The demise of the High-Speed Research (HSR) program will set back U.S. work toward an economically viable supersonic airliner by a decade, Daniel S. Goldin told House appropriators. It has the NASA administrator deeply worried about the nation's leadership in aeronautics. After Boeing pulled out of the effort to develop a 300-seat Mach 2.4 civil transport, the Clinton Administration yanked HSR from its Fiscal 2000 budget. Goldin is sympathetic to Boeing's more pressing concerns of late. But he said, the pullout sends ``a very loud signal . . .
Marta Bohn-Meyer (see photo) has become chief of the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. She was deputy director of flight operations.
James Ferrara has become vice president-quality and engineering/chief information officer of the Aircraft Service International Group, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Phillips Petroleum is beginning an information campaign for pilots of piston-powered general aviation aircraft. Its goal is to dispel misconceptions on the performance of its multigrade and single-grade aviation oils, according to Harold Tucker, lubricants technical director. The Bartlesville, Okla., refiner has conducted hundreds of hours of testing to verify that the film retention of both types of oil on cams and lifters is the same. Multigrade often appears thinner, however, as it is a lighter oil and flows better, he said.
The Remote Visual Inspection System is a hand transportable video system. It has the ability to make sharp video inspections inside turbine and piston engines as well as airframes without removing or disassembling the equipment being studied. The system is made up of a Series 6 Videoscope, an onboard computer, a versatile central control unit, internal floppy disk drive, light source and a 6-in. liquid crystal display monitor. Olympus America Inc., Industrial Products Group, 2 Corporate Center Drive, Melville, N.Y. 11747.
TI Group's Dowty Aerospace unit has acquired Tri-Manufacturing of the U.S. for $58 million from GE Aircraft Engines which produces hot-section components for jet engines. Tri-Manufacturing had sales of $64 million in 1998. The Terre Haute, Ind.-based company will become part of the Dowty Turbine Engine Components business and operate under its old name of Tri-Industries Inc.
1998 BMDO Technologies-Improving the Environment is a 53-page report that highlights 15 environmental technologies that have evolved from those developed for ballistic missile defense. BMDO formed the technology applications program to move its funded technology to a variety of commercial industries. Technologies can help identify contents in underground storage tanks or improve detection of particulate emissions. National Technology Transfer Center, Washington Operations, 2121 Eisenhower Ave., Suite 400, Alexandria, Va. 22314.
Textron Systems has been awarded a $10-million contract by TRW for replacement of the radio frequency subsystem for the MK21 reentry vehicle used on ICBMs.The contract is to expire in September 2002.
Emergencies 2 is intended to help teach pilots how to overcome systems failures. What should they do, and how should they react when radios fail, alternators quit, landing gear won't deploy or other problems occur? The video helps pilots develop basic operating procedures and use techniques like mnemonic devices to help them prevent minor crises from developing into full-blown emergencies. King Schools, 3840 Calle Fortunada, San Diego, Calif. 92123.
The first Canadair Regional Jet 700 is undergoing preparations for rollout in late May. The aircraft is expected to make its first flight in May or June, while certification is set for the fourth quarter of 2000. A total of 234 orders and options have been received for the program, which was launched in early 1997.
TRACS is an integrated satellite telemetry, ranging and commanding system that can be used for ground testing or on-orbit operation. It is user-upgradable and expandable and allows users to integrate their satellite or program-specific hardware and software into the system. TRACS is operated via a Windows NT-based graphical user interface. The user configures installed hardware components ranging from radio frequency downconversion parameters to a decommutation filter for captured telemetry.
The SOC 400T is a handheld directional reflectometer that measures spectral reflectance in the 2-25 micrometer spectral region. The instrument is controlled using Windows 95/98-based software operating on a standard notebook computer. SOC 400T can scan over a large spectral range and calculate directional emittance over a wide temperature range. The generated spectra also can yield information about the chemical composition of surfaces. Surface Optics Corp., 11555 Rancho Bernardo Road, San Diego, Calif. 92127.
Technologies under study for incorporation into the U.S. Army's Virtual Cockpit Optimization Program (VCOP) include a ``tactile vest.'' As envisioned, the vest would pass appropriate physical sensations to a pilot wearer to enhance safety and performance. For example, the vest would help cue helicopter pilots hovering between trees in a high-workload battlefield environment that they are drifting backward, risking a tail rotor strike.
The CT-1000 flight deck organizer allows pilots to use flight planning software in any location and to access the Internet using a PCMCIA modem to download graphical weather information, file flight plans through the direct user access system and then store the information in its memory. The CT-1000, which runs on a 233-MHz. Pentium processor and contains a 2.1-gigabyte hard drive, also can interface with an on-board GPS receiver to run moving-map or terrain avoidance software, access weather information and select JeppView approach plates.
European aerospace and defense industry restructuring, which is slowly taking shape, is endangering employment in the European Union, according to labor leaders.
Raisbeck Commercial Air Group has ordered 50 shipsets of tailpipe mixer assemblies for its Heavy Gross Weight Boeing 727 Stage 3 hushkit from the Accu- dyne Corp.
A Swiss team of investigators is trying to determine why the nose landing gear of an Iberia MD-87 twinjet failed to extend on Mar. 20 prior to landing at Geneva-Cointrin airport. After unsuccessful attempts to lower the landing gear manually, the MD-87 landed on a 2,900 X 100-ft. carpet of foam and suffered only minor damage. According to Swiss officials, the nose gear's leg was blocked by the wheels' spray deflector, which apparently had broken during the aircraft's takeoff from Barcelona airport.
Mark Shahriary has become president of Teledesic LLC, Kirkland, Wash. He was executive vice president of Hughes Space and Communications. Shahriary succeeds Russ Daggatt, who has become vice chairman. Bill Owens, who was vice chairman, and Steve Hooper will be co-CEOs. Farzad Ghazvinian, formerly vice president/chief technology officer, has been promoted to senior vice president/chief technology officer.
Jersey European Airways is acquiring 15 new Bombardier turboprop and jet regional aircraft for about $250 million, to increase its fleet to 33 aircraft. The British regional carrier will start taking deliveries in October of three 37-seat Dash 8 Q200 turboprops, four 50-seat Q300s and four 78-seat Q400s. The aircraft will replace five Fokker F-27s and three Shorts SD360s. The airline also plans to acquire two used Dash 8-300s this summer to fill the gap until the new aircraft are delivered.
Aero Vodochody is involved in a joint venture with Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) of Taiwan to develop a single-engine, general utility aircraft.
Securaplane has won a contract from Delta Air Lines to supply LXL246-A emergency battery systems as part of an upgrade program on MD-80 aircraft to enhance reliability.
Hellenic Aerospace Industry, Aeroservices and Dassault Aviation will esta- blish a service center for Falcon business jets and other aircraft, at the Athens airport. The facility, which will serve southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, is to open in two years.
Stacie Galliani has become Democratic counsel of the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives aviation subcommittee. She was a lawyer in the FAA Office of Chief Counsel.
Dave Morris, senior market development manager for space programs for Honeywell Space and Aviation Control, McLean, Va., has been named chairman of the Aerospace Industries Assn. Space Council. Frank A. Slazer, director of business development for the Boeing EELV/Delta IV program, Huntington Beach, Calif., is vice chairman. Member-at-large is Deborah M. Newberry, executive director of space systems for General Dynamics Information Systems, Bloomington, Minn.
