The Zappy is an electrically powered scooter that weighs 35 lb. It was created to transport private aircraft owners from their aircraft to the terminal. It folds and unfolds easily and can be stored in a suitcase or towed like rolling luggage. It features a portable battery recharger that can be used from any household outlet. A single 5-cent battery charge can carry the rider up to 8 mi. ZAP Power Systems, One Zap Drive, 117 Morris St., Sebastopol, Calif. 95472.
Zeppelin Technologies of Germany, under sponsorship of NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., earlier this year completed spin-forming of a one-piece, near-net shape aluminum-lithium cryogenic propellant tank dome. The dome will be 4.3 meters (14.1 ft.) in diameter after trimming, with thicknesses from 7.62 mm. (0.300 in.) at the weld land to a minimum of 1.88 mm. (0.074 in.), according to John Wagner, senior research engineer at Langley.
Lufthansa CityLine's premier 70-seat Fairchild Dornier 728JET is scheduled to enter service in the first half of 2002. The German carrier's $1.6-billion contract for 60 aircraft, which was signed late last month, represents a major achievement for the U.S.-German manufacturer and affirms the credibility of an ambitious growth strategy.
The Maintenance Director Planner software tracks configuration, status and maintenance requirements for thousands of parts on up to 50 aircraft, while allowing users to update, move or replace parts and components. It is a maintenance-forecasting program that provides aircraft operators with a Year-2000-compliant planning tool. The planner offers flexibility of maintenance schedules. It tracks different types of aircraft and equipment. Aircraft Technical Publishers, 101 South Hill Drive, Brisbane, Calif. 94005-1203.
The Lee Co.'s Hi-Bar Screen has found a place on ``a few dozen'' aircraft and is adding about 12 new aerospace applications per year, according to Jim Klapper, the company's marketing director.
These aluminum ramp kits were designed to easily load emergency litter patients onto military transport aircraft to be evacuated to hospitals. The aluminum keeps the weight of the ramps low and is resistant to corrosion, allowing the kits to be flown anywhere, stored for more 20 years and then put together without tools. The kits use snap-together components and are designed to be put together by four medical crewmembers using an instruction manual in as little as 2 hr. The ramps provide easy access at airfields without amenities such as motorized boarding ramps.
The electromechanical 5-hp. aileron actuator that flew in NASA Dryden's F/A-18 System Research Aircraft proved such devices could be used instead of hydraulic ones on high-performance aircraft. For MPC Products Co. of Skokie, Ill., the actuator was an application of technology the company had used on secondary control surfaces to a primary control surface. ``We've been dong this for 35 years,'' Darren Kapola, director of flight actuators, said. ``We've got a tremendous knowledge in trim systems and spacecraft.''
U.S. Navy strike aircraft from the USS Theodore Roosevelt are attacking targets in Yugoslavia under direction from E-2C Hawkeye surveillance aircraft that have taken on the new role of airborne battle managers during Operation Allied Force.
Cox&Co. of New York plans to field additional prototypes of its CDS-1 Contamination Detection System next winter as it modifies the system to comply with emerging detection standards and improve the operator interface. The CDS-1 uses an infrared camera mounted on a deicing truck. Images from the camera are processed using algorithms that highlight ice, snow and slush in red on a gray-scale image of the aircraft. Imagery is displayed on a monitor at the deicing operator's station (AW&ST Jan. 12, 1998, p. 404).
AlliedSignal's opposition to BFGoodrich's proposed acquisition of Coltec is proving to be a more serious obstacle than either of the merger hopefuls may have initially surmised. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana has granted AlliedSignal a preliminary injunction blocking the transaction from going forward, at least through mid-July. A judge is scheduled to review the case on July 16.
The 5600 Series Pilot Operated Relief Valve is used for high flow and fast opening response, which senses pressure at the main valve inlet. As up and downstream pressure modulate the pilot valve, it in turn modulates the action of the main valve piston. Versions of the 5600 Series can flow at rates up to 110 gpm of conventional hydraulic fluids. Several configurations are available, including inline, cartridge and right angle porter body models. Operating pressures are 450 to 4500 psi.
