BAE Systems plans to test long-range oblique imaging systems and synthetic aperture radar as potential sensors for its Herti long-endurance tactical unmanned aerial vehicle.
NASA's two Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) partners have passed milestones in their efforts to develop private vehicles to deliver cargo and eventually crew to the International Space Station. SpaceX, which plans to carry out the first of three orbital demonstration missions of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon reusable vehicle under its agreement with NASA in September 2008, won approval of its data for a preliminary design review of that mission to be held this summer.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why the front and side windshields of at least 14 aircraft at Denver International Airport cracked in a winter storm earlier this month. The board is examining the windshields to determine what factors--including strong winds and rapid temperature and pressure changes--may have led to this unusual event.
Christian Streiff is quickly beginning to look like the smartest CEO Airbus ever had. After 100 days on the job, he knew it was time to get out while the getting was good. No such luck for Louis Gallois, the incumbent. His Power8 plans to restructure Airbus's operations and reduce its costs--central to its ability to compete with Boeing in the near-, mid- and far-terms--are running into trouble, not only with the French and German governments, but also with German board members of Airbus's corporate parent, EADS (see p. 46).
Regarding your excellent coverage of unmanned aerial vehicles for civil use (AW&ST Feb. 12, p. 46), I'm a retired FAA ATC regulations and procedures specialist and in the mid-1990s, I was a member of FAA's Regulatory Advisory Committee. One of the issues in which I was involved was operation of UAVs in the National Airspace System.
Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq appear to place the greatest stress on the Royal Air Force's fixed- and rotary-wing transport capacity. In simple terms, the RAF just does not have enough support helicopters. While the shortfall is recognized by the government, the Future Rotorcraft Capability program to identify and procure successors has been repeatedly delayed.
Mark P. Brewer, president/CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corp., has received the George M. Skurla Award for service to the aviation industry and to his alma mater, which is the College of Aeronautics at Florida Institute of Technology.
Northwest Airlines projects nearly $7.2 billion in 2006-10 operating profits. Estimates of revenue and costs, and of balance-sheet and cash-flow status, are included in the carrier's disclosure statement for creditors (AW&ST Feb. 19, p. 19). Northwest believes its passenger revenue will increase at an annual average of 1.3% during 2006-10, to $9.7 billion from $9.2 billion. Mainline capacity growth is estimated at 3.4% this year, but only 0.4% per year during the five-year period.
Duncan B. Koerbel (see photo) has been named president of Adam Aircraft, Englewood, Colo. He succeeds Joe Walker, who will continue as a consultant. Koerbel was vice president/general manager of the Global Express and Global 5000 programs at Bombardier Aerospace in Montreal. John Wolf (see photo) has been appointed lead director and board of directors liaison. He is retired chief operating officer of the Fairchild Dornier Corp. and a former senior vice president of McDonnell Douglas.
Spacehab is dropping all litigation against NASA seeking reimbursement for the company's Research Double Module (RDM) that was lost in the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003. Spacehab had sued for $87.7 million for loss of the RDM in one claim and for $79.7 million under the Federal Tort Claims Act, arguing that NASA's negligence in shuttle safety led to destruction of the module. NASA paid $8.2 million on the first claim. In dropping the remaining litigation, the company said on Feb.
XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio will have to overcome intense regulatory scrutiny to complete their proposed $11.4-billion "merger of equals." But even if the companies are able to meet their ambitious goal of closing the deal by the end of 2007, integrating their satellite-based systems could take years longer.
Defense Acquisition University President Frank Anderson says only 9% of our ninth graders go on to attain a technical degree (AW&ST Feb. 5, p. 48). By the age of 13, most individuals have decided to pursue a non-technical field. If our industry is to reverse its loss of technical candidates, we need to start earlier than middle school.
The International Civil Aviation Organization's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) has approved a set of instructions to aid nations planning to incorporate emissions from international aviation into their emissions trading schemes. CAEP's guidance seeks to reduce engine emissions by the use of technology, operational means and market-based measures.
Members of the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space are expected to recommend a set of space-debris mitigation guidelines to the General Assembly in June, following their adoption by a technical panel that included China, whose Jan. 11 anti-satellite weapon test created more debris than any previous event. The General Assembly is likely to adopt the guidelines next fall. "People had expected that they [the Chinese] would try to make changes, and they didn't," says Kenneth Hodgkins, the State Dept. representative to the technical talks.
The FAA's decision to make Deputy Administrator Robert Sturgell the acting head of the Air Traffic Organization, as the agency searches for a successor to hard-to-replace Russell Chew, looks good to some savvy ATC industry executives. Their reasoning: It gives Sturgell a chance to show his leadership capabilities. Recruiting a permanent ATO chief would take a while in the best of circumstances.
Mark Ronald, former president/CEO of Washington-based BAE Systems Inc. and former chief operating officer and director of BAE Systems plc, has become chairman of the company's U.S. board of directors.
Three Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft likely will be cut from the proposed Defense Dept. supplemental budgets for Fiscal 2007-8, says Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii). The aircraft are not emergency procurement items and have no place in the supplementals, he says. The cuts are a product of a line-item scrub by the House Armed Services' air and land forces subcommittee, which Abercrombie chairs. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) says the Pentagon needs to stop using supplementals and include war costs in its baseline budget for Fiscal 2009.
A European mission intended to explore the origins of the Universe with unprecedented accuracy is nearing completion, preparing scientists for a peek into previously unknown regions.
Continued schedule problems are driving partners in the NH90 helicopter program to devise a new production plan. Nevertheless, more delays lie ahead. After more than two years of deadlines pushed back by development, production and certification issues in the NH90 transport and naval helo program, Germany in December finally accepted the first of the rotorcraft. But concerns remain in Germany, the Netherlands, France and other customer countries about late deliveries.
Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) is testing a Block 20 version of the Global Hawk UAV configured to carry an improved radar system. It will be capable of providing coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan with information on stationary vehicles, low-flying aircraft and cruise missiles.
Emirates took another step toward expanding its North American presence and increasing long-haul operations to the Middle East and India. The carrier announced plans to start three weekly nonstop Dubai-Houston services in December to coincide with delivery of new Boeing 777-200LRs. Emirates plans to initiate daily service between the two cities beginning Feb. 1, 2008.
Agam Sinha has become senior vice president of the Mitre Corp., McLean, Va., general manager of its Center for Advanced Aviation System Development and director of the FAA's Federally Funded Research and Development Center. He was a vice president.
SENSIS CORP COMPLETED FOUR ADDITIONAL Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model X (ASDE-X) systems for the FAA in 2006. ASDE-X uses surface movement radar and the reception of transponder signals at antennas on the airport surface to fix the position of aircraft for air traffic controllers. The system improves situational awareness, especially during low visibility. New systems were commissioned at Seattle-Tacoma, Lambert-St. Louis and Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International airports as well as at Bradley International in Windsor Locks, Conn.
I am a commercial airline captain. I am also Vermont's lieutenant governor, and I chair the Aerospace States Assn. With more than 20 years and thousands of hours of flying experience in both commercial and military aircraft, I know I speak for all pilots when I cite the great pride we take in operating our aircraft not just as safely as possible, but also as cleanly, and with the best fuel efficiency as possible.
