The first of a family of European space research missions dedicated to study of the Earth’s environment is being readied for final testing before an early 2008 launch. The Gravity-field and steady-state Ocean-Circulation Explorer (Goce) is to allow scientists to infer changes in ocean circulation, sea level, climate and seismic activity from gravity data, building on data from existing missions, notably the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace), launched by NASA and German Aerospace Center DLR in 2002.
Megan Lawrence has become managing director of government and community relations for the Alaska Air Group . She was director of government affairs in the company’s Washington office.
The FAA has released the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Airspace Redesign, but the project can’t begin until a “record of decision” is made by the FAA administrator. If Marion Blakey is going to give the final OK to the EIS on her watch she is going to have to hurry because her term of office is up in mid-September. The plan calls for more streamlined routes to LaGuardia as well as John F. Kennedy and Newark (N.J.) Liberty International airports.
All Nippon Airways reports a 32% drop in operating profit to ¥13.22 billion ($110 million) for its first quarter, to June 30, and a slight 1.3% rise in group revenue to ¥350 billion. The airline’s international passenger business performed strongly, with a 17% rise in revenue greatly outperforming the domestic passenger operation’s 1.4%. The net result was dressed up by profits on a sale of 13 hotels. After booking that transaction, the company reported a net profit of ¥87.4 billion yen, more than 11 times that of a year earlier.
China Sonangol International is buying two Embraer Legacy 600 corporate jets. The two ERJ-135-derived aircraft will be registered in China and mark a breakthrough for Embraer in that market.
When it comes to funding the NextGen air traffic control system, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey compares her agency’s plight to that of a traveler “stuck on the tarmac,” enduring flight delays.
The vehicle is controlled autonomously by the deeply integrated guidance and navigation unit (Dignu), which was developed by Honeywell. Dignu is a combined and miniaturized inertial measurement and flight management unit. Sensor imagery is transmitted back via a video link, while a command-and-control link enables the ground-based operator to move the vehicle or return it to a pre-programmed course.
Integrating operations by medium- to large-size UAVs in nonsegregated airspace will be possible by 2010 if a pragmatic detect-and-avoid solution, flight tested recently in the Netherlands, is adopted. The concept combines the use of a transponder-based traffic-alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) with a sense-and-avoid system for noncooperative targets.
Late next year, Honeywell and Airservices Australia expect to certify a GPS augmentation system for airports and another capable of continental coverage, beginning a long-awaited shift to satellite-based precision approaches.
The Spanish air force has increased its purchase of EADS CASA C-295 transports. The latest contract is for two of the twin-engine, tactical airplanes, bringing the total order to 13. The government initially signed up for the program in 2000 and acquired additional aircraft in 2005 and 2006. CASA is competing against the C-27J in a number of markets, including Slovenia, which recently issued a solicitation for one tactical transport in the C-295’s class. The C-295 can carry up to 71 troops, or five standard pallets.
With a nod from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Air Force is beginning to detail its controversial plans to assume control over the Pentagon’s entire fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles flying over 3,500 ft. Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, notionally approved the U.S. Air Force’s proposal to become the Defense Dept.’s executive agent for medium- and high-altitude unmanned aircraft systems (UASs). But the devil is in the details, and the services have yet to agree on the particulars.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will get another $975 million to support the space shuttle main engine (SSME) until the shuttle is retired in 2010 under a contract extension announced Aug. 2. Extension of the cost-plus-award/incentive fee contract that began on Apr. 1, 2006, brings its total value to a little more than $2.05 billion. The company will maintain and refurbish the reusable SSMEs until September 2010.
Tom Burbage, executive vice president/general manager for program integration of Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth-based F-35 program, has received the 2007 Leadership Excellence Award from the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the U.S. Naval Academy and the Harvard Business Review . The award honors top executives for principled leadership, exceptional achievement and a commitment to developing employees.
As part of the growing trend toward more affordable, unmanned X-planes, Boeing’s distinctive X‑48B blended wing body (BWB) follows the well-traveled path of other subscale, unconventional proof-of-concept UAV demonstrators such as X‑36, X-45 and X-47.
