The Aviation & Maritime News Centerpiece
of ILIPS Group International

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Aviation & Marine USA

Aerospace Home Page

www.aviationandmarineusa.com

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ILIPS Group International

36th Year

1972 ~ 2008

"The Gift of Truth Excels All Other Gifts..."

~ Buddha

Colorado Springs

An America West Bombardier Regional Jetliner on the ramp at Colorado Springs, Colorado, an International Airport jointly sharing runway space with Peterson AFB, Colorado, on the opposite side of the field.

Photo: M. Daniels / ILIPS Group International

Old World War II era Control Tower during the Sierra Wave effect.

Photo: M. Daniels / ILIPS Group International

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Bishop Airport, California

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Tom Braniff

Founder ~ Braniff International

Dallas, Texas

Welcome to

"601 Braniff Place"

Aviation & Marine USA

Maritime Directory

Latest News As Of April 30, 2008

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Nimrod

First Flight of the British Aerospace Systems (BAE) Nimrod PA02. Successor to current in-service Nimrod MR2. Maritime patrol aircraft for anti- submarine, anti-ship, search and rescue, intelligence gathering, with growth potential for land attack.

Copyright © 2008 BAE Systems. All rights reserved

Coming Soon...

Most Interviews contained herein are Corporate "In House" production designed to get information out to the Public via Press Release. The majority of the quotes presented in Press Release articles in this ILIPS Group Publication are Corporate, In House. We are concentrating heavily on Press Releases as we expand outward into the World community to acquire the News ourselves.

We will usually identify when quotations or interviews are conducted and reported directly by ILIPS Group personnel. Otherwise, anticipate that the interview was provided courtesy of Public Relations or Media Personnel from Corporate or other sources outside of ILIPS Group International, including other Mainstream and Alternative News Services who have released the materials into Public Domain.

~ Ed.

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News for the Week of April 27th thru May 4th, 2008

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April 27th ~ 28th, 2008

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Front Page

Cessna 337G Super Skymaster on the ramp at Bishop Airport, California, during the Sierra Wave effect.

Photo: M. Daniels / ILIPS Group International

News Alert!

04/30/2008

The Federal Reserve Board has cut interest rates by 1/4 % to 2 % in an effort to boost the U.S. Economy.

Front Page

Latest News As Of April 30, 2008

Front Page

Lance Corporal Jason Marks

Photo: Australia DoD

Front Page Australia

Department of Defence Media Mail List

DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE

CPA 111/08 Wednesday, 30 April 2008

UPDATE ON ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TALIBAN AND RETURN OF LANCE CORPORAL
JASON MARKS

Further details on the engagement between Australian troops and the
Taliban on 27 April 2008 are now available.

The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Houston, said that
the operation by the Special Operations Task Group was a deliberate,
company-level clearance of an area suspected to contain a Taliban
extremist group.

“During the course of this clearance, the lead platoon in the company
was engaged by up to twenty Taliban extremists in three to four
groups, armed with small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers.
The enemy was operating from well-prepared positions that were dug in and
with overhead protection. The Taliban fired from numerous locations
including from positions on higher ground, killing Lance Corporal
Marks and wounding four of his colleagues.

“Other elements of the Commando Company positioned themselves to
provide support to the platoon in contact. The Taliban continued to
engage our troops from multiple positions and the duration of the contact was
in excess of three hours,” Air Chief Marshal Houston said.

Air Chief Marshal Houston said that the four wounded soldiers remain in
hospital in Tarin Kowt with gunshot and fragment wounds to their
limbs.

“They are continuing to receive excellent care at the field hospital.
Decisions in relation to their follow-on treatment and rehabilitation
will be guided by specialist medical advice. Although there is a
possibility that the soldiers may be moved to medical facilities
outside of Afghanistan, these decisions are yet to be made,” Air
Chief Marshal Houston said.

Repatriation arrangements for the return to Australia of Lance Corporal
Jason Marks have also progressed, with a solemn ramp ceremony planned
for Tarin Kowt tomorrow (Thursday 1 May 08).

“Jason’s comrades will bid him farewell from the operational
theatre before the Royal Australian Air Force transports him home to
his loved ones. He will be escorted by Australian Army soldiers during his
journey.

“On arrival in Australia a ramp ceremony will be held to honour his
arrival home. Jason’s family, friends and dignitaries will be in
attendance. The timing and location of these ceremonies have not yet
been confirmed and will be released by Defence when known,” Air Chief
Marshal Houston said.

In a separate incident overnight, an Australian soldier was wounded
during a clearance operation in Oruzgan Province. He was evacuated by
helicopter to a hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound to his
arm. His wound is non-life threatening and his condition is stable. The
soldier’s family has been informed about the incident. As the
operation is ongoing, however, Defence is not able to release further information
at this time.

Information on the ADF’s commitment to Afghanistan can be found at
http://www.defence.gov.au/opslipper/default.htm

Front Page

Lance Corporal Jason Marks with his two children.

Photo: Australia DoD

Front Page

First Boeing 777 Freighter Leaves the Factory

SEATTLE, April 30, 2008 -- Progress continues on the first Boeing 777 Freighter as the company's newest cargo airplane was towed out of its factory in Everett, Wash. and onto the flight line Tuesday night. Work will continue on the 777 Freighter to prepare for flight test this summer and to paint the airplane in the Boeing livery.

The 777 Freighter will fly farther and provide more capacity than any other twin-engine cargo airplane. Boeing will deliver the first 777 Freighter to its launch customer Air France in the fourth quarter of 2008. The 777 Freighter is based on the 777-200LR Worldliner passenger airplane and is built using the same production line as all other models of the 777. Eleven customers around the world have ordered 78 777 Freighters.

Photo: Boeing

Editor's Choice

04/30/2008

Link Takes You Off-site to Stars & Stripes

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War puts strain on Air Force’s aging fleet

Includes U.S. Air Force Aircraft Age Charts for Europe & The Pacific

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Link Takes You Off-site to Washington Post.Com

Dulles Rail Set to Get Federal Approval

$5 Billion Metrorail, 23-Mile Extension from Existing Washington D.C. Lines to Dulles International Airport Finally Meets Federal Criteria

Front Page

Next-Generation Bombardier Challenger 605 Jets To Join Flexjet Fleet



~ Challenger 605 jets are among 24 new aircraft to enter service with Flexjet in 2008

~ Introduction of new jets every year gives Flexjet one of the youngest fractional jet ownership fleets

DALLAS, April 30, 2008 ~ Bombardier Flexjet, the fractional business jet ownership program of Bombardier Aerospace, has announced the induction of Bombardier’s new Challenger 605 jets into the Flexjet fractional fleet.

“We are pleased to offer our customers the ultimate fractional jet ownership experience with the introduction of the Challenger 605 business jet, which provides superior wide-cabin comfort, technology, flexibility and productivity,” said Mike McQuay, president, Bombardier Flexjet. “This newly redesigned jet is tailored for Flexjet owners. It seats more passengers, features a cutting-edge information, communication and entertainment system and offers enhanced safety systems.”

The Challenger 605 jets are among 24 new aircraft scheduled to enter service with Flexjet in 2008. The additional new arrivals will include the best-selling, super-midsize Challenger 300 and the high-performance Learjet 60 XR. They will replace some of the aircraft currently in service. By replacing a large portion of its aircraft each year, Flexjet is able to maintain one of the youngest fleets of any fractional jet ownership company. Aircraft in the Flexjet fleet average 3.4 years in age.

“As a frequent traveler who often has family accompanying me on trips, safety is definitely a top priority,” said John Strelitz, a longtime Flexjet fractional jet owner. “Knowing that Flexjet has one of the youngest and most technologically-advanced fleet of aircraft gives me peace of mind.”

New cabin design and technology enhances productivity and efficiency

A digital, Ethernet-based, cabin electronic system provides passengers with a new level of cabin control, flexibility, productivity and efficiency. The system includes multiple touch-screen controls and supports optional high-speed connectivity for e-mailing and web browsing. At the press of a button, passengers may access a wide range of options, including XM Radio, enhanced AIRBORNE™ Office, DIRECTV™ and audio/video-on-demand.

Restyled interior optimizes cabin environment

The aircraft’s interior features the widest stand-up cabin of any large-category business jet available today. The new cabin includes optimized, ergonomically enhanced working areas including a four-seat conference grouping in the rear. LED lighting is featured throughout the jet. Newly positioned, larger windows increase the viewing angle and provide added natural lighting in the cabin. A new galley design offers increased capacity and functionality.

State-of-the-art avionics system provides leaner cockpit and situational awareness

The Challenger 605 flight deck features the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite, which is fully configurable and offers pilots instant, intuitive access to critical flight information.

About Bombardier Flexjet

Established in 1995 and based in Richardson, Texas, Bombardier Flexjet offers a turnkey program allowing individuals or companies to purchase a share in a Bombardier business jet at a fraction of the full ownership cost. Flexjet owners select the aircraft type that best fits their needs, determine the number of hours per year they expect to fly, and purchase shares starting at 1/16th (equal to 50 hours of flying). Owners pay predictable monthly management and usage fees, while Flexjet manages aircraft maintenance, flight crews, hangars, fuel and insurance on their behalf. Flexjet fields an exclusive family of Bombardier business jets, including the Learjet 40 XR, Learjet 45 XR, Learjet 60 XR, Challenger 300 and newly redesigned Challenger 605 business jets.

The Flexjet One program is an aircraft management service providing owners who purchase a whole Bombardier aircraft access to Flexjet’s entire fractional fleet, cost savings and a simple, worry-free solution to aircraft ownership. The Flexjet 25 jet card program, operated by Jet Solutions LLC, provides travel-by-the-hour on the Flexjet 25 fleet of Bombardier aircraft.

About Bombardier

A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2008, were $17.5 billion US, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. News and information are available at
www.bombardier.com .


Bombardier, Flexjet, Flexjet 25, Learjet and Challenger are either registered or unregistered trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

Online Now: www.flexjet.com

Front Page

Northrop Grumman KC-30 in RAAF markings. The US Air Force will operate the KC-45 version of the MRTT aircraft. The KC-45 will be built in Mobile, Alabama.

Photo: EADS

Front Page

Northrop Grumman KC-45: Why We Won -- Takeoff Performance

Highlighting Reasons the U.S. Air Force Selected the KC-45 Tanker as Best for Our Men and Women in Uniform

WASHINGTON - April 30, 2008 - The U.S. Air Force found Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) bid to build the next generation of aerial refueling tankers superior to Boeing's in four of the five most important selection criteria. Despite this fact, the losing bidder wants the Government Accountability Office to overturn the Air Force decision to award the contract to Northrop Grumman even though the Air Force conducted what even Boeing described as a fair, open and transparent bidding process. Here is another reason Northrop Grumman won, drawn from a list of facts included in the Mission Capability section of a redacted version of a protected Air Force selection document.


Takeoff Performance

The Air Force concluded that the more capable Northrop Grumman KC-45 featured better takeoff performance. This capability, in combination with the other characteristics of this modern airframe, provides the Air Force with greater basing and operational flexibility than Boeing's proposed KC-767.

Specifically, the Air Force found that Northrop Grumman's superior aircraft "Can take off with more fuel load from a 7,000 foot runway" than the KC-767.

Superior takeoff performance provides many operational advantages.

Compared to Boeing's KC-767, the KC-45 can launch with more fuel from the same length of runway, providing longer range, more time aloft, and the ability to refuel more aircraft per sortie.

In military operations, the KC-45 can launch with a fuel load equal to the KC-767's maximum fuel load using a takeoff roll over 1,000 feet shorter.

The KC-45 can take off from more airfields around the world than the KC-767 carrying a fuel load equal to or greater than Boeing's maximum. Greater airfield availability increases the Air Force's future basing and operational flexibility.

This means that in the critical matter of refueling -- the primary mission of a tanker -- Northrop Grumman's plane can carry more fuel, fly greater distances, stay airborne longer, and refuel more aircraft in combat operations than Boeing's proposed aircraft, providing what the Air Force termed "Significant refueling advantages" over Boeing.

Northrop Grumman's takeoff superiority is one reason why Gen. Duncan McNabb, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, told reporters when Northrop Grumman's win was announced Feb. 29 that the KC-45 "Will provide global reach."

"In short, these new tankers will keep us global by extending the range and persistence of our aircraft and those of our joint and coalition partners," McNabb said.

About the KC-45

The KC-45 Tanker aircraft will be assembled in Mobile, Ala., and the KC-45 team will employ 48,000 American workers at 230 U.S. companies in 49 states. It will be built by a world-class industrial team led by Northrop Grumman, and includes EADS North America, General Electric Aviation and Sargent Fletcher.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.

Front Page

Tunis Air Airbus A320 twinjet

Photo: Adrian Pingstone "Arpingstone" / www.wikopedia.com

Front Page Europe

Tunisair chooses Airbus to modernise and expand its fleet with A350s, A330s and A320s

29 April 2008


North African airline Tunisair has signed a letter of acceptance of the Airbus proposal for the acquisition of three A350-800s, three A330-200s and ten A320s, as part of an important fleet development plan that will modernise and expand the fleet of this growing airline. With this acquisition, Tunisair is the third African airline to order the all-new A350 XWB. Tunisair currently already has 12 A320s, four A319s of which two with extended range capability and three A300-600s in operation.

The all-new, eco-efficient A350s will provide the right aircraft at the right time for the long-term development plans of Tunisair for long haul routes to North America and Asia. Meanwhile, the A330s will allow the airline to modernize its wide-body fleet and seamlessly enter the long haul market with new routes to North America in the near future with the most modern and cost efficient aircraft in the market today. Furthermore, the A320s will allow Tunisair to renew and expand its regional operations with more efficient and cost effective aircraft complementing its current fleet.

"This acquisition is part of a major fleet development that will allow Tunisair to prepare for the future and take up the market opportunities that exist for our airline," said Mr. Chettaoui, President and CEO of Tunisair group. "The A330s and later on the A350 will really complement our A320 fleet which is already performing extremely well. This acquisition will provide Tunisair with the most modern, efficient and comfortable aircraft that perfectly respond to our needs in terms of range, passenger capacity and operational costs", he continued.

"We are very proud of this agreement with Tunisair, which shows the value and strength of the Airbus Family concept, bringing commonality in the fleet and allowing for important cost savings and fleet efficiency," said Fabrice Brégier, Chief Operating Officer of Airbus. The combined acquisition of A320s, A330s and A350s will contribute to the strategic growth plans of Tunisair and we are very happy to be supporting the airline in this development and further strengthen the close ties that we have developed over the years," he added.

The longstanding relationship started in 1980, when Tunisair placed its first order for an Airbus A300B4. It has built up its Airbus fleet from then onwards, with the first A320 order placed in 1988, one of the first orders for Africa. In another pioneering move, with the order in 2006 for the A319 Extended-Range, Tunisair was the first airline to start operating this aircraft type in Africa, benefiting from Airbus’ continuous efforts for innovation and technological advancements.

The A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) Family is Airbus' response to widespread market demand for a series of highly efficient medium-capacity long-range wide-body aircraft. With a range of up to 8,300 nm / 15,400 km, it is available in three basic passenger versions: the A350-800 accommodating 270 passengers, the A350-900 seating 314, and the A350-1000 for 350 passengers. The A350 has the widest fuselage in its category, offering unprecedented levels of comfort, the lowest operating costs and lowest seat mile cost of any aircraft in this market segment. Powered by two new generation Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines delivering each up to 92,000 lbs of thrust, the A350 XWB Family is designed to confront the challenges of high fuel prices, rising passenger expectations, and environmental concerns.

With a true wide-body fuselage allowing very high comfort standards, the A330-200 is able to accommodate seat and class configurations to suit the diverse customer requirements. It has a range of up to 6,750 nm / 12,500 km with a full passenger load. It also has the excellent operational flexibility necessary to serve a wide range of route structures, providing operators with very low operating cost per seat. Its proven record of economy and superior passenger comfort provides operators with a significant competitive advantage in the market today.

The A320 Family, which includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. Each aircraft features fly by wire controls and all share a unique cockpit and operational commonality across the range. Over 6,100 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and 3,400 delivered to more than 270 customers and operators worldwide, making it the worlds best selling commercial jetliner ever.

Airbus is an EADS Company.




