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This article reports that India has become another major market in the Asia-Pacific mix thanks to the confluence of its economy and a workforce skilled in computing, science and manufacturing. At last year's Paris air show, its airlines signed up for 140 new aircraft. Morgan Stanley analysts Heidi Wood and Greg Alexopoulos are skeptical about the groundswell of these growth plans, but there's no denying India's promise. For the aerospace industry, an even more important India-specific shift is underway. After decades of a U.S. boycott over its nuclear development program, warmer trade and defense relations have been established, as witnessed by a scheduled visit from U.S. President George W. Bush this month, and India is opening its industry and military contracts to foreign participation as never before.

The article focuses on possible changes in the inflight entertainment industry. The inflight entertainment establishment is regrouping, pumping up the "wow" factor in seatback imagery and pushing hard to let Internet savvy passengers do at 30,000 feet what they're accustomed to doing on the street. However, an insurgency has been building over the past year, bent on convincing airlines that their IFE choices can be more portable, less costly and possibly a great new source of revenue. Last year, airline expenditures on inflight entertainment, cabin communications products and services were up 17 percent, reaching $1.6 billion.

Focuses on the issue of whether the aerospace industry in the United States can compete with other high-technology industries for computer programmers. Examples of how aerospace companies Raytheon Aircraft, Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, and others are exploiting information technology.

The article presents a discussion on aircraft freight. After dipping in the first half of the decade, the world's air cargo fleet has returned to growth rates of 80-90 aircraft a year. The aircraft represents a sixth of the 1,760 jet transport freighters flying, but the model accounts for more than 50% of the world's total freighter capacity. Large freighter growth indicates how much industry and consumer markets demand fast and guaranteed deliveries of time-sensitive cargo, which includes everything from high-value electronics to the latest fashion apparel.

The article reports that major engine manufacturers are revving up their research efforts in a bid to achieve significant performance improvements as they anticipate demand for a new generation of 100-200-seat jets early in the next decade. Pratt and Whitney Corp., now a partner in the International Aero Engines (IAE) alliance that competes for the Airbus line, held sole-source status for the first generation of Boeing's 737, but switched its focus to larger aircraft when Boeing introduced the second-generation 737-300 family, making way for the CFM International partnership of General Electric and Snecma to gain a sole-source status with its CFM56 series. Pratt and Whitney President Louis R. Chenevert vows to take no chances this time, insisting that Pratt will supply any 737/A320 replacement as part of its International Aero Engines partnership with Rolls-Royce, MTU and Japanese Aero Engines Corp. or by itself.

The article informs that Airbus Inc. has again revised its plans for the A350, turning it from an A330-derivative to a new widebody in the face of rival Boeing Co.'s success with its 787. After first saying the existing A330/A340 family would suffice to compete with the 787, and last year amending that to projecting a mere derivative of the A330, the aircraft will now undergo a more dramatic transformation, a new development at a higher price. About "90% of the part numbers are going to be changed" over the current aircraft type, says Olivier Andries, A350 program manager. The "all new" A350 will be formally launched at the upcoming Le Bourget air show, says Airbus Chief Commercial Officer John Leahy.

Smog now spreads from continent to continent. Man is trying to restore the health of the Earth's life-sustaining ozone shield by curtailing some industrial activities, only to find that he's hurting his own cause by what he's doing elsewhere. Greenhouse gases — a lot are man-made but some are from nature — are warming the lower atmosphere and changing the climate. Discovering just how much good news and bad news there is for Earth's atmosphere — and where it's coming from — is the goal for Aura, the third spacecraft in the Earth Observing Satellite series of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Aviation Administration (NASA). Managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the EOS trio is an unprecedented effort to monitor global climatic change on land, sea and in the atmosphere.

Korean Air has been in dogged pursuit of fortifying its economic strength for decades. Despite South Korea's ever-present security concerns, it has succeeded in creating a no-nonsense image, perhaps better known for the freight it hauls than the passengers it pampers. This move comes at an interesting time in Asian aviation. The region's buzz is all about the arrival of discount carriers. Vice President Scott Yoon, one of Korean Air's team leaders for corporate strategy, acknowledges the discount fervor. So far, he points out, it is centered in Southeast Asia where liberalized air services agreements are more prevalent.

