The U.S. avoided one catastrophe this summer when Congress raised the debt ceiling and averted default. But another calamity is waiting in the wings. If Congress does not intercede following the failure of its “Super Committee,” nearly $1 trillion in cuts will fall on the military—most of them mindless across-the-board automatic reductions that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says will “devastate” national security.
A Royal Air Force Hawk Mk 128 (top) flies in formation with a restored T-38 painted in U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds colors and owned by the Gulf Alliance. BAE Systems photographer Jim Wilson was perched open air in the tail gunner position of a B-25 during the Fort Worth Alliance Air Show in October. BAE brought two Hawks for an air show stint in the U.S. as part of its campaign with teammate Northrop Grumman for selection of a Hawk variant in the USAF T-X program to succeed the T-38C fast-jet trainer.
Regarding the Up Front column “Hawker's Future in China” (AW&ST Nov. 7, p. 14), similar to what the Gulfstream V did for Gulfstream, Hawker Beechcraft needs a “Hail Mary” play.
In response to your interview with National Reconnaissance Office Director Bruce Carlson (AW&ST Nov. 14, p. 56), here is my perspective as a retired U.S. Air Force general/program director and a vice president/general manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. What does an underrun mean to a contractor? Underruns translate to greater return on sales and profits, and higher earnings before interest and taxes. Underruns keep customers happy.
Reader Virgil Soule is correct that a low disc-loading tiltwing would be simpler and lighter than an equivalent tiltrotor (AW&ST Oct. 3, p. 8). The problem occurs in trying to transition from hover to forward flight. At low speeds when the wing is upright, it becomes a huge speed-brake making it nearly impossible to attain a high enough speed for the wing to translate down enough unstall.
I was a little surprised by your Top 10 A&D deals table (AW&ST Sept. 26, p. 28). It lists Snecma as being acquired by Safran in 2005 for $6.2 billion, but in fact Safran was created in 2005 by the merger of Snecma and Sagem. Snecma was the larger company, but the merger was structured as an acquisition by Sagem. The new group subsequently sold off Sagem's mobile phone and telecommunications businesses to focus on aerospace, defense and security. Paris, France
Wall also reported on the United Arab Emirates' invitation to Eurofighter to bid its Typhoon for its combat aircraft replacement and how this was another swipe by the UAE at Dassault and its Rafale offering. Taildragger responds: What Dassault needs is a well-trained and savvy sales staff and crew that also sells airliners. Wheel and deal! And SufaViper notes:
Kenneth L. Bedingfield (see photo) has been appointed Falls Church, Va.-based corporate VP, controller and chief accounting officer of Northrop Grumman Corp., succeeding Kenneth N. Heintz, who will retire next year.
Charles Schubert has been named VP-network planning and Andrew Backover VP-corporate communications at American Airlines. Pedro Fabregas was selected as senior VP-customer service for American Eagle. Schubert succeeds Walter Aue, who will retire after 37 years with the company, and Backover follows Roger Frizzel, who left the company. Fabregas replaces George Hazy, who will retire after 32 years.
Luis Gomes has joined Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., Guildford, England, as director of the Earth observation and science unit. He was head of business for the unit.
Benet Wilson (see photo) has been named director of media relations for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Frederick, Md. She joins AOPA from Aviation Week, where she was online managing editor for business aviation and a reporter for The Weekly of Business Aviation.
Arlene Wilson (see photo) has been appointed program assistant for the University of Central Florida Business Incubator at Daytona International Airport, Daytona Beach, Fla. Wilson held an administrative position for ITT Community Development Corp.
William Cikos has become director of finance and administration for Purolator International, Jericho, N.Y. He was director of finance responsible for Europe, Middle East and Africa for the Estee Lauder Companies.
Mason Peck has been named NASA's chief technologist through an intergovernmental personnel agreement with Cornell University, where he is an associate professor in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He succeeds Robert Braun, who returned to his teaching and research positions at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
David Surley (see photo) has joined Cambridge Airport in England as senior business manager. He was head of customer services and route development at London Oxford Airport.
Bryan F. McCreary has become VP-fluid and business development for Integrated Deicing Services, Manchester, N.H. He was North American business manager for Clariant Corp.
Nicole Goodstein (see photos) has been named director of Global Total Rewards for Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga. She was director of Global Benefits at Cisco Systems. Jeff Patterson has become a senior manager for product support sales and Mark Bennett manager of community relations. Patterson was technical sales manager at West Star's Dassault Falcon facility, and Bennett worked for Alabama Power Co. and Delta Air Lines.
Johnson Yan has joined Quantum3D, San Jose, Calif., as VP-engineering. He was senior VP-sales and business development at Jile Systems and VP-marketing and business development at Silicon Motion.
Derek Sharp has become president and managing director for the Americas at Atlanta-based Travelport. He comes from Electronic Data Systems/HP Enterprises Services.
David Neeleman, chairman of Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras, has received the 2011 Federico Bloch Award, given by the Rio de Janeiro-based ALTA, the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association. The award honors a leader in Latin America and Caribbean aviation who exemplifies the leadership, courage, character and vision of TACA's late CEO, Federico Bloch. Mauro Kern, Embraer's executive VP-engineering and technology, received the Rolim Amaro Award for emulating the customer-focused standards of Rolim Amaro, CEO and founder of TAM Airlines.
Mary L. Zuckerman has been elected chair of the Detroit's Wayne County Airport Authority. She is executive VP and chief operating officer for the Detroit Medical Center.
Hong Kong Airlines and subsidiary Hong Kong Express will over the next four years receive 51 aircraft, almost three times the 18 they now operate, including 21 of 30 Airbus A320s ordered in 2007. The remaining aircraft to arrive will be 30 widebodies. Setting out its fleet plan, the HNA Group says that in 2012, it will receive 14 aircraft (six A330s and eight A320s). In 2013 a further 18 aircraft will arrive: eight A330s, eight A320s and two A380s.
Finmeccanica plans to hold a previously unscheduled board meeting as soon as this week, following news reports of a corruption inquiry that involves one of its highest executives. Lorenzo Borgogni, group external relations director and one of the closest advisers to company Chairman Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, is accused of bribing an Italian politician using company money. As of last week, he had stepped aside. Meanwhile, a manager at Finmeccanica subsidiary Selex Sistemi Integrati has been arrested on charges of accounting fraud.
