Through the ups and downs of its 30-year history, Virgin Atlantic Airways has been “amazingly successful” at establishing its brand, Chief Executive Craig Kreeger recently pointed out, although less successful at making money. The carrier’s highest profit was a pretax gain of £99 million ($162 million, at today’s rate) in 1999, Kreeger told The Wall Street Journal this month.
Aviation Week Senior Editor for Avionics and Safety John Croft samples the upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) techniques and aircraft used by the two main global providers, APS and Flight Research.
Aviation Week looks at the laser technology that the European Data Relay System (EDRS) will use to transmit data via geostationary satellites. EDRS aims to provide nearly uninterrupted data links to low-Earth-orbiting spacecraft and allow ground stations that need it most to receive information in near-real time.
For private equity-held defense contractors acquired during the height of military spending, current industry strategies are starting to diverge from the traditional investor thinking.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Robert V. Hoppa has been named director of U.S. Africa Command, based in Stuttgart, Germany. He has been deputy chief of staff for intelligence at International Security Assistance Force Headquarters and deputy director for operations and support for United States Forces-Afghanistan.
