VIBRATION MEASUREMENT The Polytec CLV is a compact laser vibrometer that allows continuous, contact-free measurement of vibration with real-time output. The device is designed to work in tight, harsh environments. It has a self-aligning, eyesafe optical design with modular electronics that allow customization. The CLV weighs 1.1 lb. and uses a Class 2 helium-neon laser with an output of less than 1 milliwatt. The adjustable-focus optical head is connected to the laser module by a 3-meter (3.75-ft.) cable. Polytec PI, 23 Midstate Drive, Auburn, Mass. 01501.
Investigators are launching a series of tests aimed at finding out how hot various components got on Swissair Flight 111 before it crashed into the Atlantic and will reconstruct the front of the aircraft in an effort to unmask the source of the heat.
Martin Williams has been named chief operating officer of GKN Westland Aerospace. Philip Granger, who has been director of engineering, is now business improvement director.
Raytheon is developing two missile-based defense systems, in cooperation with European partners, that will replace conventional gun systems in naval close-in defense applications.
Don McCoy, Phil Goldstone, Luis Salazar and Scott Gibbs have been appointed directors of nuclear weapons stewardship and management programs at the Los Alamos (N.M.) National Laboratory. McCoy will head simulation and computations and Goldstone experimental programs. Salazar will oversee stockpile systems and Gibbs materials and manufacturing.
Delta Air Lines has satisfied the FAA that it is prepared to introduce its first 737-800, aircraft No. 3701 shown at the airline's Technical Operations Center in Atlanta, into revenue service. The Next-Generation 737s are not scheduled to enter service until early December, although they may be pressed into use during the Thanksgiving travel crush. The airline's second -800, No. 3702, is being used now for flight training of instructor pilots for the new equipment. Delta has a -800 simulator to train line pilots. No.
``SMARTSKIN ANTENNA,'' WHICH ALSO SERVES as a portion of an aircraft fuselage, was exhibited by TRW Avionics Systems Div. at the recent AOC conference. Use of a smartskin antenna installed atop the vertical stabilizer of an F/A-18 reportedly yielded full spherical coverage and a five-fold increase in voice communication range compared to two blade antennas.
China is actively pursuing the development of directed-energy laser- and high-power microwave weapons to destroy satellites, aircraft and missiles, the Pentagon has told Congress. A limited capability to damage optical sensors on satellites may already be in Chinese hands, according to a congressionally mandated report on Chinese military modernization. Given ``China's current level of interest in laser technology, it is reasonable to assume that Beijing would develop a weapon that could destroy satellites in the future,'' the report said.
A vast majority of Air France pilots are expected to approve a revised labor agreement next month, which they hope will relieve the management/labor strife that has plagued the company. The long-waited move will facilitate the French government's plan to partially privatize the state-owned carrier in the next few months. According to the terms of the revised agreement, cockpit crews will acquire company shares, join the board of directors and participate in management.
Robert L. Colman has been named executive vice president-human resources of Delta Air Lines. He has been vice president-human resources of General Electric Engines Business in Cincinnati.
Lufthansa CityLine expects to complete a memorandum of understanding by the end of this month with Fairchild Dornier and other carriers to finalize basic performance and operating cost details for the new 728JET.
Investigators are assessing whether problems with the inflight entertainment system on Swissair Flight 111 could have caused the cockpit smoke and electrical faults that preceded the MD-11's crash into the Atlantic Ocean two months ago. Wreckage from areas fore and aft of the cockpit-cabin bulkhead show clear signs of heat damage, officials of the the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada said last week, including entertainment system wiring. The material includes metal structure from the aircraft's crown, plastic cabin panels and cloth.
Robert L. Crandall, former big boss at AMR Corp./American Airlines, didn't cool his jets when he made his first public appearance in Washington last week after five months of retirement. Among Crandall's targets was the ``monopsonist behavior'' of the government which has, he charged, in each of the last few years ``managed to coerce the airlines into carrying government traffic at fares that are at least $2 billion below their fully allocated costs.'' Crandall also told the Aero Club that Transportation Secretary Rodney E.
