THE TECHNICAL RESEARCH and Development Institute of Japan's Defense Agency next year will assemble a prototype advanced rotor system for the Japanese Navy's Sikorsky/Mitsubishi SH-60J shipboard antisubmarine helicopter. The work continues research begun last year. The new system will have all-composite blades with redesigned cross-sections, planforms and tips. A full-scale version will be tested in 1996-97. The new rotor is predicted to have 5% better hovering efficiency and 30% less vibration compared to current equipment.
Atlantis' retrieval of the German Crista-Spas satellite proved the utility of the rendezvous approach that NASA officials now plan to use for all of the planned dockings with Russia's Mir space station.
SWITZERLAND WILL BUY the ITT/Westinghouse ALQ-165 airborne self-protection jammer (ASPJ) for use on Swiss F/A-18s. Finland also opted recently to outfit its F/A-18s with the same system, which originally was developed for use on U.S. Navy F/A-18C/D aircraft (AW&ST Oct. 10, p. 19).
FalconJet, Teterboro, N.J., has named Dennis Braner vice president-industrial operations at its Little Rock, Ark., facility. He was vice president/general manager of Midcoast Aviation's Little Rock facility.
The Russian design bureau that developed highly automated launch pads for Zenith and Tsyklon boosters is being sought by the U.S. to modernize America's aging space lift infrastructure.
The Hastings Model 2000 solid-state vacuum sensor uses a small, rugged thin-film microelectronic sensing element with a highly accurate output signal to 10 -5 Torr. It combines silicon-based semiconductor and thermal conductivity vacuum measurement. The sensor occupies less than 1 cu. centimeter in a stainless steel housing. Teledyne Brown Engineering, Hastings Instruments, 804 Newcombe Ave., Hampton, Va. 23669.
The troubled Italian flag carrier Alitalia is acting to slash costs and implement a stringent recovery plan while preparing a new strategy that will include a revised fleet plan. Alitalia posted $126.1-million losses for the first half of the year. This figure includes $29 million tied to the social cost of 746 job cuts, officials noted. The total workforce is to be cut by 1,570 employees.
AAR Allen Aircraft, Elk Grove Village, Ill., has named Mike Ellis vice president-rotable leasing. He was a member of the board of FLS Aerospace, Ltd., and its predecessor, Dan-Air Services, Ltd.
Farewell, Darkness, A Veteran's Triumph Over Combat Trauma by Ron Zaczek is the memoir of a helicopter crew chief with Marine Observation Sqdn. 3 in Vietnam. The author flew 393 missions in medevac helicopters and gunships between 1966-68, winning 19 Air Medals and a Bronze Star. It recounts his conquering of post traumatic stress disorder. Naval Institute Press, 2062 Generals Highway, Annapolis, Md. 21401.
Baltic International, USA, of Houston has appointed Tom Glenister (see photo) aviation group president. He oversaw business development at Northwest Airlines.
Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Titov (center) familiarizes himself with the Spacehab module during a visit with his crewmates to Spacehab Industries, Inc.'s facility here. The module will be carried on Titov's shuttle flight, NASA Mission 63, next February. The company has added two windows to the module's upper surface to increase visibility during the first rendezvous with Russia's Mir space station. Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev (left), who flew in February on shuttle Mission 60, is Titov's backup.
McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems is gauging market reaction to a proposed stretch version of its MD 520N, dubbed the 630N, which would compete in the large cabin segment of the light, single-turbine helicopter market.
Volara is a fine-celled, irradiation crosslinked polyolefin foam with high-performance mechanical properties. It provides cushioning, insulating, chemical and moisture-resistant qualities. Volextra has the same properties with a wide range of extrusion-coated surfaces. Minicel is similar chemically but has a smooth appearance and a firm feel. It is suited for applications where a thicker foam is required. Voltek Div. of Sekisui America Corp., 100 Shepard St., Lawrence, Mass. 01843.
NASA'S SPACE FLIGHT CHIEF, Jeremiah W. (Jed) Pearson, stunned the troops at the space agency by announcing his resignation. Administrator Daniel S. Goldin immediately replaced Pearson with Wayne Littles, currently NASA's chief engineer and a veteran of Marshall Space Flight Center where he had risen to deputy director. Pearson, a former U.S. Marine Corps major general, has been responsible for the space shuttle and space station for two-and-a-half years. Pearson led the squeeze on shuttle operations costs but is said to have resisted pressures for further cuts.
