Flight International names its Aerospace Industry 2004 Award Winners
February 25, 2004
Flight International honoured the great achievements of 2003 in global aerospace – civil and military – at its 2004 Annual Aerospace Awards last night in Singapore. At a glittering ceremony at the Millenia Ritz-Carlton Hotel, attended by over 400 industry guests, Master of Ceremonies Michael Rodd and Flight Editor Murdo Morrison announced the winners in each of the 10 specialist categories.
It was a notable evening for Airbus Industrie, which took the award in the Air Transport Category for its innovation in the use of carbon fibre material for the composite centre section of the A380. Airbus was also a finalist in the maintenance and modification category for its achievements with Radio Frequency Identification of spare parts.
Furthermore, in a year when the Toulouse-based civil airframe manufacturer overtook its arch US rival in widebody airliner sales, John Leahy, Chief Commercial Officer of Airbus, picked up the Publisher’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Aerospace. He accepted the accolade from Flight International Publisher Dominic Feltham.
This year’s Personality of the Year Trophy was awarded to Maurice Flanagan, President and Vice Chairman of the Emirates Group in recognition of the pivotal role he has played in the airline’s expansion and constant strong financial showing. He accepted the accolade from Flight Group Editor Kieran Daly, who applauded his 50-year contribution to aerospace, including 19 years’ dedication to Emirates.
The roll call of winners and finalists in each category is as follows:
Air Transport Winner – Airbus Industrie – A380 composite centre section
Lufthansa – Airborne internet access
B/E Aerospace – Minipod lay-flat seat
Avionics and Electronics Winner – Texas Instruments – Arc fault circuit interruption technology
Micropilot – Unmanned air vehicle autopilot
Rockwell Collins – MultiScan weather radar enhancements
Business/Corporate Aviation Winner – Marquis Jet Partners – Growth of hourly card business
Rockwell Collins – Airshow 21 system
Gulfstream – G550 and G450 programmes
Corporate Strategy Winner – Volga-Dnepr – Growth of outsize cargo business
China Southern – SARS strategy
Rolls-Royce – Development of TotalCare
General Aviation Winner – Liberty Aerospace – development of Liberty XL2
L3 – SmartDeck flight control and display system
Cirrus Design – Advances in light aircraft control panels
Infrastructure/Environment Winner – East Line Group – Growth of Domodedovo International Airport
UnitPool – Cargo container pooling and management
Maintenance/Modification Winner – SmartSignal – Predictive Equipment Condition Monitoring
STG Aerospace – SafTGlo Photoluminscent floorpath marking
Airbus Industrie – Radio frequency identification of spare parts
Missiles/ Military Aviation Winner – MBDA – Storm Shadow development and combat use Eurofighter – Typhoon type acceptance
Lockheed Martin – Low Cost Autonomous Attack System
Textron Systems – Sensor Fuzed Weapon/CBU-105 combat use
Propulsion/Aircraft Systems Winner – Goodrich – Variable frequency electrical power Eaton Aerospace – High-pressure hydraulics for A380
Rolls-Royce – FADEC-based surge detection and recovery
Training and Safety Winner – Jeppesen – Taxi position awareness programme
Adacel – Advanced ATC simulation
CAE – Simfinity Integrated training solution.
Personality of the Year Maurice Flanagan, President and Vice-Chairman, Emirates Group
Publisher’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Aerospace -John Leahy, Chief Commercial Officer, Airbus
Innovation, successful strategies and solutions to cope in adverse situations were highlighted at the 2004 Aerospace Awards. Achievements in Eastern Europe were applauded for the second year running, with Volga-Dnepr this year picking up the Corporate Strategy Award for its establishment as an independent player in the outsize/heavyweight air cargo market. East Line Group, a finalist in the 2003 awards, scooped the accolade in the Infrastructure and Environment Category for its redevelopment of Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport.
Marquis Jet Partners took the Corporate Strategy Award for its development of the fractional jet occupancy market and development of hourly private jet cards, while Liberty Aerospace was the outright winner in General Aviation for its work in achieving FAA Part 23 primary type certification of its XL2, its new two-seat aircraft which takes just 150 hours to build.
