Reviews provoked by Swissair Flight 111's crash have convinced FAA officials that materials certified for use as nonflammable airframe insulation in almost all large transports built in the last 35 years may in fact be highly flammable if exposed to high heat. But the agency's top officials said that is no reason to order airlines to replace the suspect insulation yet.
Chemraz 616 is a high-temperature, chemically resistant perfluoroelastomer. It can withstand temperatures as high as 324C, retaining its sealing properties and tensile strength. Chemraz O-rings are resistant to embrittlement and swelling when exposed to aerospace fuels, hydraulic fluids and other chemical reagents. They also do not cold flow or cause shaft fretting. The seals can be color coded to ensure proper identification for critical applications. Green, Tweed&Co., Finch Close, Nottingham NG7 2NN, England.
The Echelon ANR 150 is an active noise reduction headset modeled after the Echelon passive noise reduction headset. The 18-oz. headset offers passive noise reduction of 21 dB. and an additional 14 dB. of active noise reduction. It features dual volume controls and an amplified, noise-canceling electret microphone. The low-profile headband is designed to provide even weight distribution. Telex Communications Inc., 9600 Aldrich Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn. 55420.
Argweld purging film for the insides of pipes and vessels prior to welding is now available in a compact kit. The film is used on titanium and other materials in which oxygen must be removed prior to welding to avoid oxidation and embrittlement. The kit comprises a 33-ft. length of water soluble-film that is center folded and then wound around a 15-in.-long cardboard tube and a bottle of water-soluble adhesive. The kit is wrapped in water-resistant foil to ensure a long shelf life. Huntingdon Fusion Techniques-USA Inc., P.O. Box 5653, Longview, Tex. 75608-5653.
Sabena Technics, Sabena Belgian World Airlines' overhaul and maintenance division, has concluded an agreement to maintain Middle East Airlines' and Air Djibouti's Airbus A310s and Pratt&Whitney JT9D-7R4 turbofan engines. In addition, Sabena Technics will maintain Air Sicilia's Boeing 737-200s.
George W. Leisz, former president of Aerojet General, died Oct. 8 in La Jolla, Calif. He was 75. Leisz retired from Aerojet in 1989, but was a managing partner of the Carlisle Enterprises acquisition firm at the time of his death. Leisz was vice president for product operations at Rockwell's Autonetics Div. before becoming an Aerojet executive.
The Linear Link TCI is a temperature-compensated interface for flowmeter linearization and viscosity correction. It combines online temperature compensation with signal conditioning, user-selectable outputs and a wide input power voltage range in a single instrument. It eliminates the need for independent flowmeter amplifiers, temperature transmitters, flow computers, linearizers and flow/viscosity converters. It operates on 9-32 VDC and can be configured for remote or direct mounting. Flow Technology Inc., 4250 E. Broadway Road, Phoenix, Ariz. 85040.
Spurred by a global economy that is driving increased demand for air transportation, business aviation is riding an unprecedented wave of prosperity that is benefitting every facet of the industry.
Russia's Multi-Function Fighter (MFI), also known as project 1.42, is to make its maiden flight before the end of the year, according to Mikhail Korzhuev, ANPK MiG designer general. The twin-engine fighter is powered by AL-41F engines developed by the Ljulka-Saturn Design Bureau and fitted with thrust-vector control. The project, delayed by a lack of funding, is supported by the Russian Defense Ministry, which may fund production if the developers succeed in realizing the aircraft's full potential.
Loctite has introduced three new light curing adhesives. The first is Loctite 3175, a single-component, ultraviolet-curable acrylic adhesive designed for tacking components and subassemblies. It cures completely in 3-5 sec. under medium-intensity light and in 1 sec. under high-intensity light. Loctite 3525 is a single-component, UV or visible light curing acrylic adhesive for structural bonding. Loctite 3335 is a low-odor, UV-curing, cationic epoxy for coating and tacking applications. Loctite Corp., 1001 Trout Brook Crossing, Rocky Hill, Conn. 06067.
Donald J. Koranda has become president/CEO of the Arlington, Va.-based National Aeronautic Assn. He was vice president-training for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn. Air Safety Foundation.
Mike Rioux is now executive vice president of JDA, Fairfax, Va. He was senior vice president-operations and safety of the Air Transport Assn. of America.
Meanwhile, some Russian cosmonauts are pushing to keep Mir in operation. Cosmonaut Gennady Strekalov says taking the 12-year-old space station out of commission plays into the hands of Russia's major space rival, the U.S. He and other cosmonauts are calling for the establishment of a fund to collect rubles to ``save'' Mir. Kerim Kerimov, longtime head of Russia's State Manned Spacecraft Commission and the proposed director of the fund, says he's ready to start collecting.
USAF is realigning the role of the Air Force Development Test Center at Eglin AFB, Fla. The AFDTC will become responsible for all USAF armaments and be renamed the Air Armament Center (AAC). It will be assigned new management and gain ``ownership'' of the 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland AFB, N.M., formerly under the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles AFB. The AAC also will pick up elements of USAF's Aeronautical Systems Center located at Eglin. In its new role, AAC will manage the development, test, procurement and support of all air-delivered weapons.
The French government plans to form an independent authority to enforce noise regulations at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Nice, Toulouse and Bordeaux airports. In the past few months, airlines flying into de Gaulle paid $316,000 in fines because they violated operational procedures or restrictions affecting Stage 2 jet transports. These included Air France, Aeropostale, Air Liberte, British Airways, Olympic Airways and Turkish Airlines.
FiberLites uses fiber-optic technology to provide illumination for 8 to 16 instruments or labels from a single-bulb light source. The 0.013-in. fiber is affixed to specially designed bezels that are sandwiched between the instrument, which is not altered, and the panel, providing the appearance of an internally lighted instrument. Each port on the eight-port light source can illuminate one 31/8-in. or two 21/4-in. instruments or two one-line labels up to 9 in. long. The light source, which can be placed up to 30 in. from the instruments, can be replaced in seconds.
Douglas L. Holker (see photo), a commercial satellite project manager for The Aerospace Corp. of Los Angeles, has been named regional vice president of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Assn. He was president of the Los Angeles chapter and is a member of the international board of directors.
The ``1998 Mixpac Adhesive Selection Guide'' features sections on adhesives for general aerospace use, aircraft manufacturing, composites and spacecraft manufacturing. The book logically organizes two-component epoxies, acrylics, urethanes and silicones available for the Mixpac Cartridge Dispensing System. ConProTec Inc., 6 Raymond Ave., Salem, N.H. 03079.
Senior Pentagon officials are discounting reports that Yugoslav and Serb forces now have been beefed up with the 80-mi.-range SA-10 (S-300P) surface-to-air missiles, a longer-range version of the mobile SA-6 or the even-more-mobile 2S6 combination antiaircraft missile and gun platform. However, if NATO did attack, the Russians might respond by supplying the updated weaponry.
Matra Datavision is developing off-line, CAD-driven, Windows 95 inspection software for use with Mitutoyo's advanced Coordinate Measuring Machines under an agreement between the companies. The software also will provide on-line programming. The goal is to overcome the traditional problems of incomplete or corrupted data caused by software translators. Matra Datavision, University of Warwick Science Park, Sir William Lyons Road, Coventry CV4 7EZ, England.
