An FAA proposal to impose more stringent regulations on the air tour and sightseeing industry is being hotly contested by general aviation groups who claim the rule is unjustified and would create economic havoc with little or no benefit to safety.
To the long list of headaches for aerospace companies at air shows (see p. 404), add this: getting the military aircraft to show up. The assets are all controlled by different commanders. Congress must be notified at least 45 days in advance of what is going. And the Defense Dept. has indicated it will give first-class support to no more than two industry air shows per year. Local commanders may, for example, allow an F-16 to appear or perform at a show. But military officials would only send multiple aircraft types and send aircraft from the U.S.
Last year, Russian airlines carried 29.5 million passengers, an 11% increase over the previous year. After a decade-long traffic decline, 2003 marks the third consecutive year of traffic growth, Russian transport ministry officials stressed.
The Pentagon is delaying until 2005 the next test of the sea-based missile defense system because of a lack of funding. The Navy, in parallel, also is slated to start fielding the first ballistic missile intercept capable ships.
Global terrorism is fueled by money, and groups such as Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Authority have proven to be very effective fund-raisers. Ironically, Western nations have openly provided millions of dollars to these organizations, effectively underwriting attacks on their own citizens. With attempts at appeasement and hand-slapping responses to attacks, government leaders have naively aided radical Islamists bent on the destruction of non-Muslim industrialized countries.
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) has taken a 30% share in the General Electric CF34-10 engine that will power the ARJ-21 regional jet under development in China. The Japanese company would be responsible for developing and manufacturing the high-pressure compressor and the low-pressure turbines including the shafts. The engine is scheduled to be available in 2006 in preparation for the market introduction of the 80-100-seat transport late in 2007. IHI officials project participation will result in annual revenues of $935 million during the next 20 years.
UAVs remain the most dynamic segment of the aerospace market. They stole the limelight from more established technologies at the 2003 Paris air show. Nevertheless, they are still a relatively small segment of the aerospace market, about $1.25 billion in research and production funding in 2003. What attracts so much attention is the potential for a major expansion. UAV DEVELOPMENT IN THE U.S.
Singapore and the International Civil Aviation Organization have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote aviation safety and regulation among developing ICAO member states. Under terms of the MOU, ICAO will administer the program, and training will be provided by instructors at the Singapore Aviation Academy. Subjects will include safety oversight, air traffic management and civil aviation management.
SAFIRE AIRCRAFT CO. OFFICIALS HAVE FILED AN APPLICATION for Type Certificate under FAR Part 23 with the FAA for the lightweight Safire Jet, currently under development by the Opa-Locka, Fla.-based company. President/CEO Camilo Salomon said the application marks the "first phase" of the certification process that eventually would include two flying prototypes and two airframes for static and fatigue testing. He said the flight test program would extend into 2006, with initial customer deliveries scheduled for 2006.
U.S. special operations forces are looking for a new type of flare that can be dispensed to deceive an incoming missile without illuminating the night sky and aircraft. The need was highlighted recently when a flight of special ops helicopters came under attack during a night mission. According to U.S. Army Col. Andrew W. Milani, commander of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), the pilots deployed flares and avoided the missile, but the aircraft were revealed to the enemy.
The executives at Frontier Airlines are feeling good about an anticipated 35% growth of capacity over the next year, chiefly in new Airbus aircraft, that is taking the reborn western carrier into some hotly contested domestic markets.
RAF CRANWELL MILITARY AIR ACADEMY in the U.K. has begun operating two of seven Beechcraft King Air B200 turboprop aircraft for pilot training. The other five airplanes are scheduled to be delivered to the RAF by the end of March.
The 20th anniversary edition of CyberResearch's PC Systems Handbook adds more than 150 new products to its line. Included are 21.3-in. CyRAQ LCD displays that mount in industry-standard 19-in. racks, expandable portable workstations, and a rugged all-weather notebook PC. Other new product lines include: LPA and LPV expandable, portable workstations with four or five drive bays and five PCI or three PCI/3 ISA expansion slots. These models help users combine legacy ISA boards with modern Pentium P4 computing power.
Rotorcraft, like many other segments of the aerospace industry, have always been subject to nationalism and closed borders. Despite pressures in favor of globalization, rotorcraft markets are increasingly politicized.
During the past few years, there has been relatively little activity within the reusable launch vehicle (RLV) industry. So many of the programs that once showed at least vague signs of promise have either been canceled or transformed into technology development efforts, focusing on key elements of a future RLV such as engines and materials.
United Airlines said it will try to negotiate with its U.S. retirees to pay a greater share of their medical insurance costs, and in the absence of an agreement it will propose its own changes unilaterally to its bankruptcy court.
DEUTSCHE FLUGSICHERUNG GMBH. (DFS), the German air traffic service provider, has awarded a contract to Thales ATM to supply a Terminal Coordination System (Tecos) for the control towers at Hanover and Bremen airports. Tecos is the electronic flight strip module in Thales' airport and tower automation systems, and part of a progressive modernization of the flight data processing system for German control towers.
A slow leak on the International Space Station apparently came from a flex hose used to vent condensation from between the panes of the U.S. laboratory window. Crewmembers found it using an ultrasound device, and controllers believed station pressure stabilized once the hose was disconnected. Still, the crew planned to shut hatches and isolate several different pressurized spaces over the weekend to continue collecting data on the leak, which was originally thought to be in a Russian carbon dioxide scrubber (AW&ST Jan. 12, p. 19).
The Indian Space Research Organization is developing a $1-million, 60-kg. (132-lb.) microsatellite to test store-and-forward satellite messaging techniques for the domestic market. Built jointly with Anna University of Chennai (Madras) in a first for an Indian university, Anusat would piggyback on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle mission set to fly in three years. The spin-stabilized satellite will have body-mounted solar panels generating 40 watts of power.
The DSP-3000 fiber-optic gyro has application for motion sensing, stabilization, navigation and precision pointing for guided munitions navigation, industrial robotics, gun and antenna stabilization, and autonomous vehicles. The product is expected to be an important component in development of low-cost inertial measurement units, integrated GPS/inertial navigation systems, and precision attitude, heading and reference systems. Fiber-optic gyros are also used for image stabilization and synchronization in simulators for shoulder- or tripod-mounted weapon systems.
Dexmet Corp.'s Exmet MicroGrid metal foils are suited as ground planes for wi-fi (802.11a, b & g) antennas, and can be incorporated directly into building materials such as ceiling tiles and wall panels. UHF ground planes can be incorporated directly into hull-and-deck materials for ship applications. The metal foil can be anodized, plated, painted, plastic-coated, laminated, bent, formed and punched, while maintaining its conductivity, shielding and heat transfer properties, according to the manufacturer.
The K4100 desktop label printer features auto-sizing, fast print speeds, scalable and downloadable fonts, enhanced memory, and a print resolution of 300 dpi. The unit can be connected to a personal computer for customized label, wire wrap and shrink tub applications. The cartridge system is interchangeable with the company's K5100 handheld portable printer, which helps in stocking supplies. The printer is priced at about $300. Kroy, 3830 Kelley Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44114. 246 on www.AviationNow.com/oic
Although the Pentagon has spent considerable time and effort to prepare for computer attacks, some procedural shortcomings appear to remain. When networks come under attack, the immediate response tends to be to take the systems off-line and shut them down, says Gen. William Begert, commander of U.S. Pacific Air Forces. But that's not the correct response, he argues. When an air base comes under attack, units don't merely shut down, but react and try to fight through the attack.
Tough local competition and a year of SARS health concerns aren't deterring Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) from sticking with its long-term expansion plans to be the region's preferred international hub.