Hovering virtually invisibly and inaudibly against the background noise in the hot and dusty air of Iraq are some of the most remarkable and curious-looking unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) sent to war. Resembling a cross between a coffee maker and small beer keg, the Honeywell-developed, ducted-fan micro air vehicle (MAV) has been deployed to save lives from the danger of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Unmanned reconnaissance aircraft are now cooperating with one another to control their simultaneous flights, aided by automated software but with no input from a human operator. In a demonstration, three Boeing ScanEagles also coordinated their searches—including the location, tracking and interception of a moving target—which were monitored but not manipulated by a lone pilot.
NASA’s chief safety officer, Bryan O’Connor, says alcohol abuse won’t be a problem for the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour when it lifts off on the STS-118/13A.1 space station assembly mission. But the agency is taking “anecdotal accounts” seriously that crewmembers presented themselves for flight impaired by alcohol in the past, and were allowed to fly despite the concerns of their peers and flight surgeons (AW&ST July 30, p. 36).
U.S. regional carriers Republic Airways Holdings (RAH) and Mesa saw their quarterly profits slide, with Mesa posting the steepest drop. The carrier’s net income for its fiscal third quarter fell from $10.9 million in 2006 to $2.6 million. Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornstein told analysts the company is exchanging proposals with Raytheon concerning the 20 Beech 1900s flown by its Air Midwest subsidiary that “may allow us to exit the aircraft.” Those aircraft, according to Ornstein, continue to generate significant losses.
As chairman and CEO of International Lease Finance Corp., Steven F. Udvar-Hazy heads one of the driving forces behind commercial aviation. The company’s roots date back to 1973 when he formed Interlease Group Inc., now known as ILFC. Since then, it has grown to be the leader in leasing and remarketing of commercial jet aircraft to airlines around the world, with a portfolio exceeding 900 airplanes valued at more than $48 billion. ILFC is the largest customer of Airbus and Boeing.
NASA science managers are pondering yearly calls for proposed “missions of opportunity.” Under this concept, the agency would piggyback U.S. instruments on other spacecraft, or otherwise take advantage of space hardware that NASA doesn’t have to launch itself. The move comes as part of a larger effort to get as much as possible out of the money NASA spends on space science (see p. 38). NASA has just decided to recycle two deep-space comet probes—the mother ships for Deep Impact and Stardust—while they’re still functioning and use them to visit other comets.
A low-key, but so far uncompromising, campaign is underway in Japan to add stealth to the nation’s defense arsenal by acquiring the Lockheed Martin F-22. The rationale for buying the fighter—little talked about, but central to the debate—is missile defense. In its latest move—a decision to accelerate upgrades of its F-15J Eagles and operate them longer—Japan is buying more time for its campaign to get the Raptor.
Deliveries of the naval NH90 helicopter could slip once more, but program officials say they’re upbeat because the “cultural problems” that impeded development are fading away. The schedule for the NFH90s, which will be deployed on frigates, has been a long-time concern for customers and reached a crisis point earlier this year when new delays were revealed. There was particular frustration among Dutch, German and French governments that the NH Industries (NHI) consortium building the rotorcraft was not resolving problems quickly enough.
Service entry of SpaceShipTwo (SS2), the planned commercial space tourism vehicle being developed by the Scaled Composites/Virgin Group’s Spaceship Co., could be further delayed following the July 26 explosion that ripped apart rocket-engine components during a test at Scaled’s Mojave, Calif., headquarters.
TAP Portugal has narrowed its first-half loss, signaling that the carrier may be able to beat 2006’s narrow net profit of about €7.3 million ($10 million). The carrier recorded a €30-million net loss for the first half, which is €12 million less than last year when it ended in the black. TAP points out its second half is generally stronger, so last year’s turnaround was not an aberration. Revenue for the carrier rose 11.4%, with operating costs up 7.9% on a 13.8% increase in operations. The cargo division and MRO units also improved their financial performance.
