Major changes are underway at the top of two of the aerospace and defense industry’s largest companies. United Technologies Corp. (UTC) Chairman George David will retire at the end of 2009, completing a leadership transition that has been underway for nearly four years at the parent company of Pratt & Whitney, Hamilton Sundstrand and Sikorsky Aircraft. Louis Chenevert, who was appointed president of UTC in 2006 and CEO two years later, will add the title of chairman on Jan. 1.
The Lehman Brothers collapse that set off the global economic crisis occurred on Sept. 15, 2008. But it is a date two months later—Nov. 19— that will live in infamy in the business aviation sector.
As the U.K. government ponders whether to create a space agency, following the end of a consultation period on the question, the minister responsible for space has spelled out the benefits he believes an agency would bring. The British science minister, Paul Drayson, who is responsible for space within the Business, Innovation and Skills Dept., indicates that the lack of an agency disadvantages the U.K. within the European Space Agency. Its absence also complicates funding and planning issues within government.
Honeywell will unveil this week—at the National Business Aviation Assn. (NBAA) show—upgraded Primus Epic-based cockpits developed for Dassault Falcons as the EASy II and, as the newly approved Cert Foxtrot update, for Gulfstream’s PlaneView flightdeck. The EASy II and Foxtrot updates both center around Honeywell’s SmartView synthetic vision system, which projects a daytime, head-up display (HUD)-like view on the pilot’s primary flight display.
Bucking current market turbulence, EgyptAir is eyeing West Africa for its next round of route expansions as it focuses on growth. Whereas other airlines have been cutting capacity and deferring orders, Hussein Massoud, the new chairman of EgyptAir Holding Co., says the time is ripe to build up the fleet faster than forecast. The airline is taking advantage of open slots at Airbus, for example, to accelerate the fielding of A330-300s. The first aircraft is now due in August 2010, a year ahead of schedule.
After scoring a bull’s-eye Oct. 9, the science team here at NASA Ames Research Center for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (Lcross) says it is confident the myriad data from satellite and ground observatories will show whether water or other useful substances were present in the lunar dirt kicked up by the satellite’s impact. The task now is to look for the clues. That is likely to take weeks or months. An early report of the results may come in December at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.
The third Boeing Wideband Global Satcom (WGS-3) spacecraft for the U.S. Air Force’s military communications network was shipped last week to Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., in anticipation of a Nov. 18 launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV. When placed in a geostationary orbit over the Atlantic Ocean, WGS-3 will complete USAF’s initial constellation and bring with it nearly global satellite coverage. Boeing has been tasked to build three WG spacecraft, all of which are under development at its El Segundo, Calif., factory.
Carriers face losing passenger confidence and doling out millions in FAA proposed penalties—such as the $9.2 million slapped on United Airlines and US Airways—if they continue to operate aircraft that are not fully compliant with airworthiness directives. The FAA last week proposed a $5.4-million civil penalty against US Airways for operating eight aircraft that were not in compliance with directives and for violating its maintenance guidelines, and a $3.8-million penalty against United for violating its engine maintenance procedures.
Struggling business aviation manufacturers will be facing more pain in the near term, but the industry will eventually recover and even thrive, albeit not as spectacularly as was predicted last year. Moreover, the recovery will begin in Europe.
Universal Weather and Aviation’s UVdatalink has enhanced “Fleet Status,” its online flight tracking application, to help flight departments track and manage aircraft more efficiently, according to the company. UVdatalink provides Global VHF and satcom data link communication services for Acars-equipped aircraft. The maps sport improved graphics that are more interactive. Other enhancements include improved capabilities for managing larger fleets, the ability to overlay North Atlantic tracks and automatic map refresh.
Northrop Grumman has extended its U.K. facilities for the design, manufacture and technical support of unmanned ground vehicles. Located at the company’s Remotec site in Coventry, the plant handles a range of vehicles in the legacy Wheelbarrow category, as well as Cutlass, the next-generation vehicle being developed for the Defense Ministry. The U.S.-based manufacturer has been established in Coventry for more than 20 years.
