Boeing has begun installation of F-22 avionics systems and related ground test and mission simulation equipment at a dedicated Avionics Integration Laboratory here. Three test lines already are operational and preliminary equipment trials have begun, according to Bruce Ammerman, laboratory manager. Ground-based avionics integration for the F-22, the U.S. Air Force's next air superiority fighter, is set to begin in 1997, he said (AW&ST July 24, p. 38).
The U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratory plans to award a contract this week for up to five small satellites destined to carry high-risk, quick-reaction, space technology experiments through the end of the century.
A U.S. NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD regional director found cause to believe that Boeing failed to bargain in good faith by not supplying striking machinists with requested information on health care and subcontracting issues. The Seattle-based aerospace manufacturer disagreed with the finding and said it would welcome a public hearing on the subject. Late last week Boeing asked for a meeting with the bargaining team of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. No date, however, was set.
AIRBUS INDUSTRIE'S FLIGHT INCIDENT reporting system, established early this year, is showing signs of success, according to consortium officials. About 40 carriers, currently operating more than 700 Airbus transports, have agreed to participate. Flight crewmembers, trusting the system's confidentiality, voluntarily are reporting flight incidents that previously were not submitted to the manufacturer's flight training division and therefore could not produce any technical feedback.
THE AIR COMBAT COMMAND CHIEF, Gen. Joseph Ralston, widely considered a contender for next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, dismisses claims that disinformation passed on by CIA double agents led the U.S. to overspend on weapons. Ralston, who helped write requirements for the next-generation F-22, said, ``Intelligence input was a factor, but not the only factor.'' Ralston said technological breakthroughs by industry were more important to U.S. aircraft designs than either Soviet threats or Air Force analysis. ``There is this great theory . . .
U.S. Republican lawmakers are considering a deal that could cut $12 billion from promised defense increases--a key element in the party's Contract With America.
NASA has suspended the X-34 reusable winged booster effort because its industry partners, Orbital Sciences and Rockwell, are demanding that a Rocketdyne engine be used instead of the Russian powerplant first planned for the small launcher.
Dean Haehnel, manager of on-board communications for Northwest Airlines, has been elected president of the World Airline Entertainment Assn. for 1995-96.
Kaman Aerospace has completed a two month demonstration of two of its K-MAX helicopters for the U.S. Navy. Kaman was awarded a contract this summer to demonstrate the use of leased commercial helicopters to perform the vertical replenishment role for the service. The K-MAXs flew typical loads during shore and at-sea operations. Initial sea trials were held in early September and mid-October. Demonstrations included flights from the USNS Saturn and USNS Sirius and the aircraft carriers USS Enterprise and USS Theodore Roosevelt.
ALMOST A YEAR AFTER OPENING a new terminal and Colorado's longest civil runway, Colorado Springs Airport handled 91% more passengers in September than it did during the same month last year. A 53% growth in traffic for the first nine months of 1995 was fueled by increases at seven airlines. Three carriers--Northwest, Reno Air and Western Pacific--also started service there in 1995. Much of the traffic growth at Colorado Springs can be attributed to Western Pacific's low fares, which have drawn passengers from throughout the state.
Michael DuBose has been promoted to president from senior vice president/chief financial officer of Grimes Aerospace, Columbus, Ohio. He succeeds Paul E.L. Gralnick, who has resigned.
Robert M. Zedaker has been appointed chief financial officer and Jon L. Swartzentruber vice president-sales and marketing of Million Air, Reading, Pa. Zedaker was vice president/manager of commercial real estate for Meridian Bank, and Swartzentruber was a major accident investigator for the Air Line Pilots Assn. and major airline national air safety officer.
Forecasts for steady civil aviation growth in the Middle East and a pause in new military procurement pose different challenges for aerospace companies as they prepare for Dubai `95 (Nov. 12-16). The recent signing of a $6-billion order for U.S. transports by Saudi Arabia, delayed because of financing problems, is both indicative of the fiscal difficulties Middle East nations face and the vast potential for exporters. The following special report was prepared by London Bureau Chief John D.
John M. Klineberg has been named executive vice president-Globalstar programs for Space Systems/Loral of New York. He was director of the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
The opening of Macau's $1-billion airport and the debut of its first airline are being viewed as a couple of Davids against twin Goliaths, with Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific cast as the heavies. But Antonio Diogo Pinto says little Macau is not out to slay giants.
Robert M. Kuhn has been named president of Rockwell Graphic Systems, Seal Beach, Calif. He was president of Hamilton Standard, Windsor Locks, Conn. Kuhn succeeds Robert L. Swift, who is retiring.
Dryden Flight Research Center officials believe a pressure differential problem involving the laminar flow control test section installed on the wing of an F-16XL can be resolved through restrictions in the aircraft's flight envelope. The problem was detected on the first flight of the aircraft Oct. 13 (AW&ST Oct. 23, p. 42). The test series is expected to include 60-70 flights to demonstrate that laminar flow can be achieved over a large section of highly swept wing at supersonic speeds with only moderate suction levels.
A BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE SPINOFF may take the bounce out of future flights. Miniature, lightweight thin-film sensor technology has been developed that can be embedded directly in aircraft composite structure. As envisioned, the autonomous, piezo-electric sensors would be adapted to sense turbulence-induced changes in aircraft attitude and positioned at key locations in commercial and military transport airframes.
Japan's Defense Agency has made official the troop cuts it first discussed last spring, but the reductions will have little effect on aircraft acquisitions. One exception is expected to be in the Japanese navy's P-3C antisubmarine patrols. Final figures have not been set, but in budget discussions that began last February, the navy said it was expecting the P-3C inventory to drop from about 100 aircraft to 70-80 (AW&ST June 5, p. 26).
Lockheed Martin Corp., in a bid to capture a greater share of the world's commercial booster market, is developing a next-generation Atlas that is intended to become the core of a new family of expendable launch vehicles. The new rocket--called the Atlas 2AR--is in an advanced stage of development. Procurement of some long lead-time items started almost two years ago, and Lockheed Martin engineers have completed their review of the baseline configuration.
NASA officials have selected the bulk of the scientific instruments for two spacecraft that are to be launched to Mars late in the decade to study weather patterns and the planet's icy south pole. The Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter and the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander are to be launched on Med-Lite boosters in December, 1998, and January, 1999, respectively, as part of the space agency's 10-year series of missions to the planet.
FLIGHT VISION INC. HAS ADDED a velocity vector enhancement to its FV-2000 head-up display, which first was offered to corporate aviation customers last year at a $65,000 price. The new velocity vector projects a runway touchdown point, alerts pilots about speed deviations and indicates probable effects of wind shear on glidepath--features familiar to military pilots but new to corporate ones. The FV-2000 is FAA-certified on the Lear 55, Gulfstream 4, Citation 2, Raytheon Beechcraft King Airs and Bell 230 helicopter.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is exploring the possibility of making some of its reports available on the Internet, an idea with substantial potential for improving fight safety.
THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY ISN'T ALWAYS ABOUT CUTTHROAT COMPETITION. Denver International officials were busy mopping up after a blizzard that clobbered the new airport on Oct. 22-23, when MarkAir suddenly ceased operations, stranding at DIA a 13-year-old girl traveling alone. Then out of the chaos came a touch of human kindness. Airport security personnel voluntarily arranged for the girl's overnight lodging in Denver and brought her back to the airport the next morning.
