Super Hornet, other systems employed in coalition operations

The pilot of an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the "Eagles" of Strike Fighter Squadron 115 waits his turn to launch March 18 from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Gulf. The Super Hornet, which first went into combat from Lincoln's deck, can carry nearly 18,000 pounds of ordnance. Coalition forces are employing a large number of Boeing defense systems in and around Iraq. In addition to the F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet strike fighters, these include various satellites and satellite constellations, the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter, the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, the F-15E Eagle strike fighter, the AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft, the AH-64 Apache and AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters, the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift transport helicopter, MH-47D and E Special Operations Chinooks, the CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopter, the B-52 Statofortress long-range bomber, the B-1B Lancer long-range bomber, the KC-10 and KC-135 tanker aircraft, the Avenger and Patriot air defense system, weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition, the Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile, and the Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response.

Condit shares in transatlantic dialogue

At a time when media reports show many Americans appear to be writing off Europe as a political and military force, Boeing Chairman and CEO Phil Condit is doing his best to prevent the transatlantic rift from spilling over into business and finance, according to London's Financial Times.

The newspaper said that during Condit's March visit to Europe, he met with three of the most powerful European Union commissioners —men in charge of trade, competition and enterprise policy—for private talks. He revealed that his company had recruited several high-profile former diplomats and politicians to represent Boeing's interests in Europe.

Condit conceded the current rift between the United States and Europe may hurt businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. In his interview with the Financial Times, which spanned politics and trade as well as regulatory and competition issues, Condit said that more issues united Europe and the United States than divided them.

"The United States–European relationship is a very old relationship," said Condit, who also serves as co-chairman of the Trans Atlantic Business Council. "For most of that relationship we have been in marriage counseling, and at times like these we are in intensive marriage counseling. But it is still the longest international alliance that the world has ever seen. And it is still working."

But much remains to be done and Condit said both sides should put emphasis on moves to harmonize their regulatory regimes. He admited there are areas where a common position might be hard to find. The old transatlantic dispute over state aid for aircraft manufacturers is such a case. The two sides patched up their differences in an agreement in 1992, but Condit said the deal should eventually be revisited.

Boeing photographer closes shutter

After 40 years, Boeing staff photographer Bob Claus put a cap on a career that included photo subjects ranging from former President George H.W. Bush to astronauts to space capsules, the St. Louis Post–Dispatch reported. Claus retired from the company Feb. 28.

"He's very personable. That's one thing I have always admired, his ability to get along with a crowd," said Boeing photo lab manager Michael Gillespie, who has worked with Claus for more than 25 years. "He's not afraid to try new things, and we have had a lot of that with digital photography."

Claus said he always wanted to be a photographer. After high school in Hermann, Mo., where he was born, Claus' desire to take pictures led him to join the Army in 1959.

"I was a photographer in South Korea for 13 months with [the military newspaper] Stars and Stripes," he said. "Back then you had to serve your country. I enlisted rather than be drafted. It was the only way to get into the Army's photo school."

His two-year military stint included time at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and in Germany during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

"As soon as I came home, I looked down at the McDonnell aircraft, and I said, 'I should try to get a job there,'" Claus said.

Claus, 63, lives in Chesterfield, Mo., with his wife, Pat. They have two sons and four grandchildren, who he said will occupy a lot of his retirement time.

In general, Claus said his work made him happy. Thinking back on his career, Claus said, "McDonnell Douglas and Boeing have been a great place to work."

Museum of Flight celebrates Northwest flight heritage

Almost 100 years ago, Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first successful powered airplane over the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, N.C. And this year, museums and festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest and the nation are celebrating the evolution of aviation and the centennial of flight.

The Seattle Times reported that the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field—just outside Seattle in Tukwila, Wash.—will feature movies, presentations, children's activities and new exhibits throughout the year in honor of the centennial. Boeing has been a major supporter of the museum—an independent non-profit foundation—since its inception.

"It's very exciting because it gives everybody an opportunity to step back and think how far we've come in 100 years," said Elissa Lines, museum director of development and marketing. "A large part of the technology involved in both air and space exploration has come from this region. It's an opportunity to pull the community together and celebrate regional pride."