H.F. Schulte voiced concerns about lightning protection when major composite structure sections are included in aircraft design (AW&ST July 23, p. 6). Use of composite structure in aircraft design is not new. Hawker Beechcraft developed the first all-composite business aircraft more than 20 years ago. Hundreds of tests conducted during that development showed that an all-composite aircraft protects its occupants from lightning.
Every once in a while, Aviation Week & Space Technology publishes an article, a column item or editorial that deals with global warming, climate change and the human influences that contribute to them, notably including the burning of fossil fuels. Every time we do this, we get letters from readers who condemn us for swallowing the line of tree-hugging, pointy-headed environmentalists who are out to derail every form of human progress since the steam engine. Sharpen your pencils, because we’re doing it again.
The French military plans to experiment with the integration of a chemical and radiological substance detection system along with an optical sensor on an aerostat. The 10-month program would likely run most of next year.
Aug. 27-30—Air Transport Assn.’s 50th Annual Non-Destructive Testing Forum. Hyatt Regency Orlando (Fla.) International Airport Hotel. Call +1 (202) 626-4000 or see http://www.airlines.org Aug. 27-30—China International Rescue & Salvage Conference & Exhibition. Golden Coast Hot Spring Hotel, Boao, Hainan. Call +44 (162) 860-6979 or see www.cirs2007.com
Britain’s Heathrow Airport was the focus of climate and anti-commercial aviation protesters last week, while some other airports also saw small demonstrations. The “Camp for Climate Action” is being held from Aug. 14-21, adjacent to Heathrow, with protesters set against any kind of capacity expansion in the U.K. (see photo). There were also protests against business aviation at Farnborough and Biggin Hill airports, along with a short demonstration at Airbus UK.
Qantas Airways says it will buy more aircraft within two months, adding to an order book that includes 65 Boeing 787s and 20 Airbus A380s. The Australian airline reports an A$720-million ($569-million) net profit for its 2006-07 financial year, up 50% on results for the previous year. Sales rose 11% to A$15.2 billion. The group’s Jetstar budget operation is contributing to profits significantly, with an operating result of A$112 million earned from routes that the mainline operation found barely profitable or loss-making.
Indian software and engineering services company HCL Technologies’ year-end results saw revenue grow by 42% to $1.3 billion. The company provides design and engineering support to the aerospace sector, including Airbus, Boeing and Alenia.
David Vos (see photo, p. 15), founder/CEO of Virginia-based Athena Technologies Inc., has received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the services category in Greater Washington. In accepting the award, Vos said, “I attribute Athena’s success to . . . satisfaction in our flight controls from the end users—the men and women serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Australians shining lasers on aircraft will face two years in prison under a legal amendment designed to stop the increasingly common and dangerous practice. The government says such incidents are now happening two or three times a week, mainly when aircraft are on approach to land. The Australian and International Pilots Assn. warns that momentary blinding or distraction of a crew by a laser could result in disaster.
British space specialist Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) aims to complete a lunar-orbiter definition study during the first quarter of next year, a project it hopes will lead to a full-blown joint U.S.-U.K. mission.
The Chinese Chang’e probe is ready to go to the Moon, but the National Space Administration isn’t naming a date for the launch. Development of the spacecraft is complete, with it and its Long March 3-A launcher both passing the necessary tests, the administration says. Chang’e is intended to determine the distribution of 14 elements on the Moon, take 3D pictures of it, measure radiation and estimate the thickness of the soil.
About six years ago, Rockwell Collins embarked on plans to change the way employees think about learning and how they gain access to information. Over the years, the goals have remained the same, though their implementation has been upgraded continuously.
Bjorn Naf, who has been chief operating officer of Bahrain-based Gulf Air, now also will be acting president/chief executive. He has been CEO of Kenya-based Transafrik International.
Joe Doherty has become president of the Americas Outsourcing Div. of Computer Sciences Corp., El Segundo, Calif. He was vice president-aerospace and defense industry in the Technology Management Group.
Air traffic system makeovers in Europe and the U.S. will curb inefficiencies that consume fuel and generate greenhouse gases—but exactly how much waste can be eliminated is still unknown.
The U.K. has completed the initial stage of sea trials on the first-of-class of its Type 45 air defense destroyers, HMS Daring. The Royal Navy will receive at least six of the Type 45, fitted with the Principal Anti-Air Missile System, which is based on the Aster family of weapons. The second stage of sea trials for HMS Daring will begin in March 2008.
USAF “struggled with what it meant to be an executive agent” when it was assigned that duty for military space activities after the recommendation was made in 2001, Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of Air Force Space Command, said at the Space and Missile Defense Conference and Exhibition 2007 in Huntsville, Ala., last week. In some areas, he said, the service integrated its staff with its executive agency staff when it shouldn’t have, and course corrections are underway.
It was certainly no witching hour when Salem, Mass.-based PerkinElmer Optoelectronics recently celebrated a major milestone for its Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard (RAFS) clock for GPS. The company’s RAFS technology was first launched on a U.S. Air Force GPS Block IIR satellite in July 1997, and on Aug. 13 of that year was remotely activated—going on to provide continuous, failure-free operation for a decade . . . and counting.
Embraer will show a mock-up of a potentially new business jet in October, but much of the focus in the second half will be on managing the production problems that have come with strong growth in recent years. The aircraft mock-up is sized to fill a gap in the Brazilian aircraft maker’s growing business jet family, and would fit in the niche between the Phenom 300 light jet and the Legacy 600, the executive jet derived from the aircraft Embraer 135 regional jet. The move is part of a larger Embraer strategy to widen its business jet production offering.
Cessna Aircraft Co.’s Citation XLS+ business jet, an upgraded version of the Citation Excel featuring Collins Pro Line 21 avionics, made its first flight this month at Rockwell Collins’ facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In addition, the Pratt & Whitney powerplants are equipped with full-authority digital engine controls. The twin-engine jet has returned to Cessna’s headquarters in Wichita, Kan., for additional tests. FAA certification is tentatively scheduled for the first quarter of 2008, followed by initial deliveries in mid-year.
The Air Line Pilots Assn. (ALPA) has presented two Superior Airmanship Awards. One went to United Airlines Capt. Scott Stoops and First Officer Brad Loper for their efforts to avoid a runway collision at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on July 23, 2006. United Flight 1015, a Boeing 737-300 with 143 passengers and six crew, was departing Runway 27 when Stoops spotted an Atlas 747 approaching on Runway 14, which intersects Runway 27. Stoops and Loper quickly decided on an early takeoff to clear the 747—missing a collision by less than 100 ft. during the forced flyover.
George Torres has been named vice president-communications for the Launch Systems Group of ATK, Magna, Utah. He was head of media and community relations and internal communications.
Aviation Week sent surveys to 127 chief executive officers and directors of major U.S.-based government laboratories. More than 60% of the organizations responded to the survey. Non-U.S. data was provided by the Society of British Aerospace Companies, the AeroSpace and Defense Industries Assn. of Europe and the Aerospace Industries Assn. of Canada. The company/agency surveys were filed with a third-party firm, The Training Team of Phoenix, to collate survey responses and aggregate data for Aviation Week.
USN Rear Adm. (ret.) Daniel H. Stone (see photo) has become vice president of the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) logistics operation of AeroVironment Inc., Monrovia, Calif. He was commander of the Naval Supply Systems Command.
