Senior Engineer, Mechanical Systems, ITT Exelis, Age 35 After joining ITT Exelis as a mechanical engineering intern in 2002, Robert Hammerquist began a quick rise through the ranks. He earned his master's degree in mechanical engineering in 2005 while working full time, and four years later was promoted to his current position as senior engineer-mechanical systems, ahead of the normal requisite years of experience.
I was hired to design a helicopter for power-line patrolling and agricultural use such as spraying and seeding. That is what I did, and China was the place that needed it. This helo has no hardened components for military use; you can knock it out of the sky with a rock.
Jeff Poole has been appointed director general of the Amsterdam-based Civil Air Navigation Services Organization, effective Jan. 1. He is director of government and industry affairs of the International Air Transport Association.
Program Manager, Colony II Bus, Boeing Phantom Works Advanced Space and Intelligence Systems Age 34 Described by Boeing leadership as a “dynamic, innovative young professional,” Wong is responsible for cost, schedule and technical execution of 20 small 3U nano satellites to support cost-effective access to space for multiple customers and payloads. So far, she has delivered 10 space-qualified nanosats, with the rest scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2012.
James Curtis (see photo) has been named sales director at Independence, Kan.-based Kansas Aviation. He has held managerial roles ranging from direct aircraft maintenance to aviation sales and maintenance, repair and overhaul business development.
While the severe falloff in sales has been disastrous for Mooney and other lightplane makers, a supplier integral to their products seems better, ahem, propped, for the downturn.
Phil Saunders (see photo) has been named to receive the 2011 Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson Aerospace Vehicle Design and Development Award, presented by the San Diego-based Society of Aerospace Engineers International. A retired Northrop Grumman chief engineer, Saunders drove innovations used in the B-2 stealth bomber and X-47B unmanned combat aircraft.
An aging workforce, limited supply of newcomers and increased certification requirements are adding up to a looming pilot shortage, contends a new white paper by the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI). Industry will need 82,800 pilots over the next two decades but will have a smaller pool. And the regulatory environment is becoming tougher, as Congress has moved to require more training for commercial pilots, which adds cost. Under the most stringent requirements—a 1,500-hr.
Vice President of F-35 International Programs, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Age 39 Rambeau's direct boss calls him “an inspired business manager whose unique combination of skills and experiences make him an effective leader, business strategist and technologist.”
In response to a recent Feedback letter (AW&ST Oct. 1, p. 10), I disagree with reader Maris Lauva's opinion that a proposed NASA program for permanent human presence in space is a “pipe dream.” This “taxpaying peasant” would agree to an increase in taxes if NASA would put 535 “elite” denizens of Washington into deep space! Jacksonville, Fla.
Keith Kellogg has become president of San Diego-based Cubic Corp. subsidiary Abraxas. He has held executive assignments with CACI International and the Oracle Corp.
Boeing is expecting a sole-source contract for the initial USAF purchase of laser-guided small-diameter bomb (SDB) weapons, according to Kristen Robertson, who heads the program for the company. Air Force Special Operations Command intends to buy the weapons for use on the AC-130W gunship. This contract is expected to call for delivery of weapons suitable for engaging non-maneuvering targets within 10 months, with the moving-target version following two months later.
Chief Functional Engineer, AE 3007 Engines, Rolls-Royce, Age 37 During his 13 years with Rolls-Royce, Moser has been active in fielding several AE 3007 derivatives including the A1E and A2 for the Embraer ERJ 145XR and Legacy 650, and most recently the C2 for the Cessna Citation X.
