On Oct. 29, 2001, Embraer rolled out the 170, the first in a new family of passenger aircraft that were later dubbed “E-Jets.” It was an inauspicious time to be investing. The 9/11 terrorist attacks the month before had sent the aviation industry reeling, and the cover of Aviation Week & Space Technology proclaimed “Airlines, Airports & MRO Under Siege.” But as much of the industry retrenched, officials at the Brazilian aircraft builder pressed ahead with an aggressive development schedule.
Dozens of large U.S.-India military deals worth billions of dollars are nearing completion and likely to be clinched in the next few weeks. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is preparing to arrive in Washington on an official visit starting Sept. 27, on the heels of a trip to India by U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.
A new FAA rule is easing restrictions on pilot flight review and recency requirements for both flight instructors and pilots of commuter and on-demand operators. The FAA issued the rule Sept. 16 at the behest of several parties seeking to overturn a legal interpretation limiting exemptions to the standing 24-month flight-review requirement. It also comes as the agency and industry reexamine flight instructor and pilot requirements in an effort to boost the pilot population and improve general aviation safety.
“Out of the Bottle” (AW&ST Sept. 16, p. 50) tries to paint U.S. export controls as a failure, but it attacks a straw man. You declare that “[i]f restrictions on supplying space technology to China were meant to arrest . . . [its] astronautical development, there is precious little sign of success.” But ITAR (U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations) was not meant to do that: It has different goals.
A Japanese program to develop a cheaper solid-propellant space launcher has achieved a successful first launch, with the Epsilon rocket placing a planetary-observation satellite, Sprint-A, into orbit. The first Epsion launch cost ¥5.3 billion ($53.6 million), compared with a ¥3.8 billion target quoted for the initial version by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2011. The cost is to be reduced to ¥3 billion, report Japanese media, but it is unclear whether that figure applies to the version successfully launched on Sept.
Think “ram-air turbine,” and the pop-out propeller providing emergency power on an airliner comes to mind, or the air-driven prop powering the ALQ-99 jamming pod on a Boeing EA-18G Growler. But what if huge amounts of power are needed, for electronic attack, long-range sensors or directed-energy weapons—and not just in emergencies, but across the flight envelope?
You've probably heard the news that Aviation Week has been purchased by Penton Media, becoming one of Penton's flagship industry brands with a high-quality comprehensive portfolio of B2B Media, Events and Data/Analytics serving the growing global aviation, aerospace and defense marketplace.
Bill Sweetman's “Save the JSF. Really?” (AW&ST Aug. 19, p. 19), advocates several actions that could result in significant cost reductions for the Defense Department. However, there are a few of points that deserve additional thought before program cancellation becomes reality.
Oct. 2-4—JEC America. Boston. www.jeccomposites.com/eventsjec-americas-2013 Oct. 7-10—Sixth AAS Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium: “Bringing Exploration Forward.” University of Alabama at Huntsville. See www.astronautical.org Oct. 14-16—51st Annual SAFE Association Symposium. Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Reno, Nev. See [email protected] Oct. 22-24—National Business Aviation Association Convention and Exhibition. Las Vegas. See www.nbaa.org/events/name/
Greg Bowles has been named Brussels-based director of European regulatory affairs and engineering for the Washington-headquartered General Aviation Manufacturers Association. He was director of engineering and manufacturing at GAMA's headquarters.
On Oct. 4, ailing Air France is expected to unveil yet another cost-cutting plan. This one could involve nearly 3,000 job cuts (in addition to the more than 5,000 previously announced). It also could entail a revamping of the carrier's short-/medium-haul route system.
NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) has run into some heavy political flack on Capitol Hill, but inside the agency there is a clear understanding that it can be the nucleus of a lot of advanced-technology developments needed for expansion of human spaceflight into the Solar System, regardless of the objective.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) achieved its first ever salvo test of the SM-3 Block IB missile, and the intercept took place at the highest altitude for the system to date. The first SM-3 IB that was launched successfully intercepted the target, a short-range ballistic missile described as “one of the most complex targets that we have shot to date,” says Mitch Stevison, Raytheon's SM-3 program manager. The second SM-3 IB was launched about 2 min. after the first, in accordance with military doctrine for assured kill.
