In “Critical Conditions” (AW&ST Jan. 4, p. 28), the head of Air France’s pilots’ union, Gerard Arnoux, says “the AF447 accident could have been avoided,” asserting that regulatory agencies failed to act to address known safety deficiencies. In the accompanying article, Jens Flottau writes that “the prevailing lack of transparency has allowed deficiencies to fester in the global air transport system for years.”
Kawasaki’s prototype C-X airlifter flew for the first time on Jan. 26 from Gifu Air Base in Japan, earning the designation XC-2. The aircraft, powered by a pair of General Electric CF6-80C2 turbofans, was rolled out alongside Kawasaki’s XP-1 (formerly P-X) maritime patrol aircraft in July 2007. The XP-1 first flew in September of that year, but problems with the structural integrity of the XC-2’s airframe delayed its flight debut by more than two years. The XC-2 is designed to replace the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Kawasaki C-1 transports.
A swath of Asia-Pacific states is in the throes of revamping their fighter inventories. As a result, Western and Russian manufacturers are either wrestling to sustain market share or vying with rival fighter builders in traditional client markets.
AIG is holding an online auction for the US Airways A320 that landed in the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009. The Flight 1549 aircraft is being sold “as is.” However, Aircraft Fleet Recycling Assn. Executive Director Martin Fraissignes cautioned that no one should try to fly this aircraft again. “If the aircraft is to be stripped down, it should be done so in the safest and most environmentally responsible fashion possible, with the parts disposed of for their salvage value alone.
As a former director of flight standards and training for a reputable Part 121 airline, I remain disturbed over the industry’s debate concerning pilot training “quality or quantity” (AW&ST Nov. 30, 2009, p. 52). Framing the issue in this fashion favors only half of a solution . We cannot achieve the required results without a solid foundation in applied academics, comprehensive flight training and experience sufficient to reinforce training, and development of adequate flying skills in a variety of conditions.
The focus of tensions between Boeing Commercial Airplanes and its unionized workforce has been on machinists. Their strike in 2008 was a catalyst for the company’s decision to establish its second 787 final assembly line in South Carolina. But friction has long been a fixture in the relationship between Boeing and its Seattle-area workforce. In 2004, it was one reason Boeing sought tax, transportation and training incentives from the State of Washington as the price for keeping 787 assembly in the region.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has reaffirmed that France will not send any more combat troops to Afghanistan. In a television appearance last week, Sarkozy reiterated his refusal to increase France’s Afghan combat contingent, despite calls by the U.S. and other allies to raise its contribution. The country agreed to send 700 extra troops to the Afghan theater in 2008 and has 3,750 men stationed there . However, contrary to previous statements, the president left the door open for contributing more personnel for training, police duty and economic reconstruction.
A coalition of U.S. trade groups offers the Obama administration suggestions as it grapples with reforming controls on the export of defense technologies.
The article “Quality or Quantity” provides a useful summary of circumstances in the pilot profession. The point of Dick Leland, president of the National Aerospace Training and Research Center, that “there is an overdependence on automation in today’s flying environment” is particularly relevant.
NASA is in a race against time to prepare its stranded Mars rover Spirit for survival through the upcoming Martian winter after abandoning further attempts to free the bogged-down vehicle.
:The Avic Defense L-15 trainer represents an early example of increasingly competitive aircraft developed in Asia, initially with foreign assistance. As the 2010 Singapore Airshow opens, manufacturers in China and South Korea are aggressively taking on roles as prime contractors (see p. 60). For the moment, they do not have strong brands to take to market, but eventually they are sure to overcome that deficiency. Avic Defense photo.
RapidEye, a private German geospatial information service provider specializing in integrating customized services, says it has completed a mapping campaign of the Helmand water basin in Afghanistan. The campaign, intended to obtain baseline imagery maps and ground cover information prior to the beginning of the 2010 opium growing season, was requested on Dec. 4, with most of the data collection taking place Nov. 18-28, the company states. The 250,000-sq.-km.
U.S. airlines are beginning 2010 by slowly clawing back some of the ground they lost during a grim 2009. The big question, though, is whether this is the start of real recovery or yet another false dawn for the industry.
Don’t look for full details on U.S. space policy in the administration’s Fiscal 2011 budget request due out Feb. 1. An eerie silence hovers over the broad budget outlook, including big-picture items like the funding trend for human spaceflight and the fate of the Ares I crew launch vehicle. That leads to speculation in some quarters that those decisions have not been made, and that the budget will offer only a starting point for debate on the human-spaceflight options developed over the summer by the Augustine panel.
Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd. has split into two separate business units to facilitate management of its growing satellite operation. One unit, under John Paffett, will be responsible for telecom and navigation business; the other, run by Paul Brooks, will handle Earth observation and science activities. SSTL is undergoing a step change since being acquired last year by EADS Astrium .
Airbus engineers are working on minor A400M airframe modifications and fixes to the engine control software as the manufacturer digests the broadly positive results of initial flight testing.
Saudi Arabia faces deferring in-country Eurofighter Typhoon final assembly or having to delay in-service targets for the fighter. The Saudi regime, the British government and BAE Systems are discussing alternatives to the original plan as a result of the effect of repeated hold-ups by Saudi Arabia regarding the choice of a build site. These options include reassigning back to the U.K. some of the aircraft originally slated for final assembly in Saudi Arabia .
Members of the nascent U.S. vertical-lift consortium, being set up at the request of the Defense Dept. to smooth the path for future rotorcraft, want more decision-making and funding specifics before committing to the initiative.
While Italian airports saw declines, Singapore Changi Airport closed 2009 with record passenger traffic in December. The airport faced a challenging first half of the year, then experienced a strong rebound in the last quarter that resulted in a record 3.83 million passengers for December. This reflects a 9.7% increase compared to the same month in 2008 and is 9.1% higher than the airport’s previous record of 3.51 million in December 2007.
Lockheed Martin has mated the first Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite’s ultra-high-frequency communications systems module with the spacecraft’s propulsion core at its Sunnyvale, Calif., facility. Mating of the Boeing-built UHF system sets up environmental testing of the fully integrated satellite for the first quarter. MUOS is a U.S. Navy program.
Ameco Beijing has signed engine maintenance contracts with Air Astana and Air Finland. It will provide overhaul services for the Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 engines that power the carriers’ Boeing 757s. Two Air Finland engines are at Ameco facilities . Air Astana engines are expected to begin arriving in February.
John S. Edwards/Forecast International/www.forecastinternational.com
While most sectors of the aerospace industry either are experiencing a sharp decline in business or are anticipating one , commercial satellite operators represent an exception. The landscape of the satellite manufacturing market is shifting somewhat. The hierarchy of the major contractors continues to evolve, as do their customer bases. While some manufacturers are courting the commercial side, others are looking almost exclusively to military customers. But all the major industry players have found their niches in this market.
AeroVironment plans to fly the Global Observer hydrogen-fueled long-endurance unmanned aircraft by the end of April at Edwards AFB, Calif. The company is building three GO-1 air vehicles for a U.S. Defense Dept. joint capability technology demonstration. The 175-ft.-span GO-1 is designed to stay aloft for up to a week at 55,000-65,000 ft., carrying a 400-lb. payload. Two vehicles would provide year-round coverage, the company states. An internal-combustion engine burns liquid-hydrogen fuel and generates electricity to drive four propellers.
