The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics has named Ronald L. Sheffield to receive its 1994 Aerospace Maintenance Award. He is extravehicular activity mission planning and servicing manager for Lockheed Technical Operations Co. James A. Westphal, professor of planetary science at the California Institute of Technology and director of the Palomar Observatory, has received AIAA's 1994 Space Science Award. And, Col. Harold H. Heimple, of the Joint Program Office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, has won AIAA's C3I Award.
Air Methods Corp., Denver, has named Kevin D. Andrew chief financial officer. Previously director of finance and accounting, he remains corporate secretary and treasurer.
AMR Corp. of Dallas has appointed Thomas M. Cook special consultant to Chairman Robert Crandall. Previously president of AMR's Sabre Decision Technologies unit, Cook is succeeded by Terrell B. Jones, who was president of Sabre's Computer Services.
The FAA has closed an investigation into the electrical bonding techniques used on General Electric engines, finding the company is fully in compliance with FAA certification requirements and quality assurance procedures.
Electro Optical Industries, Santa Barbara, Calif., has appointed Bruce Malcolm (see photo) president/chief executive officer. He was general manager of Beechpower, Inc., and program manager for the Beech Starship program.
U.K. AIRLINES EXPECT THE NEW EUROSTAR passenger rail service between London and Paris using the Channel Tunnel to reduce their passenger loads over time by 15-20%. Eurostar currently operates two daily round-trip trains on London-Paris and London-Brussels routes. On Jan. 23, service to and from Paris will double, while London-Brussels round trips will increase to three a day.
REPORTS OF THE SALE of U.S.-developed fighter technology by Israel to China were expected to be on Perry's agenda as he left late last week on a trip to Israel, Egypt, Pakistan and India. Perry said he had seen, but could not confirm the accuracy of, the reports indicating that the Chinese are developing a new fighter employing technology from the abandoned U.S.-Israeli Lavi program.
FAA officials expect to decide this week whether installation of new wing deicers on ATR aircraft provides justification to modify or rescind an airworthiness directive prohibiting flight by these aircraft in icing conditions. The directive, which was issued Dec. 9, effectively canceled winter flight operations by ATR42/72 aircraft, and forced regional operators to shift their fleets to warmer climates in the southern U.S. (AW&ST Jan. 2, p. 31).
THE FIRST FREE-FLIGHT of an AGM-154A Joint Stand-Off Weapon was conducted successfully by the U.S. Navy last month at the China Lake test range. The weapon, built by Texas Instruments, was launched from an F/A-18C at an altitude of 5,000 ft. MSL and flew more than 13 mi. The first JSOW flight test in the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the program, it verified safe separation under active autopilot, wing deployment under dynamics and the flight termination system, and demonstrated INS accuracy.
Passenger traffic increased 5% in 1994 and freight traffic was up 12% overall as the world's air carriers recovered to more typical rates of growth than those experienced immediately following the Persian Gulf war.
Seeking relief from exacting environmental regulations, airlines and airports are pursuing new systems and materials that can detect and prevent ice contamination of aircraft without harming neighboring waters and wildlife. North American environmental regulators held off enforcing some rules on discharging controlled fluids into the environment to allow airlines and airports in recent years to implement and refine tougher standards for safe aircraft operations in icing conditions (AW&ST Oct. 5, 1992, p. 43).
Japan's Transport Ministry has proposed funding to expand Kansai International Airport, which opened last year, and initial work for an offshore airport at Nagoya.
AEROSPATIALE IS BEGINNING integration of the first stage for the initial Ariane 5 mission following delivery of the first 25-meter (82-ft.) Ariane-5 flight-qualified cryogenic oxygen/hydrogen tank from Cryospace. The tank manufacturer's production facilities are colocated with Aerospatiale's first-stage integration site at Les Mureaux, west of Paris. Four previous ground test first-stage tanks have been built by Cryospace, which is a joint venture between Aerospatiale and Air Liquide.
M-DOT, Inc., of Phoenix is building a flight weight prototype of an inexpensive turboprop drone engine under a contract with the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). The effort is one part of the Defense Dept.'s desire to move away from gasoline engines and standardize on the safer, kerosene-type fuels used by turbine and diesel engines. The turboprop is an alternative to several heavy-fuel engine schemes being developed for drone use.
Stricter FAA icing rules as well as economic and environmental concerns are spurring sales of ground and airborne anti-ice and deicing equipment. New technology also is driving sales, replacing 1950s-era systems and hardware. Challenges include convincing cash-strapped airlines and airports to upgrade infrequently used anti-ice and deicing equipment, which seldom wears out.
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY, Pasadena, Calif., is seeking collaborative partners or licensees for a novel fiber pad that permits conductive thermal and electrical transfer and stress relief at the joint of two dissimilar materials. Potential applications include metallurgically attaching thermoelectric converters between a heat source and heat sink. The pads, which consist of an array of millions of metal fibers sandwiched between two metallic face sheets, can operate in temperatures up to 1,970F, according to Vincent C. Truscello, SP-100 Space Reactor project manager.
These hermetically sealed, thin-film capacitors are designed for use in harsh environments. They are available in a wide range of capacitance, voltages, tolerances and dielectrics. Suitable applications include pulse discharge, signal filtering and precise sensor circuits. Elpac Components, 1562 Reynolds Ave., Irvine, Calif. 92714-5812.
John N. McMahon, president/chief executive officer of Lockheed Missiles&Space Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., has received NASA's Distinguished Public Service Medal.
Johnson Matthey, Plc., of London has named Geoff Wild president/director of its Electronics Div., based in Spokane, Wash. He was vice president/general manager of Johnson Matthey Electronics, which has appointed Jeff Edel business manager for its Photonic Materials Group. He remains business manager for Crystar Research, a wholly owned subsidiary.
Rockwell International Corp., Seal Beach, Calif., has appointed Robert R. Lind vice president-corporate development. He was managing director of Lehman Brothers in Los Angeles.
The Oct. 31, 1994, crash of a Simmons Airlines ATR72 outside Chicago reminded the air transport industry of the stark dangers of winter operations and how much has yet to be learned about taming them. The cause of that crash may not be determined for months. Evidence now indicates that, contrary to initial reports, the task will not be as simple as labeling the aircraft built by the French/Italian ATR consortium as one whose design leaves it particularly unstable in the presence of certain on-wing ice formations.
Kaman Corp. has made an unsolicited proposal to the U.S. Navy to develop and install four Magic Lantern LIDAR-based, antiship-mine detection systems on MH-53 Sea Dragons. The $25-million proposal, coupled with an additional $10-million proposal covering spares and logistics support, would give the Navy the capability for simultaneous deployment of at least two of the Magic Lantern-equipped helicopters in two separate theaters in wartime.
CONTINUING A TREND aimed at reducing Japanese reliance on U.S. defense technology, Japan's navy is studying development of a shipboard version of the new XAAM-4 radar-homing air-to-air missile to replace the Sea Sparrow currently in service. Mitsubishi Electric Co. (Melco), prime contractor of the XAAM-4, is to begin development of the missile early this year for the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, which is planning to procure more than 1,000. If approved, the shipboard version could add 500-1,000 missiles to the production run.
Federal Express Corp., Memphis, Tenn., has promoted Gilbert D. Mook to senior vice president-central support services from vice president-properties and facilities.
