Education

WAIMEA, Hawaii, 21 Dec. 2011. The International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA), led by Steve Durst, continues to advance toward its goal of placing an astronomical observatory on the Moon by 2014 designed to capture never-before-seen images of the galaxy, stars, Moon, and Earth. The association completed a global demonstration of the International Lunar Observatory precursor instrument (ILO-X) on the Summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, hosted by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). During the demonstration, science teams from around the world accessed the instrument via the Internet and operated it as if it were on the Moon. 

SOUTHAMPTON, Pa., 23 Nov. 2011. Environmental Tectonics Corp. (ETC) has shipped to Wright0Patterson Air Force Base the cockpit capsule with rotating gimbals and linear sleds--representing the last and most important subassembly of its GL-6000 advanced training and research device. ETC’s Aircrew Training Systems (ATS) business unit previously won a contract from U.S. Navy officials to provide the GL-6000 in support of clinical and operational research and mishap investigation.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, 31 Oct. 2011. BAE Systems executives are taking the company’s Hawk Advanced Jet Training System (AJTS) on a National Road Show via the Hawk AJTS Demonstration Trailer. The Hawk Advance Jet Trainer (AJT) aircraft flew Oct. 29 and 30 at the U.S. Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command headquarters as part of the Randolph Air Force Base Open House and Air Show. The Hawk AJTS integrates live and synthetic air- and ground-based elements to train pilots for 5th generation fighters, including the F-35 Lightning II and the F-22 Raptor aircraft.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, 27 Oct. 2011. Battelle experts are developing anti-icing technology that incorporates carbon nanotubes. Battelle's heatable paint is lighter and uses less power than traditional aircraft ice-protection systems, and is applied to even curved surfaces via simple painting methods. Carbon nanotubes are dispersed into a coating that goes on with the plane's standard paint, which then can be heated using available on-board power, according to a representative.

RADNOR, Pa., 24 Oct. 2011. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) managers needed a new pilot training and simulation system to replace legacy equipment that is no longer compliant with the KLM information technology (IT) standards. They found their solution--advanced pilot transition, vacation, and simulator planning system--at Quintiq in Radnor, Pa.

LAS VEGAS, 12 Oct. 2011. Airline Transport Professionals (ATP) signed an agreement with Piper Aircraft Inc. for up to 30 Piper Seminoles, valued at $18 million. Piper and ATP jointly announced the transaction at the 2011 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Annual Meeting and Convention. ATP, specializing in airline pilot training and pilot career development, will initially purchase a fleet of 10 Piper Seminole multi-engine, piston-powered advanced training aircraft for delivery in 2012.

FORT WORTH, Texas, 27 Sept. 2011. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) officials announced plans to improve operational efficiency and reduce the company staff by roughly 540 positions across its Aeronautics business division. The company currently employs more than 28,000 at its principal Aeronautics sites in Fort Worth, Texas; Marietta, Ga.; and Palmdale, Calif.; as well as six smaller locations. The larger sites will see the greatest reductions, and affected employees are expected to depart the company by the end of the year.

ORLANDO, Fla., 24 Aug. 2011. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) won from FlightSafety Services Corp. a $5.8 million, one-year contract to manage C-5 aircrew training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, as well as to provide logistical support to six additional training locations, as part of the C-5 Aircrew Training System (ATS) program. The contract, if four one-year options are exercised, totals $30 million. Lockheed Martin personnel, in addition to managing the C-5 Training Systems Support Center and formal training unit at Lackland Air Force Base, will provide logistical training support at: Dover Air Force Base, Del.; Travis Air Force Base, Calif.; Martinsburg Air National Guard Base, W.Va.; Memphis Air National Guard Base, Tenn.; Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y.; and Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.

ARLINGTON, Texas, 24 Aug. 2011. L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) won a contract to build and deliver to the Pakistan Air Force two of its F-16C Block 52 Aircrew Training Devices (ATDs). The company’s simulators are scheduled to be installed and networked at the PAF’s Shahbaz Air Base in 2013. Pakistan Air Force personnel will use the F-16C Block 52 ATDs to support new pilot, pilot conversion, and advanced skills training.

MONTREAL, 30 July 2011. CAE (NYSE: CAE; TSX: CAE) sold four 7000 Series Level D full-flight simulators (FFS) and other training devices to different airlines. An Airbus A320 FFS will go to Aeroflot,; an A320 and a Boeing B737 will to the Zhuhai Flight Training Centre (ZFTC), a joint venture of China Southern Airlines and CAE; and a Bell 412 helicopter FFS will be delivered to an undisclosed operator.

MONTREAL, Canada, 20 July 2011. Officials at CAE and the Baltic Aviation Academy (BAA) in Vilnius, Lithuania, signed an agreement to have CAE provide BAA with full-flight simulator (FFS) technology.

By Joy Lin, aerospace and defense industry marketing manager, MathWorks
Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) are becoming more and more complex in order to fulfill a number of potentially conflicting performance and robustness requirements. However, the use traditional development methods that continue to rely on legacy designs and domain specific tools that perform subsystem-level optimization make it difficult, if not impossible to perform system-level design optimization of these complex systems.

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla, 16 July 2011. Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] pilots delivered the first production model F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) to the 33rd Fighter Wing. The jet fighter, dubbed AF-9, will be used for F-35 pilot and maintenance training who begin coursework at the base's new F-35 Integrated Training Center later this year.

MONTREAL, 9 July 2011.  CAE (NYSE: CAE; TSX: CAE) won a series of contracts from the U.S. military for their simulation and training systems. They include a contract to develop two MH-60R helicopter simulators for the U.S. Navy, designing and manufacturing training devices under a contract with Boeing for the U.S. Air Force's C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP), and a contract from the U.S. Army to develop a suite of Abrams tank maintenance trainers.

RIO NEGRO, Colombia, 9 July 2011. Officials Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) announced that the company is building a new UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter Flight Simulator Training Center at a Colombian air force base in Melgar. It is expected to be completed later this year.

WASHINGTON, 7 July 2011. Officials at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA)  and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came to an agreement on recommendations regarding air traffic controller fatigue. The recommendations were developed under a joint FAA-NATCA working group.

ORLANDO, Fla., 14 June 2011. Simulations at the National Flight Academy's (NFA) will be driven by Prepar3D visual simulation software from Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Global Training and Logistics. The NFA addresses the issues related to declining science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills and standards in the U.S. by providing immersive high-tech experiences that merge classroom math and science basics with hands-on aviation training.

SEATTLE, 10 June 2011. Officials at ANA (All Nippon Airways) and Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced that pilot training for the ANA crews that will fy the airline's first 787 Dreamliner were completed in Seattle. Ten ANA pilots trained in the 787 test aircraft called ZA001. The crew that participated in this training are check airmen and senior training pilots from ANA that are going through simulator and aircraft line training in Japan.

OKLAHOMA CITY, 4 June 2011. The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] contracts for two additional C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) kits as well as two Aircrew Training System devices.