Boeing: Press Release

Boeing Statement on President’s Remarks and the Need for Immediate Development of a Heavy-lift Vehicle

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., April 16, 2010 — Speaking at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on April 15, U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled proposed changes to the administration’s fiscal year 2011 budget submission for space exploration, including a crew rescue vehicle and a decision on a heavy-lift rocket in 2015. The Boeing Company responded today with the following statement:

“The president’s enthusiasm for space exploration was encouraging. We are pleased that the president remains committed to human spaceflight. We remain convinced that America stands at an inflection point with regard to space: If we make the right decisions today, we have the opportunity to create a new Golden Age of Space. Our national leadership’s focus on this bodes well for our country and its highly experienced space industrial base.

“Boeing has served as a major partner in humankind’s exploration of space since the beginning. Our talented people bring a mature understanding of NASA’s enduring needs; a practical, businesslike approach to innovation; and a commitment to mission assurance and the safety and success of our astronaut corps.

“We are encouraged by the extension of the International Space Station program and look forward to enhancing scientific research onboard, upgrading the space station, and using it as a U.S. national laboratory. Benefits to be gained from extension of the space station include international cooperation; medical and pharmaceutical advancements; its use as a test bed for demonstrating Earth-observation capabilities and future exploration technologies; and the availability of a waypoint for future exploration missions.
“Excellence in human spaceflight is an important part of the American identity and symbolizes global leadership on the highest of technological platforms. We are greatly concerned that by backing away from the challenges of human space exploration, the United States would relinquish its leadership of a mission that has inspired generations.

“A bold national space program also supports the United States’ security and economy by fostering a domestic work force that is educated and skilled in science, technology, engineering and math. It encourages the growth of new technologies and emerging businesses, large and small.
“We support the president’s call for increased investment in heavy-lift launch vehicle technology, but we believe the United States should be on a clear path to accelerate the development and production of this critical system, along with a deep-space capsule. Both of these vehicles are essential to any deep-space exploration mission. We have the technology and the people to commence development of these vehicles now. A plan that includes a heavy-lift vehicle would enable space exploration supported by humans, large-array telescopes and deep-space robotic missions. It could achieve maximum benefit from American tax dollars by drawing on the cutting-edge technology already being developed for the Constellation program.

“Remaining at the forefront of human spaceflight is the only choice worthy of this great nation and to the long line of explorers and visionaries who brought us to where we are today.”

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    NASA MEDIA ACCREDITATION FOR NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE FLIGHT ENDS FEB. 11

    WASHINGTON — The deadline for media accreditation for the February space shuttle launch to the International Space station ends on Feb. 11. Shuttle Discovery and six astronauts are targeted to launch on the STS-133 mission on Feb. 24 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

    Reporters must apply for credentials to attend the launch or cover the mission from other NASA centers. To be accredited, reporters must work for verifiable newsgathering organizations. No substitutions of credentials are allowed at any NASA facility.

    The 11-day mission will be the 35th flight to the station and the 39th and final scheduled flight for Discovery. The mission will deliver and install the Permanent Multipurpose Module; the Express Logistics Carrier 4, an external platform that holds large equipment; and critical spare components for the station. Discovery also will deliver Robonaut 2, or R2, to become a permanent resident of the station as the first human-like robot in space.

    NASA’s Office of Protective Services has changed its policy for processing foreign nationals. All journalists who are lawful permanent U.S. residents, have dual U.S. citizenship or are U.S. citizens representing international media outlets will have their credential applications processed in the same way as U.S. citizens who represent domestic media.

    Additional time may be required to process accreditation requests by journalists from certain designated countries. Designated countries include those with which the U.S. has no diplomatic relations, countries on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, those under U.S. sanction or embargo and countries associated with proliferation concerns.

    Contact the accrediting NASA center for details. Journalists should confirm accreditation before traveling.

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

    Accreditation for the STS-133 mission badges remains open. Mission badges previously issued for Discovery’s first launch attempt in November 2010 are valid.

    Reporters applying for credentials at Kennedy should submit requests via the Web at:

    https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

    Reporters must use work e-mail addresses, not personal accounts, when applying. Applicants will receive confirmation via e-mail when accreditation approved.

    Accredited media representatives with mission badges will have access to Kennedy from launch through the end of the mission. The application deadline for mission badges is Feb. 11 for all reporters requesting credentials. Reporters with special logistic requests for Kennedy, such as space for satellite trucks, trailers, electrical connections or workspace, must contact Laurel Lichtenberger by Feb. 11 at:

    laurel.a.lichtenberger@nasa.gov.

    Wireless Internet access is available at Kennedy’s news center. Workspace in the news center and the news center annex is provided on a first-come basis, limited to one space per organization. To set up temporary telephone, fax, ISDN or network lines, media representatives must arrange with BellSouth at 800-213-4988. Reporters must have an assigned seat in the Kennedy newsroom prior to setting up lines.