MBDA took the award for its operational debut of the Storm Shadow stealth cruise missile in time for use in Iraq War in the Missiles and Military Aviation category. There was also praise in this category for EuroFighter’s achievements in gaining Type Certification by its four partner nations and for Lockheed Martin, a double finalist at last year’s awards, for its continued development of its LOCAAS Programme, which made two successful flight demonstrations in 2003. Textron Systems was the other finalist for its work with its Sensor Fuzed Weapon (known to the US Air Force as the CBU-105) which was used in combat for the first time during the Iraq War.
Innovation was to the fore in the Air Transport category – won by Airbus Industrie for its use of carbon fibre material on the A380 wing centre section, but also by finalists Lufthansa and its successful development of airborne internet access in co-operation with Connexion by Boeing and B/E Aerospace’s response to the ever competitive business-class cabin with development of its Minipod lay-flat seat.
“It has been another difficult year for the aviation industry, but our 2004 winners and finalists have pushed the boundaries in an increasingly complex and competitive marketplace,”said Flight Group Editor Kieran Daly.“We salute their achievements in a challenging year and look forward to following and reporting on their progress in the years to come.”Over the past 11 years, Flight International’s Aerospace Industry Awards – alternating between Paris Air Show and Asian Aerospace in Singapore – have become one of the major events of the industry calendar.
Many of the ground-breaking technologies, innovations and business initiatives of recent times, as well as many of the personalities who have made aerospace what it is today have been recognised by 19 independent judges who bring a wealth of experience and industry knowledge from every sector of the industry.
Flight International thanks the 19 judges for their great efforts in determining this year’s shortlisted and overall winners – Horst Bergman, Prof. Peter Brooker, Dr Graham Coleman, Jim Done, John Farley OBE, David Gleave, Lawrence Hecker, Brian Humphries CBE, Captain John Hutchinson, Gerard Laviec, Lars Lindberg, Jean-Robert Martin, Roy T Oishi, Sir Ralph Robins, Ken Smart, Alan Stray, Chris Tarry, Allan Winn and Ron Woodard.
The magazine also thanks its 2004 Aerospace Awards sponsors:- Eurofighter; Airbus; CFM International; Gulfstream; Lockheed Martin; QinetiQ; Rockwell Collins and Rolls-Royce. The next Annual 2005 Aerospace Awards will be held in Paris coinciding with the Paris Air Show on the evening of Monday, 13 June, 2005.
Flight International magazine, part of The Flight Group, together with Airline Business and online sister Air Transport Intelligence (www.rati.com), is owned by Reed Business Information. It is the premier title for aerospace decision makers worldwide, with a weekly circulation of 45,000. Flight International, now in its 95th year, is a renowned authoritative source of news, opinion and strategic aerospace issues. Flight International’s rankings and surveys are regularly quoted by government regulators, airline executives and the world’s business media.
For further information at the Singapore Show contact:
Alison Chambers
Emerald Media
Tel: Mobile: +44 7721 882939
Kieran Daly
Flight International Group Editor
Tel: Mobile +44 7798 742117
Photographs of this event are available at http://217.31.133.100/flight/awards/default.htm or email your requirements to kally@emeraldmedia.co.uk. Telephone: +44 118 9896950
www.theaerospaceawards.com
www.flightinternational.com
FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL – AEROSPACE AWARDS 2004
Air Transport
Winner – Airbus Industrie p. Airbus Industrie takes the award in this category for its innovative use of carbon fibre material. In a world first, carbon fibre materials are being used in the central wing base of the A380. Airbus believes this structure gives the company a major competitive advantage, offering weight savings of about 1,500kg and enabling airlines to reduce maintenance tasks and costs owing to the insensitivity of this technology to fatigue damage. The knowledge developed through this application will allow Airbus to apply this technology on future programmes, starting with the A400 military transporter. The innovation is a result of long-term composite research strategy on highly loaded parts (A340 ailerons, A340-500/600 keel beam) and close co-operation between the airframer’s research and operational teams. Specialists were transferred from research to development, so ensuring maximum efficiency.
