The article “Take Your Partners” (AW&ST Nov. 4, p. 22) caused me serious concern because it said the weapons bay of Boeing's Next Generation Bomber (NGB) is limited to weapons no larger than the 5,000-lb.-class GBU-28 hard-target bomb. Experience reveals a small weapons bay can greatly handicap a bomber's effectiveness. In World War II, airmen belatedly discovered that the small size of B-17 and B-24 bays was a serious problem because they could not carry bombs like the Royal Air Force's Grand Slam that were essential for destroying hard targets.
Drag-reduction technology that has been under research for decades is moving toward reality as commercial aircraft developers search for ever-higher fuel efficiency. Aircraft vertical tails are the first target because of the payoff if their size and drag can be reduced, but the techniques being developed could find their way onto other aircraft surfaces.
As Boeing begins work on preliminary design drawings for the 737 MAX ahead of starting detailed design in early 2014, project leaders hint that the recently announced fuel performance improvement over the current 737 variants could be extended further.
USN Vice Adm. (ret.) Mike Malone has been appointed a consultant and special assistant to the president of the Unmanned Combat Aerial Systems Div. of San Diego-based Kratos Defense & Security Solutions. He was president of Skarven Enterprises.
A4A and ALPA can point to small progress elsewhere recently, with the introduction of a bill in the House of Representatives that would block Customs and Border Protection's planned preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. The bill, pushed by Reps. Pat Meehan (R-Penn.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), would direct homeland security officials to assess the impact future preclearance facilities have on U.S. passengers, the economy and security and customs staffing at U.S.
The Accident Investigation Board of Norway (AIBN) says Boeing had been unaware that “significant amounts” of deicing fluid can enter the tail cones of Boeing 737 models and that the airframer plans “to modify all B737s to achieve better protection against the risk of the elevator system freezing solid.”
Rocie Park (see photo) has been named head of aviation claims for North America for New York-based Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty, effective Jan. 1. She will succeed Tim McSwain, who plans to retire at year-end.
Ryanair plans to set up a base at Brussels Airport in February 2014 as part of its strategy to add more primary airports to its network and attract premium passengers. The low-cost carrier (LCC), which last week said it would establish a base at Rome's Fiumicino Airport, offered to feed into Alitalia's international network there and confirmed it will introduce flexible fares for business passengers in the first quarter of next year.
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.
