Julian Beames has been appointed regional manager for Communications Software (Airline Systems) Ltd. He has held sales and marketing positions at British Aerospace, BAE Systems, Airbus and Qinetiq.
The crash of an Air France Concorde shortly after takeoff from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport a decade ago was the result of a series of small mistakes, faulty assumptions and missed opportunities. They began with the design of the airplane. They continued until shortly before the takeoff roll. And they spanned events in the intervening years. It was a classic string of seemingly minor matters and improbable events adding up to tragedy.
Airbus is instituting new measures to ensure against nasty surprises during the development of the A350XWB twin-widebody. The effort should also leave the company better positioned to respond whenhiccups are encountered.
The UH-60 Black Hawk lands, rotors idling. The crew, at the end of their duty time, switch the helicopter to unmanned mode and disembark. The Black Hawk searches for and connects to the nearest ground control station, accepts the preprogammed mission and takes off to find and pick up its first load. That’s the operational concept behind Sikorsky’s Optionally Piloted Black Hawk, and is to be demonstrated by mid-2011 under the U.S. Army’s Manned/Unmanned Resupply Aerial Lifter (Mural) program.
This series comprises turboprop-powered regional transport aircraft. ATR is a joint venture of EADS and Alenia Aeronautica. The first ATR 42 was delivered in 1985 to Air Littoral. The ATR 72 entered service in 1989. Current production versions are the ATR 42-500 and the ATR 72-500. Deliveries of a new -600 variant of both models, powered by the new Pratt & Whitney PW127M engine, are scheduled to begin in 2011. The ATR 42-500 seats 46-50 passengers and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127E engines (2,160 shp. each).
Through 2009, Boeing produced 982 of these twin-engine, widebody commercial transports. A prototype was rolled out in August 1981, with first flight occurring the following month. Current models include the 767-200ER, -300ER, -400ER and -300F freighter, although it is likely that the -200ER and -400ER will no longer be produced. Typical two-class layouts are 224 seats for the -200ER, 269 for the -300ER and 304 for the -400ER. All three models are sold with a choice of General Electric CF6-80C2 or Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines.
Members of the International Association of Machinists in Aerospace (IAM) have ratified a three-year contract with Pratt & Whitney that includes plans to close its two maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations next year. The contract includes an immediate 3% pay raise for 3,400 IAM members and 2.5% increases in 2011 and 2012. Also covered are a $2,000 one-time ratification bonus and increases in pension benefits.
Even though the Italian government is struggling to sustain defense spending, the 2011 budget will accommodate a small number of new programs to help plug holes in military capability. The request includes funding for a long-sought search-and-rescue (SAR) and combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) helicopter initiative, as well as the development of a laser-based infrared countermeasures system (Dircm) to help safeguard aircraft from infrared-guided missiles.
The 737 series is a family of twin-engine, narrowbody commercial transports. Seating capacity varies, though the most typical two-class configurations are 126 passengers for the 737-700, 162 for the -800 and 180 for the -900ER. All three models, which are the current production versions, are powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B turbofans. The first 737 flew in April 1967 and in December received FAA certification. The earlier -100, -200, -300, -400, -500 and -600 variants are no longer in production. Through March 2010, Boeing manufactured 6,348 737s.
Continental Airlines plans to appeal a French court decision that charges the U.S. carrier with being responsible for the July 2000 crash of Air France Flight 4590, the first and only fatal accident for the Concorde supersonic jet.
The An-28 and An-38 are twin-turboprop utility/transport aircraft. First flight of the An-28 occurred in 1969, with temporary Soviet certification following in 1978 and full certification in 1986. The Westernized version of the An-28, the An-28PT (marketed as the M28 Skytruck), made its first flight in 1993 and received FAA certification in 2004, while the stretched version of the An-28, the An-38, made its first flight in 1994 and received Russian certification in 1997.
The twin-engine, widebody commercial transport first flew in June 1994, and FAA/JAA certification followed in April 1995 (Pratt & Whitney-powered version). Deliveries began in June 1995. The 777-200, seating 305-440 passengers, is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4077, Rolls-Royce Trent 877 or General Electric GE90-77B turbofans rated at 76,000-77,000 lb. thrust each. The 777-200ER extended-range version seats 301-440 and is powered by two PW4090, Trent 895 or GE90-94B turbofans rated at 90,000-93,700 lb. thrust each.
This pressurized, single-turboprop-powered, corporate/utility transport aircraft first flew in May 1991, and received Swiss and U.S. certification in 1994. It has seating for nine passengers in its standard layout. Assembly of green aircraft, as well as the manufacture of certain components, is performed by OGMA of Portugal. The current PC-12 production version, the PC-12NG (Next Generation), is powered by the 1,200-shp. Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67P. Through 2009, 962 PC-12s were built. Production of 1,010 units is expected during the 2010-19 period.