    To obtain an assigned seat, contact Patricia Christian at: patricia.christian-1@nasa.gov.

    Journalists must have a public affairs escort to all other areas of Kennedy except the Launch Complex 39 cafeteria.

    JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

    Reporters may obtain credentials for NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston by calling the center’s newsroom at 281-483-5111 or by presenting STS-133 mission credentials from Kennedy.

    Media representatives planning to cover the mission only from Johnson need to apply for credentials only at the center. The application deadline for mission badges is Feb. 11 for all reporters requesting credentials.

    Journalists covering the mission from Johnson using Kennedy credentials must contact the center’s newsroom by Feb. 11 to arrange workspace, phone lines and other logistics.

    Johnson is responsible for credentialing media if the shuttle lands at NASA’s White Sands Space Harbor, N.M. If a landing is imminent at White Sands, Johnson will arrange credentials.

    DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER

    Notice for a shuttle landing at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards Air Force Base in California could be short. Domestic media outlets should consider accrediting Los Angeles-based personnel who could travel quickly to Dryden.

    Deadlines for submitting Dryden accreditation requests are Jan. 28 for non-U.S. media, regardless of citizenship, and March 1 for U.S. media who are U.S. citizens or who have permanent residency status.

    For Dryden media credentials, U.S. citizens representing domestic media outlets must provide their full name, date of birth, place of birth, media organization, driver’s license number with the name of the issuing state, and the last six digits of their social security number.

    In addition to the above requirements, foreign media representatives, regardless of citizenship, must provide data including their citizenship, visa or passport number and its expiration date. Foreign nationals representing either domestic or foreign media who have permanent residency status must provide their alien registration number and expiration date.

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    DOT Press Release: Travel Agency Fined

    Office of Public Affairs

    DOT 178-09
    Thursday, November 12, 2009
    Contact: Bill Mosley
    Tel.: (202) 366-4570

    DOT Administrative Law Judge Approves Ultimate Fares Settlement

    The internet travel agency Ultimate Fares has been fined $600,000 and its owner $30,000 for violations of advertising regulations under a settlement approved by a U.S. Department of Transportation Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).

    The fine, which would be the largest ever assessed for advertising violations, will become final in 30 days unless the Department decides to review the action or a petition for review is filed.

    An investigation by the Department’s Aviation Enforcement Office found that Ultimate Fares failed to include the federal excise tax and the service fee it charged to consumers in fares published on its website between March 2008 and September 2009. This violated the Department’s requirement that published airfares must state the full price to be paid including service fees and any ad valorem tax, such as the Federal excise tax, which is assessed as a percentage of the fare. Ultimate Fares continued to omit the tax from its stated fares even after the Enforcement Office began its investigation, according to the consent order issued by ALJ Richard C. Goodwin. Ultimate Fares also failed to disclose which flights were being operated on a code-share basis as required by the Department’s rules.

    In addition to the $30,000 penalty assessed against Ultimate Fares’ owner Roni Herskovitz, he also will be barred from any involvement in the online air travel agency business for 12 months.

    The consent order and other documents in the case are available on the Internet at www.regulations.gov, docket DOT-OST-2009-0002.

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    NTSB TO HOST INTERNATIONAL FAMILY ASSISTANCE CONFERENCE

    National Transportation Safety Board
    Washington, DC 20594

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 3, 2011
    SB-11-06

    Washington, DC – The National Transportation Safety Board is hosting a conference to share best practices and promote post-accident family assistance in all modes of transportation. Family Assistance: Promoting an International Approach for the Transportation Industry, will be held in Washington, DC on March 28 and 29, 2011. The conference will bring together family members, transportation accident investigation agencies, industry representatives, government agencies, and the news media to share perspectives on lessons learned in providing family assistance following transportation accidents in an international context.

    “Following a major aviation or passenger rail accident in the US, the NTSB has the responsibility to coordinate support for survivors and families,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “With this conference, we are marking the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act and the 10th anniversary of ICAO Circular 285, with a unique forum to identify lessons learned and draw from international experiences to improve the support for families in the wake of transportation tragedies worldwide.”

    The first day of the conference will include panel discussions featuring family members, transportation industry representatives, vendors, non-governmental organizations, transportation accident investigative agencies, and the news media examining their perspectives on transportation family assistance.

    The second day will feature a series of presentations by NTSB Transportation Disaster Assistance staff as they discuss the Board’s family assistance model from an operational perspective.

    This conference, being held at NTSB’s headquarters, is provided free of charge to those interested in the provision of family assistance in all modes of transportation. A complete agenda and list of speakers will be published prior to the conference. The first day will be webcast at www.ntsb.gov.

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    Boeing Joins ProActive Technologies Team in Bid for B-52 Aircrew Training System

    ST. LOUIS, Aug. 23, 2010 – The Boeing Company [ along with teammate ProActive Technologies LLC of Orlando, Fla., has submitted a proposal for the U.S. Air Force’s B-52 Training System Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) program. The contract provides program management and on-site CLS to operate, maintain, sustain, and upgrade training devices located at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., and Minot Air Force Base, N.D.

