The Mars Science Lab Curiosity project team at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory has won the National Aeronautic Association's 2012 Robert J. Collier Trophy “in recognition of the extraordinary achievements of successfully landing Curiosity on Mars, advancing the nation's technological and engineering capabilities, and significantly improving humanity's understanding of ancient Martian habitable environments.” Besides the technical achievement of landing in the Gale Crater, the award selection committee noted the Curiosity team's use of social media.
For the second time in a year, Airbus is expanding its airframe design and engineering center in Wichita's historic downtown to accommodate the staff it has been hiring to keep up with its A320, A350 and A380 programs.
Facing heavy criticism, the FAA has rescinded an order to close 149 federal contract air traffic control towers that was to begin last week. Among those on the list was Renton Municipal Airport, south of Seattle, where Boeing ships out 737s. Paine Field, next to Boeing's Everett factory north of the city, is on a list of possible closures in September. Boeing points out that tower closures do not mean airport operations must cease.
Bruce N. Whitman, president/CEO of New York-based FlightSafety International and immediate past president of the Wings Club, has been named to receive the William A. Ong Memorial Award from the Alexandria, Va.-based National Air Transportation Association (NATA). The award is named for the association's co-founder and first president, and is given for achievement and extended meritorious service to the general aviation industry.
General Electric's new Boeing 747-400 flying testbed has been delivered to Evergreen Aviation Technologies (EGAT) in Taiwan for installation of data racks and instrumentation wiring and equipment. The aircraft is also scheduled to undergo wing structural modifications during the second half of the year in preparation for its first test flights in 2014. The aircraft was flown to EGAT from Taikoo Aircraft Engineering in Xiamen, China, where heavy maintenance and interior modifications were performed.
BAE Systems is conducting wind-tunnel trials on a Eurofighter Typhoon model fitted with the Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. The trials, being conducted in the U.K. are intended to help de-risk the clearance process for the weapon to be integrated onto the Typhoon. Malaysia is one of the countries interested in an anti-shipping capability for its future multirole combat aircraft program to replace aging MiG-29s, for which the Typhoon is a candidate.
Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works is proposing a stealthy, tailless flying-wing design for the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (Uclass) program. The 66-ft.-span, 30,000-lb.-gross-weight aircraft strongly resembles the Skunk Works private-venture P-175 Polecat and once-classified RQ-170 long-endurance UAVs.
A state that sees expanding its aerospace footprint as a “no-brainer” and an airplane maker that wants diversification are coming together in a new $1 billion deal that could bring another 2,000 jobs to South Carolina.
The National Business Aviation Association's Safety Committee's just-issued “Refined Top 10 Areas of Risk” for business aviation: 1-Professionalism; 2-Safety Culture; 3-Airmanship Skills; 4-Light Business Airplane Safety; 5-Talent Pipeline; 6-Impact of Technology; 7-Public Policy; 8-Airport Safety; 9-Fatigue; and 10-Task Saturation.
In regard to “Running Aground” (AW&ST/DT edition March 25, p. DT3), there is a disturbing consistency in the U.S. Navy's ebb-and-flow budgeting process. During periods of crisis, maintenance suffers in order to meet the demands of the moment, and operational requirements become all-consuming.
French Prime Minster Jean-Marc Ayrault says there is no conflict between a new Europeanized variant of Soyuz and France's plan to introduce a lighter, more modular successor to its Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher, which will ultimately eliminate Europe's need for the Russian medium-lift rocket.
Over the next decade, Warsaw expects to spend nearly $50 billion to strengthen its military via a sweeping modernization effort that includes air and missile defense, new helicopters, unmanned reconnaissance systems air transport, anti-tank missiles and trainer aircraft.
After a decade of multibillion-dollar cost overruns and delays in delivering satellites, it seems the U.S. Air Force can claim that it has finally averted a potential disaster—at least for now—on its next big satellite program.
The order-and-delivery see-saw tipped Airbus's way in the first quarter because of its continuing strength in the market for its single-aisle transports. The European manufacturer delivered 144 aircraft through March, of which 114 were A320s. For its part, Boeing delivered 137, including 102 737s.
Luxembourg Airport-based PowerJet Aviation specializes in aircraft sales and recycling, spare parts and airline consulting. Its disassembly and recycling facility is located at Chateauroux Airport, France. Aviation Week Contributing Editor Heather Baldwin spoke with CEO Karl Rickard, who is involved in the overhauled engine and engine parts business daily, to understand the market for engines coming off parked aircraft. Aviation Week: Which engine parts are moving most quickly out of the shop today after an engine is dismantled?
