A shrinking global aerospace industry preoccupied with cost-cutting is forcing government, civil and private flight test organizations to make sweeping changes in how new aircraft and systems are developed.
Head-up Displays: Designing the Way Ahead by Richard L. Newman discusses the background and development of modern head-up displays while covering the hardware, software, interface and display criteria for current systems. It also outlines flight tasks to be used for evaluating HUDs and discusses their impact on flight training. The author, a consulting engineer and test pilot with more than 20 years experience, also reviews unresolved HUD issues and makes recommendations for further research. An appendix describes HUD formats.
GOES-J, the latest U.S. weather satellite, has reached geostationary orbit at 75 deg. W. Renamed Goes-9, the spacecraft should be fully operational later this year.
The air-to-air capabilities of the Thomson-CSF phased array radar for the Rafale continue to mature, but development of its air-to-ground modes has been delayed significantly. The Thomson-CSF RBE2 radar eventually is to perform complex air-to-air and air-to-ground functions simultaneously.
It was probably one of the most apologetic rating actions issued in recent memory. When asked to pass judgment on some $150-million worth of notes Alliant Techsystems used to buy Hercules Aerospace, debt-watcher Moody's Investor's Service earlier this year gave the paper a junk-bond grade--B2. The rating action was festooned with the now-familiar warnings about ``risks surrounding the gradual decline of the military market,'' and seemed to paint a grim picture of investors' chances.
David A. Hahn has been appointed senior vice president/general counsel of the Titan Corp., San Diego, Calif., and Stuart Browne director of Asia/Pacific sales for the systems group. Hahn was a partner in the law firm of Latham&Wilkins. Browne was vice president-Asia/Pacific for Satellite Technology Management Inc.
The flight test program for Sweden's JAS 39 Gripen multirole combat aircraft program is reaching its final stages at Saab Military Aircraft as deliveries of production aircraft are being stepped up.
The PM500LW series of precision linear stages is available in travel ranges of 100-400 mm. with standard bidirectional repeatability and minimum incremental motion of 0.1 micron and optional performance to 0.025 microns. The stages have double the travel and load of standard PM500 models and can support multi-axis stacks. Submicron trajectory flatness and straightness over 100 mm. of travel is provided, and the X-Y orthogonality of integrated stage assemblies surpasses 5 arcsec. A high-torque d.c. servo motor drives a high-precision leadscrew.
Edward Michael Bolen has been appointed senior vice president/general counsel of the General Aviation Manufacturers Assn., effective in July. He is legislative director/general counsel for U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R.-Kan.) and general counsel for the Senate Labor and Human Resource Committee.
ASTRONAUT NORMAN E. THAGARD has broken the 20-year record for U.S. spaceflight endurance, achieving his feat on a Russian spacecraft. Orbiting Earth as a member of Russia's Mir space station since Mar. 14, the veteran of four NASA shuttle flights became the record-holder at 0428 GMT, June 6. At that time, he surpassed the mark set on Feb. 8, 1974, when astronauts Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson and William R. Pogue returned to Earth after 84 days, 1 hr. 16 min. as the Skylab 4 crew. ``Keep on trucking,'' Gibson said in a congratulatory call to Thagard last week.
David L. Kohlman, a founder of Kohlman Systems Research Inc., Lawrence, Kan., and vice president/director of aeronautical engineering for Engineering Systems Inc. of Colorado Springs, has been named to the University of Kansas Aerospace Engineering Alumni Honor Roll.
The King Commercial Pilot Flight Test video course is a three-tape package in which an actual FAA examiner tests a student played by Martha King. The video begins with the paperwork, including a completed application, logs, pilot's certificate, medical certificate and test results. Then comes the oral exam, along with tips for taking your own. The viewer learns when to volunteer information and when not to. The final part is a full-length checkride. Views are shown from the pilot's perspective and other angles to provide a comprehensive picture of each maneuver.
Lynda Partner has been appointed vice president-business and service development and T. Kent Elliott vice president-sales and marketing of TMI Communications of Ottawa. Partner was head of marketing and customer service, and Elliott was vice president-sales and marketing of the Mitel Corp.
Boeing is leveraging advanced computerization and extensive preflight trials to efficiently conduct flight tests on complex new transports. Through May 30, Boeing's first 777 transport and its four sister flight test aircraft had accumulated approximately 2,000 flights and 3,800 hr. of flying with all three engine types. That compares with about 1,600 hr. each for the less complex 757 and 767 transports, which were certificated more than a decade ago.
Robert J. Vanaria has been appointed senior vice president-administration/chief financial officer of Greenwich Air Services Inc. of Miami. He was senior vice president/chief financial officer of Foamex International Inc.
The recently unveiled Tier 3 Minus drone opens a four-year experiment on the value of reasonably priced wide-area coverage and responsiveness in aerial reconnaissance, where military users are to be the judge of what best suits their needs. The Lockheed Martin/Boeing Tier 3- ``DarkStar'' is also testing new procurement strategies, where prototype development programs are freed from Defense Dept. acquisition regulations in an attempt to form a closer industry-government relationship.
The Discovery Torq-Cut 22 vertical machining center is capable of handling big, heavy cuts such as a 1-in. NPT pipe tap in mild steel. Large 40-taper tooling is accommodated on a bi-directional, 22-station tool changer. A two-speed transmission allows the 7.5-hp. a.c. spindle drive to provide 125 ft.-lb. of torque and spindle speeds of 25-7,500 rpm. The machine's DX-32 control allows fast part programming. The 45 X 16 in. table runs on linear recirculating bearings and provides stability for parts up to 750 lb. Bridgeport Machines Inc., 500 Lindley St., Bridgeport, Conn.
Jetstream Aircraft has modified its current flight test program on its 30-passenger regional aircraft to meet specific needs of individual customers. The subsidiary of British Aerospace has had no new aircraft in the development pipeline after introducing the Jetstream 41 in 1992. Instead, it is expanding the market acceptance of the Jetstream 41 by increasing its performance.
