scheduled to appear before an administrative law judge Mar. 10 at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Region 9 office in Cincinnati on a unique charge that the union was guilty of unfair labor practices. The charges stem from the union's enforcement of a contract scope clause with DHL Worldwide (AW&ST Dec. 22, 2003, p. 15).