Francais:




Tunisair modernise et developpe sa flotte avec des A350, A330 et A320 d’Airbus

29 April 2008


La compagnie nord-africaine Tunisair a signé une lettre confirmant sa décision de retenir l'offre d'Airbus et d'acquérir trois A350-800, trois A330-200 et dix A320, dans le cadre d’un vaste programme de modernisation et d’expansion de sa flotte. Avec cette transaction, Tunisair est la troisième compagnie africaine à commander le tout nouvel A350 XWB. Tunisair exploite d’ores et déjà 12 A320, quatre A319 (dont deux à rayon d’action accru), et trois A300-600.

Les tout nouveaux A350 éco-efficients, qui doteront Tunisair des bons avions au bon moment, permettront à la compagnie de répondre à ses programmes d’expansion à long terme sur des lignes long-courriers à destination de l’Amérique du Nord et de l’Asie. Parallèlement, les A330, appareils les plus avancés et les plus rentables sur le marché actuel, permettront à Tunisair de moderniser sa flotte gros-porteur et de pénétrer sans heurt le marché long-courrier, en proposant très prochainement de nouvelles lignes à destination de l’Amérique du Nord. En outre, les A320 permettront à la compagnie de renouveler et développer ses services régionaux avec des avions plus rentables et performants, qui viendront compléter sa flotte actuelle.

“Cette transaction fait partie d’un programme majeur d’expansion de flotte, qui permettra à Tunisair de se préparer pour l’avenir, et de tirer profit des opportunités de marché”, a déclaré M. Chettaoui, Président et CEO du groupe Tunisair. “Les A330, puis les A350 viendront compléter notre flotte d’A320 déjà en exploitation, dont les performances sont excellentes. Cette transaction dotera Tunisair des appareils les plus avancés, rentables et confortables, qui répondent parfaitement à nos besoins en termes d’autonomie, de capacité et de coûts d’exploitation.”

“Nous sommes très fiers de cet accord avec Tunisair, qui prouve la valeur et la force du concept de famille Airbus. Ce concept permet une communité au sein d’une même flotte et d’importantes réductions de coûts, ainsi qu’une meilleure rentabilité de cette flotte”, a pour sa part souligné Fabrice Brégier, Chief Operating Officer d’Airbus. “L’acquisition simultanée d’A320, d’A330 et d’A350 répondra aux plans stratégiques de croissance de Tunisair. Nous sommes très heureux de participer au développement de la compagnie et de renforcer les liens étroits que nous avons noués au cours des années.”

Ce partenariat de longue date a débuté en 1980, lors de la première commande de Tunisair portant sur un A300B4 d’Airbus. Depuis lors, la compagnie a développé sa flotte Airbus et passé une première commande d’A320 en 1988, l’une des premières émanant d’Afrique. Fidèle à sa réputation de pionnier, Tunisair, qui a commandé un A319 à rayon d’action étendu en 2006, a été la première compagnie à exploiter ce type d’appareil en Afrique, bénéficiant ainsi des innovations et technologies avancées constamment apportées par Airbus sur ses appareils.

La famille A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) est la réponse fournie par Airbus à la demande du marché portant sur une famille très rentable de gros-porteurs long-courriers de moyenne capacité. L’A350 XWB, doté d'une autonomie allant jusqu'à 15 400 km/8 300 nm, est disponible en trois versions passagers de base : l’A350-800, qui peut transporter 270 passagers, l’A350-900 de 314 sièges, et l’A350-1000, conçu pour accueillir 350 passagers. L’A350 XWB est doté du fuselage le plus large de sa catégorie, offre des niveaux sans précédent de confort, et affiche également les coûts d’exploitation et les coûts au siège-kilomètre les plus bas de tous les appareils de ce segment de marché.

Equipés de deux réacteurs de nouvelle génération Trent XWB de Rolls-Royce, délivrant chacun jusqu'à 92 000 lbs de poussée, les appareils de la famille A350 XWB sont conçus pour faire face aux défis actuels : prix de carburant élevés, attentes des passagers toujours plus grandes et préoccupations environnementales.

Grâce à son fuselage de véritable gros-porteur permettant d’offrir un très grand confort, l’A330-200 peut adapter la configuration de ses sièges et classes en fonction des besoins des clients. L’A330-200 peut parcourir des distances allant jusqu’à 12 500 km/6 750 nm avec une pleine charge passagers. L’A330-200 offre également une excellente souplesse opérationnelle, nécessaire pour desservir un large éventail de lignes, à un coût d’exploitation par siège très bas. Sa rentabilité et son confort hors pair, qui ont fait leurs preuves, donnent à ses utilisateurs un avantage compétitif substantiel sur le marché actuel.

La famille A320, référence sur le marché des monocouloirs, comprend l'A318, l'A319, l'A320 et l'A321. Tous les appareils de cette famille, dotés de commandes de vol électriques, présentent une communité de poste de pilotage et une communité opérationnelle uniques à Airbus. Avec plus de 6 100 appareils commandés, dont plus de 3 400 ont été livrés à plus de 270 clients et utilisateurs dans le monde, les monocouloirs Airbus constituent la famille d'appareils best-seller de tous les temps.

Airbus est une société EADS.




Deutsch:



Tunisair beabsichtigt Modernisierung und Erweiterung ihrer Flotte mit Airbus A350, A330 und A320

29 April 2008


Die nordafrikanische Fluggesellschaft Tunisair beabsichtigt, von Airbus drei A350-800, drei A330-200 und zehn A320 zu kaufen. Die schnell wachsende Airline sieht die Airbus-Jets im Rahmen eines umfassenden Entwicklungsprogramms zur Modernisierung und Erweiterung ihrer Flotte vor. Tunisair ist mit diesem Auftrag der dritte afrikanische Carrier, der Flugzeuge des neuen Airbus-Typs A350 XWB bestellt hat. Die Gesellschaft betreibt derzeit zwölf A320, vier A319 (davon zwei mit vergrößerter Reichweite) sowie drei A300-600.

Die neue, ökoeffiziente A350 ist das richtige Flugzeug zum richtigen Zeitpunkt für die langfristigen Pläne von Tunisair, ihr Langstreckennetz nach Nordamerika und Asien auszubauen. Die A330 stellen unterdessen für die Airline die Modernisierung ihrer Großraumflotte mit den modernsten und wirtschaftlichsten heute erhältlichen Flugzeugen dieser Kategorie sicher. Die neuen Nordamerika-Langstreckenrouten können so bereits in naher Zukunft aufgenommen werden. Die neuen A320 ermöglichen Tunisair schließlich, ihren Regionalbetrieb mit noch effizienteren und wirtschaftlicheren Modellen auszubauen und zu modernisieren.

„Mit dieser umfassenden Flottenmodernisierung ist Tunisair gut für die Zukunft gerüstet. Sie versetzt uns in die Lage, die Chancen des Marktes für unsere Airline zu nutzen“, sagte Nabil Chettaoui, President und CEO der Tunisair Group. „Die A330 und später die A350 werden unsere A320-Flotte, die wir bereits mit hervorragenden Ergebnissen einsetzen, ergänzen. Wir erhalten mit dieser Bestellung die modernsten, effizientesten und komfortabelsten Flugzeuge im Hinblick unserer Anforderungen nach Reichweite, Passagierkapazität und Betriebskosten.“

„Wir sind sehr stolz auf diese Vereinbarung mit Tunisair. Sie unterstreicht den Wert und die Stärke des Airbus-Familienkonzepts. Die Kommunalität zwischen den Flugzeugen bringt bedeutende Kosteneinsparungen für die Airline und erhöht die Effizienz ihrer Flotte“, sagte Fabrice Brégier, Chief Operating Officer von Airbus. „Die kombinierte Anschaffung von A320, A330 und A350 wird zu den strategischen Wachstumsplänen von Tunisair beitragen. Wir freuen uns sehr darüber, die Airline bei dieser Entwicklung zu unterstützen und die enge Beziehung, die wir über die Jahre aufgebaut haben, weiter zu intensivieren.“

Die langjährige Beziehung zwischen Tunisair und Airbus begann 1980, als die Fluggesellschaft ihre erste A300B4 bestellte. Seitdem wurde die Airbus-Flotte kontinuierlich ausgebaut. So erteilte Tunisair 1988 ihren ersten A320-Auftrag – als einer der ersten Kunden dieses Flugzeugtyps aus Afrika. Auch mit der Bestellung der A319 Extended Range 2006 übernahm Tunisair eine Vorreiterrolle als erster Betreiber dieses Flugzeugtyps auf dem afrikanischen Kontinent. Tunisair profitiert so vom kontinuierlichen Airbus-Engagement für Innovation und technische Weiterentwicklung.

Die A350 XWB (Xtra Wide Body) ist die Antwort von Airbus auf die Forderung des Marktes nach hoch effizienten Langstrecken-Großraumflugzeugen mittlerer Passagierkapazität. Drei Basisversionen mit einer Reichweite bis 15 400 km / 8 300 nm werden angeboten: die A350-800 für 270, die A350-900 für 314 und die A350-1000 für 350 Passagiere. Die A350 weist den breitesten Rumpf in ihrer Kategorie auf und bietet Komfort auf einem in ihrem Marktsegment bisher unerreichten Niveau. Ihre Betriebs- und Sitzmeilenkosten sind niedriger als die aller anderen Produkte der gleichen Klasse. Der Großraumjet fliegt mit zwei Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-Triebwerken der neuen Generation, die jeweils bis zu 92 000 lbs Schub liefern. Die A350 XWB-Familie ist darauf ausgelegt, die besonderen Anforderungen aufgrund hoher Kraftstoffpreise, steigender Erwartungen der Passagiere und strengerer Umweltauflagen zu erfüllen.

Der große Rumpfquerschnitt der A330-200 erlaubt ihren Betreibern sehr komfortable und vielseitige Möglichkeiten der Konfiguration und Bestuhlung je Klasse. Die Reichweite beträgt 12.500 km/6.750 nm bei voller Passagierlast. Das Flugzeug eignet sich hervorragend für den flexiblen Einsatz innerhalb einer breiten Palette von Routenstrukturen. Zudem zeichnet es sich durch seine sehr niedrigen Betriebskosten pro Sitz aus. Die nachgewiesene Wirtschaftlichkeit und der überragende Passagierkomfort bringen den Betreibern bedeutende Wettbewerbsvorteile.

Die A320-Familie mit den Modellen A318, A319, A320 und A321 gilt als Referenzklasse für Flugzeuge mit Standardrumpf und nur einem Mittelgang (Single Aisle). Jeder dieser Airbus-Jets fliegt mit Fly-by-Wire-Steuerung und zeichnet sich durch das einzigartige Airbus-Kommunalitätskonzept aus: Die Cockpits sind innerhalb der gesamten Produktpalette weitgehend identisch aufgebaut. Mit über 6 100 verkauften und 3 400 an mehr als 270 Kunden und Betreiber weltweit ausgelieferten Flugzeugen ist die Airbus A320-Familie die weltweit erfolgreichste Familie von Single-Aisle-Passagierjets.

Airbus ist ein EADS-Unternehmen.




Espanol:



Tunisair elige Airbus para modernizar y expandir su flota con A350, A330 y A320

29 April 2008


La línea aérea norteafricana Tunisair ha firmado una carta de confirmación de la oferta de Airbus para la adquisición de tres A350-800, tres A330-200 y diez A320, como parte de un importante plan de desarrollo, que modernizará y expandirá la flota de esta línea aérea en crecimiento. Con esta adquisición, Tunisair es la tercera línea aérea africana que pide el nuevo A350 XWB. Tunisair cuenta ya con 12 A320, cuatro A319, dos de ellos con capacidad de alcance extendido y tres A300-600 en operación.

El nuevo y eco-eficiente A350 ofrecerá el avión correcto en el momento adecuado para los planes de desarrollo a largo plazo de Tunisair para rutas a larga distancia hacia América del Norte y Asia. Mientras tanto, los A330 permitirán a la línea aérea modernizar su flota de fuselaje ancho y entrar en el mercado de larga distancia con nuevas rutas a América del Norte en un futuro próximo, con el avión más moderno y eficiente en costes en el mercado actualmente. Por otra parte, los A320 permitirán a Tunisair renovar y expandir sus operaciones regionales con aviones más eficientes y efectivos en coste, que complementan su flota actual.

“Esta adquisición forma parte de un importante desarrollo de la flota que permitirá a Tunisair prepararse para el futuro y atender las oportunidades de mercado que existen para nuestra línea aérea”, dijo el Sr. Chettaoui, Presidente y Consejero Delegado del grupo Tunisair. “Los A330 y posteriormente los A350 complementarán realmente nuestra flota de A320, que está teniendo muy buenos resultados. Esta adquisición ofrecerá a Tunisair los aviones más modernos, eficientes y cómodos, que responden perfectamente a nuestras necesidades en cuanto a alcance, capacidad de pasajeros y costes operacionales”, continuó.

“Nos sentimos muy orgullosos de este acuerdo con Tunisair, que muestra el valor y la fortaleza del concepto de Familia de Airbus, que ofrece “comunalidad” en la flota y permite importantes ahorros de costes y eficiencia de la flota”, dijo Fabrice Bregier, Director General de Airbus. “La adquisición combinada de A320, A330 y A350 contribuirá a los planes estratégicos de crecimiento de Tunisair y nos sentimos muy felices de apoyar a la línea aérea en su desarrollo, a la vez que reforzamos aun más los estrechos lazos que hemos desarrollado durante años”, añadió.

Esta larga relación comenzó en 1980, cuando Tunisair realizó su primer pedido de un Airbus A300B4. Desde entonces ha incrementado su flota Airbus, y el primer pedido de A320 fue hecho en 1988, uno de los primeros en África. Otra decisión pionera fue la adquisición en 2006 del A319 con Alcance Extendido. Tunisair fue la primera línea aérea que comenzó a operar este modelo en África, beneficiándose de los continuos esfuerzos de Airbus en innovación y avances tecnológicos.

La Familia A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body), es la respuesta de Airbus a la demanda generalizada del mercado de una serie de aviones de fuselaje ancho, muy largo alcance y capacidad media altamente eficientes. Con un alcance de hasta 8.300 millas náuticas / 15.400 kilómetros, está disponible en tres versiones básicas: el A350-800 para 270 pasajeros, el A350-900 que acomoda 314, y el A350-1000, para 350 pasajeros. El A350 cuenta con el fuselaje más ancho de su categoría, ofreciendo niveles de comodidad sin precedentes, los costes operativos más bajos y el menor coste por asiento milla en su segmento de mercado. Propulsado por dos motores de nueva generación Rolls Royce Trent XWB, cada uno con un empuje de 92.000 libras, la Familia A350 XWB está diseñada para enfrentarse a los retos del alto precio del combustible, las mayores expectativas de los pasajeros y las preocupaciones sobre el medio ambiente.

Con un verdadero fuselaje ancho que permite unos niveles muy altos de comodidad, el A330-200 puede acomodar configuraciones de asientos y clases para cubrir las diferentes necesidades de sus clientes. Tiene un alcance de hasta 6.750 millas náuticas / 12.500 kilómetros con una carga completa de pasajeros. Cuenta con una excelente flexibilidad operacional, para servir una amplia variedad de estructuras de ruta, y ofrece a los operadores unos costes operativos muy bajos por asiento. Su probado historial de economía y superior comodidad para el pasajero da alas líneas aéreas una significativa ventaja competitiva en el mercado actual.

La Familia A320, que incluye los A318, A319, A320 y A321, está reconocida como la más popular entre las de pasillo único. Cada avión incorpora controles “fly-by-wire” y todos comparten la “comunalidad” de cabina. Más de 6.100 aviones Airbus de la familia A320 han sido vendidos y más de 3.400 entregados a más de 270 clientes y operadores en todo el mundo, lo que le convierten en el avión comercial de mejor venta en la historia.

Airbus es una compañía de EADS.

Front Page

April 29, 2008

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov

Candrea Thomas
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-084

NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY TO MOVE TO LAUNCH PAD SATURDAY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to roll
out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on
Saturday, May 3, as preparations for the STS-124 mission move
forward. Discovery is targeted to lift off May 31 on a 13-day mission
to the International Space Station.

The first motion of the shuttle out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly
Building is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The space shuttle vehicle,
consisting of the orbiter, external tank and twin solid rocket
boosters, was fully assembled on the mobile launcher platform and
will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler transporter. The crawler
slowly moves the shuttle out to the pad at less than 1 mph during its
3.4-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately six
hours.

