A wing on Boeing's 777 transport static test demonstrator (right) is pulled more than 24 ft. from its normal stance during a full-scale destruct test earlier this month at Boeing's wide-body plant in Everett, Wash. (AW&ST Jan. 23, p. 29). About a 500,000-lb. force is being applied. The tests confirmed the wing meets its maximum design requirement of bearing 150% of the load experienced in the most extreme flight conditions. Boeing will use the data to determine wing capability and airframe growth potential.
The National Safety Foundation, Arlington, Va., has elected Carl W. Vogt, John K. Lauber and Edward R. Beauvais to its board of governors. Formerly chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, Vogt is now a senior partner in the Washington law firm of Fulbright&Jaworski. Lauber recently retired from the NTSB, where he was a research psychologist. Beauvais founded America West Airlines and was chairman/chief executive officer from 1981-92.
RESEARCHERS AT the Argonne (Ill.) National Laboratory are perfecting porous metal forms that enhance heat transfer when inserted in the coolant channels of liquid cooling systems. The simple, inexpensive and durable forms could aid design and manufacture of compact heat exchangers or be used where the coolant has low thermal conductivity, such as in cryogenic applications. Made from tightly wound, thin-mesh industrial copper fabrics, the geometry does not lend itself to vibration, and the forms can handle high heat loads and heat flux.
AIR CANADA PLANS TO BEGIN ITS FIRST SERVICE to the Middle East in late June, with twice nonstop weekly service from Toronto to Tel Aviv using 767-300ER aircraft. The two countries also are in the process of negotiating a free-trade agreement, which is expected to be concluded this spring.
The Nicolet MicroPro System is a compact, multi-channel data acquisition unit designed for use in remote locations or harsh environments. It features high-resolution digitizers, built-in signal conditioners and digital event channels. Data can be transmitted to a personal computer via twisted pair, fiber-optic cable or radio frequency. The system is designed to function under extreme heat, vibration and shock conditions. Electromagnetic shielding protects signals from high electromagnetic fields. Nicolet Instrument Technologies, 5225-4 Verona Road, Madison, Wis. 53711.
ICI Fiberite has promoted Carl W. Smith (see photos) to general manager in Tempe, Ariz., from plant manager in Greenville, Tex.; and Peter R. Ciriscioli to chief scientist from manager of technical services.
Tests conducted by Boeing engineers indicate the main rudder power control unit (PCU) on USAir Flight 427 was operating normally when the aircraft crashed. The PCU ``did what it was commanded to do,'' Paul Cline said. He is a hydraulics and flight control system engineer for the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group. Cline and other hydraulics experts were questioned at length here last week by officials of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) during public hearings into the cause of the accident.
The Royal Air Force will ship the new British Aerospace Rapier 2000 low-level air defense system to Germany this spring for a three-month trial with an RAF Regiment squadron. The advanced system, a joint purchase by the Royal Air Force and British army, has been in development since 1986 under a contract valued at more than 1.9 billion pounds (around $3 billion). It represents the largest-ever U.K. procurement program for a land-based system.
Primary Image P10 is a textured image generator that allows a personal computer to create three-dimensional images of a quality formerly reserved for supercomputers. Applications include simulation and training, and virtual reality. P10's scalable performance makes it suitable for use in systems ranging from low-resolution virtual reality helmets to multichannel display systems used in advanced simulators. The texturing allows true texture transparency for such objects as trees to enhance realism.
SHUTTLE BY UNITED on Feb. 8 will add 32 departures to flights in eight West Coast city pairs and start a new Shuttle route, San Francisco to Phoenix, with six flights a day. The expansion will bring the total Shuttle departures to 342 a day, up from 184 when the service was launched last October. United's Shuttle offers two-for-one companion fares and the carrier's first ticketless travel.
Martin Marietta Astronautics has transferred Atlas launch system engineering and program offices from San Diego to Denver over the past few months, consolidating much of the company's booster development and production. More than half of the approximately 550 former General Dynamics Space Systems Div. employees who accepted positions after Martin acquired the division have transferred to Denver. The rest will move this year. As a result, ``the centroid of the Atlas program is definitely in Denver now,'' a Martin Marietta official said.
