Initial tests of a catalytic ignition (CI) system on a reconditioned Continental 0-200 general aviation engine have demonstrated the system's ability to improve engine performance while operating on multiple fuels including 100LL avgas, 87-octane unleaded automotive fuel and Jet A, without using magnetos. Called Smartplug, the technology replaces spark plugs with a similar-size device that consists of a heated catalyst mounted in a small precombustion chamber.
India said last week that it will suspend its six-week military campaign to drive Pakistan-based fighters from the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir. The cease-fire was to be confirmed July 16. It came after several weeks of night attacks in the Kargil sector of Northern Kashmir. ``We have been taking round-the-clock measures to create stress and uncertainty among the enemy,'' Group Capt. D. N. Ganesh, deputy director of offensive air operations, said. ``We want to wear him down, sap his energy and break his will.''
The X-38 prototype crew return vehicle successfully completed the fourth flight of the program at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center with release at an altitude of 31,500 ft. from its B-52 carrier aircraft. The vehicle flew for 31 sec. before deploying its drogue chute and parafoil. There was no damage to the vehicle or parafoil upon landing.
Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA), a growing regional carrier based near Washington, has placed firm orders for 55 Fairchild Aerospace 328JET and 428JET aircraft, with options for an additional 55. The order launched the 428JET program and provided a boost for the family of aircraft concept planned by the San Antonio manufacturer. If all options are exercised, the order has a potential value of $1.5 billion. The order is conditioned on approval from United Airlines to operate the jets as United Express. ACA could also waive the condition.
AU.S.-industry partnership for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) collected a large amount of data from 24 ADS-B-equipped aircraft that participated in an operational evaluation of the technology July 10 in the Ohio River Valley.
Rob Brooks has become group vice president-technical operations, Richard Zalac director of engineering and Howard McEachern director of operations at the Montreal facility, all of the Montreal-based Innotech-Execaire Aviation Group. Also, Nigel Argent has been named director of sales and marketing for Execaire in Toronto. He was general manager of the group's facility in Vancouver. Argent has been succeeded by Chris Heredia, who was West Coast sales manager.
A German team will begin flight testing a proof-of-concept demonstrator next month for what could become the first big dirigible commercial operation since the Hindenburg disaster in 1937. Unlike other new dirigible projects, such as the Zeppelin NT being developed by Luftschiffsbau Zepellin of Friedrichshafen, Germany, the giant CargoLifter CL 160 is targeted at heavy-lift cargo applications, not at tourism or advertising. ``The CargoLifter will inaugurate a new era in freight transport,'' said Chairman Carl von Gablenz.
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory wants to take a closer look at non-U.S. star tracker systems that are used to determine the precise locations of satellites. The devices could be used on future space research satellites, laboratory officials said. To finance its evaluation of star tracker systems, NRL is applying for funding from the Foreign Comparative Test program, a Pentagon initiative that pays for the military services to look at existing offshore equipment.
The 1990s have moved at a different pace in Japan than the rest of Asia. Japan's carriers serve one of the world's most advanced industrial states, not one of its sprinting economic tigers. Their fleets were large, they paid their workers well, and they had their own way of doing things.
NATO leaders were sent back to the drawing board last week in their search for a new secretary general following German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's backing of his defense minister's decision to withdraw from the running. German Defense Minister Rudolph Scharping was considered the favorite to succeed Javier Solana who is expected to assume the new post of high commissioner for security coordination in the European Union.
Plans are well underway for Virgin Express to set up a new hub for scheduled services in Paris next spring, the latest in a series of expansion moves by the Virgin Group whose long-haul subsidiary recently inaugurated services to Shanghai.
News that the U.S. State Dept.'s Office of Defense Trade Controls has been authorized to hire more staff to process commercial satellite export requests is welcome. Hopefully they will help the ODTC keep pace. But the betting here at a recent telecommunications summit was that State is in over its head, at least for now.
Colin Steven has become London-based regional vice president-Northern European sales for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga. He was regional director for the Middle East, Pakistan and Africa for the Cessna Aircraft Co.
Boeing Rocketdyne recently operated its RS-68 engine at the highest thrust levels ever achieved by a liquid hydrogen/oxygen rocket, when the company ran it to 100% sea-level thrust of 650,000 lbf. at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Edwards AFB, Calif. The space shuttle main engine (SSME) produces 418,660 lbf. at 109% throttle. The RS-68 is to power the Boeing Delta IV family of launchers, and its design emphasizes simplicity and low cost. The SSME has a high 3,008 psia.
The U.S. Congress is putting the finishing touches on a bill that would permit satellite television companies to carry local channels for the first time, and direct-to-home (DTH) satellite operators are thrilled.
Krikor S. Geulemerian has been appointed vice president-North America of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. He was the Mexico-based general manager of KLM/Northwest Airlines Latin America. Geulemerian has been succeeded by Jan H. Meurer.
Tom Vaiden has been appointed president for aircraft staffing services and Chuck Licata president for commercial staffing services for International Total Services Inc. of Cleveland. Neal B. Davis has been named vice president-Northwest region, Robert W. Kuhlenschmidt director of commercial and aviation security and John A. Wagner manager of quality assurance for aircraft cleaning.
Although no downturn is in sight, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is carefully monitoring uncertainties surrounding the world market. During the April-June quarter, the carrier's passenger traffic remained flat. Paradoxically, however, it increased a robust 6% to and from the Pacific Rim but decreased 2% on transatlantic routes. Cargo traffic, which is ranked as a strong economic indicator by experts, increased a healthy 7% and a surprisingly high 18% in the Asian market.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is considering growing its space portfolio by launching research initiatives that could lead to maneuverable and easily repairable satellites. Darpa already is working with the Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office on the Discoverer-2 radar ground surveillance satellite demonstration. Now the Pentagon's advanced research organization is mulling several new high-risk concepts in military space.
The improved resolution of the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) imaging system, compared to that of the Viking orbiters which preceded it by two decades, has given scientists new insights--as well as some puzzling questions--about the evolution of the surface of the planet. Michael C. Malin, president and chief scientist of Malin Space Science Systems, said the significantly improved resolution of the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on MGS is enabling scientists to study surface features in much greater detail than was previously possible.
