As a lifetime member of both the National and Texas Rifle associations, I object to your support of the anti-Second Amendment agenda included in the Washington Outlook item “Signifying Leadership” (AW&ST May 20, p. 23). When did Aviation Week join the liberal ranks? Fort Worth, Texas
Last but not least, the FAA is advising air carriers transporting “heavy vehicle special cargo loads” to review policy and guidance on weight and balance-control procedures due to the “potential safety impact” of carrying and restraining the equipment. The timing of the Safety Alert for Operators, published on May 20, suggests it may be related to the fatal-and-very public crash of a National Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter departing from Bagram AB in Afghanistan on April 29, though the FAA did not specify this.
I fully appreciate your understanding of the needs of the “wired” current-generation readers versus hard-core paper types. While I would prefer a magazine that emphasized commercial aviation and worldwide military developments (my previous areas of employment), I know there are other parts of our industry that need to be served. For keeping myself current, I need to at least have a passing understanding of these as well.
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (Casis) is seeking proposals for stem cell research using facilities on the International Space Station (ISS) to study how microgravity affects the growth, division and differentiation of non-embryonic mammalian stem cells. Casis says it will provide grants, coordinate flight opportunities and locate potential partners for winning proposals. The non-profit organization, set up by Congress to operate the public U.S.
USAF Brig. Gens. Thomas W. Bergeson, Timothy J. Leahy and Paul H. McGillicuddy have been selected for promotion to major general. Bergeson has been appointed director for legislative liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force in the Pentagon. He has been director of operational capability requirements/deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements at USAF Headquarters. Leahy has been named director of operations at U.S. Special Operations Command Headquarters, MacDill AFB, Fla.
U.S. Air Force officials are preparing by year-end to begin flight-testing a communications gateway technology designed to enable stealthy aircraft to communicate with legacy fighters despite the disparate protocols tailored to their covert missions. The goal is to network combat air forces so pilots of the F-22—and, in the future, the F-35—can share data with those flying older aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16, says Lt. Col. Scott Hamilton, chief of the tactical data-links program branch at the service's Air Combat Command (ACC).
Steve Hughes (see photo) has been promoted to London Heathrow Airport-based vice president-sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa from sales manager for Continental Europe for Virgin Atlantic Cargo.
Has as a new jetliner ever been launched as reluctantly as the 777X? Boeing usually prefers to follow its competitors in new product development, waiting until it can create a “killer” for a given segment. The 777X, like the original 777, looks set to enter service several years after the competition, in this case the A350-1000. But while the 777 became a category killer, this time the late-adapter approach may have significant disadvantages.
The public debate surrounding the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles or systems (UAS) into the U.S. National Airspace System has failed to focus on key distinctions among the vastly different capabilities and potential uses of UAS. Not all of them can be used for real-time surveillance or, for that matter, as weapons. The assumption that all UAS are capable of real-time surveillance is incorrect, and it appears to be significantly delaying the FAA's integration of these innovative and cost-saving technologies into the National Airspace System.
Through more than 11 years of war in Afghanistan, airdropping of supplies has become a key part of the U.S. strategy for supporting forces that are geographically dispersed over difficult and dangerous terrain. But as this conflict winds down, and the Pentagon turns to future operations, what is the role for a resupply method that requires the aircraft to overfly its target?
These satellite images, taken less than a month apart by France's new Pleiades optical-imaging spacecraft, show the mile-wide trail of devastation left by the EF5 tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., on May 20. The image on the left was collected on April 29, and the one on the right on May 23.
June 11-14—Sixth Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference. Yeditepe University, Istanbul. See www.cmsim.org June 12-14—Eighth Annual International Forum on Design for Manufacture and Assembly. Crowne Plaza Hotel, Providence-Warwick, R.I. See www.dfma.com/forum/ June 17-23—Fiftieth Paris International Airshow. Le Bourget. See www.paris-air-show.com June 24-27—American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' Fluid Dynamics Conference and co-located conferences and exhibit. San Diego. See www.aiaa.org/Fluids2013
With the acquisition of inflight entertainment specialist IMS of Brea, Calif., Zodiac Aerospace says it will consolidate its IFE technology development for commercial aviation in a single business unit there, to be headed by CEO Rod Farley. Zodiac, based in Plaisir, France, bought IMS in January for an undisclosed amount because of its “passenger-centric” IFE.
John Fortson has been appointed vice president-finance of AAR Corp., Wood Dale, Ill., effective July 1. He later is expected to also become CFO and treasurer. Fortson has been managing director of investment banking for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
East Africa is home to two of Africa's most successful carriers, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways, but increasing competition from foreign airlines raises questions whether there is a future for two hub-and-spoke operators vying for the same market in the same region.
Jennifer Hoil has been promoted to account executive from account manager at Longbottom Communications, Arlington, Va. She has been an officer of Women in Aerospace and a board member of the local chapter of the Society of Satellite Professionals International.
The aerospace and defense (A&D) industry achieved record revenue and profits in 2012 on the strength of a surging commercial aviation market. Industry revenue and operating profit increased 2% and 4%, respectively. Median Top-Performing Companies (TPC) scores for the largest A&D companies improved to their highest levels since 2007, the year before the Great Recession. Mid-size company scores were flat, but remained at historic highs, and smaller company scores dropped considerably, after a brief peak last year.
It does not even have a formal name, but a new aviation and travel industry coalition could have a big impact on those long lines and wait times at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that are dissuading travelers from coming to the U.S. It also could be setting the stage for an intense battle over a critical element for some of the improvements: How to pay for them.