NASA Television will provide live coverage of Discovery's rollout to
the launch pad starting at 6:30 a.m. Video highlights of the rollout
will air on NASA TV Video File.

Media are invited to photograph the shuttle's move to the pad and
interview Discovery Flow Director Stephanie Stilson at 8 a.m.
Saturday. Dates and times of this event are subject to change.
Updates are available by calling 321-867-2525.

Media must arrive at Kennedy's news center by 6 a.m. Saturday for
transportation to the viewing area. Foreign news media accreditation
for this event has closed. Foreign media with credentials must arrive
at the Pass and I-D Building on State Road 3 by 6 a.m. for
transportation to the news center. U.S. media without permanent
Kennedy Space Center credentials must apply for accreditation online
by 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

Badges must be picked up by 4 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the Pass and I-D
Building on State Road 405.

The mission will deliver the Kibo laboratory's large Japanese
Pressurized Module, or JPM, and its remote manipulator system to the
International Space Station. Three spacewalks will be conducted
during the flight.

Discovery will be commanded by Mark Kelly. Ken Ham will be the pilot.
The mission specialists are Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan, Mike Fossum,
Greg Chamitoff and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut
Akihiko Hoshide. Chamitoff will remain on the station as a resident
crew member, replacing station Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who
will return home on Discovery.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming
video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the STS-124 mission and crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Front Page

April 30, 2008


CONTRACT RELEASE: C08-024

NASA AWARDS EXTERNAL TANK CONTRACT MODIFICATION

WASHINGTON -- NASA has signed a $39.5 million contract modification
with Lockheed Martin Space Systems, New Orleans, to implement an
external tank program employee retention plan. Incentives are being
provided to eligible external tank personnel to ensure mission
success and construction of the remaining external tanks to support
Space Shuttle Program requirements through September 2010.

Retention of the knowledgeable and skilled external tank workforce is
necessary to produce the remaining shuttle hardware and safely
execute all remaining contract requirements. This modification
supports the agency's priorities of safely flying the space shuttle
and completing construction of the International Space Station.

The contract will end September 30, 2010. This modification brings the
total value of the contract, awarded in October 2000, to $2.967
billion. The contract calls for the delivery of 18 external tanks to
NASA. Eleven tanks remain to be delivered.

Work will be performed at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New
Orleans; NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.; and
NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Lockheed Martin builds, assembles and tests the space shuttle external
tanks for NASA at the Michoud facility. The external tank holds the
liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen for the shuttle's three main
engines. It is the largest single component of the space shuttle and
the only part of the shuttle that is not reused.

At 154 feet tall, the tank is taller than a 15-story building, with a
diameter of about 27.5 feet. During launch, the tank acts as the
structural backbone for the shuttle orbiter and the solid rocket
boosters attached to it. For more information about NASA's Space
Shuttle Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

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Curtiss-Wright to Present at FBR Investor Conference



ROSELAND, N.J., April 29, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW) Vice President and CFO, Glenn E. Tynan, will present at FBR Capital Markets' 12th Annual Spring Investor Conference on Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 9:00 AM. The presentation will be at the Grand Hyatt New York Hotel. Copies of Curtiss-Wright's investor presentation will be available on the Company's website.

A simultaneous webcast and presentation slides will be available on the company's website www.curtisswright.com . A replay will be available for approximately 30 days on the company's website shortly after completion of the presentation.

About Curtiss-Wright

Curtiss-Wright Corporation is a diversified company headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey. The company designs, manufactures and overhauls products for motion control and flow control applications, and provides metal treatment services. The firm employs approximately 7,600 people. More information on Curtiss-Wright can be found on the Internet at www.curtisswright.com .

Forward-looking statements in this release and in the presentation are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: a reduction in anticipated orders; an economic downturn; changes in competitive marketplace and/or customer requirements; a change in government spending; an inability to perform customer contracts at anticipated cost levels; and other factors that generally affect the business of aerospace, defense contracting, marine, electronics and industrial companies. Please refer to the Company's current SEC filings under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for further information.

SOURCE Curtiss-Wright Corporation


http://www.curtisswright.com

Front Page

Employees First to Benefit from Combined Delta, Northwest Network

New reciprocal travel program adds to previously announced plans for a substantial equity stake, pay increases, seniority protection and other benefits for Delta, Northwest employees

ATLANTA and EAGAN, MINN., April 29, 2008 – More than 100,000 employees and retirees of Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA) will gain reciprocal access to both airlines’ worldwide route systems for free, standby travel, effective May 6. The enhanced program will allow Delta and Northwest employees and their families to fly for free to more than 390 worldwide destinations in 67 countries.

“Non-revenue travel privileges continue to be one of the most popular aspects of airline employees’ total compensation and benefits,” said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. “With great coordination and partnership between the airlines, we are offering an immediate benefit by extending free travel on each other’s flights – something that has never been offered this quickly following the announcement of a major airline merger.”

Northwest Airlines CEO Doug Steenland added, "We wanted our own employees to be the first to benefit from the Northwest/Delta combination with a travel benefit that is unique in the airline industry. Having immediate access to the combined network will open up a whole new world of travel opportunities, giving both airlines' employees a sample of the benefits our customers will also experience in the new global airline."

The addition of enhanced travel privileges is part of previously announced merger-related commitments to Delta and Northwest employees, including:


A significant equity stake for U.S.-based employees of both companies upon closing of the transaction (international employees will receive a cash payment in lieu of equity);

Pay increases that will continue the progression toward industry-standard pay;

No involuntary furloughs of frontline employees as a result of the merger;

Seniority protection through a fair and equitable seniority integration process; and

The protection of the existing pension plans for both companies’ employees.


The enhanced travel program is an early step in the combination of Delta and Northwest that can be achieved in advance of completion of the regulatory review process. Delta and Northwest expect to complete the regulatory review process by the end of 2008.

For more information on the Delta-Northwest merger, visit http://www.newglobalairline.com/ .
Northwest Airlines is one of the world’s largest airlines with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam, and approximately 1,400 daily departures. Northwest is a member of SkyTeam, an airline alliance that offers customers one of the world’s most extensive global networks. Northwest and its travel partners serve more than 1,000 cities in excess of 160 countries on 6 continents.

Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 306 destinations in 58 countries. Delta has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline during the last two years and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 37 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers more than 517 weekly flights to 57 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on nearly 16,409 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners.

Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 474 worldwide destinations in 104 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at www.delta.com .

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UPS to Ride with Big Brown



UPS to Sponsor Jockey Kent Desormeaux Aboard Kentucky Derby Favorite

LOUISVILLE, April 29, 2008 - "Big Brown" is jumping on Big Brown.

UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced a sponsorship that will send the UPS colors off with jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard favorite Big Brown in the 2008 running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Big Brown, owned by IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr., enters the 134th edition of the Derby undefeated after a five-length win in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. The sponsorship is a logical one for UPS since Pompa named the colt after the company. As the owner of the Truck-Rite Corp. in Brooklyn, N.Y., Pompa was so happy after renewing a contract with UPS Freight in 2007 that he celebrated by naming his newly purchased thoroughbred Big Brown.

"Having UPS riding with us on Saturday is a tremendous honor and we look forward to cheering on our horse in one of the greatest sporting events in the world," said Richard Schiavo, co-president and CEO of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc., which owns IEAH Stables.

With support from UPS, Desormeaux hopes to win the Kentucky Derby in what will be just the fourth career start for Big Brown, a feat that hasn't been matched since the filly Regret won the 1915 Kentucky Derby in her fourth career start. A two-time Kentucky Derby winner himself, Desormeaux is no stranger to the pressure of racing a Derby favorite. The man who will wear UPS-branded pants during the Kentucky Derby this Saturday raced 2000 Derby favorite Fusaichi Pegasus to the win, breaking a 21-year drought for Derby favorites.

"This horse is a major talent and possibly the best horse I've ever ridden," Desormeaux said of Big Brown. "Riding with UPS is a perfect fit and we're definitely looking to let everyone 'See What Big Brown Can Do For You' on the racetrack."

Big Brown won his first race by more than 12 lengths on Sept. 3, 2007, at New York's Saratoga Race Course, then followed that with another impressive 12-length allowance victory at Gulfstream Park on March 5. He won the Florida Derby on March 29.

UPS became the Official Delivery Company of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) in 2006. The company created the "Off to the Races Delivered by UPS" program in 2007 to link its NASCAR sponsorships with its association with Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby.

UPS continued the "Off to the Races" program in 2008, including a special paint scheme on the #44 UPS Toyota that was raced by driver David Reutimann in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend.

Reutimann will appear at Churchill Downs on Wednesday as part of the sweepstakes program. He will be joined by car owner Michael Waltrip and teammate Dale Jarrett for the festivities, including a race sponsored by UPS. All three drivers will participate in the trophy presentation as well as an autograph session. Later in the day, Jarrett and Desormeaux will participate in the live ESPN broadcast of the annual Kentucky Derby post position draw to provide insight into Big Brown's Derby chances.

As part of the "Off to the Races" program, UPS awarded one lucky winner and a guest trips to both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Talladega and the Kentucky Derby. Sweepstakes winner Tim Bloodgood of New York attended the Aaron's 499 last weekend and will travel to Louisville this weekend to watch Desormeaux race Big Brown in the 134th Kentucky Derby.

"UPS had a very hard time convincing Dale Jarrett to 'race the truck' and we knew we'd never get him on a thoroughbred," said Ron Rogowski, director of sponsorship for UPS. "So this is exciting to have a winning jockey with a track record on a horse that honors the color brown."

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS is the world's largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services. Each day, the UPS pit crew of more than 425,000 dedicated employees delivers to more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS is the owner of the trademarks "Brown," "Big Brown" and "What Can Brown Do For You?" Use of these marks for limited purposes is obtained by written permission. For more information, log onto www.racing.ups.com . To get UPS news direct, visit www.pressroom.ups.com/RSS .

# # #

Online Now:

http://www.kentuckyderby.com

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2008/contenders/big-brown

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Delta Celebrates 30 Years of Trans-Atlantic Service

"April 30, 1978, was another era in air travel. Crude oil was $13 per barrel, compared to more than $115 today. Delta reservations were made by phone through agents in Atlanta or London because the Internet, personal computer and online shopping did not exist. Flight No. 10 between Atlanta, Georgia, and Gatwick Airport, in London, England, was operated with a Lockheed L-1011 aircraft with 24 first class and 238 economy seats. Delta projected its first in-flight movie, a 16mm version of Oh God, starring George Burns and John Denver. Economy roundtrip airfares were $844 round-trip, which in inflation-adjusted dollars now would be about $2,764."

~ Delta Air Lines

Photo Above: M. Daniels / ILIPS Group International

Photo Graphic Below: Delta Air Lines

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Delta Celebrates 30 Years of Trans-Atlantic Service

Delta’s first nonstop trans-Atlantic flight to London’s Gatwick Airport puts the airline, the city of Atlanta and its airport on unstoppable globalization path

ATLANTA, April 30, 2008 – Thirty years ago today, Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) Flight No. 10 took its maiden flight from Atlanta to London’s Gatwick International Airport taking Delta customers across the Atlantic for the first time. The departure from what was then known as Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport marked a significant milestone in the growth of the airline, the city of Atlanta, and what is now the world’s largest airport.

"Delta is confident that this new Atlanta-London air route will be a major catalyst in an expansion of international business and tourism here," accurately predicted R. S. Maurer, then Delta's vice chairman of the Board, during inaugural flight ceremonies held April 30, 1978, at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. "Today is a dream come true. For Delta, this is a dream of more than a decade in length. For several of you here, I suspect that you have for even longer a period waited for Atlanta and Georgia to take this great step forward as a vital world air transportation center."

April 30, 1978, was another era in air travel. Crude oil was $13 per barrel, compared to more than $115 today. Delta reservations were made by phone through agents in Atlanta or London because the Internet, personal computer and online shopping did not exist. Flight No. 10 was operated with a Lockheed L-1011 aircraft with 24 first class and 238 economy seats. Delta projected its first in-flight movie, a 16mm version of Oh God, starring George Burns and John Denver. Economy roundtrip airfares were $844 round-trip, which in inflation-adjusted dollars now would be about $2,764.

Though prior to 1978 Delta had been flying to Canada, the Bahamas and Venezuela, the success of the London-Gatwick flight unleashed Delta’s international expansion. Over the next 10 years Delta added flights to many European destinations. In 1991, Delta acquired the majority of Pan Am’s European routes and began to develop a major international presence in New York. In 1998, the carrier launched its Latin America expansion and began nonstop service between Atlanta and Tokyo’s Narita Airport. This year, Delta started serving London’s Heathrow and Shanghai, China, two major milestones for the airline‘s international growth from Atlanta.

“By the end of this year we will have added almost 100 new international routes since 2005,” said Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president – Network and Revenue Management. “What started with a single flight across the Atlantic eventually put Delta, our hometown of Atlanta and its airport on an unstoppable globalization path.”

Today Delta serves 306 destinations worldwide, 37 of them across the Atlantic -- more than any other airline. Starting March 30, Delta now serves London at both Gatwick and Heathrow, with daily flights from Atlanta, New York-JFK, Cincinnati and Los Angeles. International routes this summer are projected to account for nearly 40 percent of Delta’s revenues.

Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 306 destinations in 58 countries. Delta has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline during the last two years and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 37 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers more than 517 weekly flights to 57 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on nearly 16,409 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 841 worldwide destinations in 162 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at www.delta.com .

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LONG-LIVED NASA POLAR SATELLITE, BUILT BY LOCKHEED MARTIN, ENDS SERVICE AFTER 12 PRODUCTIVE YEARS

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 30th, 2008 -- After more than 12 years of collecting valuable data on how Earth's space environment is affected by continual bombardment from radiation and particles from the Sun, NASA has decommissioned its Polar spacecraft. Polar – built by Lockheed Martin – was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on February 24, 1996 and was the second element in NASA's Global Geospace Science (GGS) program. In an orbit that loops over the Earth's poles, the Polar spacecraft and its instruments have enabled scientists to study the movement of energetic charged particles above the polar regions.

The original requirement for the Polar mission was that it would operate for a minimum of two years, yet the small but robust satellite and its instruments continued sending back valuable data until this week. The unique treasure trove of information has yielded more than a thousand papers in refereed scientific journals and will continue to provide researchers a fertile field of discovery for years to come.

The other spacecraft in NASA’s GGS program, called Wind, was also built by Lockheed Martin. It was launched on November 1, 1994 and continues to operate in orbit around the L-1 libration point about one one-hundredth of the way from the Earth to the Sun, where the gravitational pull of the Earth and Sun and centrifugal force balance in such a way as to give an orbit of exactly one Earth year. The objectives of the Wind mission are to provide complete plasma, energetic particle, and magnetic field input for magnetospheric and ionospheric studies; determine the magnetospheric output to interplanetary space in the up-stream region: and investigate basic plasma processes occurring in the near-Earth solar wind.

“We are enormously pleased with the performance and longevity of both Polar and Wind,” said Mark Valerio, vice president and general manager of special programs at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, and formerly the company’s deputy program manager of the Polar and Wind spacecraft design and construction. “The name Lockheed Martin typically is associated with large spacecraft, yet the company has a long heritage as a nimble, responsive source for smaller, cutting-edge satellite systems delivered quickly, and Polar and Wind are prime examples of our diverse capability.”

The NASA GGS program is part of a larger effort called the International Solar Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) program that was mounted by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japanese Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. The fleet of spacecraft flown represented a collaborative effort to better understand how energy is generated deep within the Sun, how it radiates to the surface, crosses space to eventually reach the near-Earth environment, and, finally, how that energy affects the Earth.

In addition to building the Polar and Wind spacecraft, Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, Calif. built and/or designed six instruments for various ISTP spacecraft. PIXIE (the Polar Ionospheric X-ray Imaging Experiment), TIMAS (for Toroidal Imaging Mass Angle Spectrograph) and SEPS (the Source/Loss Cone Energetic Particle Spectrometer experiment) all flew on Polar; the Michelson Doppler Imager ­ flew on the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory; and ESA’s Cluster spacecraft carried the EDI (Electron Drift Investigation) and CIS (Coordinated Ion Spectroscopy) instruments.

The Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center is a world-class provider of advanced scientific and space technologies, prototypes, and research for physical, electronic, information/computing, materials, engineering, and electro-optical applications.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a major operating unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, designs, develops, tests, manufactures and operates a full spectrum of advanced-technology systems for national security, civil 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; fleet ballistic missiles; and missile defense systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.

