Innovation Solutions & Support of Exton, Pa., aims to build on its flat-panel cockpit retrofit program for Pilatus PC-12 aircraft by offering a system that can be installed on just the pilot’s side of the panel at about half the cost. IS&S has already retrofitted 30 PC-12s with full flat-panel systems, including either one 15-in. liquid crystal display for the left side of the panel and one for the right side, or two side-by-side 10.4-in. LCDs on each side of the cockpit.
Robert Binns (see photo) has been appointed CEO and Charles McDonald (see photo) as president of Global Aero Logistics Inc. , Peachtree City, Ga. Binns was executive vice president/chief commercial and planning officer, while McDonald had been executive vice president/chief airline officer. Jeff Sanborn has been promoted to chief marketing officer from vice president-market planning.
Richard Penshorn has become president/general manager, John Hartzler chief operating officer and Lloyd Landburg chief inspector for the King Aerospace Commercial Corp. , Ardmore, Okla.
The European Parliament this week is expected to approve a compromise that includes aviation in emissions trading, although airlines, some regulators and the green lobby are unhappy with the deal crafted late last month. The parliament is expected to pass the legislative proposal, with the European Council—the arm of European Union member states—likely to take the matter up in December. A European regulator says political pressure will ensure passage, even though some concerns persist.
United Airlines Capt. Rory Kay has been appointed executive air safety chairman of the Herndon, Va.-based Air Line Pilots Assn. Atlas Air Cargo Capt. Scott Schleiffer continues as vice chairman.
Despite the burst of the dot.com bubble, some entrepreneurs found a way to take off again. Literally, in the case of Ecliptic Enterprises Corp. Based in Pasadena, Calif., Ecliptic makes the RocketCam that provides real-time videos of rockets and space shuttle liftoffs and, increasingly, of satellite operations.
There’s a huge temptation to characterize the ill-fated $35-billion tanker procurement decision as a uniquely American soap opera. And now the high-profile drama has been given new life by the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s recommendation to reopen the competition opposing the KC-30 and KC-767. The Air Force’s “significant errors,” according to the GAO, involve the procurement process but apparently don’t question the merits of the Northrop Grumman/EADS offering.
Austrian aerospace supplier Future Advanced Composite Components is facing massive economic challenges as it feels the effects of some oft-delayed Airbus and Boeing programs. FACC recently posted a net loss of €10 million ($15.8 million) on sales of €251 million for its fiscal year 2007-08, which ended in February. The loss came in spite of €70 million in additional revenues and compares to a profit of €15 million a year earlier. “The result is in no way pleasing,” CEO Walter Stephan told Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Congress has bought itself three more months to figure out a way to reauthorize the FAA. Both the House and Senate approved a fifth extension of the agency’s regulatory and fee-charging authority late last month. FAA authorization ran out last Oct. 1, and the latest extension was due to expire June 30. Sen.
International Launch Services says design and procedural changes introduced for the Proton M/Breeze M should eliminate problems that sidelined the launcher three times in two years.
USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) Michael W. Wooley has been named to the board of directors of Washington-based Alenia North America . He was commander of USAF’s Special Operations Command and had been commander of the 3rd Air Force, RAF Mildenhall, England.
Kurtina Pollen has been promoted to customer communications manager from information technology partner for the Product Support Div. of the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. , Savannah, Ga.
The high scores achieved by aerospace and defense companies in this year’s Top-Performing Companies Study by Aviation Week & Space Technology reflect an industry that is near the peak of its cycle. Rarely, over the course of the industry’s history, have both the civil and defense markets been so strong at the same time. The study results reveal that as a group, the largest aerospace and defense companies improved their total scores by more than 10% to the highest level in the study’s 13-year history.
WorldSpace has come to an agreement with four holders of bridge loan and convertible notes to defer until July 9 payment of principal and interest on the notes initially due on June 30. Holders will receive an aggregate of 1.5 million warrants that can be converted into Class A common stock at $1.55 per share for five years from issuance. WorldSpace is struggling to remain solvent while it prepares to start up a European mobile digital radio service next year.
Boeing has delayed introduction of its fourth 787 flight test airplane into final assembly because a temporary worker at Global Aeronautica caused damage to the aircraft’s composite mid-section fuselage. The damage has been repaired and the incident is not a threat to the company’s revised schedule, which anticipates a first flight probably in late October and first delivery in the third quarter 2009.
Use of preconditioned mobile air units by Alaska Airlines at 19 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport gates will conserve more than 1 million gal. of fuel each year, says Kristin Fuson, a flight operations engineer who is also serving as manager of air unit installations. Alaska plans to install diesel-powered air units at Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland and San Francisco this year, more than doubling annual savings to 2.4 million gal. of fuel and $5.5 million.
Robert Crandall would support “government-supervised pricing discussions with the goal to establish minimum fares to cover full costs and produce a reasonable return.” Wow! What industry would turn that down? A government mandate that requires pricing that covers full costs and guarantees a “reasonable” return? I haven’t called Hollywood, but I’m confident they’re in. Real estate developers? The line forms to the left. Carmakers? Need we even ask?
Worldwide shipments of personal navigation devices in 2007 reached 30.7 million units—up from 13.3 million the year before, according to a study conducted by IN-Stat, a research organization that is part of Reed Business. The study found that lower prices, coupled with increased features and ample supplies, is fueling sales but the market faces competition from cell phones with embedded navigation systems. The global market for personal navigation devices is forecast to reach 68 million units in 2012.
Daniel B. Markind has joined law firm Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott in its Philadelphia office as a member of its aviation practice. He was general counsel to the Philadelphia International Airport and the city Mayor’s Office of Transportation.
The NTSB is helping investigate what caused a June 28 ground fire on an Airborne Express Boeing 767 that burned a hole through the crown of the aircraft above the forward galley area. The parked aircraft was loaded with cargo. The two crewmembers safety exited the 767 by the cockpit window, and firefighters extinguished the blaze.
Timothy P. Dowd has been appointed president/CEO of Input , Reston, Va. He was president of the Commercial Services Div. of U.S. Investigations Services.
