By the logic of “bigger is better,” Alaska Airlines should be in real trouble. It operates a modestly sized fleet from a relatively small home market with a business model somewhere between a low-fare carrier and legacy airline. Seattle-based Alaska, however, proves that logic does not always apply.
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The FAA finalized a new pilot training rule on Nov. 5 giving the airlines five years to begin exposing pilots to full stalls in flight simulators. But how much exposure should they get? The rule came primarily as the result of the 2009 Colgan Air Q400 crash near Buffalo, N.Y., the product of an improper control input that put the aircraft into a deep stall. To support the rule, hundreds of full-motion simulators will have to be upgraded with expanded envelopes that include performance in a stalled state for more than 50 aircraft models and configurations.
Christopher E. Kubasik has been appointed to the board of directors of Spirit AeroSystems Inc. of Wichita. He is an adviser on merger and acquisition opportunities through Ackuity Advisors and was president/chief operating officer of the Lockheed Martin Corp.
The U.S. Navy is to begin making biofuels part of its regular operational fuel purchases, citing preliminary indications from its first production-scale procurements that drop-in biofuels will be competitive in price with petroleum-based fuels by 2016. Under the Farm-to-Fleet program, the Navy will seek to purchase drop-in biofuel equivalents to JP-5 jet fuel and F-76 marine diesel in blends with conventional fuel from 10-50%, beginning with a bulk fuels solicitation in 2014. Deliveries would be expected in mid-2015.
SpaceX will stay in the running to use Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center after the Government Accountability Office ruled against Blue Origin in its protest of the way NASA was handling the bidding for commercial use of the historic pad. In a Dec. 12 ruling, the GAO rejected Blue Origin's contention that remarks by Administrator Charles Bolden indicated NASA would prefer that Complex 39B—a near-twin to 39A—be made available for multiple users. Blue Origin had proposed modifying 39A for multiple users, while SpaceX proposed to modify 39A for its exclusive use.
Brian Tripplehorn, director of business development for the Private Jet Services Group, Seabrook, N.H., has been named to the Aviation Committee of the Global Business Travel Association.
A squeeze on Indian defense spending is putting a crimp in the country's plans for growing its indigenous defense manufacturing industry. Citing an economic slowdown, India last year cut 140 billion rupees ($2.24 billion) from its defense budget. Next year, the possibility of a further cut looms. The annual budget of the Defense Research and Development Organization has remained at 100 billion rupees during the last three years.
Lisa Callahan has been appointed vice president-internal audit for the Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md. She succeeds Erich Sanchack, who is moving into a new role within the corporation. Callahan was vice president/general manager of the Undersea Systems business in the company's Mission Systems and Training segment.
Boeing is vigorously defending an automation design that appears to be at the center of the accident investigation of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777-200ER. On July 6, the aircraft crashed on approach to San Francisco International Airport.
Finally, the House Science Committee has added the James Webb Space Telescope to a list of NASA projects it wants protected, declaring it their intent that if the agency kills the program without cause, lawmakers will authorize additional funds to cover the cost. Added in an unusual display of comity between Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), the proposal would end NASA's practice of holding termination liability funds in reserve on covered projects, which include Webb, SLS, Orion and the space station.
Newly merged American Airlines has placed firm orders for 60 Embraer E175s, with options for another 90. The airline also placed firm orders for 30 Bombardier CRJ900s, plus options for another 40 (see pages 14 and 46). Deliveries of the CRJ900s will begin in the fourth quarter of 2014 and the aircraft will be operated by US Airways subsidiary PSA Airlines. Deliveries of the E175s are to begin the first quarter of 2015. American says it “will determine which regional carrier will fly the E175s at a later date.” Both aircraft will replace smaller regional jets.
David Judge (see photo) has been promoted to assistant manager from program manager for Sikorsky S-92 training at the FlightSafety International Learning Center at London Farnborough Airport. Anthony van de Geest will remain an assistant manager to support the company's Learning Centers in Johannesburg and Stavanger, Norway.
Regarding defense acquisition reform—recently featured in three articles in one issue (AW&ST Dec. 2)—I agree with the call for earlier flight-test involvement (page 49) and with the items covered in the editorial “The Right Kind of Acquisition Reform” (page 54). Based on more than 30 years in the aerospace sector, I see three key reasons why there are program overruns:
If the Ryan-Murray deal makes it, the Defense Department and other agencies budgeted under “defense” would see their combined non-supplemental “discretionary” budget category reset for fiscal 2014 at $520.5 billion, roughly $22 billion over the BCA's looming limit. The deal also boosts the BCA's 2015 floor by $9 billion to $521.4 billion—again, keeping the federal defense budget category roughly where it is now, about $518 billion.
