The space shuttle Atlantis will deliver a pair of grease guns to the International Space Station next month that may be used one day to lubricate the balky mechanism that rotates its starboard solar array like a windmill to follow the Sun. But a little of the pressure to get the big solar alpha rotary joint (SARJ) moving again has been relieved, now that the ISS crew has replaced another Sun-tracking device that was also out of order.
New Israeli UAV designs will incorporate radar, visual and aural stealth, carry both short- and long-range missiles and, in time, serve as platforms for nonexplosive devices such as lasers and high-power microwave weapons. Israel’s largest designers and producers of unmanned aircraft—Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)—foresee the expansion of UAV use in the Israeli military and among its foreign customers, which have become a major source of revenue growth for both companies.
The Port of Seattle’s Aviation Div. represented 4.8% of the total air emissions associated with the airport, while the public’s portion was 11.4% in 2006, according to a new study on greenhouse gas emissions released by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The airport, which has been aggressive in reducing its carbon footprint, is using the study to help set goals as part of its environmental strategies.
EOS, a Novi, Mich.-based manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, says the technology is gaining acceptance among a variety of manufacturers because it can be tailored to individualized series production at less cost. The process uses a laser to heat and melt powdered plastics or metals layer by layer until a build is complete. Parts and tools are delivered directly from CAD data. The fact that the method lends itself to specialized production was attractive to 28% of those surveyed at recent German trade shows, EOS says.
As a milepost for the Royal Australian Air Force’s airborne early warning and control program, the first Boeing 737 modified there made a 2.5-hr. functional check flight from RAAF Base Amberley to verify air-worthiness.
Ian V. Ziskin (see photo), the Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp.’s chief human resources and administrative officer, has been inducted as a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources .
Anthony J. Reardon, who has been president of Ducommun AeroStructures, also will be president/chief operating officer of Los Angeles-based Ducommun Inc. and president of Ducommun Technologies. John J. Walsh, who was president of Ducommun Technologies, will be the corporation’s vice president-strategy and technology.
Chinese airline growth seems to be moderating in response to government controls announced in August. The country’s carriers transported 185.19 million passengers in 2007, 16% more than a year earlier. That’s a bit slower than the 16.7% growth seen for the first half of the year. Within the 2007 figure, passenger numbers rose 18.6% for international routes and 15.7% for domestic services. Cargo volume was up 13%, to 3.95 million tons.
France has named a team of Thales and Sabena Technics to provide the avionics upgrade for the air force’s C-130 Hercules airlifters. The goal is to modernize 14 C-130s. Upgrades in air traffic management systems are driving the French, and numerous other C-130 users, to pursue the enhancements. The industry team will devise the avionics package and build upgrade kits that will be installed at the military depot facility at Clermont-Ferrand.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials insist they are already well underway to addressing shortcomings in military performance during the 2006 Lebanon war that gain renewed attention with the publication of an independent commission’s review of the conflict.
Malmo Aviation is extending its lease on nine Avro RJ100s. The long-term lease extension will see the Swedish carrier, which is part of Braathens Aviation, continue to operate the BAE Systems Regional Aircraft RJ100 until the second half of the next decade. Routes covered from Malmo’s main hub at Stockholm’s Bromma airport include Gothenburg, Malmo and Umea. The airline is also considering a service between Bromma and Lulea.
In May, Air Canada, through its regional affiliate Jazz, plans to add four new daily nonstop routes in an ongoing effort to expand its U.S.-transborder network. On May 1, Washington National-Ottawa service is to start, with Jazz flying 50-seat Bombardier CRJs. On the same day, flights to the carrier’s Toronto hub begin operating from Austin, Tex., with Bombardier CRJ700s, and from Richmond, Va., with Dash 8s. On May 15, Chicago-Calgary service is to commence using Embraer 190 aircraft.
Gary Vroman (see photos) has been appointed president of Ladish Forging , Cudahy, Wis. He was vice president-sales. Douglas Roberts has been named general manager of sales and marketing. He was international sales manager and will be succeeded by Rodney Pergolski, who was senior sales engineer.
Scientists who waited 33 years for a new look at the planet Mercury will have plenty of work in the years ahead, digesting the take from the first flyby of NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, Geochemistry, and Ranging (Messenger) spacecraft.
U.S. Navy and Boeing officials are pondering a third multi-year contract for 170 additional F/A-18E/F Super Hornets (2010-13) that would bring the cost of each aircraft down to $49.9 million. Right now, the Navy is in the midst of its second multi-year buy (2005-09) of 210 of the strike fighters at $53.8 million each. Underlying the new funding initiative is an ongoing debate about one-seat strike aircraft (the E model) versus two-seaters (the more expensive F model), with a weapon systems officer in the back that also would drive up Navy manpower costs.
Iris recognition technology has been introduced at the U.K.’s Manchester Airport to manage employee access to restricted areas. An iris recognition camera system photographs the eyes of everyone passing through the restricted area and compares the unique images to ones held on record. Installation is scheduled to be completed by this summer.
Lance Griffiths (see photo) has been appointed radome design engineer for MFG Galileo Composites , Sparks, Nev. He was senior engineer in radio-frequency design for L-3 Communications in Salt Lake City.
Lufthansa and TUI have agreed to merge their low-fare carriers Germanwings and TUIfly. The group aims to harmonize schedules in mid-2009. Separately, Lufthansa is calling its new cargo affiliate AeroLogic. Ownership is split between the German group and DHL and is focusing on Asian routes.
The article “Alitalia Takeover Talks” (AW&ST Jan. 7, p. 37) was a great review of the confusing Alitalia (AZ) situation. But I found it counterintuitive that with the proposed revamp of the AZ route network, the focus is on Rome so Milan’s only AZ flights to North America would be through New York. This January’s timetable showed AZ service from Milan to Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, Newark and Toronto, while Rome surprisingly had only flights to Newark. Presumably, Milan’s heftier business traffic is the reason for flights to more North American gateways.
Airbus keeps shifting to the right the prospective in-service date of an A320 replacement, but company engineers are starting to more clearly define the technologies they favor for the new design. The aircraft, being worked on under the A30X label, will not feature a radical new configuration, says Louis Gallois, CEO of Airbus-parent EADS. Instead, the layout will be driven largely by the engine technology that Airbus selects.
British Airways is trying to head off any attempt by U.K. airport authority BAA to delay the introduction of tighter “customer service quality targets” at Heathrow. Last week, the Civil Aviation Authority held hearings on the BAA airport tariffs review. British Airways is seeking improved performance from the airport operator to help support the carrier’s push to improve punctuality at Heathrow.
The Boeing-National Reconnaissance Office imaging radar spacecraft that failed shortly after launch creating a falling debris risk indicates that trouble within the NRO Future Imagery Architecture (FIA) program has spread to the radar side of the highly secret project. The debris could impact anywhere between 58.5 deg. N. and S. Lat. in late February or early March.
NASA’s plan to put an outpost at the Moon’s south pole may need reevaluating after detailed mapping data comes in from the fleet of lunar orbiters in operation or on the way. Early radar interferometer data collected with the Goldstone Solar System Radar in California shows the terrain around the Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole is much more rugged than previously understood, with peaks in the 6,000-meter (19,685-ft.) range and slopes as steep as 25-35 deg.
AirTran Airways’ recent push into the Milwaukee market is just the first phase of its ambitious expansion plans for this year, as the low-cost carrier continues to defy the industry’s conservative growth trend.
Snecma is entering the final phase of testing on a core demonstrator that is expected to provide the French engine maker with an entree into the business jet market.
