German airship manufacturer Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik says it has made a breakthrough as the leading company in its field, following a major order by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. However, it concedes that, overall, zeppelin use remains flat. Goodyear recently decided to replace its three U.S.-based aging blimps with three zeppelins. The airships, to be stationed in Akron, Ohio; Miami and Los Angeles, will take on the advertising roles performed by their predecessors.
A growing competition for rare-earth elements (REEs) could soon hamstring a wide swath of the aerospace industry, from companies that build precision guided-weapon systems to suppliers for commercial widebody jets.
Even though the longtime Airbus-Boeing duopoly is slowly coming to an end—courtesy of Russia's United Aircraft Corp. and China's Comac, among others—it will likely take a few years before the new entrants can capture a big enough market share to rattle their European and American rivals.
India's first home-built fighter for carrier operations is being readied for its first flight, following an extensive remake of the design. The naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is likely to complete its milestone flight in the next two months. But first the naval Tejas has to complete a month of ground runs, including high-speed taxi tests, to give several components a clean bill of health after technical problems slowed progress in 2009-10.
One of the most curious pairings in business aviation today is that of Lilliputian Eclipse Aerospace and Brobdingnagian Sikorsky Aircraft. Although the former manufactures nothing, the reconstituted firm inherited a short but storied legacy of failed promises regarding a new very light jet (VLJ) age, stilled production lines and breathtaking fiscal ruin. Meanwhile, the latter, a unit of the United Technologies conglomerate, is a maker of massive helicopters that the Pentagon buys by the thousands and for which it pays in the billions.
Rep. Chip Cravaack (R) had objected to the sale of Cirrus Aircraft, which was headquartered in his Duluth, Minn., district, to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. on the grounds that the Chinese military would benefit from a transfer of technologies. Despite those objections, the U.S. government approved the merger, which was completed on June 28.
July 17-19—Aviation Suppliers Association's 2011 Annual Conference. Washington Marriott at Metro Center. Call +1 (202) 347-6899, fax +1 (202) 347-6894 or see www.aviationsuppliers.org July 21-22—Practical Aeronautics Short Courses: “Introduction to Jet Engines—A Practical Perspective.” Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland. Also, Sept. 12-15—“Introduction to Aeronautics: A Practical Perspective.” National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, Va. Call +1 (970) 887-3155 or see www.practicalaero.com
For a community that prizes its anonymity, business aviation is suddenly and uncomfortably in the public eye, courtesy of the Obama administration. And it was put there for all the wrong reasons. Again. As a result, business aircraft operators, owners, manufacturers and service providers are worried and mad as hell, and justifiably so.
Atlantis stands ready at Kennedy Space Center's historic Launch Complex 39A for its last flight—set for liftoff on July 8—and the last flight of the shuttle era. The unique spacecraft has shaped human spaceflight for three decades, and will continue to do so for decades to come—starting with this upcoming last cargo delivery to the International Space Station. The valedictory STS-135 mission will buy another year for private companies to ready their commercial shuttle follow-ons, and enable a robotic refueling experiment that could create a new space industry.
Mark Cioffi's Viewpoint “Motion is Better? There's No Proof” (AW&ST June 13, p. 58) is laudable in calling for more research into flight simulation. However, he states that wide-field visual systems will allow the perception of motion. True, but since most simulator training is conducted “in the weather” with no visual reference, it is difficult to understand how such a system would be able to induce the brain into believing it was moving.
In “Cleaner Skies?” (AW&ST June 20, p. 70), arguably a central development weakness in the current pursuit of next-generation aircraft is their design optimization around fossil fuel consumption. To that extent, EADS's unducted rotor application, for example, would be the “Prius” of the civil airline fleet. But its airframe technology is centered on weight and drag reduction in service to the engine, when the fundamental focus might be on breakthrough propulsion powering high-speed aerodynamics.
While reading “Conventional Contest” and “Missile Machinations” (AW&ST June 13, p. 34-35) ,it occurred to me that during the Cold War, Russia and the U.S. had missiles aimed at each other to establish a mutually assured destruction scenario. Modify that in regard to Iran and North Korea. Place about a half-dozen intercontinental ballistic missiles split between the two and inform them that they are in the crosshairs. We could then drop most of our ballistic missile defense development.
“Pitch for a Pardon” (AW&ST June 27, p. 35) again addresses Lockheed Martin F-35 variants. The Pentagon needs to face reality: Building three variants is an admirable technological tour de force but a monumental waste of money. The A and B versions should be scrapped in favor of the more-capable C. Who, outside of some theoretical think thank, needs a short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing aircraft that will be using traditional air bases for more than 99% of its missions? Look back to the U.S. Marines Corps' Harriers to see the future.
“Digital Deluge” (AW&ST May 23, p. 42) makes me wonder if we've become such a litigious culture that we are now hamstringing our defense. Gauging unintended damage due to cyberweapons is one thing, but to mire present and near-term responses to cyberattacks based on “legal obstacles” is criminal in my opinion. How would our effort to defeat Nazi Germany in World War II have been delayed or nullified if our leaders worried about the legalities of the strategic bombing campaign? Congress and the Pentagon need to put the legality of cyberwarfare into perspective.
Re: International Editor Robert Wall's Ares blog about the Nimrod retiring: AWACS notes: One ancient airframe replaced by another ancient airframe. Will U.K. defense planners/procurers never learn? DTI's Bill Sweetman responds: Pigs might fly. The R1, when it was new, was so secret that photos were not released . . . The Swedes took photos of Badgers, Blinders, Nimrods and RJs with equal-opportunity abandon.
The AW&ST article: “Udvar-Hazy to Boeing: Do Not Re-engine 737” drew a broad range of responses: From Len Hobbs: There is no verifiable data which support a conclusion that ANY new airframe would out-perform a re-engined 737—NONE! Udvar-Hazy is feathering his own nest, and has every right to try. However, his opinion on this subject is about as relevant as Donald Trump's. And 123xyz:
Kenneth R. Possenriede has been appointed VP-treasurer and Leo S. Mackay, Jr., VP-ethics and business conduct of the Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md. Possenriede succeeds John McCarthy, who has retired. Mackay succeeds Alice M. Eldridge, who has been named VP-associate general counsel for enterprise legal initiatives. Possenriede was head of financial activities for the company's Electronic Systems and Space Systems. Mackay was VP-corporate business development.
Gary J. Vroman has been named executive VP for High Performance Forgings and Castings at ATI Ladish of Pittsburgh. He was president/CEO of Ladish before it was acquired in May by Allegheny Technologies Inc.
John T. Shelander (see photo) has become senior business development manager of Nortech Systems' Aerospace Systems operations in Blue Earth, Minn. He was a sales and marketing executive with Logix Engineering, Advantek Inc., Agere Systems and the Lockheed Martin Corp.
Janine Nyre has been named VP of the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Radio Frequency Combat and Information Systems, Rolling Meadows, Ill. She was director of radar warning receiver programs.
Charles Hughes (see photo) has become business development and strategy director of U.K.-based Marshall Aerospace. He came from Cobham plc and had worked at Rolls-Royce Military Aerospace.
Greg Potter has been appointed Los Angeles-based Western U.S. marketing manager for Universal Avionics, Tucson, Ariz. He has held sales positions at Hughes Helicopters, Goodyear Aerospace and Rockwell Collins. Potter also is president of the Southern California Chapter of the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association.
Tony Lefebvre has been named senior vice president/chief operating officer of Spirit Airlines. He was senior VP-airports, customer service and inflight. Lefebvre succeeds Kenneth McKenzie, who has joined Airbus North America.
