Teri G. Marconi (see photo) has joined Northrop Grumman, Linthicum, Md., as sector VP and general manager of the Naval and Marine Systems Div. within the Electronic Systems sector. She was VP-business development and has been VP of combat avionics systems.
Teri Bristol and Maurice Georges have been named to the executive committee of the Amsterdam-based Civil Air Navigation Organization. Bristol, chief operating officer at FAA-ATO, was co-opted as a member at large, following the retirement of Rick Ducharme.
Last December, Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) bought labor peace with its machinists when it quietly negotiated a contract extension that will see it through a big buildup in deliveries of its popular 777 and 787 widebodies, peak deliveries in its 737 Next Generation narrowbodies and initial production and certification of the NG's successor, the reengined 737 MAX.
Aiming to remove politics from space policy—and attempting to get the attention of the presidential campaigns all but mute on space—some House Republicans introduce a bill that would overhaul the way NASA is funded and overseen.
Think tanks, analysts and politicians have been predicting the rise of Africa's economies and subsequent opportunities for air travel for many years. The forecasts, for various reasons, have often not turned into reality. But now it seems that foreign airline investors are gaining confidence in the region's growth potential.
The TBM 850 is a single-engine, 4-6-passenger turboprop-powered aircraft that replaced the earlier TBM 700 in 2006. Power is provided by a single 850-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D engine. The aircraft has a range of 1,585 nm. Through 2011, production totaled 260 aircraft; 418 more units are forecast for the 2012-21 period.
If the proposed EADS/BAE Systems linkup becomes a reality, the biggest aerospace and defense group in the world will be European. Although it would signify the culmination of a long consolidation process, such a milestone will be startling. Establishing a dual civil-military group significantly bigger than Boeing is no easy undertaking and should be assessed beyond the numbers alone: U.S. analysts tend to forget that Europe, despite solid achievements in the past 50 years, remains a complex mosaic of 27 EU members and additional nations such as Switzerland.
Cecilia Leung (see photo) has been named general manager of corporate communications at Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways. She was general manager of inflight services and general manager-international affairs at Dragonair.
Viking Air owns the manufacturing rights to a number of out-of-production de Havilland aircraft, including the DHC-6 Twin Otter. The Series 400 is an all-metal, non-pressurized, high-wing, twin-engine turboprop utility aircraft. In April 2007, Viking Air launched a program to restart production of the 19-passenger Twin Otter. The updated Series 400 incorporates more than 800 changes to the Series 300 and is now powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34s or optional PT6A-35s.
A Boeing 747-400 takes off from Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, one of many Asia-Pacific hubs where capacity constraints could be a major challenge to air traffic growth, as discussed in a special report beginning on page 40. Demand for flights is forecast to continue to rise in Southeast Asia, but airports in Singapore, Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta face congestion issues. In both Beijing and Sydney, new airports have been proposed to relieve the pressure on the primary facilities, but progress on these plans has been slow. Sydney airport photo.
Boeing says it is looking across the industry to develop systems installations for inflight cell phone, Wi-Fi connectivity and Internet access on 747-8s and 777s by the end of 2013
Launched in 2007, RUAG Aerospace's Do 228NG (Next Generation) is an updated version of Dornier's original Do 228 twin-turboprop. The aircraft is powered by 776-shp TPE331-10 engines and features other improvements such as a new glass cockpit, five-blade propellers and aerodynamic changes to the wing. The first RUAG-produced Do 228NGs were delivered in 2010. A total of 62 aircraft are forecast to be built during the 2012-21 period.
Robert Ferrante (see photo) has been tapped to become VP of Microwave Solutions of the Electronics Group of Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Redmond, Wash. He was VP and general manager for ITT Exelis Airborne Electronic Attack Div.
