Richard M. Russell has been named U.S. ambassador to the 2007 World Radiocommunications Conference in Geneva. He will remain as associate director of the Office of Science and Techno- logy Policy in the White House.
Two new Russian members of Expedition 15 to the International Space Station--Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov--are settling in for a six-month stay following their Apr. 9 Soyuz docking, while software billionaire Charles Simonyi is getting a good look around as the fifth space tourist to visit the station. Simonyi will perform experiments for scientists in Western Europe, Japan and his native Hungary. Like his predecessors, Simonyi paid Russia about $20 million for the privilege.
On May 7, the German defense ministry will provide industry with information on the cross-European force protection program joint investment plan. The European Defense Agency is overseeing the endeavor in which 20 countries are pooling resources to finance research and technology efforts on force protection, without the usual national offset demands associated with multi-national undertakings. With the first call for proposals out, the German government says it wants to educate industry on how to more effectively bid on projects.
An article in the Apr. 2 issue (p. 20) incorrectly listed the prime and subcontractors in one of the teams bidding to produce NASA's Ares I upper stage. Alliant Techsystems leads the team that includes Pratt & Whitney/ Rocketdyne and Lockheed Martin.
UPS will become the first foreign airline to operate a hub in China, Chinese and U.S. aviation officials have confirmed. UPS, meeting criteria outlined in the 2004 U.S. China bilateral agreement, last week contracted with Shanghai Airport Authority to build a facility at Shanghai Pudong Airport. The UPS hub facility, to open next year, will be part of the new West Cargo Terminal Area now under construction. The deal removes frequency restrictions for UPS, essentially giving the carrier open skies rights.
MTU Aero Engines has upped its stake in the F414 used to power the F/A-18E/F. MTU was a 2.5% partner on the General Electric engine, but now holds 3.5%, the German engine maker says. Additionally, MTU holds 1.5% in the F404, used to power older F/A-18s. MTU expects F/A-18 engine activity to generate about $1 billion in revenue. F414 work has expanded largely though the addition of heat shielding that MTU will provide in the high-pressure section and a rotating seal.
The NTSB, recognizing the threat of controller fatigue to aviation safety, is proposing a revision of work-scheduling policy and the adoption of fatigue-awareness training programs. Specifically, safety board recommendations A07-30-32 urge the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. (Natca) to find ways jointly of providing controllers adequate rest periods for restorative sleep and building a shift rotation schedule to minimize sleep disruptions, which can lead to degradation of cognitive performance.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Earth observation satellite, ALOS, was unable to send its data to a relay satellite, Kodama, for three days due to a transmission problem. Trans- mission equipment broke down Apr. 5. During the malfunction, communication was maintained through direct transmission to ground stations, enabling disaster surveillance of the Solomon Islands after a major earthquake.
John S. Slattery (see photo), who is managing director of RBS Aviation Capital, will be 2007-08 president of the Wings Club of New York. He succeeds AirTran Airways Chairman/CEO Joseph B. Leonard. Slattery was vice president.
Reader Ted Yellman wants a high-quality analysis to determine how much additional risk is expected as a result of changing the pilot-age rule (AW&ST Feb. 19, p. 7). Many such analyses and reports exist, such as "The National Institutes of Health/NIA Panel on the Experienced Pilot Study" and a "study of studies" in the March 2002 issue of Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine by Dr. Robin Wilkening.
As India's domestic aviation grows at better than a 25% annual pace, the enthusiasm of leading international maintenance, repair and overhaul providers to establish a major presence is clearly evident. But nothing much has happened as the industry watches and waits for a trio of hurdles typical of the Indian aviation scene--infrastructure, land authorization and the sheer overall bureaucracy that encompasses every move--to be cleared.
Ted Yellman wants an analysis to determine the effect of changing the pilot-age rule. There already have been many analyses, some funded by the FAA, others by Japan, Israel and the International Civil Aviation Organization. The latest is a study by the American Academy of Neurology, supported by three other scientific organizations. Results were published in the Feb. 27 issue of Neurology, the academy's scientific journal.
Major A400M parts are starting to arrive at the final assembly site for the military airlifter in Seville, Spain. The first pair of wings were brought to Spain from the U.K. Assembly of the airlifter is starting three months late, but program officials vow to keep the remainder of the schedule intact.
Greece will finally become a partner in the French-led Helios 2 Earth-observation satellite program, joining Germany, Belgium and Italy. Greece will receive a Helios 2 ground terminal to task the sensor, receive and analyze imagery. Negotiations have been ongoing to form the accord since February 2005. One Helios 2 spacecraft is in orbit, with a second to be launched in 2009.
The Army pushes back hard on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruling that it erred in awarding a $4.65-billion linguist services contract to DynCorp last December. The loss of the contract to provide translators to U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan stunned incumbent L-3 Communications and its teammate, Northrop Grumman, and forced L-3 to lower its earnings guidance for 2007. Last month, the GAO upheld L-3's protest of the award, opening the door for a re-compete.
The U.S. Navy has declared its quick- reaction low-collateral-damage bomb ready for operational use. The modified 500-lb. Joint Direct Attack Munition uses less explosive to reduce damage to personnel and structures.
Chinese spending on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is expected to gallop along with 10% annual growth for the next five years, before settling down in the following five years to 6%--still more than twice the rate of expansion expected in either North America or Western Europe.
FORWARD VISION OF RUSSELL, PA., has partnered with Max-Viz of Portland, Ore., to bring better "enhanced vision" systems to general aviation, backed by Max-Viz's business jet and helicopter technology experience. Synthetic Vision relies on images from forward-looking infrared cameras to help counter spatial disorientation, controlled flight into terrain, runway incursions and other nighttime or low-visibility mishaps. Forward Vision's new $14,995 EVS-100 will bring bizjet technology to smaller aircraft in a 1.5-lb. package with LCD displays.
United Space Alliance (USA), the Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint venture formed to operate NASA's space shuttle fleet, is pushing into the next application for its services with a set of software packages designed to support human exploration of the Moon. First up for USA's independent research and development (IRAD) "Questus" set of software tools is a data-management package called Integrated Lunar Information Architecture for Decision Support, produced in partnership with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Red-faced Intelsat officials quickly assure Sri Lanka's ambassador to the U.S., Bernard Goonetilleke, that they will stop "pirate" direct-to-home TV transmissions by the Tamil Tigers. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lanka-based group listed by the U.S. State Dept. as a terrorist organization, somehow gained access to an unused transponder on Intelsat 12 and used it to beam messages into Sri Lankan homes.
The U.S. is hoping high-level meetings between Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and Chinese officials will help resolve an impasse in U.S.-China aviation negotiations, paving the way for an open skies agreement as early as next month.
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) fires a fuel-cooled Thermally-Throated RamJet (TTRJ) combustor to demonstrate technology for scramjet missile application and eventually air-breathing space launch engines.
The Swedish government plans to spend up to 4.1 billion kroner ($595 million) to upgrade 31 early Saab JAS 39A/B Gripen fighters to the C/D standard, which adds features needed for international operations. In addition to harmonizing the fleet to cut flight, maintenance and logistic costs, the operational life of the total fleet of 100 Gripens is to be extended to 2040.
Giovanni Bisignani is the director general of IATA, the International Air Transport Assn. This article is adapted from his speech last week on emissions trading at the Green Skies 2007 conference in Hong Kong (see p. 28).
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.
