40th Anniversary Celebrations of Apollo 11
By Vik Kachoria | June 30, 2009
The 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission is coming up - the mission that put the first man on the moon on July 20, 1969 @ 8pm GMT. Neil Armstrong, mission commander, stepped off the lunar lander with the famous quote “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.
The National Space Society’s Boston Chapter is celebrating the event on July 15, 2009 with a presentation by chapter member Gerard Doran, including film/video clips of our space program from the 1960s.
Date: July 15, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Location: 125 Massachusetts Avenue (Guggenheim Laboratory), Room 33-419, Cambridge, Massachusetts
More Info: NSS Boston Chapter Announcement
Description: National Space Society’s Boston Chapter celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission, with presentation by chapter member Gerard Doran, including film/video clips of our space program from the 1960s.
There are a number of celebrations and events elsewhere in the country. A list has been compiled by the California Space Authority.
Topics: Aerospace Events | No Comments »
Emergency Landing In Water By Commercial Jetliner Saves All 155 Lives
By Vik Kachoria | January 16, 2009
January 15, 2009, US Airways flight from NYC-LaGuardia bound for Charlotte, NC crash landed in the Hudson River minutes after take-off. The plane encountered a flock of geese and lost both engines resulting in complete loss of power.
Pilot Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger saved all 155 passengers and crew members by successfully making an emergency water landing - a rare feat in commercial aviation history.
Captain Sullenberger is a U.S. Air Force Academy grad who flew F-4 fighter planes while in the Air Force. He has flown for US Airways for 29 years.
Small aircraft, corporate jets & military craft make water ditching almost once a day in US waters. Commerical jet pilots are not required train for emergency water landings and perception has been that large jets would not survive such a landing which could result in significant loss of life.
Many including a Ralph Nader group and various articles in the Economist have argued (incorrectly) that there has never been a successful emergency water landing by large commercial jet liners. Thus, they suggest, that life vests & rafts serve little purpose other than making passengers feel safer.
But according to a WikiPedia entry on landing planes in water (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ditching), there have been several (not many) landings over the past 40 years worldwide. Survival rates have varied.
The Federal Aviation Administration says there were about 65,000 bird strikes to civil aircraft in the United States from 1990 to 2005, or about one for every 10,000 flights. But since 1960, only 25 have resulted in crashes by large aircraft. 23 of these incidents occured below 400 feet.
Topics: Aviation | No Comments »
Terrafugia’s Innovative Roadable Plane (Flying Car)
By Vik Kachoria | January 13, 2009
Here’s a problem that every private pilot has experienced:
You hop into your Piper or Cessna at Hanscom and fly to the Vineyard for the weekend. But once you land on the island, how do you get from the airport to your vacation home in Edgartown?
Terrafugia, based in Woburn, MA, is developing the first ‘roadable plane’ which solves this problem by providing a plane whose wings fold vertically next to the fuselage after landing so the plane can be driven away like any car.
The company’s founder, Carl Dietrich takes pains to call this a roadable plane instead of a flying car since you have to first be a pilot to fly this plane. (you also have to have a driver’s license to drive the car).
Mr. Dietrich is a Phd aeronautical enginner from MIT, a winner of the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Student Prize For Innovation, a runner-up in MIT’s $100k Entrepreneurship Competition and a private pilot.
The company demoed a 1/5 scaled remote-control version of the car at Oshkosh in 2007. It also conducted a high speed taxi test of a full version in December 2008.
Topics: Aviation | No Comments »
Mass Kids Score High In Math & Science
By Vik Kachoria | December 20, 2008
Seems kids in Massachusetts are right there at the top when it comes to brains in math & science.
Mass High Tech journal reports that in an international test, Massachusetts 8th grade students tied with Singapore for first place in science aptitude tests.
The test, Trends in International Mathematics & Science Study, also showed that Massachusetts 4th grade students placed second in science (behind Singapore) and third in math. Eighth grade students placed sixth in the international math aptitude tests.
We knew there were brains for math & science in this state, now lets see if we can nuture the studnts, coax in to engineering & aerospace careers and then keep them in the state.
Source: Mass High Tech Journal, Dec 12-18, 2008
Topics: Education, Employment Issues | No Comments »
Economic Climate Impacting Logan & Massport
By Vik Kachoria | October 31, 2008
Logan International Airport is seeing 5% YTD decline in passenger traffic due to airline cost cutting & passenger belt tightening.
