Oct. 8-11—2012 Bombardier Safety Standdown. Wichita Hyatt Regency Hotel. See www.safetystanddown.com/aviation-safety-seminars/united-states Oct. 9-14—Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies' Japan Aerospace 2012 International Aerospace Exhibition. Port Messe, Nagoya. See www.japanaerospace.jp/English Oct. 10-12—Technology Training Corps' Unmanned Aircraft Systems West Conference. Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. See www.uaswest.com
Rarely is the economic decision to retrofit an aircraft with fresh communications, navigation and surveillance equipment as straightforward as for Airbus and its A300-600ST Super Transporter, better known as the Beluga.
Sen. James Inhofe was incorrectly identified as “the Senate's only commercial pilot.” In truth, he is just another politician who happens to hold a commercial certificate. Marina del Rey, Calif.
EADS and BAE Systems are scrambling on several fronts to put together their proposed merger, and while decisions in favor or against the deal are being made in Paris, London and Berlin, Washington is playing an important role, too. BAE Systems executives believe any threat from the merger to its special security agreement (SSA) with the U.S. government would be a “deal breaker,” says an industry official close to the talks. Each SSA is tailored to the specific business of a particular company.
Irkut, a subsidiary of Russia's United Aircraft Corp., began flight tests of the twin-seat Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighter with two aircraft in late September.
I agree with Karl Kettler that there should be a methodical program leading to permanent human presence in space. However, he seems to believe that finding minerals and water on potential future habitable bodies is not important to that aim. It is an essential component of extraterrestrial settlement. Does he envision forever sending water and other resources from Earth? Dianella, Australia
The European Commission has presented major changes to its aviation policy in an effort to react to the declining competitiveness of European airlines. The commission is taking on three areas—air services agreements, competition clauses and ownership and control regimes—where it sees urgent need for change. “Faced with the dramatic changes in global aviation, Europe must respond and adapt rapidly or will be left behind,” EC Vice President Siim Kallas says.
NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate faces an integration challenge as it attempts to develop a mobile launch support structure for an evolving Space Launch System (SLS), the agency's inspector general concluded in a Sept. 25 audit. Nonetheless, the IG endorses the agency's plans to modify Constellation program Ares I hardware as the most cost-effective approach. NASA already has invested $234 million in the Ares I mobile launcher at the Kennedy Space Center.
India's ambitious human spaceflight programs are moving in a skewed phase for want of requisite technologies and capabilities. The country has shelved plans to undertake a manned mission to the Moon in the near future, and the launch program of the first manned mission in space is delayed. As a result, any chance of India becoming the fourth nation with an indigenous human spaceflight is also slipping into the future.
In the future, please refrain from publishing such obviously partisan political rhetoric as “Face to Face: Pilot Defender,” an interview with Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) (AW&ST Aug. 27, p. 32). I know politics plays a role in virtually every aspect of commercial, military and space technology development today, but if I want to read such vile drivel from one of our senators, I'll read the transcript from last night's Fox News. Gilbert, Ariz.
Close-up imagery from three sites on the floor of the Gale Crater on Mars, collected by NASA's Curiosity rover, confirmed rounded pebbles were deposited there by water flowing in a “vigorous stream” down from the crater wall, conclude scientists examining data from the new robotic geologist.
Ginger Wierzbanowski (see photo) has been named VP-space, missile defense, advanced technology and ground programs at Northrop Grumman Corp., Falls Church, Va., succeeding John R. Landon, who is scheduled to retire at year-end. Wierzbanowski has been VP-government relations and was legislative assistant to the vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Airlines waiting for a reason to spend millions of dollars to equip their fleets with next-generation communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) may see more convincing arguments from the FAA in the very near future. Along with the awarding a contract to establish and operate a domestic data-link system that includes $80 million in financial help for equipage, the agency is also nearing completion of a public-private partnership that may provide more than $1 billion to help cover buying and installing NextGen CNS avionics.
In the On Space blog, Senior Editor Guy Norris writes that though Neil Armstrong remained a deeply private man, one of the few arenas in which he seemed happy to speak was the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. In a talk at SETP's annual symposium in 2007, he covered the development and testing of the lunar landing research/training vehicle. Redstone says:
SpaceX's Falcon 9 vehicle has far graver problems than merely being unflown. First, its aerodynamically unstable configuration makes it a dangerous vehicle to fly. Second, its inefficient rocket engines pollute the atmosphere with thousands of pounds of unused kerosene. We do not allow gasoline, a hydrocarbon, to be spilled into the atmosphere, yet there are no restrictions on kerosene, also a hydrocarbon.
Nearly everyone knows that the U.S. is the largest arms exporter in history, selling or donating more weapons and defense services abroad than any other nation. But did you know that the U.S. also is the world's single-largest financial supporter of conventional weapons destruction? Since 1993, the State and Defense departments, the U.S.
Harris Corp., winner of the FAA's $331 million Data Communications Integrated Services (DCIS) contract in September, would like to accelerate the disbursement of $80 million in avionics aid for select airlines to begin demonstrating benefits of the data communications (datacomm) technology to the broader community by 2015.
In a move that took a lot of people within the business aviation community by surprise, the Carlyle Group recently announced that it planned to acquire Landmark Aviation, which with locations in the U.S., Canada and France, is among the world's largest chains of fixed base operations (FBO).
David Davenport (see photo) has been promoted to VP and regional operations manager of New York LaGuardia Airport-based FlightSafety International from manager of the Savannah (Ga.) Learning Center. Fabio Miguez was promoted to manager of the Columbus (Ohio) Learning Center from manager of the Detroit Metro/Toledo Center. He succeeds Chip White, who moved to the Gulfstream Learning Center. Daniel MacLellan has been promoted to regional operations manager and will continue as manager of the Dallas/Fort Worth Learning Center.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) battle over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing drags on. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) office maintains in a Sept. 23 filing that NASA and U.S. Defense Department funding to Boeing that the WTO found to be illegal subsidies has been removed. The USTR added that the State of Washington is modifying tax credits to Boeing to bring them into line with the WTO ruling and that the City of Wichita is also changing industrial bond rates to comply.
Mark C. Cherry has joined Aurora Flight Services, Manassas, Va., as president and chief operating officer. He succeeds Aurora founder John S. Langford, who will continue as chairman and CEO. Cherry was VP-corporate strategy and synergy at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