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Six FedEx Drivers Earn Honors at the South Carolina State Truck Driving Championship

Winners Demonstrate Commitment to Safety and Professionalism

MEMPHIS – April 21, 2008 – Six drivers representing FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) operating companies placed among the winners at the 2008 South Carolina State Truck Driving Championship in Columbia on April 18-19.


~ Chip Taylor, a contractor for FedEx Ground based in Columbia, captured the title in the Straight Truck class.
~ Jerry Avossa, a driver for FedEx Freight domiciled in Greenville, finished second in the Straight Truck class. Avossa is a former captain with the American Trucking Associations’ America’s Road Team.
~ FedEx Freight driver Matthew Smith, also based in Greenville, was second in the Flatbed class.
~ Steve Ward, a driver for FedEx Express domiciled in Greer, took third place in the 3-Axle class.
~ FedEx Freight drivers Mark Walters (Florence) and Tommy Winston (Greenville) finished third in the 5-Axle Sleeper and Tank Truck classes, respectively.
~ In addition, Greenville-based FedEx Freight driver Daryl Thompson earned the Vehicle Condition Award for posting the highest score in the Pre-Trip Inspection portion of the competition.


Taylor will go on to compete at the American Trucking Associations’ 2008 National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC), known as the “Super Bowl of Safety” August 20-23 in Houston. In addition, each state winner will be recognized by FedEx as part of its safe driving initiative, The Chairman’s Challenge.

The South Carolina State Truck Driving Championship is an opportunity for professional truck drivers to demonstrate their driving skills and commitment to safety. The event includes a difficult driving skill test, pre-trip inspection, personal interview and written examination covering vehicle operation and knowledge of federal safety regulations.

In 2007, a record 78 driving professionals from 38 states representing FedEx Freight, FedEx Ground, FedEx Express, FedEx Custom Critical and FedEx Global Supply Chain Services qualified to compete at the National Truck Driving Championships by winning their respective state's competition and driving accident-free for at least one year. FedEx drivers captured National Champion titles in the Flatbed and Straight Truck classes and the NTDC Rookie of the Year honor. In addition, FedEx drivers earned five additional top-three finishes in their respective vehicle classes.

About FedEx

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $37 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 290,000 employees and contractors to remain absolutely, positively focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit www.news.fedex.com

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easyJet Airbus A319

Photo: easyJet

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easyJet announces new route from Manchester to Alicante

easyJet, The UK's largest airline, unveiled plans to introduce another new route from Manchester to Alicante in Spain today.

The new route will launch on 29 September operating four times weekly throughout the winter, with fares from just £27.99 one way including tax.

This new destination will be particularly popular as a family hotspot and a mini-break destination and easyJet expects to carry close to 60,000 passengers on this new route in the first 12 months of operation.

Carly Brear, UK Commercial Manager, said:

“This is the first new route easyJet has introduced to its new Manchester base and we look forward to further expansion in the near future.

“This announcement so soon after we commenced flying from Manchester is proof of the fantastic support we have had to date from the people of Manchester and surrounding areas.

“Alicante has proven to be a popular destination from other easyJet bases in the UK and now independent travellers from the North-West can take advantage of this new service from our Manchester base, to one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations.”

Tim McDermott, Director of Aviation at Manchester Airport, said:

“We're delighted that easyJet is already boosting its destinations from Manchester Airport with the announcement of this new Alicante route. There is a fantastic buzz around the arrival of easyJet at Manchester and we expect high passenger demand for this popular route.”

Route information and start date:

Seats will be on sale later today.

Online Now: www.easyJet.com

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easyJet Boeing 737-300s

Photo: easyJet

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easyJet.com favourite for flights @ Which? Holiday

easyJet is the number one website for booking flights online, shows new research by Which? Holiday magazine.

The survey of Which? members found that flights are the most popular online travel purchase, with one in five people (21 per cent) naming Easyjet as their favourite site for booking flights; many commented on how easy it was to use. British Airways may be glad to hear some good news following its recent problems with Terminal 5; its website was rated highly by Which? members, coming a close second with 18 per cent of the votes.

Expedia was the clear winner for booking hotels online, while Thomson.co.uk was people’s top choice for booking package holidays. Tripadvisor.co.uk was the favourite for researching holidays and as a source of holiday inspiration.

Ease of use was the top priority when choosing a website to book online or buy travel products, followed by value for money, and people preferred websites where they could filter search results and compare different hotels or destinations.

The biggest frustrations when booking online were the need to register before searching (63 per cent), websites that take a long time to load (49 per cent) and a lack of flexibility with search dates (45 per cent).

Lorna Cowan, editor, Which? Holiday, says:

“With 80 per cent of our members using the internet to book or research their holiday, it’s really important that businesses in the travel industry listen to what people want and get their websites right.

“While value for money is clearly important, ease of use is even more important to people. A website that is easy to use and quick to use could well turn a browser into a buyer.”

Online Now: www.easyJet.com

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easyJet ecojet proposal

Photo: easyJet

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450,000 passengers jet off with easyJet this May Bank Holiday

easyJet, Europe’s leading low-fares airline, will welcome 450,000 passengers on its flights over the May Bank Holiday period thanks to its huge choice of fantastic destinations and combination of low-fares with care and convenience.

The long weekend means not only an extra day out of the office, but your chance to head off on a well earned spring break. Log on to www.easyJet.com and you could enjoy a little of the early summer sun this weekend.

With the great British weather this May Bank Holiday expected to be cold, grey and wet, travellers are clearly heading for the sun. The nation’s favorite destinations this weekend are; Alicante, Faro and Malaga whilst Edinburgh is the most popular city break destination, with Amsterdam, Barcelona and Geneva closely following.

easyJet Consumer PR Executive, Marianne West, said:

‘More people than ever are taking advantage of their Bank Holiday weekends, with over 450,000 passengers jetting off across Europe with easyJet to soak up a little sun or experience a few cultural days away on a city break. It’s impossible to rely on the great British weather and, let’s face it, sunshine and relaxation is far more appealing than DIY. easyJet now offers a huge range of destinations, with 392 routes between 103 airports in 26 countries, so why stay at home?’.

If you haven’t decided what to do this Bank Holiday weekend why not log on to www.easyJet.com , the possibilities are endless.

Online Now: www.easyJet.com

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April 30, 2008

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov

Allard Beutel
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
allard.beutel@nasa.gov

Andrea Farmer
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla.
321-449-4318
afarmer@dncinc.com

MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-085

NASA TV TO AIR 2008 U.S. ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Television will provide live coverage of
the 2008 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday,
May 3, at 3 p.m. EDT. The ceremony will take place at NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida.

Joining the hall of fame this year are former astronauts John Blaha,
Loren Shriver, Bryan O'Connor, NASA's chief of Safety and Mission
Assurance at NASA Headquarters in Washington, and Bob Cabana, center
director of NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

CNN correspondent John Zarrella will host the event. More than 25 hall
of fame astronauts are scheduled to attend, including Scott
Carpenter, John Young, Robert Crippen, Al Worden, and Walt
Cunningham.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Andrea Farmer at
321-449-4318 or Jillian McRae at 321-449-4273. For more information
about the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, visit:

http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming
video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Front Page

Activity on Kilauea

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New Activity on Kilauea

In late April 2008, Kilauea Volcano Volcano on Hawaii’s big island continued its pattern of increased activity, including elevated seismic tremors and emissions from the volcano’s Halema‘uma‘u vent. The volcano also released sulfur dioxide, a common volcanic pollutant that can pose health hazards.

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite acquired this image on April 26, 2008. This image shows metric tons of sulfur dioxide in the lowest 5 kilometers (roughly 3 miles) of the atmosphere. Lowest amounts appear in lavender, and highest amounts appear in red. The greatest concentration appears over Hawaii’s big island and immediately west-southwest, but lower concentrations spread both toward the southwest and the northeast. Sulfur dioxide mass is scaled from 0 to 30 metric tons in this image, although some of the highest concentrations were actually greater. Two days after this image was acquired, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continued to warn residents of elevated sulfur dioxide levels, and indicated that closure of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park might be necessary.

Hawaii’s most active volcano during recorded history, Kilauea is a shield volcano, meaning it resembles an ancient warrior shield with its low, broad shape. The volcano overlaps the eastern flank of the Mauna Loa Volcano. In 1983, a long-term eruption began at Kilauea, producing lava flows, adding to the coastline, and destroying homes.

NASA OMI image courtesy Simon Carn, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). The OMI instrument is a Dutch-Finnish Instrument, provided to the EOS/Aura mission by the Netherlands and Finland. Caption by Michon Scott, with information from Simon Carn.

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Cyclone Nargis

NASA image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC). Caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).

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Cyclone Nargis

The recent formation of Tropical Cyclone Nargis in the Bay of Bengal coincides with the start of cyclone season in the North Indian Ocean, which typically runs from April through December. Despite the long season, the region, which includes the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, on average has just over five named storms per year, with only two becoming full tropical cyclones.

Nargis formed into a tropical cyclone on the April 27, 2008, in the central Bay of Bengal about 360 miles off of the southeast coast of India. This image of Nargis was captured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite on April 29, 2008, at 12:02 a.m. local time (April 28, 18:32 UTC). The color-coded data are rain rates measured by TRMM’s Precipitation Radar (top swath) and Microwave Imager (bottom swath). The rain rates are superimposed on observations of clouds by TRMM’s Visible and Infrared Scanner. (Land surface data are from the NASA Blue Marble.)

A large, well-defined eye was present at the time of this image, and in the western semi-circle, a strong eyewall can be identified by intense rainfall (dark red arc). The storm is very symmetric, with moderate-intensity rain bands (green) curving tightly around the center. At the time of this image, Nargis was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 75 knots (86 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The system was upgraded to a Category 2 storm a few hours later. As of April 30, Nargis was predicted to move northeast and make landfall in Myanmar (Burma) between May 2 and May 3.

NASA image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC). Caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).

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Dust Storm over the Aral Sea

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

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Dust Storm over the Aral Sea

A large dust storm blew westward from the Aral Sea in late April 2008. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image on April 29, 2008. In this picture, beige plumes form a large arc that crosses the border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Some clouds appear in the east, and they could be associated with the same weather system that kicked up the dust.

Dry lake bed sediments provide plentiful material to be blown by dust storms, and such sediments surround the Aral Sea. It is not a real sea but an inland freshwater lake, and it used to be the world’s fourth-largest lake. Due to river diversions, it began retreating in the 1960s, and its water level fell enough to split it in two: the North Aral Sea and the South Aral Sea. Thanks to conservation efforts, the North Aral Sea had begun to recover by the spring of 2007. The South Aral Sea, however, continued to decline.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

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LOCKHEED MARTIN ACHIEVES KEY MILESTONE ON NEW MISSILE WARNING SATELLITE

GEO-1 Spacecraft Ready for Environmental Test Phase

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 30th, 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced today that it has achieved a major integrated test milestone on the first Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO-1) spacecraft that enables the start of environmental testing in preparation for launch in late 2009.

The GEO-1 satellite, designed to provide new missile detection and surveillance capabilities for the nation, has completed a comprehensive Baseline Integrated System Test (BIST) phase which began in early March to characterize the overall performance of the GEO-1 satellite and establish a performance baseline for entering environmental testing.

"I am proud of our entire team for completing this significant milestone ahead of the planned schedule," said Col Roger Teague, the U.S. Air Force’s SBIRS Wing Commander. "We continue to build confidence as we march towards the inaugural launch of this vitally important spacecraft."

With the completion of BIST, the team will integrate the satellite's solar arrays, deployable light shade, and thermal blankets and then prepare for acoustic and pyroshock testing where the integrated space vehicle will be subjected to the maximum sound and vibration levels expected during launch into orbit.

"This comprehensive test confirms our readiness to enter the critical environmental test stage," said Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin's SBIRS vice president and program manager. "Our team continues to make significant progress on this sophisticated satellite and we look forward to achieving mission success for our customer."

SBIRS is designed to provide early warning of missile launches, and simultaneously support other missions including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace characterization.

The SBIRS team is led by the Space Based Infrared Systems Wing at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Sunnyvale, Calif., is the SBIRS prime contractor, with Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Azusa, Calif., as the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.

Lockheed Martin's current contract includes two highly elliptical orbit (HEO) payloads and two GEO satellites, as well as ground-based assets to receive and process the infrared data. The Lockheed Martin team has delivered both HEO payloads and the first GEO satellite launch is scheduled for late 2009. The first HEO payload has completed initial on-orbit deployment and checkout and demonstrated that its performance meets or exceeds specifications. The program is in the early stages of adding additional GEO spacecraft and HEO payloads to the planned constellation.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.

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Boeing Declines Swiss Request for Proposal for New Fighter Aircraft

ST. LOUIS, April 30, 2008 -- After a thorough review of Switzerland's requirements for partial replacement of its Tiger fighter aircraft, Boeing [NYSE: BA] has decided not to enter the competition due to the disparity between the requirements for an F-5 replacement aircraft and the next-generation capabilities of the F/A-18E/F Block II Super Hornet.

Boeing values its long-standing partnership with Switzerland and looks forward to continuing its support and modernization of the F-18C/D as the Swiss Air Force moves into the future.

###

"In other news, a Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor launched Hellfire missiles into Hades when the place froze over..." ~ Ed.

Front Page

Boeing and Australian College of Kuwait Complete Vocational Training Project

KUWAIT CITY, April 30, 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and the Australian College of Kuwait have completed a joint vocational training project, satisfying an offset requirement of Kuwait's purchase of 16 AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters in 2002. The National Offset Company (NOC) and the Kuwait Ministry of Finance announced the milestone Tuesday in Kuwait.

"The Australian College of Kuwait Board of Trustees is delighted to see the project with Boeing completed on time and within budget," said Chairman Abdullah Al Sharhan. "The specialized aviation and avionics equipment, and the transfer of aerospace technology, will ensure that students at the college are exposed to practical, hands-on vocational training of world-class standards. Our students are benefiting enormously from this significant development and will continue to benefit for many years to come."

Through the offset commitment, Boeing provided technical management and aerospace expertise, including the provisioning, installation and commissioning of specialized aviation and engineering equipment, training, and advanced technology transfer to the school.

The specialized equipment includes a 737-200 airplane that will be used as a training platform for aviation maintenance programs; hydraulic, pneumatic and fuel test stands; vertical and knee milling machines; avionic test benches; electrical and hydraulic carts; lathes, grinders, welders and other general equipment. The project also included the construction of an aviation hangar with workshops and training rooms.

"The Australian College of Kuwait has an outstanding purpose-built campus in Mishref offering state-of-the-art training aids and facilities," said Darrell Duncan, Boeing Middle East Region offset manager. "The provision of this equipment and know-how contributes to providing students with the key skills necessary to meet today's commercial and industry demands."

Boeing and the Australian College of Kuwait extend their thanks to the NOC, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defense. The successful completion of the project is the result of more than two years of implementation.

"We offer our sincere thanks to Mazen Madooh, managing director of NOC, and his staff for their ongoing support throughout this important project," said Gwen Kopsie, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems vice president of Industrial Participation and Alliances. "Boeing representatives will continue to visit the Australian College of Kuwait campus, enabling staff and students to benefit from their international aviation expertise."

The offset project is an excellent example of how international companies can meet the objectives of the offset program by committing capital, equipment and technology transfer to the education and training sectors.

The Australian College of Kuwait is owned by the Kuwait-based AMAS Group of Companies.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 71,000 employees worldwide.

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Front Page

Boeing-Insitu Achieves ScanEagle Service Milestones for U.S. Marine Corps, Navy

ST. LOUIS, April 29, 2008 -- The ScanEagle unmanned aircraft (UA), a joint effort of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Insitu Inc., this month logged a pair of service milestones as it surpassed 50,000 combat flight hours with the U.S. Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF) in Iraq and 1,000 shipboard recoveries with the U.S. Navy.

The long-endurance, fully autonomous ScanEagle entered service with the Marines in July 2004 and provides cost-effective and persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services. The Navy has used ScanEagle since July 2005 aboard the USNS Stockham, USS Whidbey Island, USS Oscar Austin, USS Oak Hill and the USS Carter Hall.

"Tens of thousands of flight hours for the Marines demonstrate the maturity and reliability of the ScanEagle system," said Jim Havard, Boeing ScanEagle U.S Marine Corps program manager. "The system also is providing the MEF with a powerful and versatile capability ranging from convoy protection and surveillance to base security."

