The Ice Shield line of pneumatic deicers has been approved for use on Piper Navajo and Beech King Air 200 aircraft under FAA Supplemental Type Certificates. The new deicers are designed to have shorter installation times and better durability than existing systems, according to B/E-SMR Technologies. Their tapered edge is intended to ease installation and provide a smooth aerodynamic transition to the aircraft surface. The company plans to seek STCs that will extend the deicer line to additional aircraft types.
The world's top arms suppliers remain tightly packed in the race for dwindling exports, although the U.S. slowed somewhat in 1997. France ranked first last year in the intense competition for arms transfer agreements with the developing world, capturing $4.6 billion worth and a 26.8% share of the $17.2 billion signed overall, the lowest level worldwide since 1990, based on U.S. government figures.
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark by Don Logan features hundreds of color photographs of the original variable geometry fighter. Logan tracks the development of the aircraft from its birth as the TFX, describes different versions procured by the U.S. Air Force, the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force and a plan that was later aborted to deploy the aircraft on U.S. aircraft carriers. Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, Pa. 19310.
Michael O'Leary (see photos) has been appointed national director of avionics and Jim Clifford general manager of Minneapolis operations for Signature Flight Support, Orlando, Fla. O'Leary was program manager for general aviation marketing for BFGoodrich Aerospace, Austin, Tex. Clifford was assistant to the president/vice president-operations at Kal-Aero's Battle Creek, Mich., facility.
Getting Started With QNX 4 by Robert Krten is a how-to guide for programmers using the real-time PC language. The book covers critical QNX issues such as priorities, scheduling algorithms, clocks, timers and interrupts. Tested code examples are provided to help programmers. Code examples and a sample chapter can be downloaded from http://www.parse.com. QNX Software Systems Ltd., 175 Terence Matthews Crescent, Kanata, Ontario, Canada K2M 1W8.
Jeffery M. Jackson has been named senior vice president/chief financial officer of Sabre Group Holdings Inc. of Fort Worth. He succeeds Patrick Kelly, who is now CFO of the Trilogy Development Group, San Antonio, Tex. Jackson was vice president/controller of American Airlines.
The space insurance industry is facing a sudden reversal of fortune that could result in its first yearly loss since 1994. The insurance climate was so favorable that underwriters had cut premiums by 50% since last summer (AW&ST June 15, p. 60). But the failed debut of Boeing's Delta 3 booster last month and on-orbit failures of two Hughes HS 601-model satellites, Galaxy 4 and Echostar 4, have left insurers facing nearly $700 million in claims. That could mean a hike in future premiums.
Rear Adm. Paul E. Tobin, Jr., (USN, Ret.) has become head of the International Education Foundation of the Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Assn. (AFCEA), Fairfax, Va. He was oceanographer of the Navy. Tobin succeeds Rear Adm. W.J. Holland, Jr., (USN, Ret.), who has retired. Milton E. Cooper, president of the Federal Sector of the Computer Sciences Corp., has become AFCEA chairman of the board. He succeeds Ralph W. Schrader.
The RCS 5100 is a rugged computer designed for environments with high electromagnetic interference or high heat environments. Its ``hot swappable'' fans can be replaced without shutting down the system. The computer comes with two 51/4-in. and one 31/2-in. drive bays. All the bays are shock isolated and are protected by an environmental door. It comes with a standard 315-watts power supply. Greco Systems, 372 Coogan Way, El Cajon, Calif. 92020.
More data and more time to compare scientific models has led the Lunar Prospector mission team to revise its estimates of water ice concentration that may be present on the Moon. They now believe up to 6 billion metric tons of relatively concentrated water ice may be trapped beneath the soil in permanently shadowed craters at both poles. First estimates were for 300 million metric tons, but were made with just two months' data and were deliberately conservative, principal investigator Alan Binder said.
The FAA and National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. have ratified a 5-year contract that both characterize as a fresh start and sign of increased cooperation. A key feature is reclassification of facilities, and associated salaries, to 12 levels from five, taking into account airspace complexity as well as traffic volume. The union agreed to a 3-year freeze on the number of controllers at 15,000--up from 14,900 now--with a 2% annual increase for the following two years. Supervisors will be reduced by attrition.
Manufacturers of commercial gas turbine engines are pursuing innovative technologies, manufacturing methods and organizational techniques in a bid to lower the acquisition and maintenance costs of their products. During the past decade, engine cost of ownership has gained increasing importance in determining which products an airline will buy, outstripping even performance as the main driver behind product acquisitions, Mike Benzakein, general manager of advanced engineering programs at General Electric, said.
The pilots' ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement at Trans World Airlines has freed the carrier to begin rebuilding its fleet with either Boeing or Airbus single-aisle aircraft.
Fred Hill, Richard Moffett and Jack Strite have been promoted at Textron Lycoming, Williamsport, Pa., to vice presidents of operations, engineering, and strategic planning and business development, respectively.
Owners and operators of business aircraft will greatly benefit from a wide range of emerging technologies, but the affordability and effectiveness of these innovations depends on simplifying U.S. and European certification processes and creating a truly seamless, global air traffic control system that incorporates their use.
Austin Yerks (see photo) has been appointed senior vice president-business development for the Computer Sciences Corp. Defense Group, Falls Church, Va. He was senior vice president-business and sales development for the PRC subsidiary of Litton Industries Inc., McLean, Va.
The RCC-223-SYN Series Airborne Command Control Receiver is a dual conversion, superheterodyne UHF receiver capable of operating in S band with a 200 MHz. turning range in 1 MHz. increments. Tuning is done via remote BCD code or a local thumb wheel. Frequency stability is 0.003% over an operating range of -30-70C. The unit is also suitable for telemetry applications. It measures 6 in. X 3.25 in. X 2.065 in. and weighs 42 oz. It operates on an input voltage of 24-36 volts d.c. with a maximum input current of 420 milliamps. Aydin Telemetry, P.O. Box 328, Newtown, Pa.
Russia retains thousands of nuclear weapons, despite considerable reductions under the first U.S./Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START 1), signed in 1991 but not brought into force until late 1994.
Boeing has begun assembly of the mid-fuselage for its Joint Strike Fighter X-32A concept demonstrator aircraft two months ahead of schedule. The work, being performed at the Phantom Works Development Assembly Site in Palmdale, Calif., requires fewer than 15 people, in keeping with the program's ``lean'' manufacturing focus, according to Frank Statkus, Boeing vice president and JSF program manager. Boeing is building two JSF concept demonstrators, designated X-32A and X-32B. Assembly of the forward fuselage began in July in St.
Vast technological advances are underway that promise to reshape the role of space worldwide, creating new commercial markets, altering military strategies and enabling great advances in scientific exploration. The technologies should greatly reduce the cost of operating in space and usher in new generations of ``thinking'' spacecraft that can process and distribute massive amounts of information and maintain themselves without ground support.
Jeff Price has been named director of marketing, public relations and property management for the Jefferson County Airport, Broomfield, Colo. He was assistant director airport security at Denver International Airport.
