As Boeing explores interest in a 757 replacement (AW&ST Feb. 24, p. 28), an obvious solution presents itself—a 757 MAX. The 757 is known for its range, payload and hot-and-high takeoff capabilities. This rugged and reliable airframe is beloved by flight crews and maintenance personnel alike. Restarting production of the 757 with new-generation engines and some modest aerodynamic and systems refinements would produce an economical solution to the 757 replacement issue.
Rostislav Belyakov, who headed the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau from 1969 to 1997, died of an unspecified illness in Moscow on Feb. 28. He was 94. Belyakov joined the bureau in 1941, two years after its establishment, and became its deputy chief designer in 1957. He was appointed general designer after the bureau's founder, Artyom Mikoyan, suffered a stroke in 1969.
March 25-30—FIDAE. Santiago, Chile. www.fidae.cl/portal_fidae.aspx March 29-April 1—Airports Council International's 2014 Air Cargo Conference. Orlando, Fla. www.aci-na.org/event/3204 March 30-April 10—ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14). Dubai. www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Conferences/WTDC/WTDC14/Pages/item.aspx?ItemID=14 April 1-2—SpeedNews Second Annual Aerospace Manufacturing Conference. The Battle House Renaissance, Mobile, Ala.speednews.com/aerospace-manufacturing-conference
The U.K. government has selected Honeywell's SmartPath ground-based augmentation system to complement a standard ground-based instrument landing system (ILS) at a new airport being built on St. Helena island. The British territory is in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,100 mi. from the African mainland and 700 mi. from the nearest diversion airport. St. Helena is in the process of building its first airport, slated to be operating in 2016 and opening the island to tourism. The facility will have a single 5,085-ft.-long, 150-ft.-wide runway.
Keith Marshall has become chief executive of PremiAir International Group UK. He was executive vice president in the electronic warfare and battlespace divisions of Selex Galileo and had been a senior executive vice president with Northrop Grumman. Trevor Jenkins has been promoted to managing director of the PremiAir Aerospace team. He has been a technical director of B/E Aerospace and head of composite materials and processes at Airbus UK.
William Deere has been named senior vice president for government and external affairs for the Alexandria, Va.-based National Air Transportation Association, effective March 31. He has been vice president-government affairs for the United States Telecom Association and was senior vice president-legislative affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
Qantas's urgent need to slash costs to mitigate spiraling losses has sparked one of the largest shakeups in the airline's history. While Qantas is hoping it can cut its way back to profitability, potential political and structural changes could play key roles in assisting the carrier's turnarounds.
Right now, the majority of aviation development in India is like the tango; two steps forward, one back, stop and gaze at your partner, wait for applause, then repeat.
Elizabeth L. Schmid has become vice president for national security and acquisition policy for the Arlington, Va.-based Aerospace Industries Association. She was on the staff of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense and previously the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
The British Army has been cleared to begin flying the Thales U.K. Watchkeeper unmanned aerial system (UAS). The long-delayed UAS received its initial release to service documentation from the U.K. Military Aviation Authority on March 5. British Army pilots may now begin training flights with the system in segregated airspace over the Salisbury Plain Training Area in southern England. An interim contingency deployment capability for Watchkeeper is expected to be ready by the end of 2015.
The Singapore government has chosen the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) to replace its aging Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers. Details of the decision emerged in a speech by Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen on March 6. Ng did not say when or how many aircraft would be delivered, but when Airbus tabled its offer last summer, the requirement was for six aircraft to replace four KC-135s. Two more Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk helicopters are also due to be purchased to support ship-borne operations.
The perception that the U.S. enjoys military superiority over all possible adversaries has existed for decades, despite the fact that Russia enjoys a technological edge in many important weapon categories. These systems are also widely exported. Our future military dominance depends heavily on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The SU-35 can already outperform it in almost every realm and the T-50 should be much more formidable.
Tony Osborne's “Fueling Question” (AW&ST Feb. 24, p. 37) underscores that prudent routine mission planning should have had that helicopter safely back on the ground at Glasgow City Heliport within 30 min.—fuel still in the tanks—not flying around at night over a densely populated city with one low-fuel light blinking and the other steady on. If this was a seasoned crew, something else must have distracted them. That is where investigators should be looking.
Following its recent decision to pursue large geared-turbofan designs for next-generation engines in the 2020s and beyond, Rolls-Royce has announced plans to expand its aerospace research and technology capabilities in Dahlewitz, Germany, with construction of a new testbed for power gearboxes.
USAF Brig. Gen. Jay B. Silveria has been selected for promotion to major general and appointment as commander of the U.S. Air Warfare Command Center of Air Combat Command, Nellis AFB, Nev. He has been vice commander of the 14th Air Force of Air Force Space Command, Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Col. David A. Krumm has been selected for promotion to brigadier general and appointment as vice commander of the 5th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Yokota AB, Japan. He has been principal military assistant to the secretary of defense at the Pentagon.
Assad Kotaite, a Lebanese diplomat who served in key positions at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for more than three decades, died Feb. 27 of cancer in Montreal. He was 89.
Rachel Ehrenfeld's Viewpoint “Protect Airliners from SAM Threat” was insightful and accurate. I have worked for large aircraft defensive systems for more than 20 years and can readily see that Ehrenfeld has done her homework. Cursory dismissal or deflection of this issue is neither appropriate nor effective. Executive transport (Air Force One and other head-of-state aircraft) are equipped with defensive systems to counter the infrared surface-to-air missile threat, as are a good portion of our airlift aircraft and El Al Airlines.