Don Iverson, Boeing ScanEagle U.S. Navy program manager, added, "During more than 1,000 shipboard recoveries, the safety record of the ScanEagle system has been outstanding. There have been no injuries to personnel or damage to any of the ships deploying the system."

A ScanEagle UA carries inertially stabilized electro-optical and infrared cameras. The gimbaled cameras allow the operator to easily track both stationary and moving targets. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet and loitering over the battlefield for more than 24 hours, the platform provides persistent low-altitude reconnaissance.

ScanEagle is launched autonomously via a pneumatic SuperWedge™ catapult launcher and flies preprogrammed or operator-initiated missions. An Insitu-patented SkyHook™ system is used for retrieval -- the aircraft catches a rope suspended from a 50-foot-high tower. The patented system makes the ScanEagle system runway-independent, with a small footprint similar to that needed for vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.

Insitu, of Bingen, Wash., designs, develops and manufactures unmanned aircraft systems for commercial and military applications. Insitu introduced the first unmanned aircraft, which in 1998 flew across the Atlantic Ocean on 1.5 gallons of fuel. Insitu partnered with Boeing to develop, market and support ScanEagle operations and Fugro Airborne Surveys to develop GeoRanger, which is used in geological surveys. Visit www.insitu.com for more information. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 71,000 employees worldwide.

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Front Page

Boeing Reports Quarterly Dividend of 40 Cents a Share

CHICAGO, April 29, 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer Jim McNerney reports that the board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of forty (40) cents per share on Monday, April 28.

The dividend is payable June 6 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 9.

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Front Page

Boeing Honors 11 Suppliers with Top Performance Award

Harris Environmental Group employees gather in front of the company's offices in Tucson, Ariz.

Boeing Photo

Front Page

Boeing Honors 11 Suppliers with Top Performance Award

Harris helped Boeing identify environment risks and understand rural site regulatory and construction constraints for the Custom and Border Protection agency's SBInet program on U.S. land borders with Mexico and Canada.

Boeing Photo

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Record Crops in India

NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef, Global Agricultural Monitoring Project. Caption by Holli Riebeek with information provided by Jim Crutchfield, Foreign Agricultural Service.

Front Page

Record Crops in India

At the end of March, India’s spring crops were ripening in advance of harvest in April. With the harvest in the spring of 2008, the country’s rice and corn production were set to reach record levels, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. This image shows vegetation conditions as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite between March 21 and April 5, 2008, compared to average conditions observed during the same period from 2000 through 2007. Spots of green faintly color the Indian states of West Bengal and Bihar, two of the areas where rice and corn crops were thriving.

West Bengal was wrapping up its second crop of rice (the rabi, or spring-harvested rice) when the data used to make this image were acquired. A strip of green runs from the Bay of Bengal in the south to the gray, cloud-covered area in the north, indicating that plants were lusher than average. The light brown areas elsewhere in the state point to regions where plants were not growing as much as they normally do at the end of March. The bumper crop of rice followed in the wake of above-average monsoon rains during the June-September monsoon. At the end of the winter harvest, India had produced 81.5 million tons of rice, a million tons more than the 2006-2007 harvest, and by the end of April, production was expected to reach 94 million tons, said the Foreign Agricultural Service.

To the west, Bihar was preparing for a record crop of corn. Rivers running from the Himalaya Mountains into the Ganges bring water and fertile soil to the agricultural state. In Bihar and other corn-growing areas throughout India, good weather conditions sustained a healthy crop that the USDA predicted would yield a record 16.8 million tons of corn. The section of Bihar that is north of the Ganges River is flushed green in this image, a reflection of the good growing conditions.

References

Foreign Agricultural Service. (2008, March) World Agricultural Production. United States Department of Agriculture. Accessed April 29, 2008.

NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef, Global Agricultural Monitoring Project. Caption by Holli Riebeek with information provided by Jim Crutchfield, Foreign Agricultural Service.

Front Page Australia

Minister for Defence Media Mail List

THE HON. WARREN SNOWDON MP
Minister for Defence Science and Personnel

Wednesday, 30 April 2008
045/2008

DEFENCE WINS AT NATIONAL SAFE WORK AUSTRALIA AWARDS

Defence has received an award at the Australian Safety Compensation
Council’s Safe Work Australia Awards, Minister for Defence Science and
Personnel the Hon Warren Snowdon MP announced today.

“I heartily congratulate the Army’s Captain Sharryn Batt for
winning the ‘Best Individual Contribution to Workplace Health and Safety’
category for her ‘Inorganic Lead Awareness Package’ that promotes
awareness and combines lead risk-controls into an integrated
package,” Mr Snowdon said.

“My congratulations also go to the Navy’s Amphibious and Afloat
Support Group who were finalists at the Awards for ’Best Solution to an
Identified Workplace Health and Safety Issue’ for their development
of a user-friendly marine boarding party ladder.”

Both entries were previously finalists in their respective categories
in the Defence Occupational Health and Safety Awards and subsequently at
the Commonwealth Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission
Awards.

“Both Captain Batt and the Navy team are dedicated to improving
workplace safety and they should be proud of their achievements at the
highly competitive Safe Work Australia Awards,” Mr Snowdon said.

“This is Australia’s peak occupational health and safety awards
program and it’s extremely pleasing to see Defence so well-represented.

“Both entries reflect the kind of commitment to best practice
occupational health and safety that Defence values and requires from its
people.”

Mr Snowdon also urged all Defence personnel to continue to improve
occupational health and safety standards.

“I encourage individuals and groups across Defence to follow the
impressive example set by these innovators by implementing, maintaining and
evaluating initiatives that help achieve a safer and healthier work
environment,“ Mr Snowdon said.

“I would also encourage all uniformed and civilian Defence personnel
to nominate exceptional contributors in the field of occupational
health and safety for future Defence Occupational Health and Safety
Awards”.

Further information about Defence occupational health and safety
programs, and how they fit the national awards framework, is available at
http://www.defence.gov.au/dpe/ohsc/programs/DefenceOHSAwards/

Front Page

New Activity on Kilauea (4/28/2008)

New Activity on Kilauea

Emissions continued from Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s big island in late April 2008. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture on April 26, 2008.

This image shows a blue-white plume of vog blowing westward over the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii’s big island. Vog (volcanic smog), results from volcanic pollutants such as sulfur dioxide mixing with oxygen and water vapor in the presence of sunlight. The same day MODIS acquired this image, the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) issued a bulletin describing vog extending roughly 280 kilometers (150 nautical miles) from the island.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response team. Caption by Michon Scott.

Front Page

New Activity on Kilauea (04/28/2008)

Emissions continued from Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s big island in late April 2008. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture on April 26, 2008.

This image shows a blue-white plume of vog blowing westward over the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii’s big island. Vog (volcanic smog), results from volcanic pollutants such as sulfur dioxide mixing with oxygen and water vapor in the presence of sunlight. The same day MODIS acquired this image, the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) issued a bulletin describing vog extending roughly 280 kilometers (150 nautical miles) from the island.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response team. Caption by Michon Scott.

Front Page

BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES $25 MILLION U.S. ARMY CONTRACT FOR VEHICLE EMERGENCY ESCAPE WINDOW KITS

29 Apr 2008 | Ref. 134/2008

MINNEAPOLIS – BAE Systems has an order to provide 2,354 Vehicle Emergency Escape (VEE) window kits and 2,000 spare window panels to the U.S. Army. The contract from the U.S. Army's Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) is for use on up-armored M1151 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV). The estimated total value of this contract is for $25 million.

The VEE window allows soldiers to remove the ballistic windshields in less than five seconds and quickly exit the vehicle if they are trapped.
 
"Rollovers and accidents are a significant threat to soldiers on the battlefield," said Dennis Morris, president of BAE Systems Armament Systems. "The VEE window is an easy to use, easy to install system that has proven to be a valuable safeguard for troops operating in dangerous situations.”

The contract builds on the initial order BAE Systems received from TACOM in August 2007 for 1,000 VEE window kits and 2,000 spare panels for use on the M1114 up-armored HMMWV. The latest order is projected to start the pipeline of follow-on orders to fit the thousands of M1151 vehicles in combat. VEE windows will be delivered to the Army from June 2008 until the end of the year.

Developed by BAE Systems, the VEE window is adaptable to virtually any tactical up-armored combat vehicle, such as HMMWVs, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles or Marine Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements. With only two moving parts, the VEE window requires minimum maintenance, has a very low life-cycle cost and can be installed in the field by trained Army and Marine maintenance crews.

Work on the VEE window order will be performed at BAE Systems and industrial partner facilities in Minneapolis and Butler, Pennsylvania.

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems is the premier global defense and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 97,500 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £15.7 billion (US $31.4 billion) in 2007.

Front Page

Airbus Opens Modern Material And Logistics Centre In The Middle East

Toulouse, 29 April 2008
Airbus Material and Logistics Centre in the Middle East has been officially opened at the Dubai Airport Free Zone in the United Arab Emirates in a ceremony with his Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO.

The opening of the Materials and Logistics Centre gives Airbus greater proximity to valuable customers, and facilitates a quicker and more reactive response to their needs. It also reduces the time and cost in transporting spares. The efficiency gains and economic benefit of the centre are part and parcel of Airbus’ commitment to eco-efficiency, to help the aviation sector prosper by adding value with less environmental impact.

“With predicted passenger traffic growth of over six per cent and cargo of five per cent in the next 20 years, the Middle East will undergo one of the biggest aviation growth rates of anywhere in the world, so a world class logistics centre in the region is essential”, said Airbus President and CEO, Tom Enders.

Dubai has one of the world’s most modern and fastest-growing airports, serving more than 120 airlines flying to more than 205 destinations worldwide, and hence an ideal location for this type of centre.

The Material and Logistics Centre is located next to Dubai International Airport and covers over 3,700 square metres of storage space and office facilities ensuring optimised logistics and efficiency. The 24 hour a day centre will stock more than 5,000 different parts with around 43,000 items in at any one time, offering customer support and aircraft spares distribution to regional and worldwide destinations 24 hours a day.

The Centre includes an avionics and electronics repair station and hosts a vendor village providing state of the art business centre services as well as office and storage facilities for original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) to enable commercial and technical support with optimised delivery lead times.

The facility is fully air conditioned and humidity controlled and is an integrated part of the Airbus Quality System, with approvals from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates, as well as the German Aviation Authority (LBA).

Airbus is an EADS company

Front Page

Japan Coast Guard’s first two Eurocopter EC225 helicopters in operation missionsThe EC225 is the new reference for offshore SAR

Marignane, 28 April 2008

Following the delivery of their first two EC225s in Search and Rescue (SAR) configuration a month ago, these helicopters will be launched into operation by the Japan Coast Guard today at the Kansai International Airport. They will perform public service and coastal surveillance missions as well as patrol Japan’s territorial waters. Since 1989, the Japan Coast Guard has been using four AS332L1 Super Pumas to carry out these missions. In 2007, one of these Super Pumas rescued 44 people from a cargo ship in distress, under extremely difficult weather conditions.

By choosing the EC225, Japan is opting for the new-generation technical solutions that are specific to this aircraft, while extending its long-standing relationship with Eurocopter. This new helicopter was designed from the outset for SAR missions. The EC225 has a completely new five-bladed main rotor which provides optimum lift, a maximum takeoff weight of 11 metric tons, and unbeatably low vibration levels. Its range can also be significantly increased through the installation of auxiliary tanks to provide a total fuel capacity of 1180 kg. Because one is installed outside the fuselage and the other at the rear of the cargo bay, these tanks do not reduce the available cabin space. Amongst its different mission capabilities, the EC225 can rescue ten people at up to 300 nautical miles from the coast.

Another strong point of this aircraft is its autopilot whose totally unique advanced modes were specifically designed for SAR operations. Extraordinarily effective in terms of hover capture and control, the EC225’s autopilot can hold, for example, a position above a ship at sea within a range of precision of one metre. The EC225 is also the only aircraft in the world that automatically controls engine failure, whether this occurs during takeoff, cruising flight or even hoisting operations. All these features are absolutely essential to flight safety and mission success in the often extreme conditions faced by rescue crews at sea.

The EC725, the military counterpart of the EC225, has been in service with the French armed forces for nearly three years now. The EC725 went straight into service in the Lebanon and Africa, and it was also deployed in Afghanistan, where it showed off the full range of its capabilities by successfully performing a combat SAR operation at altitude.

In the civil domain, the EC225 has become the benchmark for offshore operations in just a few years. Operators are increasingly required to ensure the safety of their operations themselves using helicopters specially equipped to perform SAR missions. The Norwegian oil company Statoil has already chosen the EC225 twice because of its multipurpose capability to perform offshore SAR and transport missions. For public service SAR missions, the EC225 has therefore become the new reference on this market. The Rescue and Salvage Bureau in China was the first operator to deploy the EC225 for this kind of duty in December 2007.

Front Page

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Selects Arrow Aviation Services
as India and Middle East Parts Distributor

WICHITA, Kan. (April 30, 2008) – Due to significant growth in demand throughout the Middle East and India, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) has selected India-based Arrow Aviation Services Pvt. Limited as an authorized parts distributor for Rapid Aircraft Parts Inventory and Distribution (RAPID), HBC’s factory-direct source for aircraft parts. Arrow Aviation Services will distribute parts for all Hawker and Beechcraft aircraft throughout the Indian subcontinent, Middle East, Morocco and Algeria.
To support an increasing demand for HBC products worldwide, Arrow Aviation Services will use two facilities in the region – Arrow Aviation Services Pvt. Ltd., located in Kolkata, India, and Arrow Aviation Services, FZE, located in Dubai, U.A.E.

Arrow Aviation Services Pvt. Ltd. is a leading parts supplier in the Indian subcontinent, having multiple sales offices in India. The recently-opened facility in Dubai, which houses their main warehouse, will offer 24-hour year-round support for spare parts to be distributed efficiently across the Middle East and India.
“Partnering with Arrow Aviation Services was a necessary step for Hawker Beechcraft to provide superior parts and support for all our customers throughout the world,” said Christi Tannahill, vice president of RAPID. “We have a special focus on India and the Middle East, as our sales there are leading the industry and growing, further signifying our global strength.”

With main warehouses located in Dallas, Texas, in the U.S. and Liege in Belgium, RAPID’s mission is to provide unparalleled service and support coupled with competitive pricing of all Beechcraft and Hawker parts. Arrow Aviation Services joins London-based Allaero Ltd., Aviation Solutions Canada, and Avion Logistics Hong Kong as an authorized distributor for Hawker Beechcraft spare parts.

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of business, special-mission and trainer aircraft – designing, marketing and supporting aviation products and services for businesses, governments and individuals worldwide. The company’s headquarters and major facilities are located in Wichita, Kan., with operations in Salina, Kan.; Little Rock, Ark.; and Chester, England, U.K. The company leads the industry with a global network of over 100 factory-owned and authorized service centers. For more information, visit www.hawkerbeechcraft.com .

Arrow Aviation Services Pvt. Ltd., founded in 2001, is an approved company by Director General Civil Aviation India. With its central facility located in Kolkata, India, and regional offices in Delhi and Mumbai, Arrow Aviation Services has an efficient distribution infrastructure that can leverage a multitude of shipping options. The company has recently grown with its subsidiary in U.A.E. (Sharjah Free Zone) for easy distribution of aircraft spares and consumables to anywhere in the world. For more information, visit http://www.arrowaviation.in .
###

This release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ significantly from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements.

Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described or implied in the forward-looking statements are general business and economic conditions, production delays resulting from lack of regulatory certifications and other factors, competition in our existing and future markets, lack of market acceptance of our products and services, the substantial leverage and debt service resulting from our indebtedness, loss or retirement of key executives and other risks disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Royal Air Force takes delivery of Beechcraft King Air B200GT at Hawker Beechcraft Corporation in Wichita, Kansas, U.S.A. From left to right: U.K. Royal Air Force Director Flying Training Air Commodore Brian Newby; Hawker Beechcraft Chairman and CEO Jim Schuster; Serco Defence, Science and Technology Service Contract Manager David Griffiths; and Hawker Beechcraft President, Commercial Sales Brad Hatt.