An All Nippon Airways Boeing 767-300ER bound from Tokyo to Honolulu flew 2 hr. on Apr. 29 on a single General Electric CF6-80 engine, the longest single-engine flight since Japan's Ministry of Transport approved 180-min. extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS). Pilots of Flight 1902 shut down the No. 2 engine after they felt unusual vibrations about 30 min. after takeoff from Narita airport. The return flight to Tokyo took about 2 hr. The vibration is believed to have been caused by an oil leak.
Thomas J. Scanlan, Jr., has become vice president-space launch systems of Lockheed Martin Astronautics of Denver. He succeeds Victor W. Whitehead, who has retired. Scanlan was director of information resource management.
The U.S. has reached into its technological bag of tricks and pulled out another surprise weapon--a non-lethal, air-launched bomb that was used to temporarily cut off electricity to 70% of Yugoslavia.
One of the founders of Skymark Airlines, a discount carrier challenging Japan's airline establishment, says he will start up another carrier in July 2000 to provide turboprop services out of Sendai in northeast Japan. Deputy Chairman Junichi Ohkawara said he will leave Skymark in July to start up the new carrier, Fair Link. He has not designated an aircraft type for his fleet but says he will use retired pilots to man his cockpits. Maintenance is likely to be a big hurdle.
The Aviation Oil Test Center provides immediate information on oil quality. A portable kit will allow the quality of aircraft lubrication oil to be tested alongside an aircraft, at remote airfields. The kit is a microprocessor-based test facility that provides information on viscosity, water content from 0 to 6,000 ppm., black oil from 0 - 3.5%, and total acid number. The instruments are easily cleaned and stored, with all necessary reagents, in a sturdy metal case or in an optional rugged travel case for portable use.
Lawrence E. Putnam, retired assistant chief for facilities of the Aero- and Gas-Dynamics Div. of the NASA Langley Research Center, has won the AIAA Ground Testing Award.
Panalpina and the SAirGroup have agreed to form SwissGlobalCargo, to provide door-to-door cargo services. Panalpina will own 55%, and 45% will be held by SAirLogistics, a SAirGroup subsidiary.
Virgin Atlantic plans to keep its aircraft on the ground on Dec. 31 as a result of customer feedback and a desire to allow employees to celebrate the new millennium with friends and family. Virgin said the move was not linked to ``millennium bug'' concerns. Passenger surveys showed ``little or no demand'' for travel on Dec. 31, the carrier said. But higher than normal demand prior to and after the Dec. 31/Jan. 1 event will mean the British airline will add additional flights to the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Under an agreement with Indianapolis-based Chautauqua Airlines, US Airways expects to add Embraer's 50-seat ERJ-145 regional jets to its U.S. Airways Express route network this summer. The agreement calls for 10 of the aircraft to be in service by the end of 2000, with the first two jets scheduled to join the fleet in July 1999. The ERJ-145's 1,300-mi. maximum range will give US Airways long-range regional jet capabilities, according to US Airways President and CEO Rakesh Gangwal. Separately, US Airways recently was rated the top airline among the 10 largest U.S.
Flight Safety Foundation of Alexandria, Va., has launched an aviation safety audit program covering charter service providers. Called Q-Star, it will list those charter companies that meet FSF quality standards for safety, management, crew qualification and maintenance, according to Stuart Matthews, chairman and CEO of the independent safety organization. The audits will be available to charter providers and subscribers for a nominal fee.
Carol Hallett, president/CEO of the Air Transport Assn., is among three new trustees of Washington-based GA Team 2000, with John W. Olcott, president of the National Business Aviation Assn.; and Thor Solberg, president of Solberg Aviation.
One of the Army's most secret systems, the RC-12 Guardrail signals-intelligence-gathering aircraft, has been deployed to support U.S. ground forces now being organized in Albania. At least four of the aircraft--modified Beech King Air turboprops--were in Naples recently for Operation Allied Force deployment. Military officials were reluctant to acknowledge the aircraft's presence in Naples and refused to say where in Europe the aircraft were headed.
The Dust-Hog collects dust, composites and removes air pollutants. It is available in a single or double filter configuration and maximizes pulse power along the length of each filter for a complete cleaning. Maintenance time has been minimized by the elimination of standard turn-knob filter access doors. The door features a lever operated, push-to-seal closure with a release mechanism that can be removed and replaced. The system also features a selectable downtime cleaning for longer filter life and structural rivet construction.
