NASA is developing technologies to shrink its spacecraft to tiny sizes, enabling science missions to transition from use of a single spacecraft to huge fleets of interconnected micro-satellites. Several NASA centers are working on technologies such as autonomous operations, microsensors and compact, lower-power propulsion systems that are needed to build spacecraft as small as 1 kg. (2.2 lb.). Such tiny satellites could allow a single mission to conduct studies from different vantage points in space without increasing launch costs.
The strike by 6,200 pilots of Northwest Airlines has cut deeply into Midwestern U.S. air services and has had strong repercussions internationally. The carrier's 1,700 daily flights have been canceled through this week, curtailing passenger and cargo services at Northwest-dominated hubs at Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis.
Aircraft operators are pressing manufacturers and maintenance vendors to find cost-effective methods of supporting field use of composite materials so they can fully tap their performance-enhancing potential. For composites to become competitive with traditional metal structures and components, most operations and maintenance officials agree, the costs of using them must drop significantly. Central to cutting those costs will be improvements in maintainability, reliability and repairability.
Canadian, Swiss and U.S. specialists are scouring the waters south of Nova Scotia for clues to the problem that fed smoke into the cockpit of a Swissair Boeing MD-11 and led to its crash there last week.
Vincent K. Jones, a senior manager with the Boeing Co., has been elected president of the Harrisburg, Pa.-based Aviation Technical Education Council. He has represented Boeing on its board of directors.
Jack Kelsh has become original equipment manufacturer sales manager for BFGoodrich Aerospace-JcAIR Test Systems, New Century, Kan. He was a marketing manager for Raytheon Electronic Systems.
The USLT 2000 is a laptop-based ultrasonic flaw detector contained on a PCMCIA card. It is suitable for manual applications such as spot weld testing, precision thickness measurement and flaw detection. It has a 0.5-20 MHz. bandwidth, 110 dB. gain range, built-in DAC and TCG curves, two independent gates, four selectable frequency ranges and normal rectification modes plus RF. Krautkramer Branson Inc., 50 Industrial Park Road, Lewistown, Pa. 17044.
Also, Richard L. Kline, vice president-international activities/director of the International Aerospace Corp. of Anser, the von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management; Richard E. Quigley, chief of the Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Subsystem Technology Program at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, the Aerospace Power Systems Award; and Irvin Glassman, Robert H. Goddard professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton (N.J.) University, the Propellants and Combustion Award.
Robertson Aviation Inc. has won a $16-million contract from the U.S. Army for 209 CH-47D Chinook crashworthy extended-range fuel systems and associated training and technical manuals. With all options, the contract is worth $28 million.
British Aerospace sees the U.K.'s Future Offensive Air System (FOAS) program, which is investigating a host of new and emerging technologies, as a springboard for further aerospace/defense consolidation in Europe.
Phil Marshall (see photo) has been named general manager of the Boeing Co.'s Delta rocket manufacturing and final assembly facility in Pueblo, Colo. He was senior manager of production operations there. Marshall succeeds Scott Strode, who is now division director of the Delta 4 factory in Decatur, Ala.
Laurie Martin has been named managing director for inflight services, Stan Petersen-Gauthier managing director for cost and profit analysis and internal audit, and Vince Portaro managing director for customer service, all for the Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp.
According to the Assn. of European Airlines (AEA), ``1998 is turning out to be a `black year' for flight delays.'' During the first half, more than 20% of AEA member airlines' scheduled flights departed with a more than 15-min. delay. Even worse, in June, delays peaked at a record 29.1%, AEA officials said.
State Dept. investigators looking into Boeing's information exchanges with Russian and Ukrainian engineers working on the Sea Launch project may want to look westward. A grand jury in Seattle has issued a subpoena to a translator working on Sea Launch for Boeing contractor Superior Design. Sources tell Aviation Week the subpoena seeks records of his work, including project documents, and a computer he was using. The U.S.
The U.S. Air Force is soliciting ideas for improving the quality of undergraduate pilot and navigator training, while also exploring the possibility of a contractor taking over the flight-screening program until the Slingsby T-3A Firefly trainer is returned to service.
Jeff Green (see photos) has been appointed chief financial officer and Gwen Loquercio controller of AirLiance Materials of Chicago. Green was manager of marketing and planning asset management for United Airlines, one of the AirLiance partners. Loquercio was accounting manager for AmeriKing Inc.
Robert M. Hall has been named senior vice president-business affairs/general counsel of DirecTV Inc., El Segundo, Calif. He succeeds Larry D. Hunter, who is now chairman of DirecTV Japan Management Inc. Hall was vice president/assistant general counsel of the Hughes Electronics Corp.
Rocco Tomanelli has been appointed airports director for the Delaware River and Bay Authority. He was senior research specialist for Europe for the Logicon Corp.
Political meddling in the air traffic control procedures at Australia's Sydney airport, aimed at more evenly distributing noise pollution, has significantly reduced safety margins, according to a just-released report by Australia's Bureau of Air Safety Investigation.
TAP Air Portugal is expected to suspend its twice-weekly Airbus A340 services from Lisbon to the Portuguese enclave of Macau next to China as of Oct. 26. High overhead costs make the route unprofitable, despite passenger loads that normally average more than 70%. TAP began operating the routes two years ago and was due to hand them over to the Chinese-led regional, Air Macau, next April. Yet, as a Macau airport official noted, TAP's own restrictive financial structure prohibited the routes from becoming profitable.
GEC is targeting the rapidly expanding airline market for head-up displays with an advanced, lightweight unit based on its military head-up display technology. A prototype is scheduled to fly this month in a Boeing 737-200 transport testbed from Mojave, Calif.
Michael DeWalt has been named chief scientist for aviation systems for Certification Services Inc. of Seattle. He was FAA national resource specialist for aircraft computer software.
Kayser-Threde has handed over Maqsat 3, a dummy satellite that will replace Eutelsat W1 on the third and final Ariane 5 qualification flight. W1 was destroyed by fire in May, and it was not possible to reschedule another commercial payload for the flight. The mission also will carry an experimental reentry vehicle, the ARD.
The Hydraulic Mini Jack features 5 tons of force but is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand. It can be used as a jack or spreader and can turn a mechanical gear puller into a hydraulic one. The jack weighs 4.2 lb. and has a retracted height of 2.56 in. The base diameter is 215/16 in. The 97/16-in. jacking handle operates in line with the base for easier use in confined spaces. SPX Power Team, 2121 W. Bridge St., P.O. Box 993, Owatonna, Minn. 55060-0993.