Photo: Hawker Beechcraft

Front Page

U.K. Royal Air Force Expands Beechcraft King Air Fleet

WICHITA, Kan. (April 29, 2008) – Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) delivers the first of two Beechcraft King Air B200GT aircraft to Serco Defence, Science and Technology for service in the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF) as a multi-engine pilot trainer. The second King Air B200GT will be delivered this summer and both aircraft will join Number 45 Squadron at RAF Cranwell. These aircraft will strengthen the existing fleet of seven Beechcraft King Air B200s in service with the RAF, bringing the total to nine King Airs.

“The King Air B200 fleet at Cranwell has been incredibly successful, both in the speed in which the aircraft entered service to replace the obsolete Jetstream, and the way in which it is providing cost-effective multi-engine pilot training for the military today,” said Air Commodore Brian Newby, Director Flying Training at 22 Group. “As our requirement for multi-engine pilots has changed in response to a rapidly evolving strategic environment, we look forward to supplementing our existing fleet with these additional two new aircraft.”

The original Beechcraft King Air order was placed in 2003 when Serco announced it was awarded the prestigious £60 million Multi-Activity Contract for RAF Cranwell incorporating the Multi-Engine Pilot Training Interim Solution. The new aircraft are essential to meet an increase in the demand for military multi-engine pilots within the U.K. Ministry of Defence, along with a growing need for a modern, glass cockpit experience.

Air Commodore Newby formally accepted the aircraft on behalf of the RAF today during a special delivery ceremony at Hawker Beechcraft Corporation in Wichita, Kan. Also in attendance were Squadron Leader Jad Reece, Officer Commanding Number 45 Squadron and his B200GT project officer, Flight Lieutenant Andrew Linsley. Representing Serco at the ceremony was David Griffiths, the overall Service Contract Manager at Cranwell.

The B200GT is the latest evolution of the highly successful Beechcraft King Air B200-series of aircraft, boasting a state-of-the-art glass, paperless cockpit and new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-52 engines that provide higher cruise speeds and faster climb rates.

“Because of its proven operational flexibility, the King Air B200GT is an excellent fit for the U.K. Ministry of Defence’s needs including maritime surveillance and pilot training,” said Jim Schuster, chairman and CEO, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation. “The aircraft is used in special mission roles around the world because of its combination of high performance and low operating costs.”

Current Beechcraft King Air models include the King Air C90GTi, King Air B200GT, King Air 350 and King Air 350ER. The King Air series is the best-selling business turboprop lineup in the world and with continuous product enhancements, nearly 7,000 Beechcraft King Airs have been produced since 1964.

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of business, special-mission and trainer aircraft – designing, marketing and supporting aviation products and services for businesses, governments and individuals worldwide. The company’s headquarters and major facilities are located in Wichita, Kan., with operations in Salina, Kan., Little Rock, Ark. and Chester, England, U.K. The company leads the industry with a global network of over 100 factory-owned and authorized service centers. For more information, visit www.hawkerbeechcraft.com .

Note to Editors:

Serco Group is an international provider of management services to government and industry. The company covers a wide range of activities, from controlling satellites and operating computer networks for the European Space Agency, to managing and operating the Docklands Light Railway. Serco Defence, Science and Technology provides task management, operational and logistic support services to the U.K. Ministry of Defence, NATO defence forces, civil aviation and related industries within the U.K. and Europe.

###

This release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ significantly from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements.

Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described or implied in the forward-looking statements are general business and economic conditions, production delays resulting from lack of regulatory certifications and other factors, competition in our existing and future markets, lack of market acceptance of our products and services, the substantial leverage and debt service resulting from our indebtedness, loss or retirement of key executives and other risks disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Front Page

Minister for Defence Media Mail List

Wednesday, 30 April 2008 014/2008

INDEPENDENT DEFENCE HONOURS AND AWARDS TRIBUNAL CHAIRPERSON TO BE
ADVERTISED

The Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support, Dr Mike Kelly AM MP,
today announced that the position of chair of the independent Defence
Honours and Awards tribunal will be advertised on 3 May 2008 (or
shortly).

Dr Kelly said, “During last year’s election campaign, the
Government undertook to form a permanent independent tribunal to oversight
Defence honours and Awards“.

“I see the selection of a chair to head up this tribunal as a
significant first step in meeting this promise.”

It is envisaged that the chair will:

* Be well respected, with proven experience in leadership roles, not
necessarily in Defence or Veterans’ areas.

* Have a sound knowledge of the higher workings of Government

* Have a legal background or experience in administrative decision
making.

The role of the chair will be to manage the tribunal, lead particular
inquiries, attend panel hearings and meetings, and to ratify panel
decisions before making recommendations to Government.

The chair will lead members of the tribunal who will have had
experience, qualifications or expertise in Defence and/or Australian history or
as an independent professional. Tribunal panel member positions will be
advertised in the next couple of months.

“I will keep the ADF and ex-service community informed of progress in
the establishment of this important tribunal,” Dr Kelly said.




www.defence.gov.au

Front Page

Synthetic fuel testing begins on fighter engine

by Janae Daniels
Arnold Engineering Development Center Public Affairs

4/30/2008 - ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. (AFNS) -- Engineers at Arnold Engineering Development Center began testing a Pratt & Whitney F100 engine April 29 in the J-1 simulated altitude jet engine test cell using a blend of alternative synthetic fuel. The engine is the power plant for the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Once testing and evaluation is complete, this will be the first fighter jet engine to use the synthetic blend.

Since 2006, AEDC specialists have taken an active role in supporting the U.S. Air Force's Alternative Fuels Certification Office in the evaluation and certification of the synthetic paraffinic kerosene alternative fuel, which is derived from natural gas or coal using the Fischer-Tropsch process, for use in all Air Force aircraft.

Testing at AEDC on the General Electric F101 engine, the power plant for the B-1 Lancer bomber, was the first series of testing of a high performance, afterburning engine with FT fuel for a combat aircraft. This engine also was tested in the center's J-1 high altitude jet engine test cell.

Air Force officials have already certified the engines for the B-52 Stratofortress bomber to operate on FT fuel, and the C-17 Globemaster III transport has flown on SPK fuel.

The successful flight of the B-1B March 19 helped to reinforce the feasibility of the projected timeline for the Air Force's alternative fuels initiative.

Since 1969, AEDC has logged more than 20,000 hours testing the F100 engine.

Front Page

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Duncan J. McNabb sits with members of the Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society April 26 during their 44th annual reunion near Savannah, Ga. General McNabb was the keynote speaker for the event, held in honor of Air Force veterans who were forced down behind enemy lines and avoided or escaped capture during World War II.

Courtesy photo via US Air Force

Front Page

Vice chief honors World War II Airmen, heroes



4/30/2008 - SAVANNAH, Ga. (AFPN) -- The Air Force vice chief of staff paid tribute to members of the Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society April 26 during the society's 44th annual reunion near Savannah, Ga.

The AFEES primarily comprises Air Force World War II veterans who were forced down behind enemy lines and avoided or escaped captivity to return to allied territory. The society also includes members of the French, Dutch, Belgian and other resistance networks who harbored allied aircrews and guided them to safety.

"I cannot thank you enough for your noble service, your selfless sacrifice and for passing the torch of liberty to generations of Americans and freedom-loving people around the world," said Gen. Duncan J. McNabb to the group of Airmen.

The reunion included a banquet and memorial service at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum here.

"Tonight, I am in the presence of some of the greatest heroes the world has ever known, crewmen who took to the skies daily to defeat an implacable foe despite the great odds of being shot down, and resistance helpers who risked their lives so that these brave aviators, and thousands like them, might live," the general said.

Eleven former resistance members attended the reunion, including Denise Lenain, who was reunited for the first time with 1st Lt. James E. Armstrong, co-pilot of the B-17 Yankee Raider. Lieutenant Armstrong was shot down Sept. 6, 1943, making it to safety after 4 1/2 months evading capture in France. Ms. Lenain twice assisted Lieutenant Armstrong during his trek to freedom including a failed attempt to cross the Pyrenees Mountains into neutral Spain and his subsequent journey to a port where a French fishing vessel delivered him safely to England.

General McNabb complimented the resistance members' extreme bravery.

"I cannot thank the resistance helpers enough," he said. "If you were caught, you faced unimaginable torture and certain execution, and yet repeatedly you risked your lives for these Airmen."

The resistance helpers from Europe maintain they would not be free if the Americans had not come, noted Mrs. Yvonne Daley-Brusselmans, who, along with her mother Anne, helped 130 Airmen evade capture.

"Every bomber we saw was a symbol of freedom and a beacon of hope, and we knew that the aircrews were fighting for us at the risk of their own lives," she said.

In all, more than 56,000 Airmen were downed over the skies of Europe. The 8th Air Force, the largest aerial striking force in the war, sustained more than 26,000 fatalities, roughly one-tenth of the Americans killed in World War II.

General McNabb closed his address by noting that members of the society embodied the high ideals found in the Airman's Creed and had given the Air Force its "tradition of honor and legacy of valor." He added that today's Airmen have acted on this legacy and have answered the nation's call during a war that, like World War II, threatens the liberty of America and its allies around the world.

"Today's Airmen represent the new Greatest Generation," said General McNabb. "And every day, like you all did during World War II, they fight valiantly on the front lines of freedom giving selflessly of themselves to defeat tyranny and preserve the liberties we so greatly cherish."

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United Nations Worldview

Help Wanted

THE UNITED NATIONS GRASSROOT DEVELOPMENT CENTER (UNGDC)

Our Mission

Grassroots International works to create a just and sustainable world by building alliances with
progressive movements. We provide grants to our Global South partners and join them in advocating for social change. Our primary focus is on land, water and food as human rights and nourishing the political struggle necessary to achieve these rights.

Find below the list of vacancies;



1. Chief Medical Officer,
Location: New Jersey
Salary; $133,000.00

Responsibilities

(The following duties are generic and may differ depending on the requirements of the mission.)

The Chief Medical Officer has a functional reporting relationship to the Medical Director, Medical Service Division (OHRM/DM). Within delegated authority, the Chief Medical Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

Undertake day-to-day clinical duties, e.g. walk-in clinic, emergencies, pre-placementand periodic medical examinations, immunizations, etc; Refer staff to outside specialists as necessary;

Follow-up with outside specialists;

Provide health education; Participate in addressing work environment and occupational health issues;

Liaise with UN-Military Medical Units in the mission and host-nation medical facilities;

Follow the United Nations established policies and procedures regarding medical clearances, sick leave and medical evacuations;

Manage day-to-day mission medical support operations by ensuring availability of supplies and proper functioning of medical equipment;

Ensure appropriate training programs are implemented in order to maintain and develop the medical capabilities (e.g. health education, HIV/AIDS prevention, first aid and CPR);

Perform other related duties as required;

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

Staff at large, Staff within work unit, Staff counsellors, Senior management throughout the Organization, all specialized agencies, Military Physicians, Physicians and representatives of Laboratories, Pharmaceutical Companies, Medical Associations and Societies.

Competencies

Professionalism

- Demonstrated in-depth knowledge and hands on experience in all aspects of clinical medicine; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of peace operations.
Leadership

- Ability to identify key strategic issues and clearly communicate links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals; good judgment and decision-making skills; ability to establish and maintain effective working relations both as a team member and team leader; demonstrated ability to provide leadership and take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives into substantive work; commitment to the goal of achieving gender balance in staffing.

Managing Performance

- Strong managerial/supervisory skills; ability to establish priorities and to plan and encourage performance, and co-ordinate and monitor work of others; delegate appropriate responsibility accountability and decision-making authority.

Teamwork

– Ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; ability to establish and maintain effective working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Communication

– Strong communication (spoken, written and presentational) skills, including ability to defend and explain difficult issues and positions to staff including senior officials.
Technological awareness

- Solid computer skills and good knowledge of relevant medical databases.


QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Medicine. Residency in one of the medical specialties, preferably internal medicine/Infectious Diseases or related fields. Training and experience in tropical medicine is highly desirable. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in clinical medicine, after residency with some managerial experience. Previous UN medical system/international medical experience or military medical experience with priority in international tasks.

Languages

Fluency in spoken and written English or French; knowledge of a second UN language is an advantage and sometimes a requirement. Fluency in the local language may be essential.


2. Engineer,
Location: New York
Salary; $128,000.00
Responsibilities

(These following duties are generic and may differ depending on the requirements of the mission.)

Within delegated authority, the Engineer will be responsible for the following duties: Analyze and advise on the planning, design, construction and maintenance of major systems and facilities such as buildings roads, bridges, airfields, helipads, railways, docks, waste disposal systems, flood control systems, water treatment facilities, and related structures and other engineering activities in the field needed for the logistics support of peacekeeping and other United Nations field missions;

Evaluate, review and revise project documents, and analyze design specifications included in project proposals for accuracy, soundness, feasibility and cost;

Recommend solutions to unusual engineering problems; Conduct technical studies on engineering topics, developing guidelines for the general planning and maintenance of programs and facilities;

Calculate stresses and strain affecting proposed structures, taking into account such factors as estimated load, water pressure, wind resistance, soil characteristics, temperature fluctuations and nature of building materials to be used;

Keep abreast significant trends and developments relating to improved methods and equipment, through relevant engineering literature; Lead team efforts in studying critical problems relating to design or construction of systems and facilities;

Make recommendations for resolution of problems in specialized areas; Participate in planning missions, serving as technical adviser to Committees or international meetings. Perform other duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism:

High degree of personal initiative and willingness to accept wide responsibilities;

commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of peace operations;

demonstrated effectiveness in developing logistics plans, policies, procedures and new programs;

demonstrated fiscal awareness;

good knowledge of UN financial rules;

ability to provide technical and procedural advice in a broad range of engineering areas;
ability to develop, maintain and supervise accountability systems for materials and services;

ability to deploy to remote locations on short notice for limited duration.

Leadership:

Ability to manage and mentor a technical team by demonstrating leadership.

Communication:

Excellent
communication skills (spoken, written and presentational), including ability to present sensitive
issues/positions and to write reports and engineering decisions.

Management:

Ability to manage a Sector engineering program or to formulate effective strategies and technical approaches to engineering issues and related areas.

Planning and Organizing:

Demonstrated planning and organizational skills and ability to coordinate the work of others, work to tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/activities.

Judgment/Decision-Making:

Discretion and sound judgment in applying expertise to complex and/or sensitive issues, which are broad in scope. Client Orientation: Strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach agreement.

Technological Awareness:

Ability to design and operate common database software, spreadsheet and project management applications;

Ability to define and extract management information for engineering support.

Teamwork:

Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.


QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Advance university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Architecture, or related appropriate specialty or sub-specialty. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience with a national administration or a large engineering firm, both in the field and at Headquarters. Engineering experience in international field/peacekeeping or military operations is highly desirable.

Languages

Fluency in spoken and written English or French; knowledge of a second UN language is an advantage and sometimes a requirement. Fluency in the local language may be essential.


3. Chief Nurse,
Location: NEWYORK/South Africa
Salary; $130,000.00
Responsibilities

Within limited delegated authority, the incumbent is responsible for ensuring smooth day to day functioning of the walk-in-clinic at the UN Medical Facility and arrange appointments for medical exams of mission personnel. Design and implement outreach programs for mission personnel. Liaise with local hospitals to secure treatment of staff in these facilities preventive and promotive medical programs. Conduct medical orientation for incoming mission staff. Arrange first aid training for mission personnel. Prepare monthly medical reports.

Medico Administrative Duties:

Assist the Chief Medical Officer in coordinating medical evacuations/repatriations Identify supplies and equipment requirements for the clinic and with approval of the Chief Medical Officer raise requisitions accordingly. Liaise with the Procurement Supply section for this. Provide support to the satellite clinics and ensure regular medical supplies.

Supervisory Duties:

Supervise the nursing staff at mission headquarters and satellite clinics to ensure smooth functioning of the clinic. Assist the Chief Medical Officer in preparing Performance Appraisal Reports of nursing staff in the clinic. Ensure periodic upgrading of medical skills of nursing staff. Perform other related duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism:

Knowledge and experience in clinical nursing.

Planning and Organising:

Ability to establish priorities and to plan and coordinate own work plan. Commitment to continuous learning:

Initiative and willingness to keep abreast of new skills in the nursing field.

Technology Awareness:

Knowledge of relevant medical software packages. Teamwork: Good interpersonal skills; ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity. Communication: Ability to write in a clear and concise manner and to communicate effectively.


QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Registered Nurse who is a graduate of either an accredited Baccalaureate Nursing Programme (University) or an accredited Diploma Programme (4 years). Certificates in ECG, CPR or Basic Life Support is an asset.

