As one studies the FAA Part 117 regulation in terms of single augmented flight crews on flights between 8-10 hr., the rule becomes a step backward in terms of fatigue mitigation. An item in a recent Washington Outlook, “Chilly Rollout” (AW&ST Jan. 13, p. 47), underscores the dissension.
It is no coincidence that the first official statement of any of the affected companies came from Toulouse: Airbus “welcomed“ the decision of the Indian government to allow scheduled A380 flights into the country. But the change may have less significance than it appears at first sight.
M. David Kornblatt has been named director of corporate development of the Triumph Group Inc., Berwyn, Pa. He has been executive vice president/CFO. He will be succeeded as CFO by Jeffrey L. McRae, who has been president of Triumph Aerostructures-Vought Aircraft Div. and was its CFO.
After two years of contentious debate, the European Commission has a freshly minted budget of €10 billion ($13.7 billion) over seven years with which to complete and launch two new flagship space programs: the Galileo satellite navigation constellation and the Copernicus Earth-observation system. With some half-dozen spacecraft dedicated to the two programs set to launch this year, the EC's next task is to figure out how to use them.
A recent Viewpoint discusses the Comac C919 and highlights how China's entry into aviation began six years after the Wright Brothers, when Feng Ru flew the first aircraft design by the Chinese (AW&ST Jan. 13, p. 50). Photographs of this craft show it to be a close variant of existing aircraft of the day—a pusher-powered biplane with tricycle gear and “Four Starting wheels.” I'm not sure what this was, but certainly it was meant to be an improvement over the models of the day.
The U.S. Air Force is expected to decide as early as March whether to stick with Boeing's original next-generation, secure communications terminal or opt for a competing design from Raytheon, according to industry officials. Raytheon lost the Family of Beyond-Line-of-Sight terminals contract, designed for secure communications for USAF aircraft, nearly 11 years ago. But the company got its foot back in the door due to technical problems with Boeing's $4.7 billion development program.
Kevin Malutinok and Melissa Maddox, respectively, have been named vice president/general manager of StandardAero Business Aviation's Springfield, Ill., and Houston facilities. Malutinok held the same positions at Dassault Aircraft Services in Wilmington, Del. Maddox was StandardAero's corporate vice president-legal risk management.
Feb. 10—Singapore Aerospace Technology/Engineering Conference. siae.org.sg/satec/ Feb. 11-13—Afcea West 2014. San Diego Convention Center. www.afcea.org/events/register.cfm?ev=214 Feb. 11-16—2014 Singapore Airshow. Changi Exhibition Center. www.singaporeairshow.com Feb. 13—Royal Aeronautical Society Washington Chapter's 10th Anniversary; Transatlantic Award and AGM. British Embassy, Washington.raeswashingtondcbranch.cloverpad.org/Default.aspx?pageId=603363
A new ruling by those on the Hill who referee federal contractor bid protests could serve as a warning to government contracting officers and A&D businesses alike as industry heads for a new wave of spinoffs, mergers and acquisitions. In a Dec. 27, 2013, decision published Jan. 13, the Government Accountability Office sided with Wyle Laboratories against Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) and its spinoff Leidos over a potential $1.76 billion deal NASA awarded the latter for medical, biomedical and health services supporting human spaceflight programs.
ATK's Solar Electric Propulsion MegaFlex solar array design is in line for thermal vacuum deployment testing at NASA's Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Station this month, following a full-deployment demonstration at the company's Goleta, Calif., facilities in December. ATK Space Systems and Deployable Space Systems, also of Goleta, are under contract to NASA's Space Technology Program to develop compact, low-mass, high-power solar arrays for robotic and human exploration initiatives of the type envisioned for the space agency's Asteroid Redirect Mission.
When I read “Sikorsky, Lockheed Design Tailsitter for VTOL X-Plane” (AW&ST Dec. 23, 2013, p. 11), I wondered whether Lockheed remembers its history. In the early 1950s, both Lockheed (XFV Salmon) and Convair (XFY Pogo) built vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) turboprop prototypes for the U.S. Navy. Only the Pogo had enough spare horsepower (and a very brave pilot) to attempt VTOL flight-testing. Taking off vertically was the easy part. Landing vertically (backward) with a foward-facing pilot was where things got tricky.
“How to Catch An Asteroid” (AW&ST Dec. 9, 2013, p. 48), concerning various NASA scenarios for capturing and controlling one, seems to involve nets, which would make it hard to control the motion of the asteroid.
A U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) decision to deny a code-sharing application by Air Serbia—previously Jat Airways—has won the praise of Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA). But it serves as only a short-term victory for U.S. labor, in light of parent owner Etihad Airways' expansion plans. The Transportation Department on Jan. 17 reportedly denied a Jat application to provide code-share service on Etihad flights, “just as Etihad was negotiating for a 49% ownership stake in the Serbia-based airline,” ALPA noted the same day. Moreover, the U.S.
The space agencies that operate the International Space Station—and their other spaceflight partners—likely will be using its facilities to prepare for a push to the Moon and beyond, as well as trying to promote its commercial use. Top managers from more than 30 space agencies who met in Washington Jan. 9-10 were unanimous in their consensus joint statement that deep-space exploration should be based on the ISS model.
When presented next month, NASA's fiscal 2015 budget request will be the first to be shaped by a new strategy for aeronautics research. The tough choices made by the agency to align its limited aeronautics funding with that strategy will become clear. Research into ultra-efficient subsonic and low-boom supersonic aircraft will make the cut, as will efforts to increase system safety, efficiency and autonomy, but work in areas such as rotorcraft and all-electric light aircraft are hanging in the balance.
As they reach cruise altitude, the crew of the high-wing Boeing airliner throttle back its twin turbofans to idle. Verifying that battery levels are adequate, they then do something that would be unthinkable in today's aircraft: They shut down the gas turbine core of each engine.
The drag-reducing benefit of flying in formation has been known for decades—far longer if you are a bird—but making it practical is the challenge. Geese join up in V formations when they migrate, but all are headed in the same direction; finding opportunities for formation flying within military and commercial air-transport networks crisscrossing the globe is harder.
