After a management shakeup at Boeing’s beleaguered aerial refueling tanker team, the new program manager says he’s sticking with the company’s 767-200LRF offering for the next round of the Air Force replacement tanker competition. Dave Bowman, the former C-17 program manager, says the Pentagon’s operational concept hasn’t changed and will still drive operators to the smaller Boeing aircraft.
Airships are an old idea that refuses to be grounded. The latest to refloat the concept is Boeing, which has teamed with a Canadian company to develop a commercial heavy-lift aircraft that is part airship, part helicopter. Calgary, Alberta-based SkyHook International has hired Boeing’s helicopter division in Philadelphia to design, build and certificate the JHL-40, a 302-ft.-long neutrally-buoyant airship with four Chinook rotor systems that will vertically lift a 40-ton payload and carry it 200 mi. without refueling.
GAMA reported its members shipped 399 piston engine aircraft during the first quarter of this year, which was down 28% from the same quarter in 2007, continuing a decline that saw that segment fall by 2.9% last year over 2006.
What can travelers do to pull the airline industry out of its dive before it’s too late to avoid government regulation? Without the free market and its “horizon” of reality, the industry will be left to crash in the well-meaning but disoriented gloom of political consensus.
Brake control software and mid-fuselage section completion work on the second Boeing 787 are now the major pacing items for first flight on the new twinjet, but neither threatens to delay certification or first deliveries in 2009, says Pat Shanahan, 787 vice president and general manager. Brake system control developer GE Aircraft Systems has “had to . . . rewrite portions of the software, and it is the re-verification that’s put it on the critical path,” he adds.
Estonian Air has chosen Aviareps as its agent in Russia. The company will handle all sales, marketing and ticketing activities on behalf of the airline. Estonian operates three flights weekly from Moscow to Tallinn using a Boeing 737-500. Both the airline and Aviareps consider Russia to be an important, growing aviation market, says Oliver Kuechler, COO of Aviareps. Founded in 1994, Aviareps has offices in more than 30 countries and handles airline and tourism accounts for more than 70 carriers and 75 clients.
At the 2005 Paris air show, Bombardier launched a highly-publicized campaign to win a launch customer for its proposed CSeries passenger jet. It couldn’t reel one in, and within months the project was written off as dead by most industry pundits.
Robert Mauracher (see photo) has become vice president-business development for Viking Air Ltd. , Victoria, British Columbia. He was CEO of Hawaii Island Air and had been vice president/general manager of business and regional aircraft services for Bombardier Aerospace.
European astronauts who helped set up the Columbus laboratory module earlier this year expect daily life on the orbiting facility—and training for those preparing to serve there—to change once assembly is completed and a six-person crew settles down to scientific experimentation.
Richard B. Lewis, 2nd, has become executive director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lean Advancement Initiative . Thomas Farmer, who is president of Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, has been named industry co-chair.
General Electric is launching an advanced “eCore” engine-technology strategy aimed at countering Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan but, along with CFMI partner Snecma, is backing away from its plan to make an open rotor development decision in 2011.
USAF Brig. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke, 3rd, has been appointed assistant deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs at the Pentagon. He has been deputy director of the Air National Guard. Col. Carlton D. Everhart, 2nd, has been selected for promotion to brigadier general and appointment as deputy director for intelligence and air, space and information operations for flying training at Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Tex. He was the command’s inspector general.
I understand the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), like every other agency or company, is trying to maximize its effective use of equipment and personnel. But in the article “Explosive Mitigation” (AW&ST June 23, p. 59) John M. Doyle writes: “That might indicate TSA is wasting time and effort looking for explosives that—while dangerous to those in close proximity—are too small to bring down an airplane.” Is this to suggest there is a limit on acceptable size for flying in an aircraft cabin?
The first batch of scientific papers from the Jan. 14 flyby of NASA’s Messenger (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) reports the discovery of huge volcanoes on the closest planet to the Sun, and settles once and for all the question of what produces Mercury’s magnetic field.
Ciel Satellite of Canada says it has received final approval from Industry Canada to develop six new orbital slots. The slots, which received a preliminary green light in June 2007, include a pair of Ka-band positions at 91 deg. and 109.2 deg. W. Long., three 17-GHz. BSS slots at 91, 103 and 107.3 deg. W.; and a 17-GHz. BSS position at 138 deg. W.
TAP will be evaluating inflight passenger communications services for the next six months on operations of one of its Airbus A319s to European cities. The Lisbon-based carrier introduced Mobile OnAir Swift Broadband service this month. Passengers will be able to send and receive voice calls and e-mail and text messages on BlackBerry-type devices and mobile phones. The system allows the flight crew to control length of time and mode of service (text or e-mail) being offerred to passengers.
David Seymour has been appointed vice president-technical services for US Airways . He succeeds Hal Heule, who will be retiring Sept. 30 as senior vice president-technical operations.
Delivery of Martian water ice to the Phoenix lander’s organic chemistry instrument remains the highest priority task for Martian surface operations this week.
The June 16 and 23 issues had outstanding Viewpoints by Robert Crandall and Alan Stern. They were forward-looking, tackled important issues and presented different ideas. Perhaps as important I agreed with each of the writers. I hope for more stimulating ideas.
Pratt & Whitney is formally launching its common core-derived future engine family at the Farnborough air show under the PurePower banner, with the first members being the PW1000G geared turbofan (GTF) and the PW800 business jet engine.
Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. (New York), Douglas Barrie (London)
When industry professionals and government representatives are gathering at Farnborough from around the world July 13-18, there will be justifiable cause for celebration: Britain’s notable contributions to aviation; the 60th anniversary of the Farnborough air show; and commemoration of 100 years since the first powered flight in the U.K. by Samuel Cody. But this celebratory mood may be muted by a near-term industry outlook that is mixed, to say the least.
BAE Systems is expected this week to unveil its Mantis long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle concept using the platform of the Farnborough air show. The UAV design is intended to meet intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements, and could be a competitor to the General Atomics Predator B for U.K. Defense Ministry procurements.
Kenny Bieker has become manager of facilities for the Salina (Kan.) Airport Authority . He was a construction manager for the BWR Corp. at the Salina Municipal Airport and Airport Industrial Center.