D-Day for Iridium was set for Nov. 1, when the ``world's first global telephone system'' was to begin commercial service. Complementary pager service is expected by mid-November. Iridium's original start date of Sept. 23 had been pushed back to allow more testing of the 66-satellite, $5.5-billion system. The delay contributed to a $364-million third-quarter loss announced by Iridium last week.
British Airways and American Airlines signed an agreement with Iberia to acquire a 10% stake in the Spanish carrier, which is being privatized. British Airways will acquire an 8.2-9.1% stake, with American acquiring the balance.
Commercial space revenues will exceed $100 billion annually at the turn of this century, a figure far greater than today's combined NASA and U.S. Air Force space budgets. As many as 1,000 or more new commercial communications satellites will be placed in orbit during the next decade, extending the World Wide Web into the sky. Iridium, Globalstar, Teledesic and others are literally betting tens of billions of dollars on the opportunity to cash in on an annual trillion-dollar global communications market.
THE U.S. COMMERCE DEPT. TAPPED IBM to provide a new supercomputer for the National Weather Service under a four-year, $35.6-million contract. The eighth-generation computer will use highly parallel architecture to achieve a 5-10-fold increase in sustained computing power over the existing Cray C-90. The new supercomputer will be able to use more sophisticated models to better predict weather, floods and climate. Installation of the computer at the Suitland Federal Center in Maryland is slated to begin in December, and the system should be operational next spring.
Air France has invested $68 million in new cargo facilities at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, the airline's home base. The highly automated terminal, dubbed Gare 1 Extra Large, will handle an estimated 1 million metric tons (2.2 million lb.) of freight per year. In April 1999, another building will be dedicated to the airline's courier services. Air France's 204-aircraft fleet includes 12 all-cargo Boeing 747Fs and seven 747 Combis that operate to 56 countries. Last year, Air France Cargo Div. had $1.43 billion in revenues.
The NTSB has asked NASA and U.S. Navy specialists to look further into the question of whether external electromagnetic interference (EMI) could have triggered the destruction of TWA Flight 800 more than two years ago.
Peter A. Pappas has been appointed president of AMR Services of Fort Worth. He was senior vice president-planning and marketing for American Eagle and succeeds Bella G. Goren. She has been named vice president-customer services planning of American Airlines. Pappas has been succeeded by Thomas F. Bacon, who was vice president-financial analysis and fleet planning of American Airlines. James B. Beer, who had been managing director of international planning, has succeeded Bacon.
More than 2,200 freighters will be added to the world fleet by 2017, according to Boeing's latest air cargo forecast. About 66% of these will be needed to accommodate anticipated traffic growth, while the remainder will replace retired airframes. Of the total, about 70% will be made up of converted passenger transports; the rest will be new freighters, Boeing said. Air cargo will continue to grow over the next 20 years as measured by revenue-ton kilometers at 6.4% per year worldwide.
Giorgio Zappa, chairman of Alenia Aerospazio, has been appointed chairman of the European Assn. of Aerospace Industries. He succeeds Yves Michot, chairman/CEO of Aerospatiale.
U.S. military services, government agencies and private companies are rediscovering the art of wargaming as a cost-effective vehicle for exploring complex policy, doctrine and strategic issues such as combat in space, missile defense and information operations. Insights gained from today's high-level wargames are having a profound impact on defining new warfighting concepts and shaping weapon system acquisition programs.
Thai Airways International's search for a major cash infusion is not succeeding because its management is overvaluing the airline, Asian analysts warn. The carrier has been struggling since the Thai baht's fall against the dollar started the Asian currency crisis in June 1997. Even before the crisis, the government talked of reducing its ownership. It sold 7% of its stock in 1992 and has twice considered sales since then, but pulled back because of a negative market.
President Clinton, basking in the limelight of Sen. John Glenn's shuttle ride, said he favors covering Russia's huge funding shortfall for the International Space Station. It's estimated to cost the U.S. at least $660 million in direct payments to Moscow. Walter Cronkite asked Clinton on CNN if he was willing to spend ``lots of money'' needed to keep the project on track. Clinton told the avuncular ex-anchorman, ``If it were required, I would be supportive of it.'' In what must have been music to the ears of NASA Administrator Daniel S.
