Special maintenance crane under development for president’s Boeing 747

In the shadowy world where aviation maintenance meets national security, a new crane is under development for the Commander in Chief’s Boeing 747-200B aircraft.

Defense contractor S.A.F.E. Structure Designs announced on Monday that it has secured a contract with L3Harris Technologies to develop a bespoke aircraft maintenance crane for the president’s aircraft.

The new crane will support the delicate installation and removal of the radome, the very crown of the presidential aircraft.

A radome is the protective aerodynamic covering that houses the radar antenna, essential for various functions like weather radar, communication, and navigation. The radome on the president’s plane, like those on other aircraft, serves to protect the radar antenna from environmental factors such as rain, ice, hail, and bird strikes.

S.A.F.E. Structure Designs is no stranger to the veiled world of military aviation. Their past exploits include the creation of two custom cranes, already in active service, supporting maintenance operations on other presidential planes. This new contract deepens their involvement, solidifying their position as guardians of presidential fleet maintenance.

"Our team at SAFE Structure is humbly honored to support the operational readiness of Air Force One and Air Force Two," declared Johnny Buscema Jr., president & CEO of S.A.F.E. Structure Designs. Both aircraft are designated VC-25A and have tail numbers 28000 and 29000.

Contrary to popular belief, "Air Force One" isn’t a plane. It’s a radio call sign used by any plane the president travels in.

Beyond this singular contract, S.A.F.E. Structure Designs operates in the shadows, specializing in customized aviation maintenance platforms, ground support equipment, and aircraft maintenance tooling for military, government, and commercial aviation operations.

Lilac Club Casino grand opening this week in New Hampshire

The new Lilac Club Casino in Rochester, N.H., held a special VIP ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday ahead of opening its doors to the public. The exclusive ribbon cutting welcomed local dignitaries, business leaders, and special guests to celebrate the unveiling of the new casino.

Lilac Club Casino will hold a grand opening to the public on Friday. The new location will operate under the state’s charitable gaming model. In New Hampshire, casinos must donate at least 35% of table game revenue to charities and nonprofits and 10% to the state and can retain the remaining share. There are no commercial/retail casinos in the state.

Spanning 32,000 square feet, the new Lilac Club Casino features over 200 exciting gaming machines and a wide variety of popular table games like Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, a mix of Carnival Games with progressive jackpots and a 12-table Poker room. Guests can even try locally brewed New Hampshire beers on tap at Lucky Oak Bar & Grill.

The new facility is the second location for Granite State Gaming & Hospitality. The company has a casino in Hampton.

"We are truly honored to have celebrated this milestone with our fellow community leaders," said Eric Barbaro, chief operating officer of Granite State Gaming & Hospitality. "As we prepare for our grand opening, we are thrilled to welcome guests from near and far to experience everything our casino has to offer. Lilac Club Casino is more than just a business; it's a vital part of our community that will create jobs, foster local partnerships, and contribute to the region's growth. We are excited to play a role in the continued success of Rochester and look forward to serving our guests and community for many years to come."

The new casino expects to contribute an estimated $3 million each year to a projected 73 nonprofits in Rochester and surrounding communities while supporting up to 80 full- and part-time positions.

Will you sleep through the total lunar eclipse this week?

During the early morning hours of Friday, March 14, the Moon will enter Earth's shadow and appear red, a phenomenon known as a "blood moon.”

To see this event, you must be up at 2:26 a.m. EDT on Friday and have clear skies. A large portion of the U.S. population will probably be asleep during the eclipse.

For viewers on the U.S. East Coast, the eclipse begins at 12:55 a.m. with the Moon entering the “Deep Penumbral” stage of the eclipse. You won’t see much of a change in the Moon at this point. The first indication of Earth’s shadow covering the moon will occur around 1:47 a.m., entering the “umbra” stage.

The full eclipse phase will begin at 2:26 a.m., with the Greatest Eclipse point at 2:59 a.m., followed by the end of totality at 3:31 a.m.

The event will conclude with the Moon emerging from Earth’s shadow completely (Deep Penumbral) at 5:05 a.m.

Aircraft leased to China Airlines and EVA Air acquired by Phoenix Aviation Capital

Phoenix Aviation Capital, along with AIP Capital and LuminArx Capital Management, announced Monday that they have jointly acquired a portfolio of three Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

The portfolio includes two 2012 vintage Airbus A330-300 aircraft (MSN 1346 and 1367), both powered by GE CF6 engines and leased to China Airlines. The third aircraft, a 2015 vintage Airbus A330-300 (MSN 1690), is also powered by GE CF6 engines and leased to EVA Air.

"We are pleased to have executed this transaction with LuminArx," said Mathew Adamo, managing partner at AIP Capital and board member of Phoenix. "LuminArx was an exceptional partner – creative, solutions-oriented, and highly efficient in execution. Their ability to understand our position, then structure and close made this acquisition seamless. We look forward to building upon this successful partnership in the future."

"We are delighted to have partnered with AIP Capital to complete the financing for the purchase of these three aircraft," said Sanjeev Mordani, partner at LuminArx. "AIP's ability to navigate complex aviation transactions and find long-term value made them an invaluable partner in this acquisition. We found their hands-on approach and deep understanding of the aviation finance market instrumental. We look forward to expanding our collaboration and exploring new opportunities across adjacent asset classes."

