Boeing engineers repairing the Ethiopian Airlines 787-8 stranded at London Heathrow for five months since it was badly damaged by a fire have replaced a large section of the upper fuselage structure and refitted the tail unit as part of efforts to return the aircraft to service early next year.
India 's ambitious Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) is shooting for a first flight test in 2014. Defense scientists are conducting a series of tests and have achieved some milestones in engine development. “We are working on a demonstrator vehicle in the hypersonic space which will hopefully lead us to design hypersonic vehicles and ways to manage the thermal environment,” says V.G. Sekaran, director general for missiles and strategic systems at the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
Ted Colbert (see photo) has been named chief information officer and vice president of Chicago-based Boeing 's Information Technology organization. He has been vice president of the Boeing Information Technology Infrastructure organization.
Rupert Hogg has been appointed chief operating officer of Cathay Pacific Airways, effective in March. He will succeed Ivan Chu, who has been named chief executive. Chu will follow John Slosar, who will succeed Christopher Pratt as chairman of the airline and its related companies: John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd., Swire Pacific Ltd., Swire Properties Ltd. and Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co. Ltd. Hogg has been director of sales and marketing.
Jan. 13-17—22nd AIAA/ASME/AHS Adaptive Structures Conference, 52nd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Conference and AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference. All at National Harbor, Md. See www.aiaa.org/EventDetail.aspx?id=18410, 18405, 18406 Jan. 22-24—Fifth Decennial AHS Aero-mechanics Specialists' Conference. Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco. Feb. 4-6—NSISC Space Infosec Technical Workshop: “Space Infosec Addressing New Challenges.” The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif. See www.cvent.com/d/j4qndz
Craig Hutchison has been appointed vice president-operations for the Private Jet Services Group, Seabrook, N.H. He was vice president-business development for Evergreen International Airlines.
Helibras, the Brazilian subsidiary of Eurocopter, has flown the first Brazilian-assembled EC725 Caracal helicopter. The helicopter, BRA17, believed to be destined for the Brazilian navy, flew at the company's facility in Itajuba, Minas Gerais, on Nov. 21 and represents the beginning of the third stage of the H-XBR program. It is expected to see 50 EC725s enter service with the Brazilian armed forces, as the country modernizes its helicopter forces.
John B. Mowell has become chairman of the board of Aspen Avionics, Albuquerque, N.M: He has been a member of Aspen's board of directors and executive director/chairman of EMS Technologies.
Peru has ordered a pair of Alenia C-27J Spartan tactical airlifters in a deal worth €100 million ($134 million). The deal, announced Nov. 25, includes what the company describes as a “substantial logistics support package” for the two aircraft. The order comes at a busy time for the aircraft. Alenia is in the process of finishing the assembly of the first of 10 aircraft destined for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The Australian aircraft were ordered through a U.S. Air Force foreign military sale, so will be delivered to prime contractor L-3 Communications.
The Dubai Airshow last month was not only the stage for the much-expected widebody orders and Boeing's 777X program launch. It also proved that almost anything is possible as far as airline business models are concerned. The one airline sector that should be scaring investors away is European regional aviation. Everything seems to work against it—high costs (made worse by small aircraft), increasing low-cost carrier competition, and a weak overall market.
Alton D. Romig (see photo), who is vice president-engineering and advanced systems at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, Palmdale, Calif., has been appointed visiting associate in physics at the California Institute of Technology's Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy Div.
NASA's Ames Research Center and Ball Aerospace think they have found a way to resume the Kepler Space telescope's search for Earth-like exo-planets. In May, the spacecraft lost the ability to point precisely in the direction of the new worlds it was trying to locate when the second of its four reaction wheels failed. Now, Ames and its industry partners are proposing a concept they call “K2” that would steer the spacecraft so its orbital path is nearly parallel to the Sun, according to a statement from Ball.
True to her word, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) has reintroduced a bill that would require uniform fatigue standards for pilots. Reps. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) and Timothy Bishop (D-N.Y.) have already introduced companion legislation, the Safe Skies Act, on the House side (AW&ST Jan. 21, p. 21). “Her unwavering commitment will end the cargo carve-out and bring Part 117 back in line with Congress's original intent, one level of safety for U.S. aviation,” touts Independent Pilots Association (IPA) President Robert Travis, whose group represents some UPS pilots.
Bill Sweetman's commentary “Green Dream” (AW&ST Nov. 4, p. 13) deals with aspects of the strategic landpower doctrine and its many implications, but he failed to mention that China has established a presence in space, developed unmanned aircraft, been taking strategic material off the world market under the guise of building new cities, placed certain cities off-limits to outsiders and been building its military factories within mountains or underground. There are many other reasons for considering China a dangerous long-distance threat.
Cris Benavides has become senior vice president-business development of Dynamic Aviation, Bridgewater, Va. He held the same position at A-T Solutions and had been a program manager for BAE Systems Global Analysis.
Jairaj Chetnani has been appointed vice president/treasurer of the Kaman Corp., Bloomfield, Conn. He held the same positions at Quanex Building Products. Chetnani succeeds Robert Starr, who is now senior vice president/CFO.
The European Commission (EC) is taking Portugal to the European Union's Court of Justice, saying the country failed to guarantee independence of the airport slot coordinator. As a result, the EC asserts, there may be distortion of fair competition. The Portuguese slot coordinator is part of Aeroportos de Portugal (ANA), the country's airports operator. ANA employs slot coordination personnel and approves the coordinator's budget.
French Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian has confirmed the country will proceed with plans to develop the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon Heavy anti-ship missile with the U.K. Formal go ahead for the weapon known as ANL in France, and to be developed by European missile manufacturer MBDA, is expected this month. Development had been a sticking point in the deepening partnership between the U.K. and France. The U.K. needs the weapon for the AW159 Wildcat helicopter to replace the existing Sea Skua. France will use the missile on its new NH90 Caiman Marine helos.
Though the FAA in early November published a final rule requiring U.S. airline pilots to experience and recover from full stalls in the simulator, key details needed to put the training into practice within five years are as yet unfinished and the topic of continuing debate.