Safety experts point to several recent transport accidents and serious incidents as dramatic examples of ``mode confusion'' that led to loss of aircraft control. All the events detailed here involved pitch-ups leading to deceleration and loss of control, but the circumstances differ. Most of the cases involve cable-controlled aircraft, and the fly-by-wire system does not appear to be a factor in the remaining case.
The U.K.-based Royal Aeronautical Society has awarded Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways, an Honorary Companionship Award for his leadership in launching and sustaining the airline. Prof. Colin J. Pennycuick, a research professor at the University of Bristol, also won an Honorary Companionship Award, for his contribution to the understanding of bird aerodynamics and flight control.
A Cosmos (SL-8) has launced into orbit the first U.S. satellite boosted by a Russian expendable launch vehicle. The low-Earth orbit commercial communications spacecraft also carries a U.S. Air Force space experiment. The small satellite is the first for Final Analysis, Inc., a Greenbelt, Md.-based company that hopes to have a 26-satellite system complete by the year 2000. It is also the first U.S. satellite to receive a Commerce Dept. export license to launch on a Russian expendable launch vehicle.
ITALIAN AEROSPACE underwriters declined the overture from International Space Brokers (ISB) to participate in the record $2-billion insurance package with Intelsat because they are concerned about China's participation in the pact (AW&ST Jan. 16, p. 24). Three of the seven Intelsat launches covered are to be on Chinese Long March 3B vehicles--a configuration that has not yet flown. ISB placed the bulk of the coverage with U.S., French, British and German underwriters.
The French government must establish an aggressive engine policy and launch civil-military dual programs to sustain a vital segment of the industry, according to Snecma officials.
U.S. aerospace/defense companies are posting strong earnings for 1994's fourth quarter and the full year, but analysts caution that such performance is not sustainable and 1995 may be the year when industry profits peak. Martin Marietta Corp., McDonnell Douglas Corp., Raytheon Co. and TRW, Inc., all reported record performances, although Raytheon's and TRW's profitability was driven by strong sales and income in their commercial businesses. Rockwell and Harris Corp. also showed strong earnings growth.
Aerospace officials have been told to prepare for further cuts in the defense industry base and military infrastructure, as well as altered priorities from the new Republican-controlled Congress. Paul Kaminski, the Pentagon's chief of acquisition and advanced technology for the last four months, said cost-cutting measures and the demand to slice overhead will likely reduce the defense industrial base by an additional 20% and the Defense Dept.'s infrastructure by another 11% over current plans.
To fully appreciate the financial impact that continued delays in the recovery of the commercial original equipment aircraft and refurbishment markets are having on aerospace suppliers, one need look no further than UNC, Inc., and BE Aerospace, Inc. In better times, both were high-fliers that appeared to have considerable earnings momentum. They also were widely touted for the upside potential in their stock price.
These three-lead, T-1-size light emitting diodes allow for two or three colors and simpler circuits. They are typically used as status indicators and require no more space than is normally used by a single-color LED. Each device contains two chips, each of a different primary color. When both are lit, they create a third color. The devices require 5-20 milliamps and a typical forward voltage of 2.1v. Lumex Opto/Components, Inc., 292 E. Hellen Road, Palatine, Ill. 60067.
These molded nylon cylindrical connectors are designed to be interchangeable with Mil-C-26482 metal connectors. The nylon items can mate with their metal counterparts and stand up to harsh environments. They are designed for use in flow meters, sensors, relays, test measurement and monitoring equipment, solenoid valves, hydraulic controls and other applications. They are designed to meet UL, CSA and NEMA standards. They have liquid-tight sealing capabilities and are impervious to fuel, oil and other petroleum-based fluids.
The U.S. Air Force has initiated plans to return to flight approximately 225 General Electric F110-129 engines grounded under a ``precautionary standdown'' issued earlier this month. The action was taken after the crash of an F110-129-powered USAF F-16C/D based at Spangdahlem, Germany (AW&ST Jan. 23, p. 29). Investigators are expected to link the aircraft loss to an engine fan that sustained foreign object damage. Tests of the fan involved in the incident are underway at GE's Evendale, Ohio, facilities.
