The NASA X-43's first Mach 7 flight has been pushed back to September because of delays in developing the scramjet-powered aircraft for the Hyper-X propulsion demonstration program. A series of three flights is planned using three of the 12-ft.-long research vehicles, which have air-breathing, airframe-integrated propulsion systems. Test results will be used to validate design tools for developing future vehicles and propulsion systems.
Startup manufacturer Eclipse Aviation plans to auction off 40 of the first 200 production Eclipse 500 business jets through an Internet ``Bidder's Club,'' and intends to offer at least 100 of the first 1,000 delivery positions to customers who buy a membership in the club for $5,000. According to company officials, the auctions would be held 120 days prior to aircraft delivery. Initial deliveries of the twin-engine jet are tentatively set for August 2003.
Martin J. Berardi and Warren C. Johnson have become officers of Moog Inc., East Aurora, N.Y. Berardi is general manager of Moog's Industrial Controls segment and chairman of Moog's Hydrolux business. Johnson is general manager of the Aircraft Group.
Kellstrom Industries Inc. will provide repair administration, inventory management and additional logistical services for the U.S. Air Force/Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint-STARS program.
Lockheed Martin's Sanders will develop a lightweight thermal weapon sight for the U.S. Army's Communications and Electronics Command, under a $4-million, second-phase award.
The first Ayres LM200 Loadmaster should be finished and flying in the early fall, according to company President Fred Ayres. Initial deliveries to launch customer FedEx now are set for December 2001, about a year later than originally planned. After certification, production is scheduled to build quickly to a four-a-month rate both at a new Ayres factory in Dothan, Ala., and its subsidiary, LET, in Kunovice, Czech Republic. Ayres holds 105 firm orders for the $4.5-million short-haul transport, including 75 from FedEx. A further 405 LM200s are on option.
Industry observers would expect the ripple effect of a United-US Airways merger to be enormous, assuming the transaction clears all regulatory hurdles. United is the world's largest airline and dominates the U.S. West Coast, while US Airways is the dominant force on the East Coast. ``The combination . . . inexorably and materially alters the tenuous balance of power in the industry,'' PaineWebber analyst Samuel Buttrick said.
Lockheed Martin, Pratt&Whitney and the Air Force will press the Transportation Dept. and Congress for tougher measures to punish the kind of boating incursions that result in costly launch scrubs like that of the new Atlas III on its fourth launch attempt May 20. Seventy-five boats in a fishing tournament cruised into the danger zone, halting the countdown. The Atlas finally flew May 24 (see p. 28), but not without being delayed again by a boater and a light aircraft.
Look for increased outsourcing of supply-chain management at airlines. BAX Global, a worldwide freight forwarding and air cargo company based in Irvine, Calif., recently signed an agreement to take over and manage the warehouse and parts supply pipeline for Vanguard Airlines. The aim is to help Vanguard lower costs in material management with an integrated supply chain that includes tracking calibrated tool and component repair cycles. Vanguard is a six-year-old low-fare airline based in Kansas City with a fleet of 13 Boeing 737-200s serving 10 destinations.
The Army will accelerate modernization of its aviation forces, vows Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, the chief ground pounder in Europe. Tantalizingly, Meigs predicts a major announcement--including changes to the RAH-66 Comanche program--within the next two weeks. In town last week, he also said the Army thinks the Marine Corps proposal to develop a C-130-size, four-engine tiltrotor transport is ``pretty attractive.'' But Meigs also complains that the Army is 1.5-2% below its traditional share of the defense budget.
U.S. Sens. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) and Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.) have introduced a bill threatening to punish China if it doesn't curb arms proliferation efforts. Punitive measures include cutting off the sale of dual-use items, military-to-military contacts and the access of Chinese companies to U.S. capital markets.
Two of the world's major airline alliances have entered the Mexican aviation market by linking up with two of the country's largest carriers. But the future is less than clear given the possible sale of the government-controlled holding company which, in turn, controls both Aero Mexico and Mexicana airlines.