Growth has been slowing year-over-year since 2005. But this slide is expected to continue through 2009 and likely into 2010.
Massport operating budget of $364.6m has been reduced by 5% or $18m.
Travel expenses have been cut by 20% and hiring freezes are in place.
The dollar’s considerable recovery has reduced the the growth in Europeans traveling to Boston. This was one of the key areas Massport was counting on for growth.
Bond rating agencies are not worried yet about the the drop in passenger traffic. But if the decline accelerates, a review may be warranted.
Source: “Logan Intl cutting costs as passenger traffic slides”, Jesse Noyes, Boston Business Journal, Oct 31, 2008
Topics: Aviation, Economic Considerations | No Comments »
Massachusetts Air & Space Museum
By Vik Kachoria | October 16, 2008
Just got a call from Albert Mundo introducing his new organization Massachusetts Air & Space Museum (MASM). Since late 2006 they have been working on a concept to establish a museum at Hansom Airport to celebrate the rich heritage of aerospace in Massachusetts.
In the very short period since their first meeting, they have brought together a number of aviation and historical groups to work on the concept, formed a 501c3, built a board of directors and advisors, secured a site at the airport for the museum, obtained a grant from Wolf Family Aviation Foundation AND secured one of the F-15s that the Massachusetts Air National Guard launched on 9/11.
Albert Mundo is director & president of MASM following a 30 year career as a TWA commercial pilot. Earlier in his career he served as a fighter pilot for the US Air Force & MA National Guard. MASM board includes members with experience in or at Raytheon, General Electric MassPort, FAA and the Ninety-Nines.
From their website:
“Significant aviation oriented museums exist in many states but sadly, Massachusetts with its long and rich aeronautical history is lacking in this regard.”
“…when considering the achievements and contributions to aviation and space brought about by individuals and institutions in this state, and which indeed are continuing, then an effort to establish such an entity is certainly a worthwhile endeavor.”
“The museum should not be just a collection of relics but rather a living institution where people learn of the past as a foundation of the present, and from there are able look into the future.”
The website highlights a number of important aerospace contributions from Massachusetts including:
- Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926 in Auburn, Mass
- MIT has produced more astronauts than any other university - 30 so far with 15,000 hours in space
- Four of the 12 astronauts who walked on the moon came from MIT
- Draper Labs, Avco, Raytheon and David Clark Company all contributed to the Apollo program
- Since the end of the 19th century, Massachusetts has been involved in the develoment of gliders, balloons & aircraft
- Check out the full list of Massachusetts Aerospace firsts at: Mass Aerospace Firsts
I’ll be meeting with Albert Mundo in the next couple of weeks and look forward to working with MASM to raise the profile of aerospace activities and contributions in Massachusetts.
Check out their website at: http://www.massairspace.org/
Topics: Aviation | No Comments »
Massport Unveils the Boston Logan International Airport 9/11 Memorial
By Mass Aerospace Council | September 9, 2008
The Massachusetts Port Authority today dedicated the Boston Logan International Airport 9/11 Memorial as a place of reflection and remembrance for those affected by the events of September 11, 2001. The 2.5 acre site at the heart of the airport acknowledges the events of 9/11 and honors the passengers and crews of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, both of which departed Logan Airport that morning for Los Angeles. The Memorial also commemorates the dedication of the Logan Airport community and the contribution they made in restoring the aviation system to full operation.
Topics: Aviation | No Comments »
Where Are The Aerospace Companies in Massachusetts?
By Vik Kachoria | August 16, 2008
People are often surprised to hear how many aerospace companies there are here in Massachusetts. I tell them, “yes, there are over 2300 companies directly involved in the industry and thousands more that indirectly provide products & services!”
Most folks know Raytheon, General Electric Aircraft Engines and Draper Labs are based here. I’m happy to remind them that MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern University & UMass Lowell also have aerospace departments. Boeing and Lockhead Martin have offices here. Then there are the very large number of less well-known companies like Payload Systems (now part of Aurora Flight Sciences), Spincraft, and Avidyne.
I don’t expect everyone to follow the industry. The general public doesn’t (yet) need to know the contributions Massachusetts organizations have made to flight, communication satellites, space exploration and homeland security.