Work Experience

At least 5 years of experience in the general nursing/intensive care with some experience in health administration. Experience of UN peace keeping operations and familiarity with relevant UN administrative policies and procedures is highly desirable.

Languages

Fluency in spoken and written English or French; knowledge of a second official UN language is an advantage and sometimes a requirement. Fluency in the local language may be essential.



4. Pharmaceutical Officer
Location: Johannesbourg
Salary; $127,000.00

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority and under the guidance of the Chief Medical Officer, the incumbent is responsible for the following duties:

Developing, updating and implementing a mission list for drugs and medical consumables, based on generic drugs produced according the World Health Organization (WHO) standards;

Develops and maintains a system for ongoing inspections of drug safety in all mission medical facilities;

Offers day-to-day advice on pharmaceutical issues including evaluating different antibiotics for impact on the local microbiological situation, and secures that mission personnel do not unnecessarily influence the ecological balance through the use of antibiotics;

Responsible for advising the medical administrator in the specification of drugs to be requisitioned, and for offering a prudent scale of issue for the planning of re-supply;

Through proactive planning, the incumbent is responsible to facilitate an unimpeded supply of drugs, medical supplies, medical consumables, vaccines, condoms (male and female) and blood in the mission; Performs other duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism

- Knowledge and hands on experience in pharmaceutics; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of peace operations.

Planning and Organising

- Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan.

Teamwork

- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Communication

- Good interpersonal, and oral and written communication skills.

Commitment to Continuous Learning

- Willingness to learn and keep abreast of new developments in the medical field.
Technological Awareness

- Solid computer skills and good knowledge of relevant medical databases.


QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Advanced University degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in pharmaceutical sciences or
related fields. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in pharmaceutical logistical matters.
Hands-on experience, particularly in support of peacekeeping or a related field mission is highly desirable.

Languages

Fluency in spoken and written English or French; knowledge of a second UN language is an
advantage and sometimes a requirement. Fluency in the local language may be essential.


5. Environmental Affairs Office
Salary: $138,000.00
Location: Nairobi

Responsibilities: Under the direct supervision of the Chief, Environment Section and the general supervision of the Chief, Environment and Sustainable Development Division, the incumbent develops and implements programmes and projects to promote regional and sub regional environmental cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region that support global and other internationally-agreed environmental initiatives and programmes, and promotes the integration of environmental concerns into national planning processes to achieve sustainable development. The duties include:

(1) Undertake periodic reviews and analytical studies including analysis and assessment of global, regional and sub regional environmental cooperation;

(2) Conduct normative and analytical studies concerning the innovative socio-economic policies to promote environmentally sustainable economic growth in the region;

(3) Provide support to intergovernmental processes dealing with environment issues in the region;

(4) Assist in the organization, document preparation, management and servicing of expert group meetings, training activities, consulting services, and studies;

(5) Assist in the preparation of project documents and in implementation and monitoring of the progress of technical cooperation programmes/projects;

(6) Contribute to the strategic planning, formulation and implementation of the programme of work and priorities towards the protection of environment and sustainable development;

(7) Performs other related duties as required, including a variety of administrative tasks necessary for the final delivery of the work unit’s services, as assigned by the Chief of Section.

Competencies:

Professionalism: Sound analytical and research skills combined with substantive experience in project management and implementation; Familiarity with scientific/technical backgrounds of multilateral environmental conventions on air and water pollution, climate change, and waste
management;

Ability to apply sound theory and concepts to work;

Ability to determine suitability, validity and accuracy of data provided by others and make assessments of research documentation and studies.

Planning and organizing:

Good planning and organizing skills to effectively develop own work and ensure timely delivery of results. Communications: Very good written and oral skills. Technology awareness:

Proficient in computer systems including word processing, database management systems, knowledge of statistical and spreadsheet packages.

Teamwork and respect for diversity:

Good interpersonal skills;

Strong communication skills, both written and oral;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural background;

Ability to identify and address relevant gender perspectives in substantive work.

Client orientation:

Ability to establish and maintain working relationships with colleagues, other staff and outside clients.

Creativity:

Ability to think outside the box and propose new ideas and activities that would support the overall implementation of the work programme.

Education Qualifications:

Advanced university degree in environment or related fields. Candidate with first level university degree with a minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional experience in the relevant fields would be acceptable Work Experience: A minimum of five years of professional experience including two years of international experience in the field of environmental policies, sustainable development and technical cooperation.




6. Chief Finance Officer
Salary: $159,000.00
Location: Vienna

Responsibilities:

Under the general guidance and direction of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and/or direct supervision of the Chief Administrative Services (CAS), the incumbent is responsible for exercising delegated authority from the Assistant Secretary-General / Controller for approving the Mission’s payments and maintaining the Mission’s accounts; exercising overall supervision of the work of the Finance Section staff; ensuring full implementation of all UNDESA Financial Rules, Regulations and Instructions. Specifically, the incumbent will: Manage overall financial administration of the Mission’s accounts as follows:

Approve, record financial obligations and payments; review and submit monthly accounts/financial statements; analyze and monitor status of obligations and expenditures;
Exercise overall supervision of the section’s staff by providing advice where deviations from routine occur;

Arranging deployment of finance staff, and preparing staff performance reports;

Plan, integrate and coordinate the work of supervisors responsible for the various units of the finance section and monitor achievement of objectives;

Provide authoritative advice, financial interpretations, adaptations and corrective actions in response to audits and other queries to ensure adherence to the UNDESA financial Regulations and Rules, Staff Rules, Administrative Instructions, Bulletins and Circulars;

Direct the installation and implementation of new financial systems and other information technology systems in the mission.

Evaluate their efficiency, performance and enhancement of the systems;

Ensure that accurate and complete accounting, reporting and internal control systems are functioning and that all relevant records are maintained;

Coordinate audit responses with all Units of the Section and ensure full implementation of the accepted recommendations;

Arrange end of month and year-end closure of accounts, reports and bank
reconciliations;

Review payments, advances and inter-office charges on the basis of proper supporting vouchers and other documents which indicate that the goods and services have been received;

Act as Approving Officer for mission expenditures ensuring that payments are disbursed in accordance with certified documents establishing the obligation;

Ensure that the administration has sufficient funding in its bank accounts and cash imprest to meet its obligations at all time;

Be the custodian of cash receipt vouchers, cheques and other payment systems established documentation;

Perform any other relevant duties as and when required.

Competencies: Professionalism:

Proven conceptual, analytical, and evaluative skills. The ability to conduct independent research and analysis, identify issues, formulate options, arrive at conclusions, and make sound recommendations. A complete, in-depth grasp of financial principles and practices with sound knowledge and command of budget development, and financial administration of resources recently introduced in DPKO;

Planning and Organizing:

Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan and those under his/her supervision;

Technological Awareness:

Sound computer skills, including proficiency in word processing and complex computerized financial systems such as IMIS, SUN and MERCURY Systems;

Communications:

Proven ability to write in a clear and concise manner and effective oral communication skills. Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with financial counterparts;

Teamwork:

Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment, with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Education Qualifications: Advanced University degree (Masters or equivalent) in accounting, business administration or finance. First level university degree with a combination of relevant academic
qualifications and extensive experience in accounting, budget or finance may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience: A minimum of 9 years of progressively responsible experience in budgeting and financial management, preferably in an international organization. Experience in peacekeeping or other field operations some of which must be in the area of budget or finance is highly desirable.




7. Chief of Branch
Location: New York
Salary: $139,250 USD (net/annum)
Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Director of the Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the incumbent as Chief of the Demographic Analysis Branch performs the following functions:

(a) Assists the Director in planning and organizing the work programme of the Division, and oversees its implementation in relation to the Demographic Analysis Branch and its sections, namely the Fertility and Family Planning Studies Section, the Mortality Section and the Migration Section;

(b) Assists the Director in the substantive servicing of the Commission on Population and Development, other intergovernmental bodies and intergovernmental negotiations in which the Population Division has secretariat functions;

(c) Oversees and coordinates cross-sectional activities of the Demographic Analysis Branch;

(d) Provides substantive direction to the work of the Demographic Analysis Branch related to technical cooperation;

(e) Oversees and contributes to the preparation of parliamentary documents mandated by intergovernmental bodies, in particular the annual report of the Secretary-General on the special themes of the Commission on Population and Development, preparing drafts and organizing, reviewing and substantively editing inputs from within the Division, regional commissions and specialized agencies;

(f) Assists the Director in the review and clearance of all substantive publications of the Demographic Analysis Branch;

(g) Oversees the preparation of the United Nations Population Bulletin and the Population Newsletter;

(h) Coordinates and maintains liaison with relevant Secretariat units, specialized agencies and other United Nations organizations as well as organizations outside the United Nations system;

(i) Performs other tasks as assigned by the Director.

Competencies:

• Professionalism:

Expert knowledge in the technical field of demography and sound understanding of the intergovernmental processes involved in the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. •

Planning and organizing:

Proven ability to plan and organize work, requiring an in-depth understanding of the Division's strategic direction and ability to integrate the work of the Branch into the work programme of the Division. •
Communications:

Excellent drafting ability and communication skills, both oral and written. •

Gender mainstreaming:

Ability to provide leadership and take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives into substantive work; commitment to the goal of achieving gender balance and geographic balance in staffing. •

Teamwork:

Good interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds. Ability to lead and promote cooperation in a team endeavor. •

Judgment/Decision-making:

Mature judgment and initiative, imagination and resourcefulness, ability to provide strategic direction and ensure an effective work structure to maximize productivity and achieve goals • Managing Performance: Ability to exercise leadership and proven supervisory skills. Ability to establish priorities and to plan. Ability to coach, mentor and develop staff. Capacity to encourage good performance, to coordinate and monitor the work of others, and to delegate appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority.

Education:

Advanced university degree (PhD or equivalent preferred) in demography or in sociology, statistics or economics with emphasis on population is required.

Work Experience:

At least 15 years of experience in population research and policy analysis is required. A proven track record of successfully managing multicultural research teams and providing them with the requisite technical leadership is required. Experience with substantive servicing of intergovernmental bodies and with intergovernmental negotiations is desirable. Experience in multi-year work programming is desirable.

Languages:

English and French are working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English, with excellent drafting and oral communication skills is required.

Knowledge of a second official UN language is an advantage.

Other Skills:

Required skills:

Very strong analytical skills in the areas of fertility, mortality and migration; ability to draft technical reports and parliamentary documents clearly and concisely and under great time pressure; ability to coordinate and edit inputs from various authors into major technical reports; good interpersonal and communication skills to provide technical and managerial leadership primarily within the Branch and the Division and to present the work and views of the Population Division to outsiders; ability to defend and explain difficult issues with respect to key decisions and positions to both junior staff and senior officials and members of intergovernmental bodies. Desirable skills: Familiarity with United Nations work programming modalities and instruments such as the Strategic Planning Framework, Results-Based Budgeting, IMDIS and budget preparation.



8. Administrative officer
Salary: $105,000.00
Location: Vienna

Responsibilities: Within delegated authority, the Administrative Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

Human Resource Management

-Initiate and coordinate actions covering the entire span of human resource activities, e.g., recruitment, placement, promotion, performance appraisal, vacancies, job classification reviews, separation of staff members, training, etc., ensuring consistency in the application of UNDESA rules and procedures.

-Provide expert advice with respect to conditions of service, duties and responsibilities, and privileges and entitlements under the Staff Rules and Regulations.
-Review post incumbency reports for purposes of vacancy management and staffing table control. Budget and Finance

-Assists in the preparation of the proposed programme budget in terms of staff and non-staff requirements;

-Initiate and conduct studies to improve budget reporting systems and cost-effective utilization of resources in particular human resources.

-Review, analyze and assist with the preparation of budget performance reports for submission to the Budget Division;

-Monitor and control budgetary allocations and expenditures through regular reviews; draft routine and ad hoc outputs; and provide effective monitoring reports and data. Identify deviations from plans and propose corrective measures.

-Establish and maintain a set of sound policies, procedures, standards and tools which are consistent with UNDESA policy and practice in order to ensure proper accounting, financial management and control. General Administration

-Supervise a staff team and provide expert advice, guidance and leadership to more junior staff on human resource administration, financial administration and management information issues and practices.

-Produce major/complex reports for management.

-Perform other related duties as required.

Competencies:

Professionalism - Expert knowledge and command of planning, programming, budgeting, financial management and other relevant administrative policies; Planning and organizing -Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan and those under his/her supervision;

Client Orientation - Ability to identify clients' needs and appropriate solutions; ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with clients; Commitment to continuous learning - Willingness to learn and keep abreast of new developments in the field of administration; Technological awareness - Advanced computer skills, including proficiency in word processing and relevant software packages such as IMIS;

Communication - Proven and sustained communication (verbal and written) skills, including ability to prepare reports and conduct presentations by clearly formulating positions on issues, articulating options concisely conveying the maximum necessary information, making and defending recommendations;

Teamwork - Proven interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic
environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity. Leadership - Proven supervisory ability and technical leadership; Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations both as a team member and team leader.

Education Qualifications: Advanced University Degree (Masters or equivalent), preferably in business administration, finance or accounting. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of professional training, certification and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience: At least 7 years progressively responsible experience in human resources, financial management and administrative policies and procedures

9. Regional Director,
Salary: $142,000.00
Location: Bangkok

More Info

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Responsibilities

The (UNGDC) is the United Nations system's designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. UNEP'S Division of Regional Cooperation (DRC) helps to implement UNGDC 's global programmes in the regions by initiating, coordinating and catalyzing regional and sub-regional cooperation and action in response to environmental problems and emergencies. The Division coordinates the work of six regional offices, which bring regional perspectives to the development of UNGDC) policies and programmes and present and enlist support for UNEP global policies in the regions. This post is located in the DRC/Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Bangkok. Under the overall policy guidance of the Executive Director and under the coordination and supervision of the Director, DRC the incumbent will undertake the following functions:

1. Identify, assess, and monitor relevant needs, priorities, trends, developments, and policies at the national, sub-regional, and regional levels, in order to incorporate them into UNGDC’s policy and programme development and improve consistency with the needs and priorities in the context of Asia and the Pacific.

2. Formulate and implement the substantive work programme of the Regional Office by determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery, in cooperation and coordination with DRC Headquarters and other UNGDC divisions and offices.

3. Communicate, advocate, and secure support for UNGDC policies and programmes in Asia and the Pacific.

4. Identify and build/strengthen strategic partnerships for national, sub regional and regional cooperation both with Asia and the Pacific Governments, the private sector and civil society at large to mobilize support for sound environmental action, and to ensure meaningful involvement and participation of those actors in the development and implementation of UNGDC policies and programmes.

5. Oversee the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the regional office, including its out posted sub-regional and liaison units.

6. Represent the Organization at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conferences; provide programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.

7.Perform other related duties as requested by the senior management of the Organization.

Competencies

Professionalism: Proven ability to perform extensive inter-agency and inter-governmental negotiations and networking functions; proven experience in providing technical and substantive support in the field of environmental policy development. Judgement/Decision making: Demonstrated sound judgement in applying expertise to resolve a range of issues. Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills together with the ability to defend and explain difficult issues with respect to key policies, decisions and positions in inter-agency, inter-governmental and other fora. Leadership:

Empowers others to translate vision into results, proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives, establish and maintain relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. Performance Management: Seasoned management and decision-making experience; ability to intergrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives and translate it into a results-oriented work programme; proven record of building and managing teams and creating an enabling work environment, including ability to effectively lead, supervise, mentor, develop and evaluate staff.


QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Advanced university degree in economic/political science or a relevant scientific discipline or a first university degree with a relevant combination of professional and academic qualifications.

Work Experience

Minimum of 15 years of extensive working experience in environmental management, policy development, analysis and implementation, of which 10 years should be at the international level. Extensive knowledge of the UN-system, in particular UNGDC policy and activities. Knowledge and experience in the Asia Pacific region a requirement.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the advertised post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN language spoken in the region would be an advantage.

Other Skills

Experience in inter-agency networking and negotiations. Diplomatic skills and experience in working with a complex international stakeholder network. Comprehensive knowledge of relevant UN policies, procedures and operations would be an advantage.

