Orazio Ragni (see photo) has been named CEO of Avio , Turin, Italy. He succeeds Luca Zacchetti, who has left the company. Ragni was CEO of Valeo Electrical Systems.
Admittedly, politics can be entertaining, but get this: More members of Congress list their profession as entertainer or actor than engineer. By contrast, former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman R. Augustine notes, the predominant backgrounds of the ruling class in Beijing are scientist and engineer. Speaking to the Washington Space Business Roundtable last week, Augustine proffered another shocker: The top three undergraduate schools of doctoral candidates in engineering in the U.S. are not American colleges but institutions in China and South Korea.
A Mobile, Ala., company will install a test-cell diffuser on the new A3 test stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center to permit simulated high-altitude tests of the J-2X engine for the planned Ares I crew launch vehicle. American Tank and Vessel Inc. won a five-year, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for the work, which will equip the new stand to generate steam at about 4,620 lb./sec. and reduce test-cell pressure with it. The facility will be able to simulate startup altitudes as high as 100,000 ft.
Passenger numbers in Europe continue to decline faster than many carriers anticipated, with Air France-KLM now scrambling to catch up and implement measures to ride out the current downturn.
One of the hybrid wing concepts uses tail surfaces to shield noise, as described in “Shaping the Future” (AW&ST Feb. 2, p. 50). The concept team should check to what degree the broadband-radiated acoustic vibration from the exhaust would impact the fatigue life of the tail’s skin and substructure. An open rotor would broaden that band even more. Is there a sound-absorbent material that could be applied to the skin, such as an acoustical equivalent to a radar-absorbent material coating?
Detlef Muller-Wiesner, chief operating officer for innovation/deputy chief technical officer of EADS, has been elected chairman of the advisory board of aeronautical think tank Bauhaus Luftfahrt of Munich. He succeeds Frieder Beyer, former CEO of Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg. Other members of the board are: Josef Gropper, CEO of Liebherr; Erich Steinhardt, head of technology and advanced products at MTU Aero Engines; and Gerd Gruppe, head of innovation, research and technology at the Bavarian ministry of economic affairs.
I almost totally agreed with Pierre Sparaco’s European Perspective “Runways Are Forever” (AW&ST Feb. 2, p. 46) until he says government’s real mission is “. . . providing runway capacity and other facilities to the airline industry.” They are not only for the airline industry. That’s the approach that constantly derogates general aviation. It’s the same thing as saying government’s mission is to provide streets for buses and trucks, leaving all individual business and pleasure traffic behind.
Liberty Media’s $530-million rescue last week to help Sirius XM avoid bankruptcy leaves room for the satellite radio provider to come up with a better deal. And that means a bidding war could yet emerge for the troubled company. Liberty made $250 million available to Sirius right away to retire $175 million in debt due last week, but a second loan—to the old XM subsidiary—has to go through for Liberty to get its 40% stake in Sirius. The company tells securities regulators in an 8-K filing that a clause in the deal gives Sirius until Apr.
Mounting order cancellations and deferrals are leading Embraer and Airbus to implement sweeping changes in production plans. Less than a year ago, both manufacturers were scrambling to boost output to keep up with surging demand. Now, the question is whether cuts are being made fast enough to keep pace with the shrinking orderbooks.
Air Arabia reports that its profit for 2008 increased 35.6% to 510 million United Arab Emirates dirhams ($139 million) on a 61% increase in revenue. The airline’s management saw a 33% increase in passenger volume, delivering an average load factor of 85%. Total passenger numbers reached 3.8 million. Chairman Abdullah bin Mohammad Al Thani acknowledges the effect current economic turmoil is inflicting on the financial performance of airlines globally this year, but the carrier has not provided guidance on its expected performance for 2009.
Mar. 3—Aviation Week Laureate Awards Dinner. Andrew Mellon Auditorium. Washington. Mar. 11-12—Defense Technology & Requirements. Washington. Apr. 22-23—Aviation Week MRO Military Conference. Dallas. Oct. 1—Green Europe. Hamburg, Germany. Dec. 8-10—Aviation Week MRO Asia. Hong Kong. Mar. 18-19—Aircraft Data Management. San Diego/Phoenix. Mar. 26-27—ADS-B Management Forum. Washington.
Peter B. Teets, former U.S. Air Force undersecretary and director of the National Reconnaissance Office and retired president of the Lockheed Martin Corp., has been named to receive the Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation ’s Gen. James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award on Apr. 1, during the 25th National Space Symposium. Teets was selected for contributions to manned and unmanned access to space that have benefited national security and space programs. Hill was a longtime chairman of the foundation.
Lockheed Martin says more than 70 partnerships with Italy’s industrial base have been implemented and are projected to provide more than $2 billion in long-term economic impact to the Italian economy. The Italian Defense Ministry confirmed that the company met related requirements for Italy’s acquisition of 22 C-130J aircraft five years ahead of schedule, the company said Feb. 17.
Mar. 3-4Technology Training Corp.’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Conference. San Diego Sheraton Hotel & Marina. Call +1 (310) 563-1210, fax +1 (310) 563-1220 or see www.ttcus.com Mar. 4-6—University of Westminster Aviation’s Seminar: “Marketing & Market Research for Air Transport: Practical Techniques and Strategies.” London. Call +44 (207) 911-5000 ext. 3344, fax +44 (207) 911-5057 or see www.westminster.ac.uk/transport
Whether an engine is burning 100% kerosene or a 50-50 mix with alternative fuels, it will still produce essentially the same amount of carbon dioxide. So how can one conclude that “alternative fuels will be the only way to achieve zero emissions growth” (AW&ST Feb. 2, p. 35)?
South African Airways is facing tough challenges beyond just achieving a financial turnaround, as the airline tries to leave behind scandals including the ouster of its chief executive over alleged corruption and drug-trafficking by crew.
As the Obama administration considers the best strategy for conducting the war in Afghanistan, former top Pentagon leaders advise a go-slow policy—at first. Shifting U.S. spending, military and political priorities from Iraq to Afghanistan will probably take a couple of years and it is important to “start with a strategy first,” says Jack Keane, a former Army vice chief of staff. The retired four-star general, an early proponent of the U.S. surge in Iraq, notes that previous officials did not get the strategy right at first in Iraq.
Hido Egawa has been appointed to succeed Nobuo Toda as president of the Japan-based Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. as of Apr. 1. He has been a director and senior executive vice president of parent company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Toda will become vice chairman of MHI.
David Bailey (see photo) has been appointed Burbank, Calif.-based senior director/chief engineer for the 787 program at Crane Aerospace & Electronics , Lynnwood, Wash. He was head of engineering for Dunlop Aerospace Braking Systems.
Debates on the future of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps VH-71 presidential replacement helicopter program could be a “key” test for U.S.-exposed companies, according to analysts at Exane BNP Paribas Capital Goods Team. “This could imply that more programs could come under scrutiny as the U.S. state deficit rises under the pressure from the economic downturn and the U.S. stimulus plan.” For instance, they said, it could impact BAE Systems and Cobham. The analysts in a Feb.
Italy, France and Germany are starting work on the radar and optical components of Europe’s next-generation satellite surveillance system, which is expected to enter service toward the middle of the next decade.
