Bell Helicopter Takes the Top Spot in Product Support Categories
August 13, 2009
FORT WORTH, TX (July 22, 2009) – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, scored another win with its repeat as the highest rated rotorcraft manufacturer for product support in the Aviation International News (AIN) annual survey.
Coupled with its 15th consecutive number one ranking in the Professional Pilot magazine survey earlier this year, Bell continues to dominate this important measurement of customer satisfaction.
Danny Maldonado, Bell’s senior vice president of customer support and chief services officer, stated, “We are grateful that our customers continue to recognize the effort we put in supporting our products in the field. Bell knows that our operators rely on our support structure to keep their aircraft in the air where they can be productive assets.” Bell’s support philosophy has created a mindset that is backed up by dedicated resources that are available around the clock, so no matter where you are the Bell team is there when you need them.
“We are continuously evaluating our support team and structure looking for ways to improve, and the comments provided by our customers in this survey are an important tool in that improvement process,” said Maldonado. Bell has been ranked number one in all but one of the annual AIN surveys.
TAM and Air China Sign Codeshare Agreement
August 11, 2009
SAO PAULO, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — TAM (NYSE: TAM, BOVESPA: TAMM4) and Air China will begin operating codeshare flights that connect Sao Paulo and Beijing this month. The agreement will provide greater comfort and convenience to passengers of both companies.
Departing from Brazil on TAM, passengers will be able to purchase tickets to Beijing, with a connection in Madrid’s Barajas International Airport. There, they will have the services and support of Brazilian TAM personnel to make connections on flights operated by Air China, which will use the code JJ to Beijing.
From the Chinese capital to here, Air China passengers will have the same benefits in creating their itineraries, also making a connection in the Spanish capital for our direct flight to Sao Paulo.
For TAM, the partnership is very strategic. “This is the first agreement we have made with an Asian company, a fact made more significant by being made with a company that has such an extensive network and high service standard as Air China, our Star Alliance partner,” states Paulo Castello Branco, TAM’s Commercial and Planning Vice President.
“TAM is a new member of the Star Alliance. We are happy to establish this partnership with them, which lets the passengers travel more comfortably with our own operations or with codeshare partners,” says Zhang Lan, Air China’s Vice President.
Raytheon Develops World’s Largest Infrared Light-Wave Detector
August 11, 2009
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Aug. 11, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has developed the world’s largest infrared light-wave detector, expanding current capabilities in missile warning, environmental monitoring and astronomical research.
Optimized for space applications, the new “4K-by-4K” focal plane array comprises some 16 million pixels, arranged in 4,096 rows and columns. It is four times larger than infrared detectors currently in production, giving it the ability to collect data from a much wider field of view with improved sensitivity.
“This breakthrough in focal-plane technology will clear the way for significant design improvements in a wide range of military and civil applications,” said Bill Hart, vice president for Space Systems. “When employed as part of a satellite sensor system, the 4K-by-4K will permit full-Earth hemisphere staring with a single focal plane array.”
A focal plane array captures packets of light waves (photons) and converts them to electrical impulses that can be used to produce data about the object that emitted the photons. The greater the number of pixels on the array, the greater the area it can survey.
Space-based missile warning is one area that could greatly benefit from Raytheon’s large-format focal plane array. Sensors with this technology could provide an “unblinking eye” over an entire hemisphere and detect dimmer events or objects more quickly than currently fielded assets.
Weather satellites could provide continuous detailed information about global storms, and astronomers would be able to detect infrared phenomena from distances previously not possible.
Sensors using the array would also be easier to design, build and test because they wouldn’t need the complex scanning mechanisms historically used to cover similarly wide fields of view.
NASA Assigns Crew for STS-134 Shuttle Mission, Change to STS-132
August 11, 2009
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — NASA has assigned the crew for space shuttle mission STS-134 to the International Space Station. The flight will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, to the station. The AMS is a state-of-the-art cosmic ray particle physics detector designed to examine fundamental issues about matter and the origin and structure of the universe.
Navy Capt. Mark Kelly will command the STS-134 mission. Retired Air Force Col. Gregory H. Johnson will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Air Force Col. Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff and Andrew Feustel. European Space Agency astronaut and Italian Air Force Col. Roberto Vittori also will serve as a mission specialist.
The flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of the AMS to the exterior of the space station using both the shuttle and station arms. The AMS will be attached to the right side of the station’s truss, or backbone.
NASA also has named Air Force Col. Michael Good to replace Karen Nyberg on shuttle Atlantis’ STS-132 mission, targeted to launch in May 2010. Nyberg is being replaced due to a temporary medical condition. Nyberg will be assigned to a technical role while she awaits a future assignment.
Kelly previously served as the pilot of STS-108 in 2001 and STS-121 in 2006, and commander for STS-124 in 2008. He was born in Orange, N.J., and considers West Orange, N.J., to be his hometown. Kelly has a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, King’s Point, N.Y., and a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.
Johnson previously flew as a pilot on STS-123 in 2008. He was born in South Ruislip, Middlesex, United Kingdom, but graduated from Park Hills High School in Fairborn, Ohio. Johnson has a bachelor’s from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and master’s degrees from Columbia University and the University of Texas, Austin.
Fincke is a veteran of two long-duration missions aboard the space station. He served as the NASA science officer and flight engineer on Expedition 9, and commander for Expedition 18. He was born in Pittsburgh and considers Emsworth, Pa., his hometown. He has an Associate Science degree from El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., two bachelor’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and master’s degrees from Stanford University and the University of Houston – Clear Lake.
Chamitoff, also a veteran of a long-duration spaceflight, served as NASA science officer and a flight engineer on Expeditions 17 and 18. He was born in Montreal and grew up in San Jose, Calif. He holds a bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic State University, a master’s degree from the California Institute of Technology, a second master’s degree from UHCL and a doctorate from MIT.
STS-134 is the second mission for Feustel, who flew as a mission specialist on STS-125 in May. He has an Associate Science degree from Oakland Community College, Mich., a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and a doctorate from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Feustel considers Lake Orion, Mich., his hometown.
Vittori is a veteran of two prior spaceflights to the space station aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He was born in Viterbo, Italy. He received his bachelor’s degree from the Italian Air Force Academy and earned master’s degrees from the University of Naples and University of Perugia.
This will be the second mission for Good, who flew on STS-125. He was born in Parma, Ohio, and considers Broadview Heights, Ohio to be his hometown. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Notre Dame.
Lockheed Martin Breaks Ground Marking Expansion of Newtown, PA Facility
August 11, 2009
NEWTOWN, Pa., Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ — Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) broke ground today on two new facilities at its Space Systems Company operations in Newtown, Pennsylvania, that will support spacecraft programs for government and commercial customers.
A 15,000-square-foot multi-purpose conference center will facilitate large-scale meetings such as design reviews, demonstration initiatives and customer events. The new meeting facility will accommodate up to 250 people and offers users the ability to subdivide the space into separate meeting rooms as well as enjoy state of the art audio visual and IT equipment.
A 17,000-square-foot addition will be constructed at the west end of the facility’s Product Team Building (PTB) to expand Lockheed Martin’s satellite manufacturing capability. The addition will house a near-field antenna range, a new passive inter-modulation (PIM) chamber, and a new antenna assembly clean room. In addition, product holding and fixture preparation areas are planned.
Both projects will be certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. LEED provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction, and LEED certified buildings typically use resources more efficiently when compared to conventional buildings. The estimated cost of the projects is $24 million.
Several dignitaries participated in the groundbreaking ceremony, some of which include: Rep. Patrick Murphy, U.S. House of Representatives, 8th District; Sister Francesca Onley, President, Holy Family University; Ms. Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, Bucks County Commissioner; Rep. Steve Santarsiero, 31st Legislative District, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Col. David W. Madden, Commander of the U.S. Air Force’s Global Positioning Systems GPS Wing; and Mr. Paul Strazdus of the U.S. Navy’s Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Program.
Lockheed Martin’s Newtown facility employs about 1200 people and serves as the headquarters for Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) and the next-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) III and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R-Series (GOES-R) programs. LMCSS has delivered 37 communications satellites based on the A2100 platform to customers world-wide. The GPS III and GOES-R programs were awarded to Lockheed Martin in May 2008 and July 2009 respectively.
