Recent guidelines put forward by U.S. and European regulators to enable passengers on approved carriers to use their personal electronic devices (PED) during all phases of flight have been warmly welcomed by wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) and connectivity providers. Allowing passengers to use their smartphones and tablets gate to gate “fuels the trend very positively” for the wireless IFE market, says Norbert Mueller, vice president of Lufthansa Systems’ BoardConnect unit.
Alenia Aermacchi is building its own production-representative M-346 trainer to continue development and testing for the young program after mishaps claimed two of three of its original prototype aircraft.
By 2020, the Italian air force will have overhauled the way it trains pilots, with a fleet of new aircraft, a new training structure and increased use of simulation paving the way for pilots to fly types such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and UAVs such as the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and Piaggio Aero Hammerhead.
The paperless initiative is part of an organization-wide effort to improve United’s bottom line through increased efficiency. Like most U.S. carriers, United is practicing strict capacity discipline and trying to squeeze more profits out of its existing assets. The airline cut capacity 1.3% in 2013, marking three straight years of decline. It expects to grow 1-2% in 2014, but that will come through upgauging, not with a larger fleet.
The anti-corruption drive of Chinese President Xi Jinping over the past year could well have been a crisis for business aviation in the country if it had frightened wealthy Chinese and the companies they control away from buying business jets. There is a tradition in Communist China of keeping one’s head down, even if that conflicts with a much older tradition of showing off wealth.
Australia is likely to commit to buying 58 more Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightnings this month, setting aside the alternative of consolidating its combat aircraft squadrons on the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The decision will increase the country’s total commitment to 72 F-35s and expand the Royal Australian Air Force’s fast-jet fleet, counting a separate order for 12 EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft as additional to, not part of, the fighter force renewal.
The crisis in Russia is forcing a more detailed discussion about getting not just astronauts but also military space assets into orbit. A Pentagon study of alternatives to Russian rocket engines, due in May, includes production of an indigenously produced engine, Gen. William Shelton, head of the Air Force Space Command, told lawmakers April 3. And while the potential to increase the U.S. rocket engine industrial base is attractive, “money is our problem,” says Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee.
True high-speed inflight Internet for passengers is in its infancy, but LiveTV is betting it will soon be taken for granted, and is laying the groundwork for a major shift in how airlines leverage aircraft connectivity. LiveTV’s K a-band inflight Wi-Fi offering rolled out last year when launch customer and LiveTV owner JetBlue Airways launched its FlyFi service. The results—scores of passengers streaming media and (on the media demo flight, at least) video chatting—stand in sharp contrast to those of the competition.
Imagine this: A few hundred people walk into a shopping center at once. They have money to spend, time on their hands and are waiting to be served. They stay for a few hours, then leave, having bought virtually nothing and left no clue as to why they were there, what they might have wanted to buy or if they will return.
Record-high operating profit margins being reported by U.S. defense prime contractors could be sustained for another year, perhaps even three, but later this decade and into next, margins may come under pressure. Of course, this has to be considered on a company-by-company basis, but there are some broader changes to consider
Steve Meyer (see photo), director of aerospace and defense global sales for the Lord Corp., Cary, N.C., has been appointed to the Washington-based Aerospace Industries Association’s Supplier Management Council Board of Managers.
As airlines await deliveries of new-generation replacements for older widebody fleets, the need to balance economics and passenger comfort has never been greater. Some carriers are now trying to make the best out of the waiting time by optimizing their current fleets.
David Berg, who is senior vice president/general counsel/corporate secretary of Washington-based Airlines for America, has been appointed to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. Its members advise the commerce secretary on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry.
The U.S. Navy is preparing to conduct a new round of sea trials this summer with its X-47B stealthy aircraft to prove the unmanned system can clear the busy aircraft carrier deck in 90 sec. or less, just like its piloted counterparts. This would allow for a more seamless flow of manned and unmanned launches and recoveries on deck, a key step toward earning unmanned aircraft a coveted parking space on American carriers in 2020.
Isaac Lee, general manager of Landmark Aviation’s Miami International Airport facility, has been named the company’s 2013 General Manager of the Year. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Florida Aviation Business Association.
Gwynne R. Shotwell (see photo), president/chief operating officer of SpaceX, has been named to receive the National Space Society’ s Space Pioneer Award for the Entrepreneurial Business category. She will be honored for her day-to-day management of SpaceX business and leading the sales of more than $5 billion in launch services business.