10. Programme Officer, P-4
Salary: $142,000.00
Location: Bangkok

More Info

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Responsibilities

This position is located in the Office of the Chief Executive Officer of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund. The incumbent will report to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Within delegated authority, the Programme Officer will be responsible for the following duties: Develops, implements and evaluates assigned programmes/projects, etc.; monitors and analyses programme/project development and implementation; review relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and initiates corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; ensures follow-up actions. Performs consulting assignments, facilitates workshops, and assists in developing the action plan the UNGDC will use to manage the change. Researches, analyses and presents information gathered from diverse sources.

Coordinates policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparations of impact evaluation or equivalent studies, etc. Generates project initiatives; reviews, analyses and interprets responses, identify problems/issues and prepares conclusions. Organises and prepares written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.

Provides substantive backstopping to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations, etc. Initiates and coordinates outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities. Leads and/or participates in large, complex projects, including provision of guidance to staff members, external consultants, Board members, members of Board’s Committees and other parties and drafting project summaries, etc. Coordinates and supports the activities related to the different internal committees, working groups and initiatives undertaken by the UNGDC and prepares related documents/reports. Performs other duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund;

good research, analytical and problem-solving skills, including ability to identify and participate in the resolution of issues/problems.

Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Knowledge of actuarial, financial, economic, operational, accounting and information technology subjects as they are relevant to a defined benefit pension scheme.

Basic knowledge of the institutions of the UN system.

Commitment to Continuous Learning

- Keeps abreast of new developments in own occupation/profession; actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally;

contributes to the learning of colleagues and subordinates;

shows willingness to learn from others;

seeks feedback to learn and improve.

Communication

- Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;

listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately;

asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication;

tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Judgement and decision-making:

- identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly;

gathers relevant information before making a decision;

considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them;

takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization;

proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information;

checks assumptions against facts;

determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision;

ability to apply good judgement in the context of assignments given;

ability to plan own work and manage conflicting priorities.


QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Advanced university degree (Masters Degree or equivalent) in business administration, management, economics or other relevant discipline. A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

At least 7 years progressively responsible, including experience in research and policy development.

Experience in defined benefit pension schemes at the national or international level desirable. Work experience desirable in programme/project management and administration. Work experience required in the use of various research methodologies and sources, including electronic sources on the Internet, intranet and other databases.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of French is an advantage.

Other Skills
Proficiency in the use of relevant software and other applications, e. g. word processing, graphics software, spreadsheets and other statistical applications, Internet, etc. is desirable

11. Research Assistant

Salary: $117,000.00

Location: Belgium

Responsibilities: The Research Assistant will provide reliable research services to the Economic Development Unit; prepare well organized, accurate reports and data; and provide specialized support services such as organization of meetings.

Competencies: Candidate must have the following skills and competencies: Communication skills; planning and organizing; technological awareness; commitment to continuous learning; initiative; and teamwork.

Education Qualifications: Completion of post-secondary education supplemented by technical studies or university courses in the area of economics

Work Experience: At least five years of relevant research experience. A first degree in a relevant area of study may compensate for two years of experience. An advanced degree may compensate for an additional year of experience.




GENERAL REQUIREMENTS/SELECTION

Applicants are selected on the basis of academic credentials, experience and other relevant factors.

Successful Applicants are invited to come to Newyork, for an interview/ Training. Candidates are interviewed on their related knowledge, skills and abilities. Application is open to all interested applicants from any nationality and should be sent not later than 2 weeks from this publication

HOW TO APPLY
Please send your resume/CV to

jobsrecruitment@ungdc-us.net

Dr. John Schuster
Recruitment Officer
United Nations Grassroots Development Center
Two UN Plaza, 21st Floor
New York, NY 10017

International Air Transportation Association (IATA)

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Latest News As Of April 30, 2008

International Air Transportation Association (IATA)

International Air Transportation Association (IATA)

International Air Transportation Association (IATA)

International Air Transportation Association (IATA)

International Air Transportation Association (IATA)

International Air Transportation Association (IATA)

Headline News

International Air Transportation Association (IATA)

IATA History

Introduction

IATA - The International Air Transport Association - was founded in Havana, Cuba, in April 1945. It is the prime vehicle for inter-airline cooperation in promoting safe, reliable, secure and economical air services - for the benefit of the world's consumers. The international scheduled air transport industry is now more than 100 times larger than it was in 1945. Few industries can match the dynamism of that growth, which would have been much less spectacular without the standards, practices and procedures developed within IATA.

At its founding, IATA had 57 members from 31 nations, mostly in Europe and North America. Today it has some 240 members from 126 nations in every part of the globe.

The modern IATA is the successor to the International Air Traffic Association founded in the Hague in 1919 - the year of the world's first international scheduled services.

Early Days

The old IATA was able to start small and grow gradually. It was also limited to a European dimension until 1939 when Pan American joined. The post-1945 IATA immediately had to handle worldwide responsibilities with a more systematic organisation and a larger infrastructure.

This was reflected in the 1945 Articles of Association and a much more precise definition of IATA's aims than had existed before 1939:

To promote safe, regular and economical air transport for the benefit of the peoples of the world, to foster air commerce, and to study the problems connected therewith;

To provide means for collaboration among the air transport enterprises engaged directly or indirectly in international air transport service;

To cooperate with the newly created International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO - the specialised United Nations agency for civil aviation) and other international organisations.

The most important tasks of IATA during its earliest days were technical, because safety and reliability are fundamental to airline operations. These require the highest standards in air navigation, airport infrastructure and flight operations. The IATA airlines provided vital input to the work of ICAO, as that organisation drafted its Standards and commended Practices. By 1949, the drafting process was largely complete and reflected in "Annexes" to the Chicago convention, the treaty which still governs the conduct of international civil aviation.

In those early days, ICAO coordinated regional air navigation and support for airports and operational aids in countries which could not themselves afford such services. IATA provided airline input to ICAO and to sessions of the International Telecommunications Union on wavelength allocation.

The standardisation of documentation and procedures for the smooth functioning of the world air transport network also required a sound legal basis. IATA helped to mesh international conventions, developed through ICAO, with US air transport law which had developed in isolation prior to World War Two. The Association made a vital input to the development of Conditions of Carriage the contract between the customer and the transporting airline. One early item on the legal agenda was revision and modernisation of the Warsaw Convention - originally signed in 1929 - on airline liability for passenger injury or death and cargo damage or loss. This work continues.

Once they were operating within a sound technical and legal framework, airlines' next requirements were for answers to questions such as: who can fly where? What prices are to be charged? How is the money from multi-airline journeys - that is, interlining - to be divided up, and how do airlines settle their accounts?

The Chicago Conference of 1944 which gave birth to the Chicago Convention tried to achieve a multilateral answer to the first two questions, but failed to do so. The questions of who flies, and where, were resolved on a bilateral basis. The benchmark Bermuda Agreement of 1946 between the US and the UK was the first of almost 4,000 bilateral air transport agreements so far signed and registered with ICAO.

In the early days, governments insisted on the right to oversee the prices charged by international airlines but could not, in practical terms, develop those prices for themselves. IATA was delegated to hold Traffic Conferences for this purpose, with all fares and rates subject to final government approval. The aim was twofold: ensuring that fares and rates would not involve cut-throat competition, while ensuring that they could be set as low as possible, in the interests of consumers.

A coherent pattern of fares and rates pattern was established, avoiding inconsistencies between tariffs affecting neighbouring countries - and thereby avoiding traffic diversion. The predictability of fares and rates in this pattern also enabled airlines to accept each others' tickets on multi-sector journeys and thus gave birth to interlining. Today, 50 million international air passengers a year pay for their ticket in one place, in one currency, but complete their journey using at least two, and sometimes five or more, airlines from different countries using different currencies.

The first worldwide Traffic Conference was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1947. It reached unanimous agreement on nearly 400 resolutions covering all aspects of air travel.

Fare construction rules for multi-sector trips, revenue allocation - pro-rating - rules, baggage allowances, ticket and air waybill design and agency appointment procedures were typical details agreed at this pioneering meeting.

Today, that pioneering work is reflected in the currently applicable IATA Resolutions dealing with these and many other subjects. Notable examples are:


The Multilateral Interline Traffic Agreements: These are the basis for the airlines' interline network. Close to 300 airlines have signed them, accepting each others' tickets and air waybills - and thus their passenger and cargo traffic - on a reciprocal basis.

Passenger and Cargo Services Conference Resolutions: These prescribe a variety of standard formats and technical specifications for tickets and air paybills.

Passenger and Cargo Agency Agreements & Sales Agency Rules:

These govern the relationships between IATA Member airlines and their accredited agents with regard to passenger and cargo.

Debt Settlement between airlines, largely arising from interlining, takes place through the Clearing House, which began operations in January 1947. During its first year, 17 airlines cleared (US) $26 million. The IATA Clearing House today.


Growth and Development

International air transport grew at double-digit rates from its earliest post-1945 days until the first oil crisis in 1973. Much of the impetus for this growth came from technical innovation. The introduction of turbo-propeller aircraft in the early 1950s, transatlantic jets in 1958, wide-bodied aircraft and high by-pass engines in 1970 and later, advanced avionics were the main innovations. They brought higher speeds, greater size, better unit cost control and, as a result, lower real fares and rates. Combined with increased real incomes and more leisure time, the effect was an explosion in demand for air travel.

Increased demand for air travel led to increased activity for IATA.

Technical work evolved into seven broad areas. Avionics and Telecommunications included the vital air navigation function; Engineering and Environment developed IATA policy on aircraft noise and other emissions; Airports defined airline requirements for airport terminals; Flight Operations worked on safety factors such as minimum aircraft separation standards and air routings; Medical monitored health standards for flight crews and facilitated air travel for disabled passengers; Facilitation attempted to speed the flow of people and goods through airports - particularly, customs and immigration; Security worked on measures to safeguard passengers and cargo by preventing hijacking and sabotage and on minimizing fraud and theft of tickets.

IATA's legal efforts anticipated the effects of new technology associated with the period of rapid growth. It was able to advise the industry on new aircraft and systems, electronic data processing and advances in sales and marketing techniques. Since acts of hijacking and sabotage became more frequent during this period, IATA assisted in the development of the Tokyo, Hague and Montreal Conventions, the first international legal counter-measures.

Automation became commonplace in airline operations during the 1960s. Standardisation in its use was less commonplace and IATA began its involvement in perfecting standard message formats for inter-company data exchange, which continues to this day.

The goal has been to save money for the airlines, while enhancing airline service. This philosophy was carried over to many activities during the 1950s and 1960s. Development of the Clearing House was followed by the establishment of Billing and Settlement Plans and Cargo Accounts Settlement Systems - in effect, one-way clearing houses to speed the flow of revenue from agents to airlines. Sales Agents were given the opportunity to prove their professional status under an accreditation process, and training - in conjunction with the Universal Federation of Travel Agents' Associations and the Federation of Freight Forwarders' Associations - was introduced. The pattern for airline-agent relations was set with the introduction of the Standard Agency Agreement in 1952. There are now nearly 81,000 IATA agents worldwide and 135,000 students have enrolled for IATA-sponsored agency training courses since they were introduced.

International air transport creates special problems of taxation. This was a concern even before World War Two. IATA makes specific challenges to the legality of certain taxes and points out to governments the counter-productive effect of excessive aviation taxation in general. User Charges - payment for using airports and air navigation services - mushroomed during the 1960s and 70s. IATA's task is to minimise their impact by ensuring that the charges are for facilities actually required, that charges are cost-related and that productivity improvements are built into cost projections. Currency earned by airlines abroad is sometimes blocked by the central bank of the country in which it is earned. IATA works to free it, for transfer back to the airline that earned it.

Unit Load Devices, or ULDs - principally, containers - allow rapid, economical cargo handling. IATA Members developed the technical specifications for containers and created a ULD control centre, to keep track of their movements. Until 1955, there was a complete embargo on the air transport of toxic, flammable or corrosive materials. Then IATA developed Dangerous Goods Regulations for their safe carriage. A decade later, Live Animals Regulations provided for suitable standards for the in-flight welfare of animals.


A Two Tier IATA

Between the late 1940s and the early 1970s, it could be said that flight was transformed from "a scientific phenomenon to a public utility at the disposal of the entire world." At the same time, the popularisation of civil aviation led to growing demands that the "public utility" view of the industry on the part of governments be modified to encompass greater competition and wider access to markets.


These demands were fuelled by competition for leisure travellers provided by charter companies and the challenge of stimulating demand to fill the new wide-bodied aircraft. Potential demand for air travel had extended well beyond the original client base of bureaucrats, businessmen and the well-to-do. New travel products and greatly increased price flexibility were needed. As a result, the old basis for conducting IATA Traffic Conferences needed modification.

At the same time the US Government, which had first given IATA Traffic Conferences immunity from national anti-trust law in 1946, began its own review of air transport regulation which, although domestic in scope, was bound to have international repercussions.

The international dimension of the US review resulted in a "Show Cause Order". Hearings took place in 1979, at which IATA was called upon to show cause why anti-trust immunity should not be removed from its Tariff Coordination activities. The outcome mainly affected North Atlantic passenger fares which, for some years, were subject to special rules under an inter-governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US and ECAC states. The present position is that all Tariff Coordination activities continue to be protected.

Eventually, IATA was re-organised on a two-tier basis in October 1979. The tiers comprised:
Trade Association (technical, legal, financial, traffic services and most agency matters)
Tariff Coordination (passenger fares, cargo rates, and related conditions and charges)
At present, some 100 Members, including the world's largest airlines, continue to participate in Tariff Coordination.


From a New Trade Association to a New Strategic Thrust

The IATA that emerged since 1979 has put an increasing share of its resources into trade association activities.

IATA also changed the basis of its funding. Much of the association's funding is now done through the marketing of its products and services to Member airlines, other airlines and others in the travel, transport and tourism industry. As a result airlines can access a broader array of professional services, tapping into IATA’s expertise. And IATA has greater flexibility in the way it approaches its tasks, while remaining devoted to its non-for profit operations principles.

In many ways, those tasks remained the same as in 1945, or even in 1919. But IATA gave them new relevance and focus by redefining its mission and goals in 1994:


Safety & security: to promote safe, reliable and secure air services.

Industry recognition: to achieve recognition of the importance of air transport worldwide social and economic development.

Financial viability: to assist the industry to achieve adequate levels of profitability, by optimising revenues (yield management) while minimising costs (fuel, charges and taxation).

Products & services: provide high-quality, value for money, industry required products and services that assist the airlines in meeting the needs of the consumer.

Standards & procedures: to develop const-effective, environmentally-friendly, standards to facilitate the operations of international air transport.

Industry support: to identify and articulate common industry positions and support the resolutions of key industry issues (congestion, infrastructure).

These objectives proved to be relevant and most were carried over to the new millennium, where they still form most of IATA’s current mission.



Ensuring the Viability of Air Transport for the New Century and Millenium

While the 20th century saw the creation and formidable ascension of the air transport industry, the beginning of the 21st century is a time of challenge for the viability of aviation, and a time of major changes.

The terrible events of 9/11 showed the economical fragility of a number of major airlines.
The fast increase in jet-fuel prices and additional taxes put an additional burden on airlines.

This made IATA’s role as a trade association more crucial as ever. IATA’s Director & CEO since 2002, Giovanni Bisignani, completely restructured the association to increase its relevance and speed in driving a broad agenda for industry change.

Since 2002 IATA has spearheaded an industry agenda to enhance safety and improve efficiency.

Two major IATA initiatives were launched, re-shaping important parts of the industry:

The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), the first global standard for airline operational safety management.

The Simplifying the Business programme, using technology to improve customer convenience while reducing costs in five focus areas: E-ticketing (by end 2007, there should be no more paper tickets), Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP), E-freight, Common Use Self-Service (CUSS) and Radio Frequency ID (RFID).

Giovanni Bisignani has also strengthened IATA’s position as the voice of the industry, with firm advocacy and lobbying to focus governments on the long-term issues for the viability of aviation including liberalisation, environment and taxation.

IATA's role remains central to ensure that air transport stays one of the most dynamic industries. The market for air transport has changed beyond recognition during the history of the modern IATA. The industry continues to change and IATA is leading it to meet the new needs.

However, one thing has not changed - the necessity to provide service. IATA helps the airlines to achieve this objective as they meet the demands of the 21st century. The airlines have created a modern, interdependent world over the past 60 years. IATA is working to ensure that the world's most exciting industry meets its greatest possible potential.

Source: IATA

International Air Transportation Association (IATA)

Latest News As Of April 30, 2008

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