    ProActive will be the prime contractor on the team, with Boeing’s Global Services & Support division adding its extensive expertise in developing training devices and in maintaining, modifying, and upgrading the B-52 aircraft itself. The Air Force is expected to award the contract in March 2011.

    “Our team can provide the customer with a proven low-risk approach that ensures reduced costs and superior operational performance,” said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president of Training Systems & Services. “ProActive has brought together industry-leading support, world-class training system capabilities, and proven aircraft Original Equipment Manufacturer expertise to ensure the warfighter is training on concurrent devices.”

    ProActive Technologies provides state-of-the-art hardware and software design engineering and logistical and management support services to the simulation and training marketplaces for government and private industry.

    A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

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    easyJet Unveils Ash Detector to End Large-Scale Disruption

    easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, today unveils a ground breaking technology that will minimise future disruption from volcanic activity.

    easyJet will be the world’s first airline to trial a new technology called AVOID (Airborne Volcanic Object Identifier and Detector). The system, essentially a weather radar for ash, was created by Dr Fred Prata of the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU). AVOID is a system that involves placing infrared technology onto an aircraft to supply images to both the pilots and an airline’s flight control centre.

    These images will enable pilots to see an ash cloud up to 100 km ahead of the aircraft and at altitudes between 5,000ft and 50,000ft. This will allow pilots to make adjustments to the plane’s flight path to avoid any ash cloud. The concept is very similar to weather radars which are standard on commercial airliners today.

    On the ground, information from aircraft with AVOID technology would be used to build an accurate image of the volcanic ash cloud using real time data. This would open up large areas of airspace that would otherwise be closed during a volcanic eruption, which would benefit passengers by minimising disruption.

    easyJet Chief Executive Andy Harrison, said: “This pioneering technology is the silver bullet that will make large-scale ash disruption history. The ash detector will enable our aircraft to see and avoid the ash cloud, just like airborne weather radars and weather maps make thunderstorms visible.”

    Dr Fred Prata, Senior Scientist at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) and inventor of the AVOID system added: “AVOID enhances the theory around volcanic ash clouds with live data. easyJet is committed to bring our technology to life.”

    Commenting on today’s news Andrew Haines, Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority said “It is essential that the aviation community works together to develop solutions to minimise disruption, should ash return. The CAA welcomes the fact that airlines are considering innovations such as this and we will do all we can to facilitate them.”

    The first test flight is to be carried out by Airbus on behalf of easyJet within two months, using an Airbus 340 test aircraft. Subject to the results of these tests, easyJet intends to trial the technology on its own aircraft with a view to installing it on enough aircraft to minimise future disruption from ash.

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    eptember 2010 Passenger Airline Employment Down 0.6 Percent from September 2009

    Tuesday, November 16, 2010 – U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 0.6 percent fewer workers in September 2010 than in September 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. This is the 27th consecutive decrease in full-time equivalent employee (FTE) levels for the scheduled passenger carriers from the same month of the previous year (Tables 1, 2). FTE calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

    BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the September FTE total of 377,676 for the scheduled passenger carriers was 2,248 below that of September 2009 (Table 3). Historic employment data can be found on the BTS web site.

    Five network airlines – American Airlines, US Airways, Alaska Airlines, Continental Airlines and United Airlines – decreased employment from September 2009 to September 2010. The sixth network carrier, Delta Air Lines, after completing its merger with Northwest Airlines, is reporting combined employment numbers in 2010 and reported 8.4 percent more FTEs in September 2010 than the combined totals of both carriers for September 2009 (Table 9). Network airlines operate a significant portion of their flights using at least one hub where connections are made for flights to down-line destinations or spoke cities.

    All seven low-cost carriers reported more FTEs in September 2010 than in September 2009. They are Spirit Airlines; Frontier Airlines; Virgin America Airlines; Allegiant Air; JetBlue Airways; AirTran Airways; and Southwest Airlines (Table 12). Regional carriers Atlantic Southeast, Comair, Horizon Air, Mesa Airlines, Mesaba Airlines, Shuttle America Airlines, and Lynx Airlines reported reduced employment levels compared to last year (Table 15).

    Scheduled passenger airline categories include network, low-cost, regional and other airlines.

    The six network airlines employed 377,676 FTEs in September, 67.7 percent of the passenger airline total, while seven low-cost carriers employed 17.0 percent and 18 regional carriers employed 13.9 percent (Table 4).

    Delta employed the most FTEs in September among the network airlines, Southwest employed the most FTEs among low-cost airlines, and American Eagle Airlines employed the most FTEs among regional airlines. Six of the top 10 employers in the industry are network airlines (Table 6).

    Beginning with October 2007 data, US Airways’ numbers are combined with numbers for America West Airlines in the network category. For previous months, America West’s numbers were included with the low-cost airlines.

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