General Electric Co. and Rolls-Royce corp. have won the big checkbook game to provide powerplants for Boeing's 7E7, leaving Pratt & Whitney without a major program on which to pin its hopes for a successor to the PW4000. Boeing already has tapped major systems suppliers and announced that non Boeing manufacturers in Japan, Italy and the U.S. will be responsible for delivering completed assemblies of the majority of the aircraft's wing and tail. The choice of General Electric's Gen X, based on the GE90-94B and Rolls-Royce's Trent 1000, a Trent 900 derivative, could push a greater engine duopoly in other programs as airlines seek commonality across their fleets.

Focuses on Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.'s polar routing for non-stop flights from North America. Progress of polar routing efforts by airlines; Current status of polar routes; Results of Cathay's polar route flight on July 5-6, 1998; Cathay's pioneering efforts in non-stop flights.

The article provides information on the redesign of the Boeing 787 aircraft. The 787 lacks a hump, but Boeing turned to its longtime design collaborator, Teague Aviation, for ideas on what the airplane should look like. Boeing's aerodynamicists refined the Teague concept so its tail looks less like a shark's fin and its nose is blunter. One of the most talked-about features of the 787 are its windows. They are 25 percent larger than on standards airplanes.

The article reports on the status of the A350XWB aircraft project of Airbus. The company will conduct meetings and submit the plan for the twin-widebody to an independent review and start detailed talks with potential industrial partners for the project. Airbus CEO Louis Gallois says that the aircraft maker will not abandon the composite panels on an aluminum-lithium substructure concept, which has drawn some criticism from buyers.

The article discusses the preparations for launching the Boeing 787 as of May 2007. With just two months to go before the launching, the first Boeing 787 assemblies fitted with internal equipment and ready to be "snapped together" have arrived in Washington. Companies working on the program include Fuji Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and the Global Aeronautica partnership of Alenia and Vought.

The article reports that Airbus Industrie SA is working on the engine and other details related to its A350XWB aircraft. Airbus has basically abandoned its previous strategy of keeping development cost down, adopting a completely new design that will demand an investment of $10 billion and wholly new tooling. Further, Airbus has decided to continue using a mix of advanced alloys and composites. Those materials will make up 62% of the aircraft, giving the A350 a lower empty weight per seat than the 787 or 777. Airbus will also have recourse to reimbursable loans.

The article presents information on the marketing strategies of Boeing Co. with reference to the high oil prices. The older aircrafts will be replaced due to the high fuel prices and operators will get themselves pushed away from jets and into larger single-aisle transports over the next 20 years. Randy Baseler, vice president of Boeing Co. said that high fuel prices are the biggest change from outlook of the company. Demand for 17,630 new airplanes and 9,580 as replacements are forecasted by Boeing Co.

The article presents information related to Boeing Co. It is reported that Boeing Co. will lengthen its stretched Boeing 787-9's wing slightly to improve its aerodynamic efficiency. The design changes will add about 6 ft. total to the wingspan, bringing it to about 203 ft. The larger wing is supposed to improve the -9's low-speed performance, which is degraded slightly because of its higher maximum takeoff weight of 540,000 lb. As its program evolves, Boeing Co. is running a parallel design verification process using a rented American Airlines 777 to flight test the software that controls the 787's fly-by-wire system.

The article reports that Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd. (ST Aerospace) will establish an airframe and heavy maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Panama, marking its first advance into Latin America. Latin America is drawing increasing attention for its potential for low-cost airframe overhauls, especially for narrow-body aircraft. Agencia del Area Economica Especial Panama-Pacifico, commissioned by the government to attract foreign investment, sought out ST Aerospace to take over four existing hangars at the former Howard AFB west of the Panama Canal.

This article focuses on current developments in the Indian aerospace industry. It is worth noting that competitive pressures are driving many aerospace companies to tap India's high-end engineering services. However, India's newest emerging offerings are aeronautical system design, testing services, cockpit equipment support software and composite structuring. With its highly skilled English-speaking labor pool, low costs and economic growth, India is quickly moving up the value chain as aircraft manufacturers look at less expensive options. Additionally, the country's experience in providing outsourcing of large-scale, process-centric information technology and its access to high technology through global alliances make it an attractive destination for engineering services.

