Page 5 - The Battlefords, Thursday, February 4, 2016
Regional Optimist
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Aerospace: two steps forward, one step back For a society that seems to be moving forward on so many technological fronts, we are also quietly slipping backward as well, especially when it comes to aerospace. Feb. 2, CNN ran a story about how Boeing is cutting production of the venerable 747 Jumbo Jet by half, to six airframes a year. It will likely cease production soon. The Airbus A380 was not long ago hailed as the successor to the 747, with more seating capacity and a full second deck of passenger seating. Now it, too, is struggling for orders and could possibly cease production if more airlines don’t step up. This is after production
of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy ended long ago and the C-17 Globemaster III ended a few years ago. Canada picked up one of the very last C-17s to be produced before the line was shut down for good. The net effect of all this is that, should both the 747 and A380 end production, the Western World will have lost the capability of building massive four-engine aircraft. Given the state of Ukraine, I don’t have much confidence in Antonov’s capability of filling that hole, even with their massive An-124, which is still in production, if barely. Supersonic travel was supposed to take over the world with the Concorde. But it has long since retired,
and despite occasional references in fanciful online articles, the likelihood of crossing the Atlantic at Mach 2 any time soon is remote, indeed. (There is a group that wants to return one airframe to limited service. Good luck with that.) Large aircraft aren’t the only major area of aerospace capability slippage.
By John Cairns
price, counting for 15 points in their evaluations. The price drew a concerned reaction from Councillor Don Buglas, who wondered why the price was so far “off the mark” of thebudget. He asked if market conditions had changed that drastically. “Yes, the market conditions changed that drastically,” said Schafer. He pointed to the dollar, which fell to 70 cents by the time of the purchase. “It hurt,” said Schafer. He said operations will have to adjust their prices in coming budgets. Councillor Kelli Hawtin questioned the cost for the training for the Brandt bid, wondering if it was really worth the difference of almost $55,000 from other bidders.
Schafer responded the training was necessary and an Occupational Health and Safety requirement, and worth the $55,000. Mayor Ian Hamilton was also concerned about the price difference. Two other bids, both from RedHead for a 2013 Volvo L50G and 2015 Case 521F, came in lower without the training included in the price. The Volvo bid came in at $146,178. But Mayor Hamilton noted the training could be attained separately. He suggested investigating further. Council did approve the resolution authorizing administration to purchase f the John Deere, subject to investigating training opportunities on the Volvo and/or Case models coming in at a lesser amount.
rom
the top of
the pile By Brian Zinchuk
Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers
Association 2012 Columnist of the Year
Council digs into need for new loader Staff Reporter
A resolution to purchase a front-end loader has been approved by North Battleford city council, but council expressed dissatisfaction with the prices tendered. City administration posted a tender for purchase of a front-end loader and set aside $130,000 in the 2015 capital budget for it. The tender closed Dec. 18. But the seven submissions all came back over budget. The winning bid was a John Deere 444K from Brandt Equipment for $200,194.20, GST not included. It was not the cheapest option, but won on the points system, said Director of Operations Stewart Schafer. It won because the training was included in the
We have not had a man walk on the moon in my entire lifetime, and I was born in 1975. We may not see man on the moon again in the rest of my lifetime, either, given the way things are going. We almost certainly won’t see man set foot on Mars, either, before I shuffle off this mortal coil. We used to have this wonderful thing called the space shuttle. Sure, it was essentially a truck hauling things back and, occasionally, forth to low Earth orbit, but it was an important capability to have. Its later flights focused primarily on building the International Space Station, something we could probably never rebuild today with our current capabilities since the shuttle has been retired. Thus, when it’s time to retire the International Space Station, we don’t, and likely won’t, have the ability to replace it. There’s nothing in the pipeline right now with the
capability of the shuttle. Those capabilities are gone, and not coming back, likely for decades. There’s a line by Matthew McConaughey in the movie Interstellar that really rings true in this regard. His character, Cooper, is a former astronaut turned corn farmer. Cooper said, “We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down, and worry about our place in the dirt.” Why is this the case with aerospace? We don’t see it in shipbuilding, by and large. They are continually building larger and larger cruise and container ships. We did top out with the Seawise Giant when it comes to oil tankers, however, in 1979. I guess when the largest ship in the world draws too much water to traverse the English Channel, and won’t fit through either the Suez or Panama Canals, that might be the practical
limit. Land vehicles see continual improvements in horsepower, torque and payload. A half-ton today has more horsepower than a one-ton 30 years ago, but gets much better fuel economy. Look at the monster tri-drive semis we see today. What has caused aerospace to plateau and start backsliding? Is it the overburden of everincreasing safety standards that have choked off growth in aerospace capability or insurance choking out new product, like it did with much of general aviation for decades? Is it the lack of vision? Or simply the case of the tremendous inflation curve of aerospace development costs rising out of the stratosphere? It’s time to look to the stars again, not the dirt. — Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at brian. zinchuk@sasktel.net.
Spring Fling to
Casino & Shopping
Edmonton
April 3 - 6, 2016
Shop till you drop at the famous West Edmonton Mall, Ikea, Kingsway Garden Mall & Casino Yellowhead Includes: Transportation via luxury motorcoach bus. Stay at the beautiful River Cree Resort & Casino Coupon pkg. including meals, cash for slots
Pick up in North Battleford & along the route
1-306-960-5766
Northern Lights Bus Tours 1-306-960-5766
Weekend Sales Team Tracy Voigt 306-441-1981
Marc Migneault 306-481-5119
1541 - 100th Street
Phone 306-445-5555 or 306-445-6666 ED
C DU
RE
Spectacular Lakefront Property!
16021OB3
Nestled at the end of the prestigious Sparrow Place beach, this 2,109 sq. ft. waterfront year round home is your perfect getaway! The main floor is open concept with a view of the lake in each room. The second floor is loft style, featuring a dream ensuite with a huge walk-in closet, a good sized laundry room and the master bedroom which faces the lake. Other features: double attached heated garage, Meota water & sewer with reverse osmosis, giant trailer parking pad, the list goes on and on. Looking for your dream home just steps away from the water? Call Tracy Voigt at 306-441-1981 today to make this your reality! New MLS®560520.
Great Potential!
With this duplex with 2 bedrooms on the main on each side. Open living room with lots of light. Good sized kitchen/dining. Deck off dining rooms. Side “A” has basement development. Side “B” has newer flooring & upgraded bathroom. Both sides have EE furnaces & newer water heaters. Long term tenants. Call Karen on this great opportunity. MLS®555777.
Investment Property Located in the vicinity of downtown North Battleford. Building has 4 bays, 3 are currently Lease Space Approximately 1,300 square feet of lease space leased. Office and warehouse space available. available in “Pizza Hut” mall. Lots of traffic and For details call Archie at 306-441-3455. plenty of parking. Call Gregg on MLS®557021. MLS®541129.
FREE MARKET EVALUATION
Call one of our agents to schedule your free market evaluation. Not intended to solicit properties already listed for sale.