Daniel R. Godin (see photos) has been appointed president of MRO Solutions and Nathan A. Skop executive vice president-contracts and compliance for the Merex Group, Miramar, Florida. Anthony Grant has been named Camarillo, California-based vice president-business transformation. Godin was an executive at Circor, Sermatech and United Technologies. Skop was a lawyer in private practice and had worked for Boeing and General Dynamics.
Morgan Littell has become vice president-business aviation development for the UMB Financial Corp., Kansas City, Missouri. She was manager of sales and customer relations at Ametek B&S Aircraft.
Pyotr Motrenko (see photo) has been appointed managing director of Russian Helicopters’ Rostvertol subsidiary. Outgoing General Director Boris Slusar was named chairman of Rostvertol and Dmitry Lelikov , the CEO of parent company Oboronprom, as deputy chairman.
I have wondered why the F-22 fleet seems to get so little attention or so little duty in active combat zones. I keep reading about what appear to be significant limitations on the F-35—reader Mike Greenway’s letter at the moment—( AW&ST May 12, p. 9), and can only conclude that the air force is clinging to the F-22 because it is more likely to be capable of standing up to the advanced airplanes of our potential adversaries.
In a recent Viewpoint, “Norwegian Air Deserves Better” ( AW&ST June 9, p. 58), Andy Card, in his support for Norwegian Air being granted Transportation Department access to the U.S. under the U.S./EU open skies agreement, cites the Obama administration’s pro-airline competition policies.
I am a retired nuclear engineer who was concerned about the viability of space solar-power (SSP) concepts more than 30 years ago. While the “space” side of the technology may have advanced, it appears proponents are still in denial as to its viability.
“Sun Power” ( AW&ST June 9, p. 42) has me worried. Solar power satellites are unacceptable because they would create light pollution worldwide. A 1-km satellite in geosynchronous orbit would have an apparent diameter of 5.7 arc seconds. In a telescope, it would appear similar in size to Mars at a distant point in its orbit. If the albedo (reflectivity) of the satellite was 10% (dark gray), it would appear as a very bright star of 0.4 magnitude.
USN Capts. Scott D. Conn, Dale E. Horan, James W. Kilby and Johnny R. Wolfe, Jr., have been selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half). Conn will become commander of the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Fallon, Nevada. He has been director of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) at the Pentagon. Horan will be named deputy director for operations for National Joint Operations Intelligence Center, Operations Team Five, at the Pentagon.
Todd Duncan has been appointed director of government programs for Zenith Aviation, Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was a subject matter expert in the counterintelligence human intelligence equipment program of URS.
Gavin A. Schmidt has been named head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. He has been deputy director and succeeds James E. Hansen, who has retired.
John Briscoe has become senior vice president/chief financial officer for the Houston-based Bristow Group Inc. He held the same positions at Weatherford International Ltd.
