Robert Cohen (see photos) has been promoted to president/CEO of the TECT Corp., Fort Mitchell, Ky. He was president of TECT Power and has been succeeded by Anthony Ratica, who was an executive at Standard Aero.
USAF Lt. Gen. James M. Kowalski has been named deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. He has been commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale AFB, La. Maj. Gen. Stephen W. Wilson has been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and to succeed Kowalski. Wilson has been commander of the command's Eighth Air Force at Barksdale. Brig. Gen. Scott A. Vander Hamm has been selected for promotion to major general and appointment as commander of the Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) of Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale AFB, La.
Porter Airlines has submitted a second proposal that calls for further noise reductions, as public consultations begin on its request to extend the runway at Toronto's downtown island aircraft and allow the carrier to operate Bombardier CSeries jets. The original plan, submitted in April when Porter placed a conditional order for up to 30 107-seat CS100s, is to extend the runway by 168 meters (500 ft.) at each end. The new proposal would increase that to 200 meters at each end to allow a reduced-thrust departure to lower noise further.
The legislative proposal to harmonize and revise EU rules on flight and duty limitations and rest requirements (FTL) for air crews has entered its final stage, and the European Parliament (EP) and Council are reviewing the draft regulations. The outcome is not clear, however. The European Cockpit Association (ECA) and pilot unions across Europe have stepped up their lobbying of EP members to reject the proposal.
John Croft's “In the Dark” (AW&ST Aug. 26, p. 35) about last month's crash of UPS Flight 1354 was very informative and covered many aspects of the hazards of flying an approach at night, but it did not address the danger posed by the terrain on the approach to the runway in question at Birmingam (Ala.) Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM).
Lisa Sasse, an executive at VisionSafe, has been named vice chair of the Business Advisory Committee of the Alexandria, Va.-based Flight Safety Foundation. David Bjellos, who is aviation manager for the IS-BAO Stage 3 flight department at Florida Crystals Corp., has been appointed special liaison from FSF to the Helicopter Association International.
Referencing “Connecting Flight” (AW&ST Aug. 19, p. 24) about the U.S. Justice Department's decision to challenge the US Airways/American Airlines merger, it is worth mentioning that history has proved that with fewer players in the game, price-fixing cartels will almost always result. With low-cost carriers in the mix for duplicated markets, there is a potential of lower prices in those markets—initially. Lawrenceville, N.J.
In reading “Feast of Fixes” (AW&ST Aug. 19, p. 28) I am amazed that Lockheed Martin has not yet solved its tailhook problem. The recent tailless UAV trials seemed to go very well, and at the de Havilland Museum I weekly pass the “tailless” de Havilland D.H.110 Sea Vixen with its arrestor hook dangling on the ground (as is true for the de Havilland Sea Venoms). What trick is Lockheed missing? Toddington, England
The concept of the Comac C919 that accompanies “Not Just Inexperience” (AW&ST Aug. 19, p. 39), shows an airliner with square windows. Didn't we already learn about pressurized airliners with square windows on the Comet? This seems like an unnecessary risk of pressure fatigue and explosive decompression. Even if the odds are low, the consequences could be dire.
Static strength testing of the airframe of Japan's ATD-X stealth-fighter technology demonstrator has begun, says the Defense Ministry's Technology Development & Research Institute. The ATD-X, which is not intended to lead directly to a combat aircraft, has been scheduled for flight testing between 2014-16. Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the ATD-X is expected to demonstrate technologies that the ministry hopes to apply to its proposed F-3 fighter. Development would begin around 2017 for entry into service about 10 years later.
The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) says data and anecdotal information are showing increases in aircraft performance and air-traffic-control instruction violation rates during airline approaches. The information comes from the FSF's International Advisory and European Advisory committees as part of a new survey of aborted approaches, also known as “go-arounds.” Of particular interest in the preliminary data is that, on average, only 4% of unstabilized approaches result in go-arounds, the FSF says.
New technology can be surprisingly inexpensive. In the U.S., the Pentagon and the intelligence community spend billions of taxpayer dollars pushing the envelope on creative new hardware and software concepts that may never emerge from behind the black curtain of secrecy. That is probably a good thing for bombs and bullets, but it keeps a lot of potential dual-use technology out of the economy. Fortunately, there are means for innovation at the other end of the funding scale that can drive economic growth with actual, and significant, return on investment.
Mike Medeiros (see photo) has been named vice president-Seattle for Delta Air Lines. He was vice president–global human resources and talent development and had been head of Delta's New York operation. Patricia Ornst has become director of New York state and local government affairs for Delta. She was Northeast U.S. managing director for state and local government affairs for American Airlines.