Avionics and Electronics
Winner – Texas Instruments p. Texas Instruments scoops this category for its Arc Fault Circuit Interruption (AFCI) technology for aerospace applications. This technology monitors the electrical circuit for arcing events that are indicative of potentially unsafe wiring conditions that could result in fires or loss of electrical circuit functionality. AFCI technology is being incorporated into existing aircraft circuit protection devices and connectors, as well as next-generation circuit protection devices to provide supplemental protection against arc events. Texas Instruments has developed Arc Fault Circuit Breakers that replace traditional thermal circuit breakers, providing a dual-function device that augments traditional over-current protection packaged in one circuit breaker device.
Business and Corporate Aviation
Winner – Marquis Jet Partners p. Marquis Jet has become the global leader in hourly private jet cards, which it sells in 25-hour increments. The Marquis Jet Card is sold on a single year pre-paid basis and its fleet is provided by Net Jets through an exclusive alliance between the two companies. Marquis Jet reported growth in all facets of its business in the third quarter of 2003 – revenue; new owner growth; owner retention and flight activity. It also reached a major milestone by surpassing the 1,000th card mark. Its success has come from accurately predicting that global and economic factors were ideal for a short-term product such as its card, which would serve as the next evolution of the fractional jet ownership model. Marquis enjoys partnerships and strategic alliances with such blue-chip clients as American Express, Cunard, Neiman Marcus and the Ritz Carlton Club. The greatest indicator of its success, according to Marquis, is emulation. Within the last six months all of NetJetsSM fractional competitors have launched programmes to compete with Marquis Jet, the 2004 winner in the Business and Corporate Aviation category.
Corporate Strategy
Winner – Volga-Dnepr Group p. Volga-Dnepr takes the Corporate Strategy award in recognition of how it has successfully established itself as an independent player since parting with British company HeavyLift in 2001. Working as a partnership, they offered a range of outsize/heavyweight air cargo services based on the Antonov An-124-100. Volga-Dnepr operated the aircraft with HeavyLift, taking the responsibility for marketing. Volga-Dnepr successfully built up a global marketing and sales network with main centres in London, Houston and Ulyanovsk, complemented by offices in Shannon, Beijing and Sharjah and more than 100 sales agents worldwide. The company also set out to become an integral part of the logistics chains of a number of multi-national corporations and today has long term logistics agreements with companies such as Lockheed Martin, Exxon Mobil, Alcatel and BP. In 2001, revenues totalled $83 million as market share stayed in excess of 50 . The following year, revenues more that doubled to $171 million and in the first nine months of 03 that figure was exceeded with the group expecting to top $200 million for the full year. Volga-Dnepr now plans to enter the scheduled air cargo market and in the first half of 2004 plans to offer an initial two Boeing 747 flights between Europe and China via Moscow and Novosibirsk through a subsidiary airline.
Infrastructure and Environment
Winner – East Line Group – Moscow Domodedovo Airport redevelopment p. East Line took over the management of Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport in 1997 and launched a complete redevelopment. The first stage of reconstruction was complete in 2002 with the airport buildings transformed inside and out, with passenger service quality in line with international standards. With IATA Cat C rating, the passenger terminal is now Russia’s most modern airport facility, boasting a new Aeroexpress high speed rail link which whisks passengers from central Moscow to the airport in 40 minutes. Domodedovo is now the fastest growing of the three major airports in the Moscow region. In 2001 it handled 3.9 million passengers, but in 2002 6.7 million passengers passed through the airport. By the first 10 months of 2003 the annual figure had expanded to 7.9 million, with 9 million expected for year end. East Line expects to see a 25 to 30 growth in 2004, to become the premier airport for Russia.
General Aviation
Winner – Liberty Aerospace p. Liberty Aerospace scoops this category in praise of its XL2 all new two-seat aircraft – the first to achieve FAA Part 23 primary type certification for many years. The XL2 became the first general aviation aircraft to receive type certification with a FADEC piston engine. Its advanced design in aerodynamics, structures and modular techniques means that the XL2 can be factory assembled in just 150 hours, significantly reducing costs. The heart of its design is a steel tube rolling chassis that carries all the aircraft structural loads. This chassis is dressed with the flight control, brake, fuel and electrical systems. The entire carbon fuselage is mounted on this chassis and the wings fitted into wing boxes on the chassis. The FADEC-controlled Teledyne Continental IOF-240 engine gives fuel consumption of less than 5 gallons/hr and also reduces pilot workload. The FADEC computer-managed fuel and air mixture control significantly reduces the wear on the engine and allows higher fixed times between overhauls.
