Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War 2 by Graham White illuminates the historically significant technical developments that were incorporated into aircraft engines that made victory possible. Details of engines made by Rolls-Royce, Bristol, Napier, General Electric, Pratt&Whitney, Allison and Wright Aeronautical Corp. are discussed in the book. Society of Automotive Engineers Inc., Dept. 2786, Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, Pa. 15096-0001.
Jacques Bouhelier (see photo) has been appointed chairman/chief executive officer of Messier-Dowty. He succeeds Dominique Paris, who has become Messier-Dowty International's chief operating officer. Bouhelier was Snecma's corporate director of quality and information systems.
The Model 145A01 is a quartz combustion pressure sensor developed for use in precision thermodynamic analysis and peak pressure measurements. It can be used in combustion research applications in conventional and alternative fuel engines. Ground isolation protects the output signal from electrical interference. The welded stainless steel sensor operates uncooled to 600F, provides 1 picocoulomb/psi. and mounts in existing 3/8-24 or M10 X 1.0 threaded ports. Output is compatible with standard commercial charge amplifiers. PCB Piezotronics Inc., 3425 Walden Ave., Depew, N.Y.
The Clinton Administration's new defense budget further reduces spending on weapons, breaking the White House pledge of a year ago to begin increasing procurement in its Fiscal 1997 spending request.
FRENCH ENGINE MAKER SNECMA expects to have an increased-strength turbine rear frame for the double annular combustor-equipped version of the CFM56-5B engine available for installation in November. Cracked frames found on four CFM56-5B-powered Swissair Airbus Industrie A321s and on one of its CFM56-5B-powered A320s prompted the move. In the meantime, the airline has instituted frame inspections and is examining the frames at the completion of every 1,200 engine cycles--about every 6 mo.
Increased outsourcing by airlines and governments, escalating traffic growth and fleet upgrade programs are spurring modest growth in the global maintenance, repair and overhaul industry. In this special report, AVIATION WEEK&SPACE TECHNOLOGY presents an international analysis of the highly competitive MRO business and its important role in air transportation worldwide.
SpanFLASH markers are designed to make power lines visible to helicopters and small airplanes at night and in inclement weather. The flashing markers, available in 24 and 36-in. dia., flash a brilliant white light 15-30 times per min. They are designed for use on lines carrying 12,000-500,000 v. and at least 12 amps. A transformer in the marker picks up an induced current from the line and energizes the flash circuit, which relies on four tubes. The system draws 12 w. of power.
THE FAA PLANS TO CONDUCT TESTS IN APRIL of a soft ground-arresting system at its technical center near Atlantic City, N.J. The system, intended for use on runway overrun areas at major airports, uses precast cellular concrete that deforms under an aircraft's weight and helps it decelerate. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to spend $4.5 million to install five of the systems at its major airports such as John F. Kennedy International. The first arresting bed is scheduled to be built at JFK Runway 4R this year, according to the FAA.
David J. Evans has been appointed executive director of the Aerospace Corp.'s Aerospace Institute, El Segundo, Calif. He was principal director of the Office of Engineering and Technology Applications. Evans succeeds Arthur J. Schiewe, who has retired.
Lance C. Grace has been appointed executive director of the Office of Space Commercialization of the New Mexico Economic Development Dept. He is a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and was an experimental test pilot.
K. Salim Jahangir (see photo) has been appointed general manager in New York for Pakistan International Airlines. He was general manager for the Northwestern Province of Pakistan.
Trans World Airlines is sending a strong message to travel agencies: it's prepared to come down hard on businesses engaged in the unauthorized sale and marketing of certain discount tickets. The carrier last week terminated its agreements with three such agencies, although two were reinstated by week's end after the businesses agreed to fully comply with TWA's terms.
AIRBUS INDUSTRIE PLANS TO BEGIN a marketing effort to promote the Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), based on the A310 commercial transport. The proposed MRTT, powered by two General Electric CF6-80C2 or Pratt&Whitney PW4000 turbofans, will have two underwing refueling pods--or rear fuselage boom--and a reinforced main deck floor. MRTT feasibility studies were completed in the early 1990s, but Airbus had not made a strong marketing effort.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R.-Tex.) is proposing a sweeping overhaul of U.S. intelligence that would split the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and strip covert operations out of the CIA.
A strong economy and an increasingly healthy U.S. airline industry underpin an optimistic FAA forecast of expanding air travel and moderate aircraft purchases during the next dozen years. The forecast assumes there will be increased competition, especially from new entrants on short-haul routes; further airline progress in reducing unit costs; and a continuing decline in real yields, which are projected to drop by about 1.2% a year through 2007. At the same time, profits, which made a comeback last year, are projected to continue growing.
THE FORECASTS THE FAA UNVEILED LAST WEEK (see p. 30) had a dissenter. ValuJet Airlines vice president M. Ponder Harrison thinks the forecasts--especially for domestic travel--aren't upbeat enough. ``A doubling of domestic passenger traffic over the next few years is a distinct possibility,'' he told the 21st annual FAA aviation forecast conference here. The growth will come from new low-cost entrants, like the already profitable 21/2--year-old ValuJet, in a loose national low-fare transportation network, flanking the traditional airline system now in place.
Columbia's seven astronauts wrapped up more than a week of microgravity research and caught a last glimpse of their errant tethered satellite payload before preparing to return to Earth last week. Working in two shifts around the clock, the seven astronauts and researchers on the ground used four major experiments on support trusses in Columbia's payload bay to study the formation of solids and liquids in the near-absence of gravity.
John D. Hankammer has been named manager of customer service and maintenance operations of Atlantic Aviation's Aircraft Services Div., Wilmington, Del. He was chief of maintenance for the Mobil Oil Aviation Dept. in Washington.
Spectrum 500 and 500-LP air ambulance life support systems are designed for use in Learjet and Canadair Challenger business aircraft. The quick-change systems allow a cabin to be converted from a conventional passenger configuration to an air ambulance in 20 min. Learjet Inc., 1 Learjet Way, P.O. Box 7707, Wichita, Kan. 67277-7707.
Data from Japan's Defense Agency illustrate the extraordinary costs the country's military services pay for their aircraft--sometimes double U.S. rates. Japan will spend nearly $3.1 billion in fiscal 1996 (beginning Apr. 1) to acquire 55 aircraft for its three military services. With a base value of 104 yen to the dollar, the air force will have the lion's share of the budget, spending $2.145 billion to acquire 29 aircraft. The army will buy 14 aircraft for $368.9 million, and the navy, 12 aircraft for $561.2 million.
DELTA AIR LINES AND VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS intend to ask the U.S. Transportation Dept. for approval to add Washington to their existing code-sharing agreement, renewed last month for two years. Virgin will add Washington to its route map on June 26, with daily nonstop service from London Heathrow Airport, initially using an Airbus A340. Virgin's new Orlando (Fla.)-Manchester service, scheduled to begin May 17, will not be added to the Delta code-share agreement because of the primarily leisure-travel nature of the route.
The Micro-Tech screwdriver is designed for working on small parts. The handle is designed to provide optimum pressure control in watchmaker's, fingertip and full-palm grips. The top revolves freely in relation to the handle, allowing pressure to be exerted without impeding screwdriver rotation. The handle body features a grip designed for optimum torque transmission and handling accuracy. Facom Tools Inc., SK Hand Tool Corp., 3535 W. 47th St., Chicago, Ill. 60632.
