The future of Virgin Atlantic has been one of the big unknowns in the European air transport sector. Now it seems it might join forces with Delta Air Lines, a move that would have repercussions far beyond the two players.
As North Korea prepares to launch a satellite, over the objections of the U.S. and the United Nations, a test of the missile-defense system designed to protect the U.S. against an attack from the Korean peninsula was delayed again. The Defense Department is moving assets into the Pacific region to monitor North Korea's launch, which Pyongyang says is slated to take place Dec. 10-22. Assets include Navy destroyers as well as intelligence-collecting aircraft outfitted to detect a launch and characterize the missile's capability once lofted.
I would like to expand a bit on a point made by reader Alex Torralbas (AW&ST Nov. 26, p. 10), which was written in reaction to a statement attributed to a manufacturing executive about sidestepping unions, in “Made in the U.S.A.” (AW&ST Oct. 29, p. 46). Torralbas decried that sentiment and made several salient points. I would like to add that if workers are treated as commodity blunt objects, you will inevitably drive off the real talent and destroy the magic that creates innovative ideas on the assembly line and in the products.
Boeing is investigating the failure of a main electric starter/generator on a newly delivered United Airlines 787, which forced the crew to divert to New Orleans on Dec 4. United Flight 1146 from Houston to Newark, N.J.,, with 174 passengers and 10 crew, landed safely. Although the crew initially suspected the aft electrical and electronics (E/E) bay as the source of the problem, Boeing confirms that inspections made after landing revealed no signs of fire or arcing.
John R. Reimers (see photo) has been named CEO of Sandpoint, Ind.-based Tamarack Aerospace Group. He was CEO and president of Aviation Partners Boeing.
It's been a tough trail to blaze, but this December, as Boeing marks the third anniversary of the first flight of the 787, the evidence suggests the twinjet program has officially turned a corner. Production is stepping up smoothly and is now halfway toward a target of 10 per month by the end of 2013; assembly is underway of the first 787-9; deliveries are accelerating and, most important, the aircraft has been well accepted by airlines and passengers alike.
After weeks of increasing disputes about everything from benefits for gay engineers to pay scales for young workers, contract talks between Boeing Commercial Airplanes and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (Speea) were called off by mutual agreement until after the New Year.
The U.S. aerospace industry shrugged off talk of doom and gloom in 2012 as rising demand for civil aircraft more than offset slower military sales, and employment held steady. Total industry sales are projected to rise 3.4% this year to nearly $218 billion, according to the Aerospace Industries Association's (AIA) Annual Year-End Review and Forecast. AIA projects that U.S. civil aircraft sales will rise 14% this year, to $60.6 billion, surpassing military aircraft revenues, which are seen declining 2% to $58.2 billion.
Boeing has completed operational checkout of the U.S. Air Force's GPS IIF-3 and it is now part of the 31-global-positioning-satellite constellation that serves military and civilian users. The satellite is the third of 12 ordered from Boeing. Six of the nine to be completed are due to be finished by year-end and the other three in 2013.
Jeffrey S. Moorad has been named vice chairman and chief negotiation officer of Tyler, Texas-based CyberSEATS for Entertainment, Arts, Travel and Sports. He was CEO of the San Diego Padres.
After a crash-sprinkled early history of trial and error, the developer of a modern reinterpretation of the autogyro is reporting progress in flight testing. Carter Aviation Technologies says it has achieved lift-to-drag ratios greater than 12—flight efficiencies 2.5 times that of a helicopter—in tests of its four-seat Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) prototype.
China has begun landing J-15 fighters on its first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, following an earlier announcement that pilots had taken off from the ship. Five pilots have landed and taken off from Liaoning in the Bohai, a sea in northern China, state media report. The ship's arrestor gear is of entirely Chinese design, according to the reports, but they also say the J-15 is all-Chinese. The aircraft, built by Shenyang Aircraft, is a copy of the Russian Sukhoi Su-33.
Joseph P. Krolak has joined Waterbury, Conn.-based People's United Bank as VP-sales and aviation finance. He has held executive positions with National Aircraft Finance Co., Webster Capital Finance and Textron Financial.
Engineers do not expect three small cracks that appeared in the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle pressure vessel to delay the planned first flight of NASA's next human spacecraft in 2014. The cracks in three adjacent radial ribs machined into the aft bulkhead did not go all the way through, and the vessel continued to hold pressure after the cracks appeared when pressure reached 21.6 psi, according to a NASA spokeswoman. Orion's normal operating pressure is 14.7 psi.
William C. Kircher (see photo) has been named VP of Pratt & Whitney's Singapore Overhaul & Repair. He was general manager for the company's engine overhaul facility.
Christopher Kelly has been named head of human performance at Symbiotics Ltd., Tewkesbury, England He has been involved in the Human Factors Integration Defense Technology Center Research program.
Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport is denying reports that it has lost Indian air force (IAF) competitions for heavy-lift transport helicopters and refueling aircraft. A senior Indian defense official indicated in October that Boeing's CH-47F Chinook had emerged as the lowest bidder for the helicopter deal, besting an upgraded Russian Mi-26T2 after life-cycle costs were calculated. At the same time, there also were reports that the Russian Ilyushin Il-78MK-90 aerial tanker aircraft had lost to the Airbus A330 MRTT.
Dec. 11-13—Middle East Business Aviation. Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Call +44 (208) 846-2740 or +971-4603-3300 or see www.meba.aero Jan. 7-10—AIAA's 51st Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition. Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention, Grapevine, Texas. See www.aiaa.org/asm2013 Jan. 9-10—Fourth Annual China Aerospace Manufacturing Summit. Post Hotel, Harbin City. See www.galleonevents.com/2013CAMS