Maintenance and Modification
Winner – SmartSignal Corporation p. This year’s winner is SmartSignal Corporation for its work in Predictive Equipment Condition Monitoring software. Working with core technology originally developed at the Argonne National Laboratory, a US Government facility – as part of a multi-million dollar department of Energy research effort, ECM software is designed to provide early warning of engine problems in airline fleets. Airlines are finding that ECM helps to prevent delays and cancellations as a result of unscheduled engine maintenance. It also reduces the incidence of en route problems, so that there is less schedule disruption from problem rectification and the replacement of defective aircraft. The University of Chicago founded SmartSignal in 1999 to make the results of this research commercially available and by January 2003 the technology was successfully implemented in more than 1,200 General Electric, Pratt&Whitney and Rolls-Royce engines operated by Delta Air Lines. ECM is personalised to individual engines and systems, so increasing sensitivity and reducing the incidence of false alerts. Engines displaying abnormal behaviour can be added to a watch-list, allowing analysts to focus their attention and schedule their efforts efficiently. ECM also supports on-wing monitoring across different phases of flight including take-off, climb and cruise. This improves the ability of analysts to diagnose problems and schedule corrective measures.
Missiles and Military Aviation
Winner – MBDA – Operational debut of Storm Shadow stealth cruise missile p. MBDA engineers worked around the clock with the Royal Air Force, UK Ministry of Defence personnel and subcontractors to deliver this new strike capability to the RAF. Ready in time for the start of the Iraq War, MBDA’s Storm Shadow cruise missile, the winner in this category, was fired from the outset of Operation Telic (the UK designation for Operation Iraqi Freedom) in March 2003, in advance of its formal acceptance into service. Storm Shadow gave RAF pilots a weapon providing high precision and target penetration against strategic targets located in highly-populated areas. The weapon’s long range (250+ km) and navigational accuracy also allowed the weapon to be deployed in a safe zone, thereby protecting aircrew and aircraft. Coalition commanders stated that no other weapon in inventory could achieve the levels of precision against deeply buried targets, while ensuring neither civilian casualties nor collateral damage.
Propulsion and Systems
Winner – Goodrich – Variable frequency electric power for civil jet aircraft p. Goodrich is this category’s winner for its development of variable-frequency electric power for civil jet aircraft, bringing about a revolution in aircraft electrical systems. Following the company’s successful completion of a VF system for the Bombardier Global Express and a contract for VF in the Airbus A380, this technology is emerging as a front-runner in the race to provide electrical power aboard the next generation of civil aircraft. VF is intended to replace the traditional constant-frequency systems currently flying on most civil jets. VF systems are characterised by much lower weight, greatly improved reliability and the ability to generate efficiently the higher levels of power demanded by the More Electric Aircraft concept. This envisages the replacements with compact electric actuators of the heavy, maintenance-intensive hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical systems used for flight control and other airframe solutions. Innovations by Goodrich Power Systems in electromagnetic design and generator control technologies now permit VF systems to deliver power comparable in quality across the whole frequency range to that produced by traditional Constant Frequency solutions.
Training and Safety
Jeppesen – Taxi Position Awareness for Electronic Flight Bag p. Jeppesen was the overall winner in this category in recognition of its Taxi Position Awareness (TPA) application for Electronic Flight Bag, giving pilots detailed electronic charts for ground orientation. Its TPA application for its Class II and III Electronic Flight Bag clearly shows an aircraft’s position on the ground in relation to runways, taxiways and airport structures. When the aircraft is on the ground, TPA auto-loads an appropriate airport map and with the touch of a button the pilot may then search for and select from all available maps, zoom in and out and choose between two viewing modes – planning and tactical track-up. In the first, TPA displays a stationary north-up map, without aircraft position, while in the second its position can be displayed on a moving map moving and rotating as appropriate. TPA has a number of features designed to enhance ease of use and the maps are based on either satellite imagery or aerial photography. The images are geo-referenced with Jeppesen’s own GPS-derived control points and then digitised using rules created to ensure that all airports are captured in a safe, standardised way.
