As he has with several spending bills this year, President Bush is threatening to veto the appropriations bill funding NASA for Fiscal 2008 because the overall bill is $3.2 billion higher than his budget request. The White House veto threat, issued last week, assumes that the Senate version of the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) appropriations bill is presented to the president as is. Bush supports full funding of NASA’s exploration, space shuttle, space station and aeronautics requests, but he opposes the additional $150 million for science programs.
The U.S. Coast Guard has logged a million flight hours with the Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, according to Eurocopter. The aircraft were delivered starting in 1985 and the Coast Guard still has 96 in service at 17 stations.
Craig Hackendahl has been appointed president/CEO of Inventory Navigation, Lake Zurich, Ill. He was president of Rockwell Collins’ Intertrade and had been vice president-business operations of AAR’s Airframe and Accessories Group.
Korea Aerospace Industries KT-1 Daewoo began design studies of the KTX-1 turboprop trainer in 1988, with the first prototype flying in 1991. The first two prototypes were powered by the 550-shp. Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25A turboprop. Subsequent aircraft have 950-shp. PT6A-62 turboprops. The aircraft is currently known as the KT-1 Woong-Bee (Great Flight). In 1999, the aerospace businesses of Daewoo, Hyundai and Samsung were consolidated into Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). KAI has developed a forward air control version of the KT-1 called the KO-1.
Lufthansa and TUI are forced to reconsider their strategic options following last month’s surprise deal involving Air Berlin, Condor and Thomas Cook group.
Boeing and Air New Zealand will explore the use of “second-generation” biofuel—one that not only will reduce the industry’s dependence on expensive kerosene, but also be environmentally friendly while doing it.
John T. Van Geffen has been appointed an associate attorney with the San Francisco aviation law firm of Michael L. Dworkin and Associates. Van Geffen was with Hanna, Brophy, MacLean, McAleer & Jensen.
The $459.6-billion Fiscal 2008 defense spending bill passed by the U.S. Senate last week includes funding for four more Predator-B unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol U.S. borders. The $3 billion in off-budget funding was included in an amendment introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Similar language was attached to the homeland security spending bill during the summer, but President Bush has threatened a veto because of Democrats’ domestic spending increases.
Airbus A400M Seven European nations currently participating in the A400M transport program—Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the U.K.—plan to acquire a total of 180 A400Ms. South Africa became the first non-European participant in the A400M effort, followed by Malaysia. They will take delivery of eight and four A400Ms, respectively. The A400M is being developed by Airbus Military, a consortium of Airbus, EADS CASA, Flabel and Turkish Aerospace Industry.
Analysts and investors in EADS are downplaying a Paris newspaper’s report that French securities regulators may charge high-level executives and shareholders with insider trading.
MD Helicopters 500 Series These are 4-7-seat, single-engine, single-rotor commercial and military utility helicopters. The militarized MD500/530 Defender series is no longer in production.
European industry and government officials hope a temporary compromise on procurement and financing issues will herald final acceptance of a European Commission plan to reorganize and refinance the troubled Galileo and Egnos satellite navigation systems.
Sikorsky UH-60/S-70 Black Hawk Single-main-rotor, medium-lift military transport helicopter. The UH-60A is powered by two GE T700-GE-700 turboshaft engines, each with an intermediate rating of 1,622 shp. The UH-60L is fitted with two GE T700-GE-701C engines rated at 1,890 shp. each. Sikorsky has produced some 2,403 Black Hawks, while Mitsubishi has produced more than 70 under license. Latest UH-60 version is the new UH-60M.
ATR plans to introduce the latest version of its 42/72 turboprop—the -600—starting in 2010. The French airframer plans several enhancements to distinguish it from the current -500 models, including a new avionics suite supplied by Thales, a 1,110-lb. increase in maximum takeoff weight and the higher-thrust Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M engine. ATR is flying an updated -500 model on an 11-city North American promotional tour. For more about the -600 go to www.aviationweek.com/extra.