“This expansion signifies Lockheed Martin’s long-term commitment to our partnership with Newtown Township and to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said LMCSS Vice President and General Manager Marshall Byrd. “Our new conference center will enable us to better serve our customers around the world, and our manufacturing expansion will facilitate assembly, integration and test of essential GPS III components,” continued Byrd.
The facility also builds components for Lockheed Martin government programs such as
the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system, which will provide global, highly secure, protected, survivable communications for warfighters operating on ground, sea and air platforms, and the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), which will greatly expand the capacity of UHF communications and aid the military as it increasingly relies on more agile and mobile forces.
The Newtown facility is part of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC), a major operating unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation. LMSSC designs and develops, tests, manufactures and operates a full spectrum of advanced-technology systems for national security and military, civil government and commercial customers. Chief products include human space flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation, meteorological and communications satellites and instruments; space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft; laser radar; ballistic missiles; missile defense systems; and nanotechnology research and development.
Air Charter International is Ready for Expected Rise in World Air Cargo Traffic
August 11, 2009
DUBAI, UAE, August 11 /PRNewswire/ — According to the Boeing Company’s World Air Cargo Forecast (WACF), “rising jet fuel prices and distress in the financial sector dampened world air cargo growth in 2007 and 2008. However, over the next 20 years, world air cargo traffic will triple compared to current levels.”
The report goes on to say that “World air cargo traffic will expand at an average annual rate of 5.8% for the next two decades, tripling current traffic levels. Markets connecting developing economies to established economies will either approximate or exceed the average world growth rate.”
Companies in various industry sectors will be looking to penetrate these emerging markets, many of which are located in high-risk or remote areas, such as: Libya, former Soviet Republics, the Arctic, Alaska, Africa and the Americas and will require a variety of logistical cargo project services and cargo air charters .
Logistical projects require global shipments with particular requirements, such as: heavy transports, outsized cargo, and cargo with time sensitive or security constraints to remote and difficult to access locations; will consequently contribute to the estimated growth in air cargo traffic. Stuart Wheeler, CEO of Air Charter International says; “Sound planning is the backbone of every such project and with our extensive experience, Air Charter International, can source the ideal aircraft to fit the job in time critical situations, as well as overall supervision of loading and discharge operations.”
Air Charter International has experience in assisting governments and affiliated agencies with delivery of heavy-lift goods and infrastructure components into crisis areas or reconstruction zones.
In mining, oil and gas sectors, industries that are directly influenced by the growth of developing countries, transportation of specialized chemicals and capital equipment (mining processing plants, rigs pipelines, cooling towers and generators and spare parts) have been the main stay of Air Charter International’s air logistics solutions.
Mr. Wheeler concludes, “Air Charter International’s strong position in assisting these industry requirements is due to the combined expertise of its employees and the unique operating capability and extensive operator base capable of facilitating outsize loads on behalf of our customers.”
De la bahía a la playa: JetBlue añade vuelos entre San Francisco y Fort Lauderdale – El primer servicio sin escala de San Francisco a Fort Lauderdale – – Conexiones fáciles al Caribe –
August 11, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO, 11 de agosto /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) invita a los residentes de San Francisco a cambiar la bahía por la playa este otoño, cuando la aerolínea empieza el primer vuelo sin escala de la ciudad a la soleada Fort Lauderdale, en la Florida. A partir del 17 de noviembre, JetBlue, una aerolínea orientada al cliente, ofrecerá un servicio diario entre el Aeropuerto Internacional de San Francisco y su ciudad principal en el Sur de la Florida, en el Aeropuerto Internacional Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood. JetBlue ha estado ofreciendo a los viajeros de la costa oeste un servicio sin escala entre Los Angeles/Long Beach y Fort Lauderdale desde 2003. Desde Fort Lauderdale, hay conexiones fáciles a lugares del Caribe como Nassau, las Bahamas y San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090217/NY71475LOGO-b ) Los nuevos vuelos de JetBlue entre San Francisco y Fort Lauderdale ofrecerán a los viajeros servicios y comodidades sin rival a bordo, como un espacio para las piernas más amplio --el mayor en clase coach de cualquier aerolínea norteamericana(a)--, la mayor cantidad de entretenimiento en vivo de cualquier aerolínea norteamericana (b), y meriendas y bebidas gratis, sin límite, además del sincero, personal y premiado servicio al cliente de JetBlue. San Francisco (SFO) a Fort Lauderdale (FLL) a Fort Lauderdale (FLL) San Francisco (SFO) --------------------- ----------------------- Salida - Llegada Salida - Llegada ----------------- ---------------- 11:30 p.m. - 7:50 a.m. (siguiente día) 7:15 p.m. - 10:35 p.m. -------------------------------------- ---------------------- -- El servicio empieza el 17 de noviembre de 2009 -- ---------------------------------------------------- "JetBlue está entusiasmada con el inicio de un servicio muy solicitado entre San Francisco y el Sur de la Florida", dijo Robin Hayes, director comercial de JetBlue. "Esperamos una mayor expansión en estas importantes ciudades de JetBlue, y esperamos que los viajeros aprecien el servicio de JetBlue, en particular nuestro espacio para las piernas, en este nuevo vuelo de costa a costa. JetBlue ofrece por lo menos 34 pulgadas entre asientos, o por sólo $40 más, usted puede estirarse y disfrutar de 38 pulgadas en un super espacioso asiento Even More Legroom. De cualquiera de las dos formas puede cruzar las piernas". Los vuelos nocturnos desde San Francisco y todas las ciudades del oeste de los Estados Unidos ofrecen el servicio de cortesía Shut-Eye Service de JetBlue, con un Snooze Kit que trae tapones para los oídos y anteojeras, además de meriendas y bebidas gratis ilimitadas y un servicio de toalla caliente al despertar. Antes de la llegada, se invitará a los clientes a un café de Dunkin' Donuts, un jugo de fruta y una botella de agua de manantial, para que los clientes desembarquen frescos y listos para empezar la jornada, tanto si es en la sala de reuniones como en la playa. Desde el Aeropuerto Internacional de San Francisco, JetBlue ofrece actualmente vuelos diarios sin escala a Austin, Texas; Boston, Los Angeles/Long Beach, y Nueva York. Desde Fort Lauderdale, JetBlue vuela a 17 destinos: Austin, Texas; Boston; Buffalo, Nueva York; Cancún, México; Charlotte, Carolina del Norte; Los Angeles/Long Beach, California; Nassau, Bahamas; Nueva York/JFK; Nueva York/LaGuardia; Newark, Nueva Jersey; Newburgh, Nueva York; Raleigh/Durham, Carolina del Norte; Richmond, Virginia; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Santo Domingo, República Dominicana; Washington/Dulles; y White Plains, Nueva York.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne’s Scramjet Engine Installed in Second X-51A Flight Test Vehicle
August 10, 2009
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ — Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne’s scramjet engine SJY61-2 has been installed in the second X-51A flight test vehicle at Boeing Phantom Works in Palmdale, Calif. This is the second of four engines that will be used in flight testing of the X-51A scheduled to begin later this year. The X-51A is expected to exceed Mach 6 and set the foundation for several hypersonic applications. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
The X-51A SED-WR program is a collaborative effort of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), The Boeing Company and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. The X-51A flight tests are intended to demonstrate extended-duration, hydrocarbon-fueled hypersonic flight. Potential applications for this technology include access-to-space, reconnaissance-strike and global reach.
“We look forward to final assembly of the second flight test vehicle and the continuing progress toward a successful flight test program that will show that hypersonic flight is practical,” stated George Thum, X-51A program manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.
Following final assembly and evaluation, X-51A Flight Test Vehicle 2 will be moved to Edwards Air Force Base, Mojave, Calif., where flight testing will take place.
During flight demonstrations, the X-51A will be dropped from a B-52, and a solid rocket ATACMS booster will accelerate the X-51A to approximately Mach 4.5 where the scramjet engine will take-over and power the vehicle to a flight speed of Mach 6 or more. The flight is predicted to occur over several minutes. There are four test flights planned for the X-51A demonstration program.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.
Boeing Receives $1.15B Contract for 15 Canadian Chinooks, Announces Matching Reinvestment in Industry
August 10, 2009
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) today announced that it has received a US$1.15 billion contract from the Canadian government for 15 new CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. Under the contract, Boeing will match Canada’s purchase price by executing contracts and investments of equal value with Canadian industry.
