Large aircraft do not "far exceed" compact automobiles in fuel efficiency as stated in Vermont Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie's Viewpoint (AW&ST Feb. 19, p. 66). A Boeing 747 gets 0.2 mpg.; an average five-passenger compact auto get 30 mpg. Doing the math then, a 400 passenger Boeing 747 operating 75% full gets about 60 passenger mpg. Similarly, a half-full five-passenger compact auto would get 75 passenger mpg.
US Airways has completed a $1.6-billion refinancing of the debt by which the former US Airways, merger partner with America West Airlines, exited bankruptcy protection in 2005. The new seven-year loan reduces the interest rate 1%, saving $16 million per year. More important, by putting off almost all amortization until 2014, it improves the carrier's cash position by $92 million per year in 2008-10 and $1.2 billion in 2011, reaching an aggregate benefit of nearly $1.5 billion in 2012. Without the restructured loan, maturities would have peaked in 2011.
British Airways and airport operator BAA plan to begin flights from Heathrow Terminal 5 next Mar. 27. Proving trials will start in September, and are scheduled to include the recruitment of 16,000 volunteer passengers to test the terminal's systems.
Gary Bosemer has been appointed director of avionics marketing of Landmark Aviation, Tempe, Ariz., William McAuliff general manager of its fixed-base operation in Rochester, N.Y., Donald Brookshire, Jr., general manager of the FBO at Fayetteville, N.C., and David Greer director of quality and organizational excellence at Associated Air Center, a Landmark company at Dallas Love Field. Bosemer was avionics and airframe sales manager, while McAuliff was airline manager for Landmark's predecessor Piedmont Hawthorne.
Finmeccanica forecasts revenues of €13.1-13.7 billion ($17.4-18.2 billion) this year, with an operating result of about €1 billion. A further increase is expected in 2008 with revenue reaching €14-14.7 billion and operating result of €1.05-1.17 billion. The projection comes as Finmeccanica posted a 158% jump in net profit in its 2006 results, although bolstered by some one-time income. Revenues for the year were €12.4 billion. The order book at year-end stood at €35.8 billion representing roughly three years of activity; order intake in 2006 alone was €15.7 billion.
Boeing has announced the team members that will help it pursue the next major procurement plum in NASA's exploration program: the $900-million production contract for the Ares I rocket's upper stage. Teammates include: United Technologies Corp. subsidiary Hamilton Sundstrand, Moog Inc., Northrop Grumman, Orion Propulsion Inc., Summa Technology Inc., Chickasaw Nation Industries, United Space Alliance and United Launch Alliance.
The U.S. Homeland Security Dept. plans to start testing air cargo screening technologies this spring at Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport, as part of the department's $30-million Air Cargo Explosives Detection Pilot Program. The Cincinnati program is designed to test the screening of significant amounts of cargo within an air cargo facility and will focus on assessing the flow and speed of cargo screening.
David Rosamond has become country manager for Russia for Denver-based CH2M Hill. He was country manager in China and has been succeeded by Al Brousseau, who was Northern Asia managing director.
U.S. Coast Guard HH-60J Crew The U.S. Coast Guard HH-60J crew that rescued an injured mountain climber off Devil's Thumb mountain in Alaska on Mar. 14, 2006, is the the first recipient of the Breitling Award for Aviation Heroism. The crew, led by aircraft commander William Timmons, included copilot Walter Horne, who was flying the aircraft, flight mechanic Karl Schickle and rescue swimmer John Houlberg, along with a three-man mountain rescue team. Dropping the team off on the mountain proved to be too dangerous an option owing to the weather.
Douglas O. Stanley of the National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, Va., has been named Region I Engineer of the Year by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. As the recipient for the area from Virginia to Maine, he also has been nominated for the AIAA National Engineer of the Year Award and will be inducted into the Engineer of the Year Society.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency released images of a gigantic solar flare Mar. 22. The pictures are the first to show magnetic fields and also high-temperature plasma produced from these flares, the agency says, adding that the observations will contribute to space weather forecasts. As the flare shot out at speeds of around 700 km./sec. Dec. 13, the high-resolution images were taken by the Solar B Hinode satellite using three instruments--its Solar Optical Telescope (whose picture is at left), its X-ray Telescope and its Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer.
