Three months after China's politically surprising and technically dazzling test of an antisatellite missile, Washington remains spooked. Now, in what appears to be a deft move to deflect interference in its operations and budget planning, the U.S. Air Force has very publicly launched a new study--one preceded by years of similar but ignored efforts--of how to protect its space operations.
Britain's ability to develop an unmanned combat air vehicle is emerging as a key question while the defense ministry ponders whether a program would meet the present 2018-20 target date to fulfill part of the air force's Deep and Persistent Offensive Capability.
Delta Air Lines says it will be the first U.S. carrier to offer passengers an option to contribute to a tree-buying fund to offset carbon emissions when they purchase tickets online. The program is run with the Conservation Fund and is set to begin June 1.
Cold-War-like tensions are back, on a small scale. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will suspend his country's obligations under the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty, due in part to opposition to U.S. plans to base ballistic missile defenses in Eastern Europe. In his annual address to Russia's Federal Assembly Apr. 25, Putin also cited lagging Western ratification of amendments to the 1990 treaty and said the issues should be addressed by the NATO-Russia Council. If results are unsatisfactory, Russia could pull out of the treaty altogether, Putin said.
European Commission leaders appear to be closing in on a solution that would allow private industry to negotiate a long-stalled deal to run the Galileo satellite navigation system.
Scientists analyzing the first 3D images of the Sun returned by NASA's twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (Stereo) spacecraft believe the extra detail they are getting will help them hone their ability to forecast dangerous solar storms. With a separation in their orbits around the Sun of only about 4 deg., the satellites already have produced spectacular 3D images of the wispy corona, where violent solar weather originates, at higher resolution than previous observatories.
Bob Horner has been appointed vice president-international sales for Montreal-based Bombardier Business Aircraft. He was head of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Mike Fahey has been named Wichita. Kan.-based vice president-Learjet sales and Ed Thomas regional vice president-Learjet sales. Paul Schenian has become Dallas-based managing director of preowned aircraft sales.
A Cessna Citation Mustang flies over South Central Kansas as photographer Dan Moore captures the jet on film from a Cessna Caravan. The Mustang is Cessna Aircraft Co.'s second-generation, entry-level jet designed from inception to be flown by one pilot in the IFR environment and in icing conditions. The company has orders for more than 250 Mustangs and plans to deliver about 40 this year from its facilities near Independence, Kan.
Business Flying Editor Edward H. Phillips (left) and Cessna demonstration pilot Gene Kenneford strap into the cockpit of the Citation Mustang. Phillips flew the twin-engine, personal jet to examine its flight characteristics, cabin comfort and overall performance. Designed from inception for the owner-flown segment of the highly competitive light jet market, the Mustang proved to be easy to fly with minimal workload for one pilot thanks to its reliable systems and Garmin avionics. Phillips' impressions of Cessna's latest entry-level jet begins on Page 54.
Deborah Ricci has been promoted to chief financial officer from controller/ corporate secretary of the Allied Defense Group Inc., Vienna, Va. She succeeds Robert P. Dowski, who resigned.
Wanda Denson-Low has been appointed senior vice president of the Chicago-based Boeing Co.'s Office of Internal Governance, effective May 4. She will succeed Bonnie Soodik, who plans to retire on June 30. Denson-Low has been vice president/assistant general counsel of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft will soon start its two-year mission to study high-altitude ice clouds following a successful launch on board an Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus XL rocket Apr. 25. Orbital also built the 440-lb. spacecraft, which was designed to study "noctilucent" clouds that can only be seen from the ground at night when they are illuminated by sunlight no longer visible from the surface. This type of cloud is becoming more common and occurring at lower latitudes, which could be linked to global climate change, scientists say.
Chuck Magill (see photos) has been named vice president-flight operations and Mike Hafner vice president-inflight services for Southwest Airlines. Magill was senior chief pilot, while Hafner was senior director of stations.
Wayne Pensky has become senior vice president/chief financial officer of the Hexcel Corp., Stamford, Conn. He succeeds Stephen Forsyth, who has resigned. Pensky was vice president-finance/controller of Hexcel's composites unit, Dublin, Calif.
U.S. attempts to persuade aren't limited to Russia's mighty. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to collaborate with the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic on a video presentation to help sway citizens in both countries who oppose the missile-defense basing plans. In addition to explaining how the sites work, the video will address the risks of Iranian missiles fired over the European continent toward the U.S. malfunctioning and falling short. "Not all the missiles that Iran fires are going to make it into the United States," says MDA Director Air Force Lt.
The International Registry of Mobile Assets, created under the Cape Town Treaty to bring legal protections to creditors and owners of aircraft and other mobile assets, registered 18,000 airframes, engines and helicopters in its first year of operation (AW&ST July 17, 2006, p. 170). The Registry reported that 39,600 interests were registered on the global database against those assets and 7,500 administrators and users were approved.
A breakdown of Brazil's air traffic control system is the primary cause of the Sept. 29, 2006, midair of a Gol Airlines 737-800 and a Legacy 600 over the Amazon jungle--so concludes a report submitted to Brazilian police investigators by the business jet's operator, ExcelAire.
David Stone, former head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), has a plan to deal with the high attrition rate of part-time airport screeners: partial privatization. "It's very clear we need a hybrid system," rather than one that is "just public or private," Stone told a counterterrorism conference in Quebec last week. Hiring and training part-time federal workers only to have them leave is "costing the U.S. taxpayer a lot of money," he says.
You can now register ONLINE for AVIATION WEEK Events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only) Oct. 17-18--MRO Asia, Shanghai. PARTNERSHIPS Apr. 30-May 2--RFID Journal Live, Orlando, Fla. Sept. 24-28--International Aeronautical Congress, Hyderabad, India. May 22-24--EBACE, Geneva. June 18-24--Paris air show. Sept. 19-22--Aviation Expo China, Beijing.
Volga-Dnepr expects sales this year to top $1 billion, after reaching $725 million the year before. The expansion this year will be fueled by the fielding of the first of three Boeing 747-400ER freighters. Long-term ambitions are "to enter the top 20 of the world's largest airlines by 2015," says Volga-Dnepr group president, Alexey Isaikin. Revenue growth last year was 55% over the 2005 result.
In the past few months, the news media have been frantically reporting on extreme weather and the passengers who were trapped in airplanes during the related delays. Politicians are joining the call for a "passenger bill of rights." Pundits are condemning the airlines and there is apparent unhappiness with the state of U.S. air travel. Unfortunately, without policy reform, the current situation only promises to worsen.
Design updates to Airbus's emerging twin-wide-body A350XWB are aimed at improving aerodynamic performance and may allow higher seating capacity. Additionally, engineers are starting to identify areas where new technologies could lead to a more efficiently developed program. That's critical because the A350--which was formally launched in December--is the lead project as Airbus tries to remake processes under its Power8 restructuring plan, still in its early phases.
Capt. Carlos Limon, an Airbus A320 pilot with Mexicana, has been elected president of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Assns. He was deputy president and succeeds Capt. Dennis Dolan. Following Limon as deputy president will be Capt. Paul Rice, a Boeing 747-400 pilot for United Airlines. Rice is also first vice president of the U.S.-based Air Line Pilots Assn. Capt. Richard Woodward, an A330 pilot for Qantas, was elected executive vice president-standards, and Air Canada Jazz Capt. Dan Adamus was elected executive vice president-North America.