Phoenix Aviation Capital is a full-service aircraft lessor. AIP Capital is a global alternative investment manager focused on opportunities in asset-based finance. LuminArx Capital Management is a global alternative investment manager.

One moon landing in March isn’t enough; Athena prepares for touchdown this week

Carrying NASA technology demonstrations and science investigations, Texas-based Intuitive Machines is ready to perform its second Moon landing. The company put its first lander, Odysseus, on the Moon last year and performed experiments on the surface for six days. The new lander, Athena, will land on the Moon no earlier than 12:32 p.m. EST on Thursday.

Athena is slated to land in Mons Mouton, a lunar plateau near the Moon's South Pole. The unmanned robot lander is the third spacecraft actively heading for the moon. Firefly Aerospace, also based in Texas, successfully placed its Blue Ghost lander on the moon on Sunday. From Japan, a lander named Resilience carries a micro rover named Tenacious that will travel to the surface of the moon.

Intuitive Machines-2

The Intuitive Machines-2 mission for Athena was launched on Feb. 26 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The lander is carrying NASA technology that will measure the potential presence of resources from lunar soil that could be extracted and used by future explorers to produce fuel or breathable oxygen.

A passive Laser Retroreflector Array on the top deck of the Athena lander will bounce laser light back at any orbiting or incoming spacecraft to give future spacecraft a permanent reference point on the lunar surface. Other technologies on the mission will demonstrate a robust cellular network to help future astronauts communicate and deploy a propulsive drone that can hop across the lunar surface to navigate its challenging terrain.

Commercial Lunar Payload Services

NASA continues to work with multiple American companies to deliver technology and science to the lunar surface through the agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. CLPS is a pool of companies that can bid on contracts for end-to-end lunar delivery services, including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth, and landing on the surface of the Moon. NASA's CLPS contracts are indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a cumulative maximum value of $2.6 billion through 2028.

NASA awarded Intuitive Machines a $62.5 million contract to send NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations to the Moon using its American-designed and -manufactured lunar lander Nova-C.

Airborne weather surveillance contract announced for Space Force

The U.S. Space Force is seeking a contractor to provide airborne weather surveillance services for space launches from the Western Range located at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The military said in contract documents released Wednesday that the Western Range requires the capability to obtain aircraft flight services to support Space Launch Delta 30 (SLD 30) operations. Assigned to Space Systems Command and headquartered at Vandenberg, SLD 30 is responsible for all space launch operations from the U.S. West Coast.

The contractor will arrange for and provide an instrumented weather surveillance aircraft capable of operating under all weather conditions during day or night to an altitude of 32,000 feet (service ceiling), be able to attain speeds of 250 knots, and be able to descend to a hard deck of 3,000 feet MSL. The contractor will also have the capability to provide a second aircraft at the stand-by location as a backup to the primary aircraft.

The crew aboard the aircraft will provide weather observation data (e.g., cloud type, cloud base/height/ thickness/location, temperature, wind, turbulence, status of precipitation, lightning observations, etc.) to the Launch Weather Officer and/or Frontier Control for up to four hours.

Under a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA), the contract will run from April 8, 2025, to April 7, 2028. The 30th Contracting Squadron (30 CONS) is managing the contract.

“The government will award one or more BPAs to the offeror(s) who provide prices that are deemed fair and reasonable,” the 30 CONS said in documents. Companies interested in providing the support are invited to respond with a quote by March 25.

Southwest Airlines eliminating 1,750 jobs

To create a leaner and more agile organization, Southwest Airlines announced on Monday they are planning a workforce reduction as part of the company’s transformation plan.

The workforce reduction of approximately 1,750 employee roles is focused almost entirely on corporate overhead and leadership positions and represents approximately 15% of corporate positions, including senior leadership and directors. Eleven senior leadership positions (Vice President and above), also representing 15% of the company's senior management committee, will be eliminated as part of this restructuring, the airline said in a company press release. The plan is to have the workforce reduction completed by the end of the second quarter of 2025.

Difficult Decisions

Southwest has been under pressure from key shareholders to make big changes in upper-level management.

"This decision is unprecedented in our 53-year history, and change requires that we make difficult decisions,” said Bob Jordan, president, chief executive officer & vice chairman of the Board of Directors. “We are at a pivotal moment as we transform Southwest Airlines into a leaner, faster, and more agile organization,” he added in a statement. “I arrived at this decision thoughtfully and carefully, knowing how hard it will be to say goodbye to colleagues who have been a significant part of our Southwest culture and accomplishments. I'm grateful to all Southwest employees who have shared in our legendary history and to those that will guide us into the next era of Southwest Airlines."  

Cost Saving

As a result of the workforce reduction, the company estimates partial-year 2025 savings to be approximately $210 million and full-year 2026 savings to be approximately $300 million.

These savings exclude an expected one-time charge in the first quarter of 2025 in the range of $60 million to $80 million, substantially all of which is related to severance payments and post-employment benefits, which the company expects to treat as a special item.

The company will continue to report on additional cost-saving actions as 2025 progresses.

In January, the airline announced the sale and leaseback of 36 Boeing 737-800 aircraft to generate cash. That announcement was followed by longtime leaders within the company announcing their retirement.