In the past several decades, airlines disrupted by deregulation, low yields, excess capacity and soaring fuel prices, from time to time have filed for protection from their creditors, thanks to the celebrated U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection or similar provision in other countries. Then usually they implemented a cost-savings plan, reinforced by job cuts and elimination of unprofitable routes, in preparation for a new start. This was the airline industry's routine, in a slowly evolving context.
EasyJet has issued requests for proposals to Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier as well as engine manufacturers CFM and Pratt & Whitney as the airline plans to renew its fleet. It is looking at a 150-seat version of the Bombardier CSeries, the Airbus A320NEO and the Boeing 737 MAX. If it proceeds with a Bombardier order, EasyJet would go for a mixed fleet of two types, as the airline would then also buy a 180-seat aircraft, either the A320NEO or 737 MAX.
William Forthofer has been appointed VP-quality and continuous improvement at Kansas City, Mo.-based PAS Technologies. He was director of quality, export and regulatory compliance at Pratt & Whitney Military engines.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank said Nov. 19 it authorized two transactions totaling $461 million to underwrite the export of U.S.-made satellites to Hong Kong. Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) will deploy the satellites to upgrade and expand its fleet, which offers coverage to 80% of the world's population and targets emerging markets in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Russia. In the first transaction, the bank authorized a $171.3 million loan to ABS to finance the purchase of a FS1300, C/Ka/Ku-band geostationary satellite from Space Systems/Loral and insurance.
The Indian air force (IAF) is likely to start taking delivery of 512 CBU-105 sensor fuzed weapons (SFW) made by Textron Defense Systems in the first half of 2013, a defense ministry official says. Under the U.S. foreign military sale, Textron will deliver the SFWs to the U.S. Air Force, which in turn will give them to the IAF, the official says. The SFW will be mounted on the IAF's Jaguar fighters, and Textron will work closely with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. to integrate the weapons, the official says.
There's good news and bad news for U.S. space exploration and exploitation, now that the election results are in. The good news is that the bipartisan space policy hammered out with a lot of angst over the past four years will not need to be reviewed while a new president gets his feet on the ground. For now, at least, President Barack Obama's space policy, as modified by members of both houses in Congress, will remain unchanged. Work can continue as planned, without delay.
At the end of a president's first term in office, a Cabinet-level changeover is expected. But revelations of now-former CIA director David Petraeus's extramarital affair, the delay of Gen. John Allen's nomination to become the next commander of European Command, and a war on Capitol Hill over the Obama administration's handling of events in Benghazi, Libya, in September are overshadowing President Barack Obama's efforts to replenish the team who will lead spending on military and intelligence assets.
Benoit Beaulieu (see photo) has joined Montreal-based Esterline CMC Electronics as VP of human resources. He was VP of human resources, organizational effectiveness, information systems and technologies at L-3 Communications MAS (Canada). Honors and Elections
A decade of wake turbulence research, analysis and testing by aviation authorities, academia and industry already is finally paying concrete dividends in Memphis. Starting at 6 a.m. on Nov. 2, Memphis (Tenn.) International Airport and its chief tenant, FedEx, began using the FAA's re-categorized wake turbulence separation criteria (Recat) for all airport operations.
James A. Morrison (see photo) has been promoted to CEO of Partner Jet, Mississauga, Ontario, succeeding Ian McDougall, who has retired. Morrison had been managing director.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has approved head-up displays (HUD), which lower the landing minimums at seven instrument landing system-equipped airports, for Chinese carriers. An additional 58 airports are to be approved for HUD use in the next two years. The CAAC's “China HUD Application Roadmap” calls for 10% of all HUD-capable aircraft in service to be equipped with the new displays by 2015. Rockwell Collins says it is in talks with Chinese carriers about retrograde fits of HUDs on Boeing 737NG series aircraft and making HUDs standard on new orders.
NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman whipped up a Thanksgiving dinner analogy to describe the shuffling of safety areas on the board's annual “Most Wanted” list of 10 transportation safety improvements. The NTSB has bumped three aviation items off the list—professionalism of pilots and air traffic controllers, human fatigue and preventive safety efforts—due in part to improvements made. But it kept two others that have not improved—general aviation safety and airport surface operations (previously called runway safety).
Decisions that determine whether a program can be successful are often made before the contract is even won. But conceptual design is still more art than science, practiced by talented engineers without the sophisticated, integrated tools available for development and manufacturing.
As its customers prepare for a big shift to satellite navigation, Boeing has brought larger-format, 787-style electronic instrument displays to the 737 MAX's cockpit, enabling easier upgrades as airlines adapt to evolving air traffic control requirements.
Ferio Pugliese has been named executive VP of Calgary, Alberta-based WestJet and president of WestJet Encore. He will continue to have responsibility for WestJet's people and culture.
Massimo Bellizzi (see photo) will become director general of Rome-based air traffic management provider ENAV, effective Dec. 1. He has been head of ENAV's Operative Area.
Chris Kubasik's rise through the upper ranks of Lockheed Martin could not have been better scripted by the Chinese politburo. Since joining the U.S. defense giant in 1999, the onetime partner at accounting giant Ernst & Young was rotated through a succession of senior management positions, including chief financial officer and leader of the company's Electronic Systems business. Two years ago, Lockheed Martin telegraphed that Kubasik would be the successor to Chairman and CEO Robert Stevens by naming him president and chief operating officer.
The center of gravity in the large civil jet market may be shifting to Asia, but do not write off the U.S., top forecasters from Boeing and Airbus told the Aero Club of Washington last week. Randy Tinseth, vice president for marketing at Boeing Commercial Aircraft, says that while replacements will account for 70% of sales in the U.S. during the next two decades, the mega-market will not be surpassed by faster-growing regions.
Mark Maybury U.S. Air Force Chief Scientist Age: 47 Career: Maybury was previously executive director of the Information Technology Div. of Mitre Corp. Education: B.A., Mathematics, College of the Holy Cross; M.A., Philosophy in Computer Speech and Language Processing from Cambridge University, England; MBA, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Ph.D., Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge University.
Nan Bouchard will become VP and general manager of Boeing's C-17 program and Southern California consolidation, effective Jan. 1. She is VP of the Boeing Defense Space/Security (BDS) program management function. Leanne Caret will be VP and general manager of a consolidated vertical-lift division within the BDS Boeing Military Aircraft (BMA) business unit, managing the AH-64 Apache, H-47 Chinook and V-22 Osprey programs. She is VP of the H-47 Chinook program. Jean Chamberlin will be VP/GM for the BDS program management function.
The Senate shot down another attempt to shore up the nation's cyber defenses legislatively last week. Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee and others insisted that the bill included important information-sharing provisions that went beyond what can be done through executive order, a version of which was signed in October. The bill's failure opens the door for that order to move forward.
