Michael A. Ward has been appointed senior general manager of the maintenance facility at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. He was CEO and president of EAS Completions.
News that Airbus is close to announcing it will set up a final assembly plant for its A320 jet in Mobile, Ala., is reverberating across the aerospace industry. The move would give the European airframer a manufacturing beachhead in rival Boeing's home market (p. 33). And French labor unions can't be pleased: Workers in southern, non-union U.S. states don't expect 35-hour workweeks and eight weeks of vacation per year, and can be laid off more easily when hard times hit.
Rick Larsen has joined , Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., as associate VP-marketing, corporate and alumni relations in the Institutional Advancement Div.
Frank Morring, Jr.'s “War Stories” commentary (AW&ST June 4/11, p. 21) spurred a memory of John Glenn. Shortly after his record July 16, 1957, supersonic transcontinental flight in a photo-reconnaissance Vought F8U-1P Crusader (redesignated RF-8A in 1962), the Crusader was the highlight of several air shows, including an aerial display at Masters Field in Miami in 1957.
When Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) was riddled with program missteps and uncertainty five years ago, it tapped talent from its defense side. The man who became the leader of that change, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO and President James Albaugh, defied skepticism to meet a set of tough goals. Last week, Albaugh unexpectedly announced his retirement, but the company did not have far to look for a successor. A hometown boy and 34-year BCA veteran, Raymond Conner, was standing in the wings.
Canada-based MDA Corp.'s $875 million cash purchase of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) in June gives the world's largest manufacturer of commercial telecommunications satellites a parent that takes the long view when it comes to the space industry. MDA already enjoys access to U.S. government business in support of Air Force, Navy, NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and intelligence community programs. Although SS/L is not known for working with U.S. agencies, it could see a boost in government work.
Sometimes it is useful to take a look back to gain a keener focus on the future. In a commentary in the 2009 Top-Performing Airlines (TPA) feature, I stated:
Jean-Marc Crescent has been appointed VP-global account sales and Joost den Hartog VP-Europe for . Adam Phillips has been promoted to VP for Northeast Asia from general manager for France. He will be succeeded by Robert Chad, who has been the GM for Abu Dhabi sales. Chad's successor will be Joseph Chamoun. Juan Torres and Remco Althuis have been named general managers for Brazil and China, respectively.
Astrium Services started in 2003 in the wake of a U.K. Defense Ministry decision to outsource secure satellite telecommunications to the private sector. Since then, CEO Eric Beranger has turned the division of European aerospace giant EADS into a high-stakes bet on government outsourcing for key space activities, taking privatization of satellite communications and remote-sensing services further than any other company in the industry and in some cases assuming big risks with little or no government backing.
Boeing has taken another step to strengthen its manufacturing and technology ties in Brazil by allowing Embraer to tap its marketing expertise for the KC-390 medium-lift transport, Brazil's largest defense procurement program and Embraer's most ambitious effort to sell a military aircraft abroad.
The first two operators of the Boeing 787-8 are seeing better-than-anticipated fuel burn, despite prior expectations of below-par performance as a result of data from pre-delivery flight tests. Figures from launch airline All Nippon Airways show fuel savings are up to 21% on long-range flights, while figures for Japan Airlines' aircraft indicate the potential for slightly better numbers.
Long miffed about the administration's space policy, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) blasted NASA for having “reached a new low.” Wolf sent a letter to the Space Studies Board, which advises the National Academies on space research, asking Chairman Albert Carnesale to weigh in on NASA's strategic direction.
In a major consolidation that shifts jobs for 11 vice presidents, Lockheed Martin Space Systems says it is establishing two basic business lines—military and civil space—rather than breaking those areas into separate talent pools devoted to more specific requirements. The shift addresses criticism of the management of Space Systems programs while responding to an era of tightening military and NASA budgets that emphasize fixed-price contracts.
Lockheed Martin is finding out that reestablishing compliance with Pentagon auditing standards on its top aircraft programs—including the multibillion-dollar F-35—is not as easy as once thought. Noncompliance is also hitting the company's bottom line, as the Pentagon is increasing its withholding on payments for production.
Senior Editor Adrian Schofield turned to the Things With Wings blog to talk about his experience with dimmable windows on Boeing 787s. All Nippon Airways has been disappointed with the degree of dimming. Schofield tested out this feature and more on an Air New Zealand 787 flight. johnswolter comments:
Fred Allen has been named VP-sales and marketing at and , Londonderry, N.H. Allen is a 10-year commercial aviation veteran with experience in supply chain leadership in airline and original equipment manufacturer maintenance, repair and overhaul.