The Qatar government is targeting commercial production of gas-to-liquid (GTL) kerosene for 2012 as part of national carrier Qatar Airways’ push to use the fuel as a partial substitute for regular, oil-based kerosene. The carrier last week completed its first revenue-generating flight—an Airbus A340-600 from London Gatwick to Doha—using a 50-50 blend of GTL and regular kerosene, dubbed GTL Jet Fuel. The environmental benefits of GTL are seen as mixed.
Thales Alenia Space executives say they see limited commercial interest to date in active telecom antennas such as one being developed for Hispasat AG1, planned to go into orbit in 2012 as the first application of the European Space Agency’s SmallGeo telecom satellite program. However, they anticipate considerable demand from military users, for whom heightened flexibility and security can largely offset lower antenna efficiency.
The Pentagon is using PayPal software that was devised to thwart cyber-criminals in Eastern Europe and Russia to gather intelligence. The software makes connections between seemingly unrelated attempts by crime networks to defraud the on-line bill-paying system. Now, the software is being turned to spying and intelligence analyses. “We cannot talk about this domain,” says a veteran National Security Agency cyber-warrior. “It’s surprising to see this information in the open.
Boeing says it is helping employees of AlmexA, a Danish machining company in Odense, learn high-speed machining techniques for aluminum and titanium components as part of a technology transfer agreement tied to Denmark’s competition for new fighter aircraft. Boeing is competing its F/A-18E/F. AlmexA is seeking a 10% improvement in efficiency and a 30% reduction in machine operation time.
As a U.S. taxpayer, I am less than happy to read that yet again Congress has told off the White House and reinserted funding for the F136 engine, the alternative powerplant for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (AW&ST Oct. 12, p. 21).
NASA scientists are still analyzing data from the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensor Satellite (Lcross) impact at the Moon’s south pole on Oct. 9, but it turns out that the European Space Agency’s Smart-1 lunar orbiter apparently produced a bigger plume than its larger NASA cousin when it plowed into the lunar surface. The angle of incidence seems to be the reason, says Bernard Foing, ESA’s Smart-1 project scientist. While Lcross hit the bottom of the Cabeus crater at the Moon’s south pole at a relatively steep angle, Smart-1 came in at a shallow angle and bounced.
Trelleborg’s VCT11 sealing compound is a low-temperature fluorocarbon (FKM) material, well-suited for aerospace engine applications requiring high-temperature performance and low-temperature capabilities, the company states. Seals are available as O‑rings and in a variety of geometries and gaskets. Operating below -40F, VCT11 is one of a few materials that meet AMS 7379 requirements—specifications for low-temperature FKMs. VCT11 also is resistant to high thermal stability oils.
Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services, a partnership between the manufacturer, Shanghai Airlines and Shanghai Airport Authority, has opened a two-bay hangar at Pudong Airport. It will provide line and heavy maintenance, repair and overhaul services, and undertake upgrades to airplane interiors, avionics and inflight entertainment systems.
Previously circumspect, Chinese space officials are out front now about their interest in sending their astronauts to the Moon on their own, even as they worked the halls of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) here to establish closer outside links for human-spaceflight cooperation.
The British defense acquisition process is seriously flawed, and its equipment program unaffordable, requiring a fundamental overhaul of both. This is the stark message of the U.K. Defense Ministry-commissioned review of acquisition led by Bernard Gray, finally published last week. Gray—a former special adviser within the ministry—was brought in to complete the report by the previous secretary of state for defense, John Hutton.
Landing a job on the flight deck will become a lot tougher, if a bipartisan measure that passed the House last week becomes law—the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009 (H.R. 3371). Its author, House aviation subcommittee Chairman Jerry F. Costello (D.-Ill.), says, “At the heart of H.R.
Europe’s regional airlines are concerned the traffic recovery may not be strong enough to carry many financially weak carriers through the coming winter. At the recent European Regions Airline Assn. (ERA) annual meeting here, carriers expressed confidence that the worst is behind them in terms of traffic. ERA Director General Mike Ambrose even made a plea for financial assistance by European governments, but at the same time admitted that is unlikely to actually happen.
A contract covering a substantial element of the partner nations’ required cost savings on Eurofighter Typhoon support was placed with BAE Systems last week. The £400-million ($654-million) deal is for support of the aircraft’s radar and its defensive aids sub-systems. The contract provides incentives for BAE to sort technical issues more quickly and reduce required repairs The contract is meant to deliver a 50% saving from the previous agreement for the same equipment.