Using cockpit simulators for a Brazilian air force F-5 in Porto Alegre and an F/A-18E/F at its military aircraft headquarters in St. Louis, Boeing has demonstrated how it can link a network of simulators across distances as great as 5,000 mi. Boeing has been strengthening its manufacturing and technology ties with Brazil for several years in a number of areas, but nowhere more so than in its drive to demonstrate advanced systems capabilities and win the Brazilian air force's F-2X fighter competition.
Boeing is exhausting its management reserve on the U.S. Air Force KC-46A aerial refueler program faster than expected, and the program management team is investigating the cause as it assembles a revised cost estimate for Congress, says a senior Air Force official. Program overseers use management reserve funding to solve problems that typically crop up during development. Boeing officials say they expedited risk-reduction efforts on the program.
Most defense company executive teams are spending a lot of sleepless nights these days. Their worry: how to create shareholder value in a market with a gloomy long-term outlook. Defense and security budgets are heading south. “Sequestration” looms large on Capitol Hill. New program starts are few and far between. Internally, most companies' cost structures are bloated from a 10-year growth cycle, and organizational complexity is rampant.
The A340 is a four-engine, intercontinental, widebody commercial transport aircraft. A prototype flew in October 1991, and deliveries began in January 1993. The A340-200 and -300 were certificated by the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) in December 1992 and FAA in February 1993. Both are powered by four 31,200-34,000-lb.-thrust CFM56-5C4 turbofan engines. Two newer models, the longer-range A340-500 and the stretched -600, are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines. Typical seating for the -200, -300, -500 and -600 is 262, 295, 313 and 380 passengers, respectively.
Currently in development, the A350 is a twin-engine, widebody jetliner intended to compete with Boeing's 777 and 787. The A350 will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines rated at 74,000-92,000 lb. thrust and have a cruise speed around Mach 0.85. Three basic versions are being marketed: the -800, -900 and -1000. Depending on version, the A350 will seat between 270 and 350 passengers and have a range of 8,000-8,500 nm. An ultra-long-range version, the A350-900R, and a freighter, the A350-900F, are also planned.
The Australian company GippsAero is developing a 10-seat turboprop aircraft, dubbed the GA10, that is powered by a Rolls-Royce 250-B17F engine. The aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of 2,154 kg (4,750 lb.). First flight of a GA10 developmental prototype occurred in May 2012, with Australian type certification planned by mid-2013. GippsAero is also developing the GA18 twin turboprop, which is based on the N24A Nomad.
C. D. “Dan” Mote, Jr., has been nominated to become president of the Washington-based National Academy of Engineering for a six-year term. He is a past president and regents professor of the University of Maryland.
Launched in July 2008, Bombardier's CSeries family includes two basic models: the CS100 version, which is designed to carry 110 passengers, and the larger CS300 model, seating 130. The aircraft will be powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofans producing 21,000-22,900 lb. thrust each. Both the CS100 and CS300 are to be available in standard and extended-range versions, with the CS300 as an “extra-thrust” version as well. CS100 service entry is planned for late 2013, and the CS300 is to arrive about a year later.
Researchers from industry, academia and government agencies now have access to the Space Communications and Navigation (SCAN) testbed on the International Space Station (ISS). NASA's Glenn Research Center hopes to begin demonstrations as early as late next year of new waveforms and software designed to enhance data delivery from scientific spacecraft. Announcements of opportunity to use SCAN are on the street, with industry and government researchers invited to enter Space Act agreements, and academic researchers to propose cooperative agreements.
The A330 twin-engine, widebody commercial passenger transport was developed by Airbus to replace aircraft such as the A300, DC-10-10 and L-1011. An A330 prototype first flew in November 1992, with deliveries following in December 1993. Customers have a choice of turbofan engines in the 64,000-72,000-lb.-thrust class: the General Electric CF6-80E1, Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or Rolls-Royce Trent 700. Three A330 models are available. The A330-300 seats 335 passengers in two classes or 295 in three classes. The -200 seats 293 in two classes or 253 in three classes.
Kurt Edwards has been appointed director general of the Washington-based National Business Aviation Association. He has held positions in the FAA's international affairs and environmental offices.
