Vivek G. Bhatt has become a partner in the transportation debt capital markets practice of the Chicago office of law firm K&L Gates. He was with Vedder Price.
Otto Gambrel (see photos) has been promoted to assistant manager of the FlightSafety International Learning Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was program manager of the Hong Kong Learning Center and has been succeeded by Paul Statskey, who has been an instructor on the Gulfstream G550.
Joel K. Kearns (see photo) has been appointed deputy director of the Space Flight Systems Directorate at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. He was vice president and director for solar wafer research and development at SunEdison, St. Peters, Mo.
Jon Beatty has become president/CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, Alexandria, Va. He was president/CEO of International Aero Engines and an executive at Pratt & Whitney, BF Goodrich and Allied Signal Aerospace.
Michael V. Schrock, retired president/chief operating officer of Pentair Ltd., has been named to the board of directors of the MTS Systems Corp., Eden Prairie, Minn., along with Randy J. Martinez, group vice president-aviation services and president/CEO of the AAR Airlift Group.
Allan Cook (see photo) has been appointed lead non-executive board member in the U.K. Business, Innovation and Skills Department. He is chairman of Selex ES, Finmeccanica UK and Atkins, as well as deputy chairman of the Marshall Group.
Frank Buratti has become vice president-technical and system operations for JetSuite, Irvine, Calif. He was director of system operations at JetBlue Airways.
Jim Landers has been named director of strategic initiatives for Hawaiian Airlines. A 25-year U.S. Navy veteran, he was director of operations for the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
C hristian Cornille (see photos) has been appointed executive vice president-industry of Toulouse-based Airbus Helicopters, effective May 5. He has been CEO of Airbus subsidiary Aerolia and will be succeeded by Cedric Gautier, who has been senior vice president/head of the A400M program. Gautier will be followed by Rafael Tentor, who has been head of the light and medium aircraft and multi-role transport and tanker programs at Airbus Defense and Space.
There is some obfuscation in the last sentence of “Early Offensive” ( AW&ST April 7/14, p. 31: I can’t tell whether “the aircraft is operating in a symmetric thrust condition” as printed, or if the aircraft is operating in an asymmetric thrust condition “due to engine problems.” From the context, I suspect the latter. Doc Dougherty Playa del Rey, Calif. (The reader is correct-Ed.)
The photograph that accompanies “Fix It Or Else” ( AW&ST March 31, p. 29) strikes me as ironic. A technician works on a laptop perched on what looks like a office chair, next to what may be the most expensive fighter in the world. At least someone is trying to cut costs. Mike Brooker Guelph, Ontario
My favorite component of your Laureate coverage ( AW&ST March 24, p. 44) is “Tomorrow’s Leaders,” which singles out exemplary students at U.S. military academies. In the future, I would appreciate a sentence or two about the family backgrounds of the stellar future leaders you honor. I’m always curious to know what their parents do for a living. Rodney Keith Albuquerque, N.M.
According to the report about the crash of the KC-135RA, call sign “Shell 77,” in “Hard Lessons” ( AW&ST March 24, p. 25), it appears that this aircraft type is prone to some “rudder hunting” inducing “left to right yaw” caused by a malfunction of the aircraft’s series yaw damper and leading to “Dutch roll.” This, coupled with the actions of an iIl-prepared crew, led to the crash and loss of lives.
Operational stall scenarios differ. Stall recovery procedures of pitching forward on the yoke to reduce the angle of attack (AOA) for a jet at 37,000 ft. could prove disastrous at low altitude. The addition of power can also reduce the AOA, and a simultaneous pitch-and-power application will prevent an airplane from going into the trees on final. It is a mistake to remove the “minimum loss of altitude” requirement as a standard in all stall-recovery pilot training in response to a few particular airline accidents.
I was both intrigued and appalled to read “Stall Tales” ( AW&ST March 24, p. 37). During WW II, Stall/spin recovery was taught in a cadet screening program. All students received 10 hr. of dual-flight instruction in a Piper J3. Stall/spin recovery was part of the first lesson. For most, it occurred during their first flight. Today’s pilots would benefit from similar low-cost training. Ralph E. Williams Livonia, Mi.
John Croft has delivered an excellent series of articles concerning the causes of fatal accidents, beginning with “Forensic Fuel” and the several other training-related pieces that followed ( AW&ST March 24, pp. 36-43). The increase in loss of control in flight (LOC-I) is a real concern that stems from the lack of aerobatic training, which is no longer a requirement for obtaining a pilot’s license.
I would like to add to the responses about Bill Sweetman’s commentary “A Shrinking Army” ( AW&ST March 10, p. 16), especially to comments that appeared in the March 10 and 31 issues on pages 10 and 8, respectively.
Responding to reader Alex Cole ( AW&ST April 7/14, p. 10), I fail to dismiss the SAM threat as summarily as he does. The threat is very real in many parts of the globe. I agree with Israel’s approach of having limited countermeasures installed on commercial airliners. There are ways to diminish the SAM threat, such as maintaining a reliable inventory of the munitions, but until then, the threat they pose is all too real. Phil van Leeuwen Lawrenceville, N.J.
Boeing is testing the first P-8A maritime patrol aircraft to be produced for the U.S. Navy under the third Low Rate Production (LRIP-3) batch, marking the start of a new expansion phase that will see the operational fleet increase to 21 by year-end. AviationWeek.com/Ares
ROTORCRAFT EASA certified Airbus Helicopters’ new version of the EC145 light twin-engined helicopter on April 16. Airbus says 20 of the EC145 T2s are in series production at the company’s factory in Donauworth, Germany. Around 100 have been ordered, with most destined for air ambulance and law-enforcement use. Fifteen military-specification aircraft, known as EC645 T2s, have been ordered by the German army for use by the country’s Special Forces Command.
ROTORCRAFT Bristow Group has taken delivery of its first AgustaWestland AW189 super-medium helicopter. The first aircraft, G-OENB, was delivered to the company’s base at Norwich, England, on April 18, having been registered the day before. The helicopter is due to begin operations in the next few weeks. Bristow has six AW189s on order for delivery through 2016 for its oil and gas support work, with the first positioned at Norwich to support a contract with oil and gas company GDF SUEZ E&P.