This article reports that the Engine Alliance's GP7200 program for the Airbus A380 is two-thirds of the way through its certification effort and on schedule to complete icing/water ingestion, redline and 1,000hr, cycle endurance tests next month to stay on track for certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. As thrice-weekly flights continue from General Electric's Flight Test Operations center in California, Engine Alliance managers say they could score an upset against rival Rolls-Royce if Singapore Airlines Ltd. follows through on a second-phase order for the 555-seat airplane, following a recent request for proposals for new large aircraft. Engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce each have six of the 12 A380 customers that have made engine choices.

The article focuses on Airbus Industrie SA and Boeing Co. which agree that demand has improved so much that delivery rates may need to be ramped up across their product lines. Boeing has seen such strong demand for the 787, 266 orders or commitments from 21 customers, that production in the first three years, 2008 to 2010, is committed. In early 2006, production rates of single-aisles will be boosted to 30 aircraft per month and of A340s to eight aircraft per month, according to Airbus President Noel Forgeard. Heading into the frenzy of the Paris air show, Boeing held an 81-aircraft order lead over Airbus for the year, welcome news after losing its traditional order-and-delivery leadership to Airbus in 2003 and 2004.

The article reports that as Airbus Industrie SA glows with the first flight success of its impressively big A380, the fuel-efficiency and technology campaigns Boeing Co. has mounted for its mid-sized jet families are scoring impressive sales. Most attention is paid to the differences in size between their new wide-body aircraft. Both are committed to pushing new passenger conveniences, greater use of electrical systems and advanced aerodynamics. But Boeing has spent the past year emphasizing that improved engines, a lighter composite fuselage and wing and more fuel-efficient electrical systems will make the 787 20% more fuel-efficient than current-generation aircraft. Airbus has taken a more cautious approach, especially on whether composite technology is mature enough for fuselage

The article reports that Messier-Dowty's selection to provide the main and nose lading gear for the 787 is its first prime contract with Boeing for a commercial aircraft and is an example of how Boeing is using Life-Cycle Product Teams to work with its suppliers. Until now, Messier-Dowty's commercial landing gear have most often appeared on Airbus aircraft, although its integrated landing gear system customers include Bombardier for the Global Express and Challenger 300 and Sukhoi for the Russian Regional Jet.

The article reports that Boeing wants to stretch conventional wisdom about the techniques and technologies of aircraft manufacturing in its development of the 787. When asked what attracted All Nippon Airways to become its launch customer, President and CEO Yoji Ohashi doesn't talk bottom-line price. He sounds the long-term technology value theme Boeing has been emphasizing bleedless engines for improved efficiencies, a composite fuselage that cuts weight, reduces structural fatigue and gives passengers bigger windows and a healthier flying environment. The ANA engineering staff's favorable evaluation "was directly tied with the efficiency aspect."

This article reports that Boeing Co. will use Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp. of Taiwan and an international team of engineers and designers to create the three largest 747-400s ever flown as transports for its just-in-time wing and fuselage assemblies for the 787. Boeing is using engineers at its Moscow Design Center to design the enlarged upper fuselage and the transition zones at the nose and tail of the existing airplane structure. Routing for the aircraft has not been established, in part because details of the subassembly process are still being worked out.

This article reports that in another step away from being its own supplier of aerospace parts and assemblies, Boeing Co. is selling its Wichita, Kansas, commercial aerostructures business unit to Onex Corp., a Toronto investment group, and its Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power unit to United Technologies Corp. The transaction, which is expected to close in the second quarter, will face regulatory review, but that is not seen as a hurdle. Industry observers believe Boeing first tried to sell Wichita several years ago, but the depressed commercial aircraft market prompted it to pull back.

The article informs that starting with one of the more complex parts, Boeing Co. has completed the first full-scale prototype of a one-piece composite fuselage section for the 7E7 using methods intended for economical aviation manufacturing. Managers want to have just one set of tooling to make each of the fuselage sections. The piece is the tapered Section 47 aft fuselage segment that starts from the rear pressure bulkhead and extends forward past the No. 4 passenger door to join with the constant-diameter Section 46 barrel.

