In “Again and Again” (AW&ST Aug. 5/12, p. 50), the last sentence—“One thing we have done is to show we can characterize naval aviation digitally and take electronic commands and send them to autonomous vehicles that operate like aircraft in an airwing”—forecasts monumental change. I suspect that the consequences of that statement have already been fed into pro forma U.S. Naval Aviation budget models with “aircrew workup and bounce pattern” removed.
As a pilot with more than 35 years flying corporate, military and commercial aircraft, I am compelled to discount Lt. Gen. (ret.) Thomas McInerney's suggestion of fixing readiness by using business jets. This detached, bean-counter approach ignores the distinction between flying proficiency and military mission readiness.
Obituary: Long-serving NASA astronaut, research pilot and U.S. Air Force test pilot C. Gordon Fullerton died Aug. 21 at home in Lancaster, Calif. He was 76. Fullerton, who logged 382 hr. in space on two shuttle missions, was particularly well known for his work at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, where he was a research test pilot for 22 years.
Almost every airline livery change recently has been a step backward, and the new one from American Airlines is no exception. Because of its size, AA's new livery is a double disappointment. Thankfully I work close to Toronto Pearson International Airport, so I have a bit more time to enjoy the “old” style on finals before the barbershop pole takes over. Toronto, Ontario
ObituarY: Paul Poberezny, the founder of the Oshkosh, Wis.-based Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the creator of the world's largest general aviation air show—AirVenture—died Aug. 22 from cancer at home in Oshkosh. He was 91. A self-taught aviator who began flying at age 16 in a Waco glider he refurbished, Poberezny started EAA in 1953 with his wife Audrey in the couple's basement near Milwaukee. An annual fly-in that would later become AirVenture started in Milwaukee before moving to Rockford, Ill., and ultimately to Wittman Field in Oshkosh.
Long-span wings generate less drag, but design rules limit their slenderness to avoid the potentially catastrophic aeroelastic instability known as flutter. Now, as part of the search for fuel efficiency and long endurance, flexible-wing control technology is being flight-tested to overcome those limits.
Workers at Lockheed Martin's Littleton, Colo., spacecraft facility prepare NASA's Maven (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) orbiter, the next U.S. mission to the red planet. Development of the high-heritage spacecraft draws on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and previously flown instruments to hold down cost and stay on schedule for a Nov. 18 launch date.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. (ret.) Patrick H. Brady, a top helicopter pilot of the Vietnam War, is among four aviators to be enshrined Oct. 4 in the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. His 34-year Army career included flying more than 2,500 combat missions as a Dust Off helicopter pilot, saving over 5,000 wounded soldiers and earning the Medal of Honor. Also to be enshrined is the late C.
Krisstie Kondrotis (see photo) has become vice president-business development for the McLean, Va.-based Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Information Systems sector. She held business development posts at CACI International and General Dynamics Information Technology.
Nick L. Stanage (see photo) has become president/CEO of the Hexcel Corp., Stamford, Conn. He succeeds David E. Berges, who will be executive chairman until retiring on Dec. 31. Stanage has been president/chief operating officer of the Dana Holding Corp.
Berlin airport operator Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg appears to be delaying a firm commitment to an opening date for the new Berlin Brandenburg airport. CEO Hartmut Mehdorn said that he will announce a date within two to three months or maybe later. “We are not under pressure to perform,” he said. The opening has been delayed four times.
Mark Cleary (see photo) has been appointed vice president-supply chain management for the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Linthicum, Md.-based Electronic Systems. He was director of business management for the company's Land and Self Protection Systems Div.
Thank you for two powerful back-to-back issues. “Timeless Turbine” (AW&ST July 22, p. 40) and “Show of Arms” (AW&ST July 29, p. 12) covered Pratt & Whitney Canada's PT6 and Honeywell HTF7000, respectively. It is inspiring to read how some companies and engineers did everything right in creating a product. I have always wondered what became of those who helped create the Avro Arrow and BAC TSR-2. I'm glad to learn that some found a home at PWC.
Chip White and Andy Johnson (see photos) have traded jobs at FlightSafety International. White has been named manager of the Learning Center in Orlando, Fla., succeeding Johnson, who is now manager of the Gulfstream Learning Center in Savannah, Ga.
UPS suffered the second fatal accident in its 25-year air package service history Aug. 14 when Flight 1354 went down on final approach to Alabama's Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) following a flight from the carrier's Louisville, Ky., hub, killing the two pilots. The Airbus A300-600F hit the ground about one-half mile short of BHM's 7,099-ft. Runway 18 on its initial approach. BHM's primary runway, the 11,998-ft. 6/24, was closed for routine maintenance at the time.
Earl Diamond has become CEO of Avianor Inc., Mirabel, Quebec. He is a co-owner of the company along with Sylvain Savard, who will continue as chairman and become executive vice president-operations. CFO Paul Costanzo also will be executive vice president-administration.
When Pilatus Aircraft began contemplating a successor to its iconic PC-6 Porter, it initially considered an unpressurized, turboprop-powered utility aircraft. But Cessna preempted that concept with its Model 208 Caravan. Recalculating, the Stans, Switzerland, designers settled on something unprecedented. They conjured up a large-cabin, executive/utility aircraft with a big cargo door, a single PT6 turboprop, short- and rough-field capability, pressurization to cruise over the weather and enough horses to do so at 280 kt.
