The letter from reader Ed T. Barron, “Fire-Fighting Guardsmen” (AW&ST June 25, p. 8), is a step in the right direction. However, a workable, cost-effective program to respond to the devastating wildfires in the U.S. will require a much more detailed plan.
Boeing and Japan's Big Three aerospace manufacturers—Fuji, Kawasaki and Mitsubishi—have reached an initial agreement on what they are calling a new form of academic-industry cooperation with the University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science (IIS). Their consortium will focus on industrial-scale manufacturing technology and processes. Earlly efforts will focus on machining and drilling process technology for titanium, aluminum and composite materials. The aim is for the IIS to tackle manufacturing issues that are common across different industries.
The Indian government faces a dilemma over whether to turn beleaguered Air India over to a private entity or allow the relic of state ownership to limp along in its zombie state. Privatization could be the only way to save Air India, says Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh. A pilot strike that held the government hostage for two months and bled the already cash-strapped airline of nearly 6 billion rupees ($110 million) finally reached resolution July 4. During the strike, the civil aviation ministry seriously considered divesting Air India.
Normally, manufacturers like to stack up orders at this time of year for a grand splash at one of the summer's big air shows, but not in FedEx's case. Boeing said last week that it has added 15 767 Freighters for FedEx to this year's order book, boosting total 767 orders to 19 and total net orders for all aircraft types to 440 as it heads for Farnborough.
Bell Helicopter has added suppliers to its Bell 525 Relentless program, the world's first “super-medium” helicopter. The Textron company signed agreements with Goodrich for ice-protection systems, Israel Aerospace Industries for passenger seating, Mecaer Aviation Group for landing gear, Kuka for major structure-tooling and Pacifica Engineering for rotor- and drive-tooling. GKN Aerospace and Triumph Group will supply airframe-structure, complex machining and composites.
Volga-Dnepr tends to plan on a supersized scale—it transports oversized cargo, such as a 60-ton truck-mounted pump—and considers its mission to be building “air bridges” across the world.
There is a subtle sea change underway in the fight for the multibillion-dollar twin-aisle airliner market. According to Boeing, the battle for range is over and the battle for production rate is about to begin.
The article “Going Out on Top” (AW&ST July 2, p. 31) was attributed to the wrong author. Northern California Bureau Chief Michael Mecham was the writer.
Chinese state-controlled Comac and ABC Financial Leasing have announced an order for 45 C919s, bringing the claimed number to 280 for the 158-seat airliner. The actual number of aircraft that the lessor has ordered is unclear, however, because Comac has previously counted options as orders, and even some of the orders have not been binding, according to industry officials who have seen the documents. For the same reason, the number of aircraft that Comac is definitively contracted to deliver, if any, is fewer than 280.
The Farnborough air show has seen a lot of “firsts” over the decades, and the appearance of the first passenger-carrying suborbital commercial spacecraft at this year's event in the U.K. will mark another. A full-scale replica of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is shown in an Aviation Week cover composite approaching the Farnborough airfield. The mockup will be on display, promoting the company's efforts to inaugurate passenger flights by the end of next year. A series of articles on the hot topics at Farnborough 2012 begins on p.
Embraer's foray into executive aviation is about to pass a significant milestone with the first flight of its Legacy 500 super midsize jet (above). Unlike the Legacy 600/650, which is derived from the ERJ 135 regional jet, the Legacy 500, and the Legacy 450, a shorter sibling also under development, are clean-sheet designs specifically intended for VIP service.
The commentary “Storm Over Weather Sats” by Air Force Gen. (ret,) Howell M. Estes, 3rd, (AW&ST June 25, p. 50) resonates with me. It is obvious why his opinions are not endorsed or sponsored by anyone in government or industry. But many of us in the aerospace industry share his outlook. In the past decade, we have seen a number of major programs where schedules were missed by years (not days or months) with cost overruns in the billions. The Airbus A380, Boeing 787, Airbus Military A400M and Lockheed Martin F-35 come to mind.
Keith Flail has been tapped as director of Military Program Office Operations at Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth. He was senior manager of business development for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
Operators of the G650, Gulfstream Aerospace's new 488 KTAS, 7,000-nm-range flagship, will first start flying their aircraft this summer, based upon flight-test program progress and operators' scheduled completion of initial G650 training at FlightSafety International in late August. Virtually all FAA-required certification flight tests had been completed in June except for 300 hr. of function and reliability flight-testing that is now in progress. This paves the way for FAA type certification in July or August, followed by entry into service in September, operators say.
The solution to England's inflight refueling problems for the Joint Strike Fighter F-35B on its new carriers is simple: work with Boeing to create a tanker version of the V-22. Torrance, Calif.
Senior Editor Graham Warwick's “More Bad News for Boeing's Unmanned A160” posting on the Ares defense blog received a spectrum of responses, including: CarpetCrawler noting: The U.S. Marines were early users of helicopters, forming their first helo squadron during the Korean War. With K-Max, the Marines once again lead the U.S. Army in rotary-wing aviation. Eric Palmer quoting: Richard P. Feynman (1918-88): “Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.”
Pairog Kiatthunsamai (see photo) has been named CFO of the Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel Association. He was assistant VP-financial planning and analysis at Generali Insurance.
Picture a group of senior Boeing executives cutting the ribbon on a new 737 plant in France, surrounded by adoring local officials and lauded by the chamber of commerce. The flip side of that fanciful vision occurred July 2 in Mobile, Ala., when Airbus ceremoniously announced that it will invest more than $600 million to establish a U.S. final-assembly factory for A320s, starting in 2015. The new line, which will employ more than 1,000, will join A320 assembly plants in Hamburg, Toulouse and Tianjin.
Pedro Mercado (see photo) has become national sales manager for interior refurbishments at Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga. He was a service center supervisor for interior refurbishment at Gulfstream's Long Beach, Calif., facility.
Europe may still be playing catch-up with the U.S. when it comes to unmanned combat air vehicles, but in some respects European companies already have more riding on the long-term future of these endeavors than do their North American rivals.
USAF Maj. Gen. Margaret H. Woodward has been assigned as chief of safety at USAF Headquarters at the Pentagon, and commander of the Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M. She has been special assistant to the deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements at USAF Headquarters. Maj. Gen. Sharon K. Dunbar has been assigned as commander of Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Md. She has been director of force management policy/deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services at USAF Headquarters. She will be succeeded by Brig.
Mike Clarke (see photo) has been appointed director of technical services at Rizon Jet, Doha, Qatar. He was sales and marketing director for sub-Sahara Africa at BBA Aviation.