The article presents information about a how a chute deployment failure an National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Genesis probe leaves the century's supply of Sun samples shattered. Scientists who had hoped to learn about the evolution of the Solar System from the two-salt-grains' worth of solar samples housed in NASA's Genesis probe will have to content themselves with what they can glean from the spacecraft's shattered remains in the weeks and months ahead. Genesis scientists were hopeful the solar wind particles collected "an atom at a time" at the Earth-Sun Lagrangian point in the past 26 months could be retrieved from the sample collectors inside the shattered capsule.

The Aura mission of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to be launched on June 19, 2004, will be just the second element in a six-satellite constellation, funded by the U.S., France and Canada. The $2.3-billion constellation, dubbed the A-Train for Aqua and Aura, the engine and caboose, is expected to provide a wealth of data on the impact of water, ice, clouds, aerosols and atmospheric chemistry on weather and climate patterns, while pioneering in the area of precision formation flying.

As the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency consolidates the nation's space activities, Japanese launch teams are looking for Delta IV-class program. In addition to a higher capacity version of the H-IIA, Japan's aeronautical establishment is intent on drawing from that exercise to develop an entirely new heavy-lift launch vehicle in the next decade. As yet unnamed, this "new generation" launch vehicle is expected to emerge 10% lighter than the 285-metric-ton H-IIA and, at 55 meters, 2 meters longer. As the region's longtime leader in space technology, Japan has developed the H-II family to fulfill that aim, even as Japanese scientists and industry cooperate with Europe and the U.S. on a variety of international programs.

Using perspective-flight-guidance concepts, Boeing Helicopter Division of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration Ames Research Center are exploring symbologies for primary flight displays to reduce pilot workload and boost mission performance. Beneficiaries will be low-speed aircraft that make steep departures and approaches in congested air spaces. For commercial operators perspective-flight-guidance displays will be another way to increase airport capacity such as in the "golden triangle" of Boston, Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois and New York.

Internet gives airlines more opportunities to apply specific MRO software.The rule for sales success is to surprise customer with how much functionality comes out of the box, to meet commonly accepted standards with systems that are scalable and extensible, and to come with references, said Steve Fioretti, a senior director at Siebel Systems.One example of a major third party MRO provider that's using the web to expand its business appeal is Lufthansa Technik AG.12 recently signed a contract with Southwest Airlines, and Manugistics is involved in a pilot study with the Naval Air Systems Command of E-2C maintenance, supply and financial management systems that could grow across NavAir Inc.

Eager to broaden its scope in the trainer market, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is expanding its KT-1 turboprop line to include an advanced cockpit option, an attack training version and a forward controller or close-air-support version. The expansion program follows the pattern KAI is using in its T-50 advanced jet trainer, which it is developing with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. The biggest change to the KT-1 involves the CAS/forwardcontroller versions, starting with the KO-1 as a replacement forSouth Korea's O-2. The KT-l's standard environmental controls will be modifiedto include a vapor-cycle system as a power-saving measure and anonboard oxygen-generating system. In January 2003, KAI contracted with CMC Flight Visions to develop a full avionics systems integration laboratory for its KT-1C program that is to be ready by late 2004 when the aircraft is expected to enter flight testing.

Focuses on the growing support for Aeroexchange electronic market place in the U.S. Perspective of Aeroexchange; List of Aeroexchange founders; Capability to aggregate demand and get vendor interest.

Reports the increase in defense budget of the U.S. aerospace sector against decline in civil space economy. Negative outlook of sales in civil and business aviation; Decline in earnings of performance; Optimism in Boeing's diversification program.

Focuses on the Web sites offered by Honeywell to the general aviation industry in the United States. Use of the BendixKing.com site in the dealer service network of the company; Problems encountered during the development of the Web; Support tools of the Myflite.com site.

Presents an essay on the Civil Aviation Institute of China (CAIC) in Tianjin, China. Background of the Institute; Brief on the curriculum of the center; Comments by CAIC President Liu Deyi.

Reports on the agreement between the government of Papua New Guinea and Space Transportation Systems Ltd. for construction of spaceport. Terms of the agreement; Sites being considered; Cost of the facility; Companies involved in the project.