The U.K. Defense Ministry is increasing its effort to understand the implications of the use of commercial chip sets in military platforms when exposed to background radiation, particularly at high altitude. Defense technology company Qinetiq has been contracted to conduct a five-year study of the vulnerability of computer components such as high-density memory, processors and micro-electromechanical systems. Areas where the research could be applicable may include high-altitude-endurance UAVs. At 60,000 ft.
India is seeking international partners for its space industry, and plans to use the upcoming International Astronautical Congress in Hyderabad for some serious matchmaking. The Sept. 24-28 gathering will include a heavier-than-usual focus on space business, and Indian space leaders hope they parlay that into new contracts. India developed its space infrastructure in relative isolation, frequently blocked from meaningful cooperation by missile-proliferation concerns and Cold War politics.
Boeing added 11 more 787 orders last week, bringing its total to 491 from 39 customers. Colombia's Avianca became the first South American carrier to join Boeing's list and eventually placed the twinjet on every populated continent. The order is for 10 787-8s with purchase rights for 10 more. Additionally, Prague-based charter carrier Travel Service ordered a single -8 with purchase rights for one more.
USN Adm. Timothy J. Keating has been appointed commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. He was commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, both at Peterson AFB, Colo. Keating has been succeeded by USAF Lt. Gen. Victor E. Renuart, Jr., who has been senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and is scheduled to be promoted to general.
The Israel Defense Force conducted a second flight test of the U.S.-Israeli Arrow II anti-missile interceptor on Mar. 26. The fly-out only trial to collect engineering data follows the Feb. 11 interception of a target missile.
BAE Systems has received a $37-million production contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide 41 ALR-56M radar-warning receiver systems for Air Force and Marine Corps C-130J transports. The system detects a broad range of radar signals and identifies and characterizes their origin as friend or foe.
Jon Armstrong has been named vice president of Jetera One-to-One Media, Ridgefield, Conn. He was a director of strategic planning at the Lockheed Martin Corp.
Tiger Airways says it hopes to order aircraft to supplement its thinly stretched fleet by the middle of the year. The company, which has 20 Airbus A320s in service or on order but plans a network stretching from China to Southeast Asia and across Australia, tells Dow Jones Newswires that, since Airbus can't produce enough narrowbodies, it might have to "look elsewhere."
A decades-old debate on roles and missions at the Pentagon is heating up with a renewed push by the Air Force to take over control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and concern the service may walk away from an agreement to jointly buy cargo aircraft with the Army. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley's proposal to name his service as the Pentagon executive agent for UAVs has sparked sharp criticism from the Army, which, according to a Pentagon source, is flying more UAV hours in Iraq than the Air Force.
Andy Rish has been promoted to quality assurance manager from maintenance planner for Empire Airlines, Hayden, Idaho. He will be succeeded by Jan Vernon, who has been head of engine performance monitoring and reliability for FedEx.
The first-phase U.S.-European Union agreement toward an open aviation area, approved unanimously Mar. 22 by EU transport ministers, is a small though hard-won step for the diplomats who negotiated it. It will take a few years to find out whether it is the giant leap for international aviation its backers hope it is.
Construction of the 40,000-sq.-meter (431,000-sq.-ft.) exhibition hall for the Singapore Airshow has begun with the launch of five 72-meter free-span beams. The air show will be held next Feb. 19-24 on a new 30-hectare (74- acre) site.
The record $100-million fine and guilty plea ITT Corp. agreed to for sending classified material to China is the kind of publicity the defense industry doesn't need as it seeks to liberalize U.S. export restrictions. The Aerospace Industries Assn. has been pushing for years to streamline technology control regulations and review processes. AIA believes it has been making some progress lately in the bowels of the bureaucracy.
Edward K. Ruth (see photos) has been promoted to principal director of the Launch Engineering and Analysis Directorate from systems director in the Space Launch Projects Directorate of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif. Former U.S. Rep. Robert S. Walker has been reelected to the board of trustees. He is chairman of Wexler and Walker Public Policy Associates of Washington and was a Republican congressman from Pennsylvania.
