Adm. Sir Raymond Lygo, the former chief executive of British Aerospace (now BAE Systems), died March 7. He was 87. The location and cause of death were not available. After retiring in 1978 from a 36-year career in the Royal Navy as a fighter pilot and ship commander, Lygo joined British Aerospace as managing director of its guided-missile manufacturing division. In 1983, he was recognized by Aviation Week & Space Technology for his efforts to promote private enterprise in the defense industry.
To discover where air service is growing in Africa, just follow the money—the yuan, that is. Airline industry observers have said Africa is “the next big story” in aviation, and air travel on the continent is growing, albeit from a very small base. But an examination of that growth shows that it correlates almost in lockstep with China's foreign direct investment (FDI) in the continent.
Giuliano Berretta (see photo) has joined Newtec, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, as an external member of its strategic committee. He is honorary chairman of Eutelsat Communications.
Air Berlin may now have a shareholder with strong financial backing, and it may now be a member of the Oneworld alliance. But Europe's sixth largest airline will have to make substantial changes in 2012 in order to become a viable business. The carrier posted a massive €271 million ($360.4 million) net loss in 2011, by far the worst year in its history. The airline's equity was reduced by more than half and stood at only €253 million at the end of December. The company will not be able to return to profitability until 2013 at the earliest.
After more than a decade of study, the Pentagon is finally moving forward with the development of a new, stealthy, long-range bomber. But the catch is a self-imposed cost goal of $550 million per aircraft, which senior Air Force leaders say they recognize as being hard and fast. Given a lackluster record of cost performance for recent Pentagon procurement programs, is it possible that a department so large and so used to spending so much money can rein in its appetite for something as critical—and potentially cutting-edge—as a new bomber?
USAF Cols. John T. Quintas and Clinton E. Crosier, have been nominated for promotion to brigadier general. Quintas has been appointed senior defense official and defense attache for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency in the U.K. He has been commander of the 48th Fighter Wing of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, RAF Lakenheath. Crosier has been named director of plans, programs and requirements at Headquarters Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale AFB, La. He was director of space forces, U.S. Air Forces Central, Air Combat Command, Southwest Asia.
Maintenance costs in the airline aftermarket are in the spotlight as seasoned players shift to different roles. Pemco World Air Services filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and Aveos Fleet Performance closed its doors last month as part of insolvency filing in Canada. Even Lufthansa Technik, one of the largest and most high-tech MROs in the world, needs to improve its declining margin, says its executive board chairman.
Engine spare parts not manufactured by the original equipment manufacturer may become harder to find in the future. While engine OEMs' assertive practices to expand their share of the engine aftermarket plays a big role, leasing companies, which own a growing part of the global fleet, are now playing a more dominant role, too
European Union emission allowance (EUA) prices declined in March on fading expectations that the regulator will intervene to withdraw supply from the market. EUAs for December 2012 delivery under the EU emissions trading system (ETS) fell as low as €6.93 ($9.25) per metric ton on March 22, down from €9.51 on Feb. 27, a drop of 27%. The fall in prices reflects fading expectations that the European Commission will be able to find agreement with EU member states on action to prop up low carbon prices by creating a set-aside of allowances.
I take issue with two recent articles, “Bigger Isn't Always Better” and “Restructuring Required” (AW&ST March 5, pp. 25 and 27), and countless others of this ilk. As one of the thousands of maligned airline pilots blamed for nearly every financial shortcoming in the airline industry, I am tired of reading that “Pilots must accept reality!”
Sanford “Sandy” McDonnell, former chairman and chief executive of McDonnell Douglas, died March 19 at home in Clayton, Mo. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. McDonnell was 89. The nephew of McDonnell Aircraft founder James McDonnell, he joined the company in 1948 and worked his way up to president in 1971 and CEO the following year. McDonnell led the effort to globalize the company and managed its sometimes difficult marriage with Douglas Aircraft.
Many MRO providers have shied away from VIP completions in the past, concerned about the complexity involved and skills needed. But lately, several companies have determined that this potentially lucrative sector will prove worth the effort. Ameco Beijing, ST Aerospace and SR Technics are prominent examples of MRO specialists now in the process of entering or growing in the sector. All face long-established competitors such as Lufthansa Technik or Jet Aviation, which have held quasi-monopolies in this niche market.
In yet another sign of Western aerospace's interest in cementing ties with the industry in China, Cessna is teaming with state-owned aerospace conglomerate Avic. The U.S. aircraft maker signed two separate agreements with Avic and its related companies in ceremonies in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on March 23. The first pact is to establish joint ventures “that will pursue various activities pertaining to the development of general aviation businesses in China, including the establishment of an aircraft service network in China,” states Cessna.
April 8-9—Sofema Aviation Service's Dubai Training. Jet Aviation, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. See www.sassofia.com April 12—Ninth Annual Aerolink Wales 2012. Chepstow (Wales) Race Course. See www.aerolinkwales.co.uk April 13—Society of Experimental Test Pilots' East Coast Symposium. NAS Patuxent River, Md. See www.setp.org/table/east-coast
Jason Gossett has received the Superior Achievement Award, presented by the Institute of Navigation in Manassas, Va. Gossett was recognized for his “ingenuity and airmanship leading to revamped airdrop procedures.”
The annual U.K. budget presented to Parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osbourne late last month had at least one unexpected announcement: a new virtual center for aerodynamics, to be funded over the next two years with £60 million ($94 million).
In 1981, during the space shuttle's maiden voyage, co-pilot Robert Crippen proclaimed, “We are really in the space business to stay.” Last week, another veteran astronaut, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, made a similar pronouncement, but under quite different circumstances.
In response to “Limiting Factor” (AW&ST March 19/26, p. 26), how is it that more than 50 years into the Space Age, we have yet to try out tests of “artificial gravity” using centripetal force? The idea goes back to Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Indeed, most proponents of deep-space flights (even in fiction) have assumed that providing a measure of “gravity” for the crew would be required.
Craters are ubiquitous in the inner Solar System. They exist on Earth, where they are obscured by erosion, and on the rocky (and icy) moons of the outer planets. Some are ancient—products of the period of “heavy bombardment” 4.1 to 3.8 billion years ago, when the planetary disk of debris around the Sun was coalescing into the bodies we see today. Others are newer, created by the random but inevitable collisions that occur when there is so much material hurtling around in space.
Japan Airlines became the second carrier to accept the 787 following a double-delivery ceremony at Boeing's Everett, Wash., facility on March 25. JAL is also the first to operate the General Electric GEnx-1B-powered version, and plans to inaugurate 787 services with a flight from Tokyo Narita to Boston on April 22. JAL will also use the 787 to open long-thin routes including Tokyo-Helsinki, Moscow and San Diego by year-end. Other destinations planned for the twinjet include Beijing, Bangkok, New Delhi and Singapore.
The German government plans to acquire a 15% stake in EADS, twice as much as previously planned. The German finance ministry set aside additional resources in the 2012 federal budget to enable the move. The government is already preparing the takeover of 7.5% of the shares that have been controlled by Daimler. A further 7.5% have been held by the Daedalus banking consortium. Following the transactions, Daimler will still own another 7.5% in EADS, which it is expected to keep. Once the deal is completed, Germany will own the same percentage as France.
Matthew Sandidge (see photos) has become senior sales manager for Russia for Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Ga. He was business development specialist in the same department, which also hired Trevor Esling as senior VP for Europe, Middle East and Africa. He held the same position at Cessna Aircraft Co. Steven Meng was promoted to sales manager for product support sales in Southern California from senior internal sales manager at Long Beach, Calif.