Boeing CEO James McNerney, the head of Obama’s Export Council, and others are quick to tout limited-but-real progress in the administration’s export licensing reform and growth initiatives. But already, some are suggesting far more must be done to meet the goal of doubling U.S. exports by 2015. The council met last week—and later McNerney addressed an American Enterprise Institute audience—to discuss an ongoing process to clean up and synchronize the U.S.
Feb. 1-2—MRO Middle East Conference & Exhibition. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Feb. 16-17—A&D Technology & Requirements Conference. Washington. March 8—Laureates Awards. Washington. April 12-13—MRO Military Conference & Exhibition. Miami. April 12-13—MRO Latin America Conference & Exhibition. Miami. April 12-14—MRO Americas Conference & Exhibition. Miami. May 24-25—A&D Cybersecurity Conference. Washington. You can now register ONLINEfor Aviation Week Events.
The A330 twin-engine, widebody commercial passenger transport was developed to replace aircraft such as the A300, the DC-10-10 and the L-1011. An A330 prototype first flew in November 1992, and deliveries began in December 1993. Customers have a choice of turbofan engines in the 64,000-72,000-lb.-thrust class: the General Electric CF6-80E1, Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or Rolls-Royce Trent 700. Three A330 models are available. The A330-300 seats 335 passengers in two classes or 295 in three classes. The A330-200 seats 293 in two classes or 253 in three.
BAE Systems is warning of another 1,307 job losses as a result of U.K. government defense cutbacks made as part of the Strategic Defense and Security Review. The reductions, mostly at Warton, where 668 positions would be eliminated, are linked to retirement of the Harrier force and the decision to cancel the Nimrod MRA4.
I would like to comment on your article “Hard Learning: Largest U.S. defense contractor sees affordability, education as critical challenges” (AW&ST Nov. 1/8, p. 84). More specifically, I reference the portion that mentions a dwindling pipeline for new engineers. The pipeline may be drying up, but there seems to be little if any realization that this is at least partly due to industry actions.
Susan Sloan (see photo) has been tapped by Northrop Grumman Corp. to become vice president-space systems within the Navigation Systems Division. She has been a program manager for Intelsat in Cannes, France.
While the exact appropriations Congress passes for Fiscal 2011 still remains to be seen, one thing is becoming clear: Some people are going to have really bad holidays, even if nobody knows who. As lame-duck lawmakers rush to get out of town by Dec. 18, Congress must settle on whether to continue 2010 funding levels and programs, potentially with major tweaks, or to pass an omnibus spending bill, which would be more like the normal appropriations process. Depending on the outcome, the executive branch could have more or less leeway in running the government through Sept.
As investors weigh the implications of Airbus’s decision to develop a re-engined A320 narrowbody family, they are beginning to map out how competitors will respond. The next moves in this game of chess will have huge implications for the industry’s competitive landscape, from Boeing Co., Embraer, Comac and Bombardier Inc. to engine and systems suppliers. Airbus’s “A320NEO”—designed to offer a 15% improvement in fuel burn—is the starting gun in a single-aisle revolution, observes Morgan Stanley analyst Heidi Wood, and starts the dominos falling.
The MA60 twin-turboprop transport is a stretched version of the Xi’an Y7-200A. It can accommodate 52-60 passengers and is powered by two 2,750-shp. Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127J engines. Initial flight and deliveries of the MA60 took place in 2000. In addition to the passenger model, the MA60-500 freighter version is marketed. In May 2010, the MA600 variant was awarded certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. As deliveries begin in 2010, it is likely that the improved and more advanced MA600 will supplant the MA60.
Jan. 4-7—49th Annual American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aerospace Sciences Meeting. Orlando (Fla.) World Center Marriott. Also, Feb. 9-10—14th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference. Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington. Call +1 (703) 264-7500, fax +1 (703) 264-7551 or see www.aiaa.org Jan. 17-19—Civil Air Navigation Services Organization’s Middle East Conference. Park Rotana Hotel, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. See www.canso.org
When the husband-and-wife engineering team of Philip and Rebecca Ufkes decided to trade the snow of the U.S. Northeast for Charleston’s charms, they had no way of knowing that Boeing would locate the biggest aviation opportunity in South Carolina’s history in their new backyard.
This single-turboprop-powered utility/passenger aircraft first flew in December 1982 and, through 2009, Cessna produced 1,919 Caravans of all types. Designed with the small-package-delivery segment in mind, the two models currently in production—the Caravan 675 and 208B Grand Caravan—have maximum useful loads of 1,898 kg. (4,175 lb.) and 2,041 kg. (4,490 lb.), respectively. Power for both aircraft is provided by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A turboprop engine rated at 675 shp. Cessna is forecast to deliver 841 Caravans during the 2010-19 period.
