Virgin Galactic plans long-duration hot-fire ground tests of its 47,500-lb.-thrust NewtonTwo kerosene-fueled rocket engine “in the coming months,” following a full-mission duty cycle test of this 3,500-lb.-thrust NewtonOne engine. The work at Virgin's static test stand at Mojave, Calif., supports company plans to supplement its suborbital human spaceflight business by launching small satellites from its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft.
Fabio Rebello (see photo) has been named senior vice president-international sales for Florida and Latin America for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga., and David Pearman (see photo) general manager of the Gulfstream service center in West Palm Beach, Fla. Rebello was vice president-sales for Latin America for Bombardier Aerospace. Pearman was general manager of Gulfstream's component repair facility in Lincoln, Calif.
Over the last several years, the tri-service F-35 fighter program has gradually retired risks and reduced costs, in the process acquiring broader political support. More than 50% of the program's flight-testing schedule has been completed, and no major problems have been identified. The fighter's F135 engine has seen similar progress. With 11 allies committed to buying the airplane, the program looks unstoppable.
Boris Johnson is not the “former mayor of London” as stated in “Crunch Time,” an article about runway expansion at Heathrow and Gatwick airports (AW&ST Dec. 23, 2013, p. 49). He was reelected to the four-year post of mayor on May 3, 2012, and his comments are extremely important to the ongoing debate about airport enhancements. Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Analysis of temperature and other data from more than 1,000 meteorological stations worldwide has found 2013 was the seventh warmest year since 1880, adding more evidence to the long-term rise in global warming, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. Nine of the 10 warmest years in the 134 covered by the analysis have occurred since 2000, and the 10th was 1998. The latest GISS analysis finds 2013 tied with 2009 and 2006 in global temperature averages.”
Rick Cramblet (see photos) has been named executive vice president and Pete Gibson vice president-aircraft services of AeroVision International, Muskegon, Mich. Cramblet has worked for nearly 25 years in the aerospace aftermarket. Gibson was general manager of the P&W AutoAir facility in Lansing, Mich., and had been general manager of Pratt & Whitney Component Solutions.
This week, Aviation Week publishes two editions. On the far left cover, a 13-ft.-span dynamically scaled model of Boeing's Sugar truss-braced-wing airliner concept undergoes testing at the Transonic Dynamic Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. NASA photo by Sandie Gibbs. Tests will confirm whether the wing weight is low enough to realize the fuel savings promised by the drag reduction that is considered possible with high-aspect-ratio wings (page 40).
Space-science units of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences are planning two meetings this year designed to bring young scientists from the two countries together for discussions on space astronomy and solar and space physics. The U.S. Space Studies Board, and the Chinese academy's National Space Science Center set up meetings in Beijing and Los Angeles for space scientists under 40. The Beijing “forum” will be May 8-9, and the Los Angeles session is scheduled Nov. 3-4.
Alternative fuel research by the federal government will continue to have a bright future under the fiscal 2014 omnibus appropriations deal that became law Jan. 17, despite Republican objections. Tucked inside the 1,582-page bill—passed within days of being unveiled on Capitol Hill to avoid another shutdown—is language supporting ongoing development of alternative fuels, according to aides for Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), a leading Democrat in the upper chamber.
Future Events Feb. 10—Air Transport World's 40th Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards. Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel. March 4-5—Defense Technology and Affordability Requirements Conference. Washington. March 6—Aviation Week's Laureate Awards. Washington. April 8-10—MRO Americas. Phoenix. Oct. 7—MRO Europe. Madrid. You can now register ONLINEfor Aviation Week Events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/events or call +1 (212) 904-4682.
Louis C. Seno, who has been a trustee of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, is now vice president-corporate relations and government affairs. He was president/CEO of Jet Support Services Inc. and remains chairman emeritus and special adviser to its board of directors.
Offer the airlines new ways to save millions of gallons of jet fuel and they will practically bite your hand off. That is the clear signal to the aerospace industry as Airbus and Boeing continue to rack up record-breaking orders for their new generation of reengined and more efficient commercial aircraft.
China has begun flight testing a high-bypass-ratio turbofan that is expected to greatly improve the performance of the Y-20 heavy airlifter and potentially power the C919 commercial aircraft. The engine is the 28,700-lb.-thrust WS-20, according to local media that have published photographs of it in the left inboard position of an inflight Ilyushin Il-76 testbed. WS-20 is apparently the military name of the powerplant that has also been called SF-A for civil purposes.
Sterile-cockpit rules demand that pilots pay attention to the business at hand at altitudes below 10,000 ft. to minimize distractions during the “critical phases” of a flight, namely takeoff and landing. While the workload during the portion of a flight above 10,000 ft. is typically much lower, particularly during cruise at altitude, does that mean pilots can let their guard down?
John Croft's “Safety Shut-Up” (AW&ST Dec. 16, 2013, p. 18), about the element of surprise being added to simulator training, does not stress strongly enough that stalling in mid-air exhibits wildly different manifestations than a simulator experience. As an engineer in the service and in civilian life, I have flown countless hours both on test and on routine operations and have experienced “deep stalling” during a test/training flight on the recently retired Vickers VC10.
Jim Coon (see photo) has been named senior vice president-government affairs and advocacy for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Frederick, Md. He was executive vice president of the National Air Transportation Association and has been staff director for the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and majority staff director for the House aviation subcommittee.
In a recent Up Front column (AW&ST Dec. 30, 2013/Jan. 6, 2014, p. 15) Richard Aboulafia, by using the examples of the production lines for the F-15, F-16 and F-18, presents a superficially compelling argument for the preservation of national defense assets. But he neglects to mention that the original variants of all these aircraft first flew in the early 1970s. Preserving these production lines is the technological equivalent of preserving battleship-building shipyards after the end of World War II.
USAF Maj. Gen. (ret.) Marke “Hoot” Gibson has become executive director of the Washington-based NextGen Institute. He was director of current operations and training at USAF Headquarters at the Pentagon.
A new controversy has surfaced over the transatlantic skies, and it is not about Europe wanting to change ownership and control rules of U.S. airlines or British Airways-parent International Airlines Group plotting a takeover bid for American Airlines. The hullabaloo is about the plans of Oslo-based low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle to operate transatlantic services via a separate company to be known as Norwegian Air International (NAI) using an Irish air operator's certificate (AOC) and several Boeing 787s leased and registered in Ireland.
Steve Forte, chief operating officer of Virgin America, delivered the annual Charles W. Durham Distinguished Guest Lecture on the future of flying in America at the University of Nebraska-Omaha Aviation Institute. He also received the William F. Shea Distinguished Contribution to Aviation Award, which is named for the institute's first director.