Personality of the Year
Maurice Flanagan, President and Vice Chairman, Emirates Group p. The SARS crisis, a war in its backyard and the continued backwash from 9/11 and yet Dubai-based Emirates posted a 94 increase in profits to $247.1 million for 2002-03. That impressive progress has been steered since Emirates’ inception by Maurice Flanagan, winner of this year’s Personality of the Year, along with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum. This constant 19-year effort has taken him past anything normally regarded as retirement age in Western business life, but aged 75 and after enjoying a half century in aviation, he shows no sign of giving up his desk for a spectator’s seat in the Dubai cricket ground that was named after him last year.
Starting out with the UK RAF where he became a navigating officer, Flanagan joined BOAC in 1953 as a graduate trainee. After a succession of overseas postings he settled as station manager in Colombo in 1960 as BOAC started flying Comet jet services to the tea growing island. In 1978 he was seconded by BOAC successor British Airways to the Government of Dubai as director/general manager of DNATA, ground handling agent at the city’s state airport. In 1985 the government created Emirates and appointed Flanagan as Managing Director.“They gave us $10 million, two Boeing 727s and a building that now houses our training centre and told us not to come back for more,”said Flanagan. It is a matter of pride to him that no further government subsidies were received. In 1998-99 Emirates carried 4.2 million passengers. In 2002-03 that figure had more than doubled to 8.5 million, a period in which the number of destinations served rose from 47 to 64 and the fleet increased from 26 to 46 aircraft. Flanagan forecasts that by 2010 the airline will carry 29 million passengers in 120 aircraft, many in early examples of Emirates’ massive buy of 45 Airbus A380s.
Publisher’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Aerospace
John Leahy, Chief Commercial Officer, Airbus p. In 1995 the order split between Boeing and Airbus was 82 to 18 in favour of the US manufacturer. In 2003, the Toulouse-based airframer outsold its rival by 254 orders to 240, delivering 305 aircraft to Boeing’s 281. This reversal of positions is the more remarkable having been achieved in a very short space of time and that the man who has been leading Airbus’ European sales charge since 1994 is a New York-born executive. After seven years in marketing with Piper Aircraft, John Leahy joined Airbus North America in 1985, becoming head of sales in 1988 and president four years later. Moving to Toulouse having been appointed chief commercial officer in 1994, with typical US executive intensity and determination he set the goal of winning 50 of the market. The chances of improving on that are only likely to be increased by Airbus’ launch of the A380, which will provide a rival to Boeing’s 747 at the top of the market.
It was Leahy who led the commercial activities that resulted in the launch of the latest string to Airbus’s bow. Leahy attributes much of his business success to his incessant travelling.“We simply can’t have business without getting on aeroplanes and flying around the world,”he says. It is for Leahy’s substantial contribution to Airbus’ success that he wins this year’s Publisher’s Award.
ABOUT MARQUIS JET
Marquis Jet is the global leader in hourly private jet cards, starting in increments of 25 hours. Through its exclusive alliance with NetJets, Marquis Jet provides the convenience, quality and safety of the world’s premier fractional aircraft ownership program. The Card is available throughout North America and Europe, catering to businesses and individuals that fly between 25 and 50 hours annually and desire access to the world’s best fleet and service. For additional information, visit the Company’s website at www.marquisjet.com or call 1-866-JET-1400.
ABOUT NETJETS
NetJets Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. company, provides the safest and most secure private aviation travel solutions in the world. In 2003, NetJets will fly more than 250,000 flights to over 140 different countries.
NetJets fractional aircraft ownership allows individuals and companies to buy a piece of a private business jet at a fraction of the cost of whole aircraft ownership, and guarantees availability 365 days a year with just a few hours notice. The NetJets program has proven to be extremely valuable for companies that have invested in whole aircraft ownership and need NetJets to meet their supplemental lift requirements.
The NetJets fleet is the largest and most diversified including 13 of the most popular business jets in the world. Access to the NetJets fleet is also available in the form of an innovative short-term lease, sold on an all-inclusive, pre-paid basis in 25-hour increments, through an exclusive alliance with Marquis Jet Partners.
NetJets Inc. also offers aircraft management, charter management, and on-demand charter services through its subsidiary, Executive Jet Management. More information on NetJets, the Marquis Jet Partner Program, and Executive Jet Management is available at www.netjets.com .
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