Reports that orders across their product ranges flowed in for Airbus and Boeing at the Farnborough air show in 1998. Whether major airlines will ever pay book value for new aircraft; Boeing's price increase following a year of record revenues and record losses; A listing of orders that were placed with various companies.

Looks at Airbus Industrie's efforts to create a partnership with Italy's Alenia to build China's Air Express regional jet. The Future Large Aircraft project expected to be used as the model for the partnership; Airbus wanting Alenia's help in developing the A340-600 and the A3XX; The AE-100 being the breakthrough project in the Aviation Industries of China's (AVIC) efforts to establish China as a major aerospace manufacturing power.

Looks at aircraft orders placed at the 1996 Air Show China in Zhuhai. China Northwest and Zhejiang Airlines to buy A320s from Airbus Industrie; International Aero Engines winning the most powerplant orders; CFM International winning an order to power China Northwest and Zhejiang aircraft; Singapore Aircraft Lease Enterprise (SALE) to use IAE to power its A320s; Other aircraft orders placed at Air Show China.

Focuses on Samsung Aerospace's plan to recreate the bankrupt Fokker Aircraft Co. Expected cost of the buyout; Samsung as the lead partner in the Korea Commercial Aircraft Development Consortium (KCDC); Details of Samsung's plan; Samsung's desire to establish itself as Korea's leading aerospace manufacturer; Comments of Daewoo's Kunwoo Park, Hyundai's Boo-Gon Kim, and Korean Air's Ti Taek Shim.

Focuses on South Korea's aerospace industry. Samsung Aerospace, Korean Air, and Dawoo Heavy Industries' collaboration on the Korean Fighter Program (KFP) F-16; The collaboration marking a transition in Korean industry; Plans of Korea's aerospace industry for production of the KTX-2, and other aircraft; Background of Korea's quest for a fighter aircraft; Comments of Samsung's Bongki Kim; What Korea has learned from the United States and Japan.

The article presents information on the company Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo (SS2) and the scientific interest in its suborbital flights. Details about research payloads on unmanned suborbital flights are provided, including information about microgravity experiments. The determination of the cost of the experiments is also mentioned.

The article presents information on the research and development, engineering and manufacturing company Moscow Mills. Details about owner Anderson Leveille are mentioned, and information about the subsidiary company Vibration Solutions North (VSN) that he started with George Allen is also offered. VSN's role in manufacturing for the aviation industry is also discussed.

The article offers information on delamination issues of 787 aircrafts from Boeing Co. It states that a quality-control shortcoming on the internal structure of the fuselage of the Boeing 787 is adding another task to the company's post-production list as it tries to catch up with the new jet's delivery schedule.

The article looks at Ontic Engineering, a components manufacturing and service specialist which works on mature airplanes. Ontic has expanded its business by acquiring licensing rights for components of older U.S. aircraft and aims to expand more, according to President Peg Billson. The company sells parts including engine components, landing gear, and emergency oxygen systems and performs repairs on environmental controls, smoke detectors and radars for both commercial and military airplanes.

The article considers the use of passenger airbags as safety devices on airplanes. A study by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) which found that 18,000 airbag-equipped seats exist on 7000 U.S. private planes is discussed. The increasing use of airbags to protect pilots and passengers on jet transports operated by the airline industry is examined.

The article reports on the planned manufacture of 787-10 aircraft by Boeing. Vice president and 787 general manager Mike Bair said that the earliest the 300-plus-seat 787-10 will enter service is 2013, a year later than previously forecast. It is stated that the company could not start producing the -10 until the said year because its backlog of 634 orders for other models is so huge.

The article reports on Virgin Atlantic's green agenda. It reports that Boeing and General Electric have signed up with the company to advance the airline's environmental interests by testing biofuels for commercial jet applications. Details of the demonstration for the said project are still being worked out. It adds that the demonstration will involve a single CF6-80C2B on one of Virgin Atlantic's 747-400s powered by biofuel for an hour on a nonrevenue flight.

The article discusses the role of aviation in the global warming debate in the U.S. Measurements by public health agency Bay Area Air Quality Management District, show that aircraft's share of the pollution index is increasing relative to more traditional sources, such as automobiles, factories and power plants. The International Civil Aviation Organization says aircraft contribute about 3.5% of the total radiative forcing, a measure of climate change.