A major hindrance to virtual design collaboration is the incompatibility between the four major computer aided design (CAD) systems: Catia from Dassault Systemes, Pro/Engineer from PTC, I-DEAS from SDRC/EDS, and Unigraphics from UGS/EDS. A digital model created in Pro/E, for example, can only be translated into a Catia system as a neutral, unmodifiable, ``dumb'' solid. That means design engineers have to physically massage the files to fill in the data gaps that occur when using neutral file translators.
Dean Flatt (see photo), who has been president/CEO of Honeywell's Specialty Materials Group, has become president/CEO of Phoenix-based Honeywell Aerospace Electronic Systems. He succeeds Mike Smith, who will retire Dec. 31.
Hubert du Mesnil has been named managing director of Aeroports de Paris. He succeeds Emmanuel Duret. Du Mesnil was head of the French transport ministry's surface transportation unit.
Rainer Hertrich has been elected president of BDLI German aerospace industries assn. He succeeds Gustav Humbert, chief operating officer of Airbus. Hertrich is co-CEO of EADS.
The U.S. Commerce Dept. has fined McDonnell Douglas $2.1 million in connection with the 1994 export of surplus machine tools and other equipment to China. The U.S. Justice Dept. has dropped all criminal charges against McDonnell Douglas, which merged with a Boeing subsidiary in 1997, as part of the settlement.
This LED lighted push-button switch for military and commercial avionics offers dimming without pulse-width modulation, operates off existing cockpit power sources, and can directly replace existing incandescent switches. It is available in nine sunlight-readable colors that are dead-faced in direct sunlight when not energized. It meets MIL-PRF-22885F for sunlight readability and environmental requirements. It also meets MIL-L-85762A requirements for night vision imaging systems.
THE FAA IS PREPARING TO CONDUCT an evaluation of Raytheon's Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS) with an installation at Kansas City Airport and Houston Bush Intercontinental--with displays at that city's William P. Hobby airport--now that the company has completed contractor acceptance of the first article system. ITWS provides real-time terminal weather and highly accurate predictions of expected conditions 20 min. into the future. The system fuses data from FAA and National Weather Service sensors and NWS weather models.
The flight simulator business could experience revenue growth to $3.67 billion by 2007 from $2.35 billion last year as manufacturers upgrade capabilities of simulators to replicate automated cockpits, according to a study by Frost&Sullivan. The use of new technologies such as virtual reality and analytical tools, including playback functions, will improve the training experience by allowing students and instructors to review complex tasks.
The U.K.'s transport agency refused to confirm or deny late last week that the long-delayed construction of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport would be postponed again--a development that would touch off a storm of protest in the House of Commons by aviation advocates. An agency official did affirm, however, that a decision will be made by Nov. 22. The Terminal 5 planning application has been at the Dept. of Transport, Local Government and the Regions since 1993, the official acknowledged.
Stephanie Reese has been appointed director of communications for American Eurocopter, Grand Prairie, Tex. She was director of marketing for Matrix Telecom.
Two months after the airline industry's descent into full-blown crisis, no one can be accused of looking at this vital sector of the U.S. economy through rose-colored glasses, least of all Wall Street. The majority of leading analysts believe most, but not all, mainline carriers will survive their ordeal. But those that do emerge will remain for an extended period highly susceptible to minor setbacks whose effects will be magnified because of their weakened condition--much as a weak immune system leaves people susceptible to infections.
The skyscrapers of Dallas and Fort Worth are within eye range of one another. The two important U.S. airlines based in these North Texas cities are, in contrast, a galaxy apart in operating philosophies. In Fort Worth, American Airlines, an international player, manages an operation of some 1,100 aircraft. Southwest, based in Dallas, is the avatar of a domestic, low-cost, point-to-point airline. Each airline faces a critical test in coming months in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Stephen E. Gorman has been named to the board of directors of the Aviation Sales Co., Miramar, Fla. He is president for North America of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. and former executive vice president-technical operations and flight operations for Northwest Airlines.