Burt L. Rutan has received the annual Lindbergh Award from the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation. The award recognizes contributions toward the balance between technology and nature. Rutan, who is president of Scaled Composites Inc., Mojave, Calif., was cited for his commitment to designing and creating aircraft using modern materials, to achieve environmental balance through reduced pollution and improved mileage.
Saab AB has named Computer Sciences Corp. to take over its information technology operations in an outsourcing contract, subject to government approval. CSC will acquire 100% of Combitech Network AB, Saab's IT subsidiary. More than 230 Combitech Network employees are to join CSC. Revenue from the Saab outsourcing contract is expected to exceed $300 million. . . . Boeing is licensing ParaSoft's CodeWizard software to automate coding standards for major software development programs.
The regulatory hurdles to a UAL Corp./US Airways Group merger could hardly seem more daunting (see p. 22), given the coast-to-coast U.S. market dominance that would result from combining these two carriers. Competitors and key unions alike have expressed serious concerns. Yet investors' response to news reports of the agreement was downright jubilant--up to a point.
Mark Russell (see photo) has become general manager for aerospace and defense business for Alcoa Engineered Products, Lafayette, Ind. He was head of merger, acquisition and divestiture activities for Alcoa in Pittsburgh.
The FAA and Transport Canada are studying the potential to establish equivalent pilot certification standards that could lead to common or easily transferred licenses between the countries. No formal agreement is in place on the study, according to the FAA. A common North American pilot license could help ease pilot shortages at U.S. airlines and create business opportunities for Canadian-based flight training schools due to the low value of the Canadian dollar against U.S. currency.
The U.S. and U.K. have signed an agreement to cooperate on future development of Apache attack helicopters, as well as on tactics, doctrine, training and support. The WAH-64 Apache, a derivative of the U.S. Army's AH-64D Longbow, is to become operational with the British army in December after the first nine of 67 on order are delivered.
MTU and China Southern Airlines say they will invest $180 million in MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co. Ltd. to overhaul civil transport engines for the China, Asia and other markets. Munich-based MTU, a partner in International Aero Engines, will use the IAE V2500 as the business base for the Zhuhai company, which is to open in 2002. It started talks with China Southern about a year ago and counts the expansion as one of several outside Germany, including an engine shop agreement two years ago with Malaysia Airlines in Kuala Lumpur (AW&ST Mar. 27, p. 27).
The National Technical Information Service has prepared a complete set of all FAA Airworthiness Directives and Type Certificate Data Sheets (TCDS) from 1940 through December 1999 on a CD-ROM that can be ordered online. The five sections comprise small aircraft; large aircraft; rotorcraft, balloons and airships; appliance ADs, and indexes. The TCDSs are for all aircraft and engines.
Honeywell is expanding its used avionics business to include the buying and selling of other surplus aviation components and materials. This includes engines, auxiliary power units and even whole aircraft, according to Mark Foley, director of legacy products for the company. Annual revenues for the operation are targeted at $50 million in the first year, quickly rising to $100 million, Foley said. Officially established on Jan. 1 with a seed fund from its parent company, the trading group is relying on a partnership with used aircraft equipment specialists NewAmerica Inc.
Engineers from Snecma and FiatAvio have successfully tested a set of improvements to the Ariane 5 solid booster, and are planning follow-on improvements to further enhance booster reliability and reduce production costs. The tests, conducted on the P230 booster on May 16 at a bench test facility in Kourou, French Guiana, were intended to verify the following:
Swiss voters have approved an agreement between Switzerland and the European Union that will lead to gradual integration of their country into the liberalized EU air transport market. Swissair and Crossair eventually will be able to operate like EU carriers in terms of traffic rights and ownership restrictions. The treaty, which the Swiss voters approved, along with several other bilateral agreements, by close to a two-thirds majority must be ratified by EU member states. That is not expected to happen before early 2001.
Despite ``expressions of interest'' in the A3XX from six major airlines, Airbus Industrie partners canceled a meeting that was expected to authorize commercial offers for the proposed 481-686-seat aircraft. Airbus' supervisory board still intends to approve the Authorization to Offer (ATO) soon and will maintain the A3XX's 2005 service entry date, officials stressed.