The U.S. Air Force's Special Operations Command last week rolled out its new AC-130U Spectre gunship, the first of 13 of the all-weather, precision firing platforms that Rockwell International is to deliver to the command by next fall. The command, based at Hurlburt Field, Fla., is performing final checkout and crew preparation for the four aircraft delivered so far. A retrofit of the Lockheed C-130, the aircraft is a ``sorely needed air-to-ground attack aircraft,'' Maj. Gen. James L. Hobson, Jr., head of the Special Operations Command, said.
Certification of an ultra-large cabin transport carrying up to 800 passengers would be relatively routine except for use of special conditions to address unique or unusual features, according to a senior FAA official.
The ITC-M-Series of portable, automated riveters allow flexibility and many features of larger, stationary systems in about half the floor space. They can handle parts ranging from small clips to medium-size subassemblies. The miniriveters are available in single or dual-spindle versions and have throat depths of 12-18 in. An optional C-frame mounting allows the drill-riveter mechanism to tilt through 55 deg. Large parts with flanges attached at angles to the main part thus can be riveted in a flat position. The M-Series models operate on 110-v. a.c.
DELTA AIR LINES and the Air Line Pilots Assn. are preparing to begin talks on a new contract that officials of the carrier hope will help them cut annual operating expenses by $2 billion. Negotiators for the company and the pilots' union met last week to review and clarify the initial contract proposals they exchanged last month. The Master Executive Council of the ALPA chapter at Delta is to meet Dec. 1 in Dallas, following a series of ``road shows'' to brief rank-and-file pilots on the union's proposal. Formal talks are expected to begin shortly thereafter.
Twenty years after choosing aerospace as a bootstrap to a high-tech manufacturing future, Indonesia has rolled out its N250-100 turboprop to showcase its progress.
BOMBARDIER WILL CONTINUE its diversification into business jet flight training with its new Challenger 604, now in flight test. The Montreal-based company also may add training for its upcoming ultra-long-range Global Express executive jet. Bombardier already provides training for Canadair Regional Jet pilots and pilot ground school for the new CL-415 water-bomber in Montreal. The Regional Jet and Challenger 604 training will be conducted in the same facility but managed separately.
UNITED AIRLINES PLANS TO CHANGE the way it stores and distributes aircraft maintenance data, eliminating a mainframe computer that stored all the data in San Francisco. Instead, a client-server architecture will distribute digitized data around the world in CALS formats. The Defense Dept. established the Continuous Acquisition and Life-cycle Support (CALS) program to shift from paper to digital data 10 years ago. The United system, which will be the largest CALS use by any airline, will be demonstrated at the CALS Expo, Dec. 5-8, at Long Beach Convention Center.
SANDIA NATIONAL LABS of Albuquerque, N.M., is looking to market an acoustic microsensor technology it developed to monitor the physical properties of a fluid. Potential aerospace applications for the solid-state device, which is the size of a U.S. quarter, include monitoring jet fuel quality, detecting the onset of wing icing and determining the optimum time to change fluids such as engine oil, according to Steve Martin, manager of Sandia's Microsensor Research and Development Dept.
EXECUTIVES OF GROEN BROTHERS AVIATION of Salt Lake City expect to sign a joint venture with two Chinese aerospace entities for production of the Hawk 5, a five-seat gyroplane. Nanjing Light Aircraft Co., Inc.--which employs officers and engineers from the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics--and the Research Institute of Structural Aeronautical Composites will own 35% of the joint venture.
The FAA and aircraft manufacturers expect that tests of wake turbulence with current aircraft will enable them to predict the changes in aircraft separation and procedures required for the next generation of superjumbo jets.
The Mosaic Handbook for the X Window System comes bundled with Enhanced NSCA Mosaic for X Version 2.4 on CD-ROM. It is intended to help Unix users navigate the Internet and tap the resources of the World Wide Web. Similar books are available for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh users. Advanced users will learn how to customize screen elements, colors and fonts in the Mosaic interface. O'Reilly&Associates, 103 Morris St., Suite A, Sebastopol, Calif. 95472.