Brian E. Barents has been named to the board of directors of the Eclipse Aviation Corp., Albuquerque, N.M. He was president/CEO of the Galaxy Aerospace Corp. Sam Williams, chairman/CEO of Williams International, has resigned from the board.
BAE Regional Aircraft has begun its high-elevation and system trials for the RJX-85 at Toluca Airport in Mexico (see photo). The airport is 8,448 ft. above sea level and has a 13,780-ft. runway. The tests will be of particular interest to the RJX-85's launch customer, Druk Air (Royal Bhutan Airlines), which operates in the Himalayas. The aircraft recently completed hot-weather trials at the Phoenix Williams Gateway Airport. Powered by Honeywell AS977 engines, the RJX-85 is to be certified next April.
Sharp traffic declines have left many airports in a holding pattern, cutting back on operations spending and trying to gauge the long-term impact on capital programs that seemed so urgent before the terrorist attacks.
U.S. Navy EA-6B Prowler crews supporting the air campaign against Afghanistan have established an enhanced communications jamming role for themselves to become part of an integrated information warfare system and to support special operations units.
Arinc Inc. executive Roy T. Oishi has been named chairman of the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee, which is one of four aviation industry committees sponsored by the Annapolis, Md.-based company. Two other Arinc executives, Michael P. Russo and Michael D. Rockwell, have been appointed vice chairman and secretary, respectively.
In the last major hurdle in the construction of the first SparrowHawk sailplane, the wing spar molds are completed. Since high-temperature carbon fiber pre-preg materials are used for all parts of the craft, the first wing spars were finished within hours of completing the molds. With only the wing structure to finish, completion is expected by year-end. Concurrent to making molds, assembly jigs for all components have been built so the first SparrowHawk is also a production example.
United Airlines plans to equip its entire fleet of aircraft with Taser weapons as a precaution against hijacking. The Tasers would be stored in boxes adjacent to the pilots, sealed with electronically coded locks, but easily accessible if needed to defend the cockpit. Tasers are nonlethal weapons that disable a person at ranges out to 15 ft. with a 50,000-volt electric impulse. United will install the Tasers as soon as it receives FAA approval for a fleet-wide test program.
A site has been chosen for an off-shore runway for Okinawa-based U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Schwab. The selection committee comprised representatives of Japan's central government as well as representatives from Okinawa and Nago, a nearby city. Schwab has been seeking a runway for CH-46, CH-53 and AH-1 helicopter operations (AW&ST July 9, p. 68). They are now based on the Marines' Futema facility elsewhere on the island. Three concepts were proposed, all involving offshore locations.
The GoBook MAX portable notebook PC meets Mil-Spec-810E standards for ruggedization, including shock, drop, vibration, extreme operating temperature, water intrusion, condensing humidity and dust. Designed for aerospace flightline and hazmat operating environments, it is powered by an Intel Pentium III processor, and features a common radio module architecture field-upgradable radio modem. The die-cast magnesium case, including keyboard and screen, can resist direct exposure to 4 in. of blowing rain per hour. The 6-lb. 2-in.
The Laser Guided Star Facility being developed by the European Southern Observatory for its 34-in. Yepun unit telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile will use a high-power beam delivery system. When commissioned in 2003, the LGSF will enable observers to create a precise reference point in the sky on which to lock the telescope. The LGSF will generate an artificial star high in the atmosphere in areas where there is not enough brightness, enabling observers to establish a reference point anywhere in the universe.
Delta Air Lines Chairman Leo F. Mullin told a gathering of aviation industry professionals last week that he expects the U.S. airline industry to shrink by two or three operators within the next 12 months because they probably won't be able to survive financially.
This head-up display camera has a variable field of view that makes it compatible with most HUDs. The RSC-384-XXI is a two-piece unit consisting of a camera head with a lens and an electronic unit (EU). A flat cable up to 36 in. long connects the EU to the camera head. It is equipped with a motorized iris to compensate for changing light conditions during flight. The camera can be readjusted if the aircraft is upgraded with a new HUD, meaning less non-recurrent engineering required for the new application, and it can operate at altitudes from sea level to 200,000 ft.
