GRAHAM WARWICK & PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC
Lobbying to boost funding for US aeronautics research is likely to resume this year, after NASA revealed a fiscal year 2004 budget request that seeks only a 1% increase in aeronautics funding, to $959 million.
The agency's spending on aeronautics is projected to decline to $916 million by FY2008.
NASA's overall budget would rise 3%, to just under $15.5 billion. Spaceflight would receive $6.1 billion, space science $4 billion and Earth science $1.55 billion. The 15.5% increase in space science spending would fund new nuclear power and propulsion, and optical satellite communications initiatives.
The budget does contain funding for a number of aeronautics-related initiatives, including acceleration of quiet aircraft technology development and climate change research.
Spending on aviation security and airspace system technology will also increase, while $100 million each will be spent over five years on the quiet aircraft and airspace system initiatives, and $196 million on security.
As was the case in 2002 and 2003, NASA is not seeking any funding for rotorcraft research in FY2004. The agency was criticised for dropping rotorcraft from its 2002 budget and re-instated a small amount of funding after pressure from manufacturers. With the 2003 budget on the verge of being approved, there is again no support for the rotorcraft industry, says American Helicopter Society (AHS) executive director Rhett Flater. "NASA has forgotten about aeronautics and is becoming just a space agency," he says.
While industry and the AHS are in talks with NASA in an effort to get some money reprogrammed for rotorcraft research in FY2003, longer-term efforts are focused on getting the Larson bill approved by Congress this year, with the aim of encouraging the NASA administrator to establish an Office of Aeronautics.
The bill was first proposed last year by Representative John Larson, but not enacted. In addition to a rotorcraft initiative that would make $240 million available for research and development over five years, the Larson bill includes an $875 million environmental aircraft initiative and a $125 million initiative for research into a civilian supersonic transport.
The proposed rotorcraft initiative is aimed at achieving an 80% reduction in take-off, approach and landing noise; reducing vibration by a factor of 10; and a 30% reduction in empty weight. It also aims to reduce rotary-wing accident rates to level with fixed-wing aviation within 10 years, and to develop a zero ceiling, zero visibility operating capability.
Source: Flight International
