Steve Hughes (see photo) has been promoted to London Heathrow Airport-based vice president-sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa from sales manager for Continental Europe for Virgin Atlantic Cargo.
Has as a new jetliner ever been launched as reluctantly as the 777X? Boeing usually prefers to follow its competitors in new product development, waiting until it can create a “killer” for a given segment. The 777X, like the original 777, looks set to enter service several years after the competition, in this case the A350-1000. But while the 777 became a category killer, this time the late-adapter approach may have significant disadvantages.
The public debate surrounding the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles or systems (UAS) into the U.S. National Airspace System has failed to focus on key distinctions among the vastly different capabilities and potential uses of UAS. Not all of them can be used for real-time surveillance or, for that matter, as weapons. The assumption that all UAS are capable of real-time surveillance is incorrect, and it appears to be significantly delaying the FAA's integration of these innovative and cost-saving technologies into the National Airspace System.
Through more than 11 years of war in Afghanistan, airdropping of supplies has become a key part of the U.S. strategy for supporting forces that are geographically dispersed over difficult and dangerous terrain. But as this conflict winds down, and the Pentagon turns to future operations, what is the role for a resupply method that requires the aircraft to overfly its target?
These satellite images, taken less than a month apart by France's new Pleiades optical-imaging spacecraft, show the mile-wide trail of devastation left by the EF5 tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., on May 20. The image on the left was collected on April 29, and the one on the right on May 23.
June 11-14—Sixth Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference. Yeditepe University, Istanbul. See www.cmsim.org June 12-14—Eighth Annual International Forum on Design for Manufacture and Assembly. Crowne Plaza Hotel, Providence-Warwick, R.I. See www.dfma.com/forum/ June 17-23—Fiftieth Paris International Airshow. Le Bourget. See www.paris-air-show.com June 24-27—American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' Fluid Dynamics Conference and co-located conferences and exhibit. San Diego. See www.aiaa.org/Fluids2013
With the acquisition of inflight entertainment specialist IMS of Brea, Calif., Zodiac Aerospace says it will consolidate its IFE technology development for commercial aviation in a single business unit there, to be headed by CEO Rod Farley. Zodiac, based in Plaisir, France, bought IMS in January for an undisclosed amount because of its “passenger-centric” IFE.
John Fortson has been appointed vice president-finance of AAR Corp., Wood Dale, Ill., effective July 1. He later is expected to also become CFO and treasurer. Fortson has been managing director of investment banking for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
East Africa is home to two of Africa's most successful carriers, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways, but increasing competition from foreign airlines raises questions whether there is a future for two hub-and-spoke operators vying for the same market in the same region.
Jennifer Hoil has been promoted to account executive from account manager at Longbottom Communications, Arlington, Va. She has been an officer of Women in Aerospace and a board member of the local chapter of the Society of Satellite Professionals International.
The aerospace and defense (A&D) industry achieved record revenue and profits in 2012 on the strength of a surging commercial aviation market. Industry revenue and operating profit increased 2% and 4%, respectively. Median Top-Performing Companies (TPC) scores for the largest A&D companies improved to their highest levels since 2007, the year before the Great Recession. Mid-size company scores were flat, but remained at historic highs, and smaller company scores dropped considerably, after a brief peak last year.
It does not even have a formal name, but a new aviation and travel industry coalition could have a big impact on those long lines and wait times at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that are dissuading travelers from coming to the U.S. It also could be setting the stage for an intense battle over a critical element for some of the improvements: How to pay for them.
Out of the blue, like a precision-guided strike from a stealth aircraft, a legislative provision suddenly being considered on Capitol Hill could mean the beginning of the end of the notorious Navy A-12 Avenger II. If so, the development at least would settle the long-running lawsuit between Washington and General Dynamics (GD) and Boeing, which is good news—but it also would indelibly stain U.S. acquisition practices, and could have ramifications for the Navy's tactical air posture for most of this century.
The great strides that Africa's commercial aviation industry has made in recent years—with the emergence of strong scheduled carriers such as Egyptair, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways—has not been beneficial for Africa's wet-lessors. “Wet-leasing is not as popular as before,” says Apandi Lakhiyalov, group CEO of Aerovista, a leasing company based in Dubai that provides wet leases in Africa and other emerging markets using its Georgian and Tanzanian air operator certificates (AOCs).
Vincent Pagano, Jr., has been appointed to the board of directors of New York-based L-3 Communications. He is a retired partner in the New York law firm Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett.
In the 1930s, large segments of France's economy—including the aviation industry—were acquired by a newly elected left-wing government. The final part of the nationalization program became reality shortly after World War II ended, when engine manufacturers Gnome & Rhone and Renault were consolidated to form state-owned Snecma.
Roderick McLean has been named vice president/general manager and Michael Cawood vice president/deputy of the F-16/F-22 Integrated Fighter Group (IFG) at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth. McLean was vice president/program manager for the next-generation trainer program and had been IFG vice president/deputy. Cawood was vice president of F-16/F-22 IFG product development.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is taking the unusual measure of activating an in-orbit Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) spare as experts try to rescue the primary spacecraft, which that has failed to transmit imaging and sounding data for a second time in less than a year.
Bombardier's new Challenger 350 will have 20% taller cabin windows, more standard cabin equipment, a modular galley and a Lufthansa Technik high-definition cabin management system that offers touch-screen controls.
Randy Phillips (see photos) has become senior vice president-corporate development/chief strategy officer of TASC, Chantilly, Va. He was vice president-corporate development and strategy for the Computer Sciences Corp. Joseph Pacileo has been named vice president of the Mission Solutions unit. He was vice president-cyber operations for the ManTech International Corp.
Steffen Wurst has been named senior vice president-human resources of Zurich-based SR Technics. He was director of executive search consulting firm Odgers Berndtson in Hamburg and had been chief human resources officer at the transport and logistics division of Deutsche Bahn.
Paul R. Adams, who is chief operating officer of Pratt & Whitney, is among the new members of the Washington-based National Academy of Engineering. He was cited for leadership and innovation for gas turbine engines, especially the geared turbofan. Other new members are: Charbel H. Farhat, who is Vivian Hoff Professor of Aircraft Structures/chairman of the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department at Stanford (Calif.) University, for contributions to computing fluid-structure interactions and their applications in aeronautical, naval and mechanical engineering; R.
As much as Boeing is benefitting from a 737 customer base that is replacing older models, it also has seen a 13% cancellation rate this year. The company reported a whopping 101 737 orders from an unidentified customer or customers in its May 21 update, but it also racked up 24 unidentified cancellations in the same period. For the year, Boeing has seen 57 cancellations from 424 gross orders. The order boost includes 40 737NGs and 61 737 MAXs, raising that reengined version's total to 1,376.
