Airlines and industry analysts last week remained wary of rising fuel prices but were cautiously optimistic that hedging would, for now, limit the effect on costs. The uprising in Libya and indications that other oil-rich countries could witness the political upheaval that unseated governments in Egypt and Tunisia have pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel and futures close to $140 in a run not seen since 2008.
U.S. airline stocks took a hit on Feb. 22 as jet fuel prices rose in response to ominous headlines from Libya. This particular spike may be an overreaction to political unrest, but the situation in the Middle East is far from settled. Prices likely will continue to fluctuate with current events as we head into summer, when fuel costs typically rise due to seasonal factors.
Even as a political tsunami sweeps over Arab countries in the Middle East, there is little sign of change in the region’s primary military fissure: the standoff between Israel and Iran. Both sides are flexing their military muscle—Israel by successfully testing its Arrow anti-ballistic missile system, and Iran by sending warships to the Mediterranean for the first time in 30 years.
After more than a decade of development, Carter Aerospace Technologies has completed initial flights of a prototype designed to combine the vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) capability of a rotary-wing aircraft with fixed-wing cruise speed and efficiency. The proof-of-concept Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) uses the company’s slowed rotor/compound (SR/C) technology, which has been licensed to unmanned-aircraft manufacturer AAI Corp. for use in VTOL designs. Carter will build two PAVs for AAI this year, for modification into prototypes of a cargo UAV.
Jeffrey D. Wood has joined Irving Place Capital of New York as senior adviser for the firm’s industrial practice. He was president of Airfoil Technologies International.
Rick Stine (see photo) has been appointed senior vice president of Tempe, Ariz.-based StandardAero ’s Components Sector in Cincinnati. He comes from the Heico Corp., where he was senior vice president of technical operations.
Sharon Pinkerton has been promoted to senior vice president-legislative and regulatory policy and Tom Hendricks to senior vice president-safety, security and operations at the Air Transport Association of America . Pinkerton was assistant administrator for aviation policy, planning and environment at the FAA; and Hendricks, a retired USAF Reserve colonel, was director of line operations at Delta Air Lines.
Boeing embarked on two ambitious and innovative experiences in its 787 program. Yet, the company did not appreciate the level of challenge it was taking on, and did not prepare itself for the additional complexity involved.
The U.K. Defense Ministry is looking at a sweeping reform of how it manages its military programs. But there are already indicators that the wide-ranging proposals on the table will go only partway to stanching the string of cost overruns that have plagued major procurements in recent years. For industry, the message is mixed. While the measures promise greater program stability in the long term, the transition period will be difficult.
Congressional auditors suggest Capitol Hill prod the Air Force for a new analysis of the purported tactical aircraft shortfall. Noting that much has changed since the last tacair gap calculation, the GAO says, “Better information on the [Joint Strike Fighter] restructured program and on the F-16 fleet is expected to become available in 2011; this could enable a more informed analysis, comparing and contrasting the various alternatives for mitigating the projected aircraft shortfalls.”
General Electric will convert a Boeing 747-400 into a new flying testbed as part of plans to upgrade its test facilities in preparation for evaluating Leap-X and other next-generation commercial transport engines from 2013 onward. The aircraft will be modernized and refurbished under a $60 million plan announced by GE on Feb. 24. The 747-400 will replace the current 747-100 testbed.
Jean-Pierre Talamoni (see photo) has been appointed director of international development within the Strategy and Marketing Organization of the Paris-based EADS Group . He was responsible for Europe, the Middle East and Africa within the same unit, and before that was director of sales and business development at MBDA Missile Systems.
NASA is looking for a new launch date for its Glory climate-monitoring spacecraft after a last-minute delay Feb. 22. The vehicle interface control console in a van near the pad at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., gave an incorrect reading that a “hold-fire” command had been sent about 15 min. before the Taurus XL launch vehicle was set to lift off.
FAA is set to accelerate the training of air traffic controllers as the agency nears completion of a nationwide simulator deployment program. The final four MaxSim training systems, developed by simulation specialists Adacel, will be installed at sites around the U.S. by the end of this year as part of a concerted effort to ramp up controller hiring and training. The FAA currently has 14 systems at its Oklahoma City training academy and 22 others at or near major U.S. airports, including the Hawthorne facility close to Los Angeles International (LAX).
Karl Bowles has become sales manager for the Middle East for the Signature Flight Support Corp. , Orlando, Fla. Bowles, who will be based in Bahrain, was director of business development for the Middle East for Jet Support Services.
Dino Koutrouki will lead EMS Technologies ’ new Global Resource Management Business, based in Atlanta. He joined EMS following the company’s acquisition of Satamatics Global Ltd., of which he was chief executive officer.
After years of focusing its spending on airplanes and aircraft-related expenses, the Navy now appears to be tacking toward ship programs, with carriers, amphibious assault ships and other aircraft-centric vessels garnering the lion’s share. The Navy’s fiscal 2012 budget request and spending priorities over the coming five years show a strong interest in surface and submarine fleets; the service plans to buy another 55 ships by fiscal 2016, five more than initially envisioned during that time.
Graham Warwick (Washington), Michael A. Taverna (Paris)
Urgent tests are planned to determine if a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision to grant LightSquared conditional approval to deploy up to 40,000 terrestrial base stations to augment its mobile satellite service capacity could cause potentially harmful jamming of GPS signals.
Charles Boschen (see photo) has become senior engineering manager in the Philadelphia office of Parsons Brinckerhoff . He was director and manager for major construction and operations projects, including work at Philadelphia International Airport.
Although it once castigated the aircraft built there as symbols of excess, the Obama administration seems to be adjusting its view of Wichita and is sending its transportation chief there to help rally hard-hit general aviation manufacturers and their current and furloughed employees. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood plans to visit the self-billed “Air Capital of the World” on March 21. LaHood’s visit follows one in February by FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Huerta, during which he toured the Cessna Aircraft factory and addressed aviation officials.
Selection of the major suppliers for the Embraer KC-390 is expected in March, with the joint definition phase for the Brazilian tanker-transport program scheduled to begin in May. The configuration has been frozen and a full-scale cabin mock-up built, which the Brazilian air force is using for vehicle and troop loading tests.
March 7—Speednews Aerospace Raw Materials and Manufacturers Supply Chain Conference. Also, March 7-9—25th Annual Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference. Both events at Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, Calif. Call +1 (310) 203-9603, +1 (310) 203-9352 or see www.speednews.com March 7-9—University of Westminster’s Aviation Seminar. “Airport Policy, Planning and Strategy: Meeting Future Needs.” London. Call +44 (207) 911-5000 ext. 3220, fax +44 (207) 911-5171 or see www.westminster.ac.uk/aviation
Pratt & Whitney is reshuffling the order of its PW1524G geared turbofan test engines for Bombardier’s CSeries airliner after instrumentation delays, but remains confident the certification schedule is staying on track.
Preparing for the worst is a daily task for U.S. Transportation Command, and the worst now includes the loss of short-notice overflight rights, possible anti-aircraft missile proliferation and continued insecurity about the replacement-tanker program.
