Today's Top News

• Embraer breaks ground on Florida plant
  Florida Gov. charlie Crist and other top officials were on hand Dec. 4 to break ground on a $50 million Embraer assembly plant expected to employ at least 200 people. Crist thanked the Brazilian jet manufacturer for choosing the site at Melbourne International Airport for its first U.S. plant. Embraer will occupy a four-building campus at the airport, and the company's arrival will help offset job losses associated with the end of the space shuttle program at nearby Kennedy Space Center. Florida Today (Melbourne) (12/4)

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Defense

• Pentagon hails success of missile defense test
  The chief of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency declared himself "extremely pleased" with the "largest, most complex" test yet of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system. In Friday's test, an interceptor missile fired from California took down a warhead fired from Alaska. But due to a technical glitch, the test failed to resolve the question of whether GMD can distinguish between a warhead and a decoy -- an issue that could affect future funding of the $100 billion program. Defense News/Agence France-Presse (12/6), The Huntsville Times (Ala.) (12/6)

• Lockheed could close Pentagon office for network management
  Lockheed Martin Corp. says it could shutter its Pentagon office if it fails to win a renewal of its contract for managing network infrastructure at the Defense Department's sprawling office building. "We feel confident in our proposal," said a Lockheed spokesman, but the warning was issued because Virginia law requires employers to notify the state 60 days in advance of any potential mass layoff. About 250 Lockheed employees work at the Pentagon, and most would probably be retained by whatever company wins the data management contract. American City Business Journals/Washington, D.C. (12/5)

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Commercial Aviation

• Algae-fueled planes could take off in three years, group says
  Officials of the nascent U.S. algae industry will be in Washington this week, urging lawmakers to consider tax breaks and other incentives to help turn pond scum into an economically viable fuel for commercial aviation. Darrin Morgan, a Boeing official and co-chairman of the Algal Biomass Organization, says planes could be flying on an algae blend within three to five years. The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) (12/7)

• Downturn hurting fractional jet ownership
  Fred Reid, once the top pick to head Virgin America, is now president of Bombardier Flexjet and its affiliate, Skyjet U.S. Though he insists fractional jet ownership is "a better business model than any airline," he admits that the economic downturn is hurting the business. "Some people are exiting the private aviation fractional ownership or branded card solution to go to retail charter, which is less reliable and slightly less expensive," he says. "Some are going back to commercial." The Dallas Morning News (free registration) (12/8)

• EU begins building satellite navigation system
  The European Union on Monday launched a $2.7 billion program to begin construction of a satellite-based air traffic control system, scheduled for completion by 2020. "We will change the way we manage air traffic -- no more skyways, just the most efficient trajectory to save fuel and time," said Eurocontrol Director General David McMillan. The so-called SESAR system, like NextGen in the U.S., is designed to use satellite navigation and in-cockpit digital messages to boost capacity and cut costs. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/The Associated Press (12/8)

• Despite tough times, airlines appear well-positioned for 2009
  Planes will likely be packed this holiday season, but full seats will mask the tough choices and uncertain future many airlines face. "We are starting to hear some reports of advanced bookings being off significantly, and that of course, is a very ominous sign for what we could be looking at in 2009," John Meenan of the Air Transport Association told ABC News. Still, airlines aren't facing bankruptcy or begging for bailouts on Capitol Hill, thanks to falling oil prices and deep capacity cuts that have slashed operating expenses. While many industries are warning of a grim outlook next year, the airlines are "running counter-cyclical" to the broader economy, says US Airways CEO Doug Parker. ABC News (12/7), Aviation Week & Space Technology (12/7)

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Space

• Weather delays Endeavour's return to Florida
  Space Shuttle Endeavour won't get back to Florida until Tuesday due to bad weather in Texas. Problems with the shuttle's flight tail cone have already delayed by one day the $1.8 million piggyback transfer atop a modified jumbo jet. San Jose Mercury News (Calif.)/The Associated Press (free registration) (12/7)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AIA dailyLead® readers in the past week.

• Pentagon could owe $147M penalty for halting F-22 program (San Jose Mercury News (Calif.))

• Army helicopter contract goes to EADS (Defense News)

• Pentagon overhauls procurement guidelines (Defense News)

• Boeing reaches agreement with engineers union (The Seattle Times)

• United Technologies units announce payroll cuts (The Hartford Courant (Conn.))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

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Homeland Security

• Most Americans approve of airport security efforts
  Despite the hassles of airport security, 70% of Americans believe the federal government is doing a good or excellent job of protecting air travelers, according to a Gallup study commissioned by the Partnership for Public Service. Dan Thomas, a TSA screener and union leader in Orlando, Fla., expressed surprise at the results. "I thought we were up there with the IRS as the hated organization," he said. USA TODAY (12/8)

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AIA News

• Report of the 2008 member needs assessment
  AIA conducted a survey over the summer to better assess the association's benefits and services. Eighty-two percent of all respondents are very satisfied or satisfied with AIA's performance. While greater alignment between goals and expectations will improve overall member satisfaction, the ability to effect change in the industry was the most important activity for council and committee representatives. Based on findings from the survey, AIA staff will be working with their councils and committees to develop specific recommendations for improving the association's efforts. The results of the survey are available on AIA's members-only Web page at www.aia-aerospace.org

SmartQuote

What great changes have not been ambitious?" --Melinda Gates, co-founder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation