Capt. (ret.) Wolfgang Wachholz (Tobermory, Ontario )
In “The Great Stagnation” (AW&ST Oct. 14/21, p. 20), Kevin Michaels writes about why global air travel will not rise as quickly as forecast. But he failed to mention a very important reason why air travel may stagnate—the appalling lack of customer service. The treatment travelers receive at the hands of the airlines, security agents, customs and immigration officials, not to mention the many surcharges—coupled with the affront of cramped seating and an indifferent cabin crew—are huge causal factors.
The price of EU carbon dioxide allowances (EUA) under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) was volatile in October, as market participants positioned ahead of imminent sales by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and speculated on the prospects for progress on market intervention by the regulator. The price of EUAs for delivery in December seesawed wildly through the month, ahead of upcoming sales by the EIB and possible political progress on the European Commission's plan to backload up to 900 million EUAs from auctions over the next few years.
NASA's Kepler extrasolar-planet finder has discovered its first Earth-size planet orbiting a distant star, but while its composition is rocky like Earth's, its 8.5-hr. orbit means the planet is far too warm to lie in the habitable “Goldilocks zone.” Designated Kepler-78b, the new planet is “a blazing inferno and not suitable for life as we know it, according to the Ames Research Center, which manages Kepler.
Hans-Juergen Loss has been named executive director of the Operation Div. of Ameco Beijing. He was vice president-technical operation and vice president-quality management for Lufthansa German Airlines.
As I read about the A-10 in “From the Ground Up” (AW&ST Oct. 7, p. 54) from the comfy remoteness of a peaceful Central Europe, it seems evident that the top brass of the U.S. Air Force and the Obama administration are following in the footsteps of their predecessors who—driven by budgetary protectionism, envy and similar nefarious reasons—managed to kill the SR-71 Blackbird, an irreplaceable strategic reconnaissance asset.
Jeremy Mammen has been named director of aviation safety in the Flight Department of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla. He was manager of flight safety at Aerosim Flight Academy in Sanford, Fla.
Since creating, testing, certifying, producing and promoting an all-new aircraft is such an expensive proposition—I've heard figures ranging from $100 million to 10 times that, depending upon the design's complexity and performance—reworking an existing model is a much-practiced tactic among planemakers. And a new wave of redos is upon us. Indeed, Second Chancers helped anchor the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Annual Convention, held in Las Vegas Oct. 22-24.
Reader Hank Caruso's letter “The A-10, And Its Community Too” (AW&ST Oct. 28, p. 10), was right on the money. And his description that the community “relish[s] improvising Plans B and C when Plan A goes awry” sounds exactly right, except that it applies more closely to Marine Corps aviation than the Air Force. The only justification for Marine Corps' aviation is to take care of the grunt on the ground. The A-10, flown by a Marine pilot, is the perfect combination, and an economical one, once the F-35B is dropped from the Corps' future plans.
David Hoyt has been promoted to senior vice president-strategic accounts executive from vice president-business development for Dynamic Aviation, Bridgewater, Va. Honors And Elections
The most conspicuous exhibits at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) show in Washington in late October were a pervasive sense of unreality and a newfound Army paranoia that rivals that of the Marine Corps.
Business jet billings are surging on the strength of large-cabin business jet deliveries, but ongoing woes at the light end of the market continue to temper overall business jet shipments. Industry billings for the first nine months have reached $15.4 billion, nearly one-quarter more than the $12.4 billion in billings reported a year ago, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. This is despite a 2.1% decline in business jet shipments from a year ago.
Airbus is now offering sharklet retrofits for in-service Airbus A320s and A319s after having formally launched the initiative with JetBlue Airways. The sharklets have so far only been available for newly delivered aircraft and as a retrofit for aircraft manufactured with structurally reinforced wings. The devices are helping to deliver a fuel-burn improvement of up to 4%, or 100 nm more range, according to Airbus.
At first glance, Hong Kong's strength as an airfreight hub for China is remarkable. To go through the city, most of its traffic, goods from mainland China, must clear customs twice. Yet Hong Kong International Airport not only overcomes that disadvantage; it is now also the world's largest freight airport, handling 3.98 million metric tons in 2011, just ahead of Memphis (Tenn.) International Airport's 3.92 million tons. And that was before capacity at Hong Kong grew by half this year, with the opening of a third giant terminal for Cathay Pacific Airways.
Mark Tucker has been named senior vice president-Enterprise Operations and Engineering and Clyde Woltman executive director of advanced programs for the Defense Business Development Div. of Aerojet Rocketdyne, Sacramento, Calif. Tucker was vice president-special programs for the Aerospace Systems Sector, while Woltman was director of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps programs at Pratt & Whitney.
Reading “From the Ground Up” (AW&ST Oct. 7, p. 54) has me writing yet again to say if ever there was a weapon system that has proved itself worthy of remaining in the U.S. Air Force inventory, it is the A-10. Much like the F-4 it replaced, this aircraft did the job it was designed to do, without exception. It can take a hit, bring the crew home and it has been thoroughly battle-tested in two major theaters of operations, for years on end. Best of all, U.S. Army forces love the airplane for the close air support it provides.
The last-minute Oct. 16 law to restart U.S. government spending and debt authority mentioned few programs specifically, but did aim to protect two weather satellites that are nearing key phases of development. Since Congress could only pass a stopgap measure, which continues funding at fiscal 2013 levels until Jan. 15, 2014, the law does not allow necessary approvals for changes to programs, or new ones to start.
If GE Aviation's use of direct metal laser melting is any indication of how additive manufacturing could radically change parts production and supply chains, the industry should be on alert. GE has used additive manufacturing technologies over the years, but its purchase of Morris Technologies and Rapid Quality Manufacturing (RQM) in November 2012 provided a quantum leap into direct metal laser melting (DMLM), which it views as a disruptive manufacturing technology.
Am I the only one that finds it a bit disconcerting that crewed commercial suborbital launches will depart from near the Jornada del Muerto (Journey of Death) White Sands, N.M., area, as mentioned in “Supersonic Trail” (AW&ST Oct 14/21, p. 36)? Renton, Wash.