But it is important that policy makers , media, investors and advisors are aware of the research, development, resources & jobs in Massachusetts in this high-skills & high-stakes sector. Raising the awareness will help effect tax incentives, retention of the brightest engineering graduates and bring more Federal R&D dollars to our enterprises.
So where are all these aerospace & aviation companies?
There are 5,024 results for “aerospace in Massachusetts ” on Google Maps.
5,024 Aerospace Organizations In Massachusetts
There are 9,839 results for “aviation in Massachusetts “.
9,839 Aviation Companies In Massachusetts
Topics: Economic Considerations | No Comments »
Snapshot of Massachusetts Aerospace & Aviation Industry (2001)
By Vik Kachoria | May 7, 2008
AIA’s 2001 report titled “Commission on the Future of the US Aerospace Industry” is a bit dated, but the latest I could find that provides state-by-state comparisons of the economic impact of aerospace/aviation industries.
Though published in Oct 2002 it does not include the significant downturn in the industry resulting from 9/11. On the flip side, keep in mind the tremendous growth since 2002 in general aviation (business jets) and military contracts resulting from Afghanistan/Iraq.
The following data was extracted from the report.
Massachusetts
Establishments: 403 (17th nationally)
Employment: 44,086 (17th nationally)
Average Annual Wages: $49,820 (8th nationally)
Wage Premium Over Average: 12%
Payroll: $2.3b
United States
Establishments: 21,852
Employment: 2,034,587
Average Annual Wages: $35, 296
Payroll: $98b (2.1% of total payroll)
As noted above, Massachusetts aerospace & aviation employment ranks #17th in the country. This is behind New York, Illinois, Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Kansas, Tennessee, Connecticut, Missouri & Virginia.
We are also ranked 17th based on the number of organizations. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Virginia, Colorado, New Jersey, North Carolina & Missouri all have more companies and institutions than Massachusetts.
Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta & Fort Worth were the top metro areas. I was happy to see Boston/NH was at least on the list - in 8th place.
With so few aerospace jobs in this state, no wonder our graduates are getting a phenomenal education at MIT, Harvard, Boston University & Northeastern and then leaving for greener pastures - depleting the state of the high caliber/highly educated individuals.
The commission included the following footnote, something I’ve also struggled with in my research of the industry:
The present SIC code structure does not permit a clear analysis of every segment of the industry. For instance, the SIC system does not allow us to isolate those components of the military that are aerospace and aviation related. All the branches of the armed forces are classified together under SIC code 9711, National Security. For this reason, this report only examines the civilian and commercial components of the aerospace and aviation industry.
Also, we are not able to isolate flying instruction schools — an important component of the air transportation industry — since the current SIC code structure aggregates data for these schools along with drama schools, charm schools, and modeling schools. Finally, the SIC system also does not allow us to capture those companies that manage certain aerospace and aviation facilities under SIC code 8744, Facilities Support Management Services. Unfortunately, this SIC code includes the management of private correctional facilities and jails.
Source: U.S. AEROSPACE AND AVIATION INDUSTRY: A STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS
Topics: Economic Considerations, Employment Issues | No Comments »
May 29, 2008: International Space Development Conference, Washington, DC
By Mass Aerospace Council | May 5, 2008
The National Space Society invites you to join the excitement in Washington DC May 29-June 1 for what promises to be the biggest and best citizens’ space conference of the year.
This conference marks the 27th anniversary of ISDC. Leaders from all segments of the space community will be on hand to share their inspiration for the future of space exploration and development.
The theme for ISDC 2008 is “The New Pace of Space.” With NASA fully engaged in building the next generation of space exploration vehicles, and the commercial space sector beginning to test fly their new personal spaceships, we have entered the next space age.
Washington, DC is the nexus for space policy, and the 2008 conference will take place in the midst of the upcoming presidential election campaign. Our goal is to engage the public, industry and decision-makers in an open and positive discussion of the future of space exploration and development.
Speakers: Elon Musk, Burt Rutan, Miles O’Brien, Buzz Aldrin, Robert Bigelow, Greg Olsen, Peter Diamandis,
Date: May 29, 2008 - Jun 1, 2008
Where: Capital Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC
More Info: http://www.isdc2008.org/
Topics: Aerospace Events | No Comments »
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