Britain and Singapore approved an air-services agreement last week. The deal will remove restrictions on air services between the two when it comes into effect in March 2008. The agreement will allow airlines from the two countries to fly to onward destinations in other nations.
Lockheed Martin F-16 The F-16 fighter was initially produced by General Dynamics, which was later acquired by Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin continues to produce the aircraft. The F-16 has also been built under license by a number of companies. The first F-16 prototype flew in 1974. The F-16A, F-16C and F-16E are single-seat fighters, while the F-16B, F-16D and F-16F are dual-seat, combat-capable trainer versions. The F-16 is powered by a single turbofan engine, either the GE F110 or Pratt & Whitney F100. Some 4,365 F-16s were produced through 2006.
Boeing F-15 Eagle The F-15 is a single- or two-seat, twin-engine, air superiority fighter manufactured by Boeing, and license-produced by Mitsubishi. Most F-15s are powered by versions of the Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine. The F-15K has two GE F110-GE-129 turbofans (29,000 lb. thrust each). Singapore’s new F-15SG also will be F110-powered. The F-15A first flew in 1972. Deliveries began in 1974. The F-15C/D became the standard in 1979, followed in the 1980s by the F-15E strike aircraft.
Convergent Knowledge Solutions will develop a two-day aviation human factors program for the U.S. Coast Guard. The Memphis, Tenn.-based company says the program will combine traditional crew resource management with components of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Aviation Global War on Error initiative, which includes personal accountability and self-management training. Convergent will develop a train-the-trainer course in addition to metrics and standardization elements for program assessment.
Eurofighter Typhoon The Typhoon is a delta-wing, single- and two-seat, supersonic, air superiority combat fighter. It is powered by two Eurojet EJ200 axial-flow, low-bypass, augmented turbofans rated 20,250 lb. thrust each. The initial prototype flew in 1994. The Typhoon is produced by a consortium that includes Alenia, BAE Systems and EADS. Approximately 100 Typhoons were built through 2006. From 2007-16, 538 are forecast for production.
Chengdu Aircraft FC-1 In 1991, two years after the U.S. withdrew from the Super 7 program, Chengdu began the FC-1 program. Pakistan and China signed an agreement in 1999 for FC-1 joint development and production. The first prototype flew in 2003. The single-seat air superiority and ground attack aircraft is powered by a single Klimov RD-93 afterburning turbofan (18,300 lb. thrust). A two-seat variant is also planned. Five aircraft have been manufactured; 210 are forecast to be built from 2007-16.
Embraer EMB-312/314 Tucano The Tucano trainer and light attack aircraft first flew in 1980. The standard EMB-312 is powered by a single 750-shp. Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25C turboprop engine, while the Shorts-built S312 (T1) variant is powered by an uprated 1,100-shp. AlliedSignal TPE331-12B-701A turboprop. These Tucano models are no longer in production. The current production model is the EMB-314 Super Tucano, which has an extended fuselage, pressurized cockpit and strengthened airframe, and is powered by a 1,600-shp.
In contracts valued at C$50 million ($50 million), Montreal-based CAE is busy building three full-flight simulators and CAE Simfinity training devices. Indonesia’s domestic carrier, Lion Air, is scheduled to receive delivery of a Boeing 737-900ER full-flight simulator early next year. A Boeing 777-300ER full-flight simulator will be delivered to Virgin Blue in mid-2008.
Emissions trading, as a tool to compensate for aviation’s carbon-dioxide output, will remain a bone of contention among members of the International Civil Aviation Organization, judging by the results of ICAO’s 36th triennial Assembly.
Bell 407 A single-engine, seven-seat, light utility helicopter, the 407 is powered by a Rolls-Royce Model 250-C47B turboshaft engine rated at 704 shp. max continuous. A Honeywell HTS900-powered 407X model won the U.S. Army’s Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) competition in July 2005. The ARH program involves the procurement of 512 helicopters. Through 2006, 746 Bell 407s (military and civil) were built. Including the ARH model, another 585 are forecast to be built for the military market from 2007-16.