Designated the CH-147 in Canada, the Chinooks have been contracted to meet Canada’s Medium-to-Heavy Lift Helicopter program requirements. They will be produced at the Boeing Rotorcraft Systems facility in Ridley Township, Pa., with deliveries expected to occur between 2013 and 2014.
Speaking today at an event hosted by the ministries of Defence and Industry at the I.M.P. Aerospace facility in Halifax, Jack Dougherty, Boeing vice president, H-47 Programs, said, “Boeing is extremely pleased that Canada has selected the CH-147 Chinook, the world’s leading tandem-rotor helicopter, to modernize its defense forces’ airlift fleet.
“This is also great news for Canadian troops,” Dougherty added. “They are a national treasure, because they not only place themselves in defense of Canada, but also are the heroes who are called on in every manner of civil emergency.”
The ceremony also included remarks from the Honorable Peter MacKay, Canada’s Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway.
“This contract is key in ensuring the Canadian Forces are a first-class, modern, flexible force capable of defending Canada and the Canadian interest for years to come,” MacKay said. “This helicopter will give Canada’s military a robust capability with the ability to operate in remote and isolated areas, and increase their capacity to respond to disasters both at home and abroad.”
In line with Canada’s Industrial & Regional Benefits policy, Boeing will match every dollar spent by the Canadian government in acquiring its CH-147 fleet by partnering with and issuing contracts to companies in Canada. These opportunities will result in long-term, high-value jobs for Canadians and build on the long-standing partnership between Boeing and Canadian industry. Contracts worth in excess of $500 million have been signed against this commitment and are being implemented by companies across Canada.
“This is a win-win for Canada and The Boeing Company,” said Mark Kronenberg, vice president of International Business Development for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. “Boeing seeks to partner with the very best of industry, and as a result, we continue to make a significant commitment to Canadian industry. This new contract has created opportunities for new partnerships to further grow our already large supplier base in Canada.”
Along with the reinvestments Boeing will make as part of the delivery contract, the company could provide additional industry benefits in excess of $2 billion over 20 years for in-service support of the CH-147 fleet. The performance-based in-service support could include aircraft maintenance training systems and services, engineering support, supply chain management, and other expertise.
The CH-147, which will be modified to meet Canada’s operational environment, will be powered by two 4,733-horsepower Honeywell engines and feature extended-range capabilities. It will be able to transport more than 21,000 pounds (9,525 kg) of cargo.
Dos astronautas de California viajan en próxima misión del transbordador espacial
August 10, 2009
CABO CAÑAVERAL, Florida, 10 de agosto /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- La
próxima misión del transbordador espacial de la NASA llevará a la órbita a dos
astronautas nacidos en California.
El veterano piloto espacial, Rick Sturckow de Lakeside, California, estará
al mando de la misión del transbordador Discovery hacia la Estación Espacial
Internacional. José Hernández, quien considera a Stockton, California su
hogar, emprenderá su primer viaje al espacio.
Discovery, con su tripulación de siete astronautas, está proyectado para
su lanzamiento a la 1:36 a.m. EDT (horario de verano del este) el 25 de agosto
desde el Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA en Florida. Para cubrir el
lanzamiento en el sitio, los reporteros de Estados Unidos deben solicitar
credenciales del Centro Espacial Kennedy en línea en:
https://media.ksc.nasa.gov
El vuelo de 13 días de duración entregará contenedores para ciencias y
almacenamiento, un congelador para almacenar muestras de investigación, un
nuevo compartimiento para dormir y una caminadora con su nombre en honor al
comediante Stephen Colbert. El nombre Colbert obtuvo el mayor número de
visitas en la encuesta en línea de la NASA para elegir el nombre del Nodo 3 de
la estación. La NASA lo llamó Tranquilidad.
Sturckow se graduó de Grossmont High School en La Mesa, California y
obtuvo una licenciatura en ciencias en ingeniería mecánica de la Polytechnic
State University en San Luis Obispo, California, en 1984. Hernández obtuvo su
licenciatura en ciencias en ingeniería eléctrica de la University of the
Pacific en Stockton, California en 1984 y una maestría en ciencias en
ingeniería eléctrica y de computación de la University of California-Santa
Barbara en 1986.
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