•“The aircraft goes beyond 2g—which is well within what it is designed to take. I can't say the same thing about the passengers.” —Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief test pilot Mike Carriker on the 787's flying display •“LauncherOne will go around the world in 80 min. It's actually 90 min., but I thought that sounded better.” —Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson, unveiling the new LauncherOne smallsat system •“There will be a 319NEO for all those people that don't want to buy the CSeries.”
Also on the Ares blog, Defense Technology Chief Editor Bill Sweetman writes about collaboration between Sweden and Switzerland on the new JAS 39E/F version of the Saab Gripen. Hardcore says: It is interesting to compare the cockpit to that of the F-35. They look nearly identical, but I bet there are differences on the inside. Super cruise has replaced info on max speed. A logical step, of course.
Dave Franson has been promoted to president from executive director of the Wichita Aero Club. New board members are: John Ek, publisher of the Wichita Business Journal; Sean Weaver, executive VP-assurance services at Allen, Gibbs & Houlik; Rod Wilson, Goodrich Interiors; Stephanie Harder, manager of community affairs and internal communications at Cessna Aircraft Co.; Kim Nussbaum, publisher of The Wichita Eagle and David Van der Wee, VP-marketing, business and general aviation for Pratt & Whitney Canada.
July 31-Aug. 9—Fatigue Concepts. Aircraft Structures for Safety Inspectors and Engineers. Larkspur Landing, Sacramento, Calif. See www.fatcon.com Aug. 7-10—Association of Unmanned Systems North America 2012 Exhibition. Mandalay Bay Hotel. Las Vegas. See www.auvsishow.org/auvsi2012 Aug. 13-14—Bombardier 2012 Safety Standdown Latin America. Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo Hotel. See www.safetystanddown.com
Three veteran space travelers are settling in on return visits to the International Space Station, after their Soyuz launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Air Show Videos Check out these and other videos in the digital edition of Aviation Week on leading tablets and smartphones or go to AviationWeek.com/Farnborough. Engine problems forced Airbus Military to pull its A400M from the flying display for the second year in a row. But Europrop insists issues with its TP400 will not threaten the airlifter's scheduled 2013 entry-into-service. Watch the A400M in action.
MTU Maintenance Hanover has announced the repair of its 3,000th International Aero Engines V2500. The V2500, which powers the Airbus A320 family, was delivered to International Lease Finance Corp.
When major manufacturers invest in a technology demonstrator, they are not on a fishing expedition, hoping a far-out idea will prove to be a winner. They are looking for near-term benefits from preparing technology for a smooth transition to product development.
Michael Rossell has been appointed director of International Civil Aviation Organization relations at Montreal-based Airports Council International. As the U.K.'s permanent representative at ICAO, he was first VP of the council from 2011-12.
I realize that dramatic cover art is part of the “new look” by which Aviation Week & Space Technology seeks to boost readership. But remember—aviation professionals read your magazine.
In the case of the Air France Flight 447 crash on June 1, 2009, it seems that at the end of the day—after all the discussions concerning the competence of the crew, the instrumentation presentation in the cockpit and the design of the sidesticks—one thing is certain: If either a Boeing 767 or 777 had gone through this same weather and had the same pitot malfunction, both aircraft types would have arrived at their destinations safely.
Absurdities reign in the capital as pundits and politicians face an almost certain triggering of the Budget Control Act's sequestration cuts come January. First is the notion from the White House that the commander in chief would stand by while automatic budget cuts “devastate” his military—in the words of President Barack Obama's own Defense Department chiefs.
ST Aerospace's Scandinavian facility, ST Aerospace Solutions, and its joint venture company, Madrid Aerospace Services, are partnering to provide landing gear maintenance service for the Airbus A320 family, A330s and A340, along with Boeing 737NGs, MD-80s and MD-90s. Under the alliance agreement, the two companies will market their landing gear maintenance and engineering services together, drawing on customer bases of their respective parent companies, ST Aerospace and Iberia Maintenance.
LH Aviation's LH-10 Ellipse (AW&ST June 25, p. 10) borrows heavily from two largely forgotten forebears: Jim Bede's BD-5 for the design, and Al Mooney's M-18 Mite for the concept. I wish the company more success than its predecessors. Denver, Colo.
From the Farnborough air show, Managing Editor Joseph C. Anselmo blogs about domestic use of unmanned aircraft. It will likely be years before pilotless planes are in widespread commercial use, according to two top executives at UAV manufacturer General Atomics. ghemago asks: Has anyone done the math for the economic advantage? Blackwell, Brian says:
Joseph Rivera (see photo) has been tapped to become director of international operations at Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Ga. He was general manager of Bombardier Aerospace's Tucson, Ariz., service center. HONORS AND ELECTIONS
Collaboration between Sweden and Switzerland on the new JAS 39E/F version of the Saab Gripen multirole fighter is expected to firm up in August with the signature of a framework agreement between the Swiss defense procurement agency and Sweden's defense export organization. A ministerial-level letter of intent was signed in Switzerland on June 29. On the same day, Saab hosted a meeting to start the process of placing offset work in Switzerland, in advance of a formal development contract expected in 2014.
Boeing's 787 took to the skies at the Farnborough air show last week, marking the first time in 28 years one of the company's commercial transport aircraft had participated in an air show flight demonstration. The 787 was painted in the livery of Qatar Airways, which is expected to take delivery of the widebody jet next month. Boeing also scored a major order during the show from United Continental Holdings for 737 MAX jets—but rival Airbus, jet engine makers and helicopter manufacturers were hardly quiet. Reports from Aviation Week's on-site team begin on page 24.
