A REUSABLE CHECKLIST aimed at determining the risk of a controlled-flight-into-terrain (CFIT) accident is being distributed free of charge by the Flight Safety Foundation of Arlington, Va. The accident prevention tool is part of an ongoing, global campaign to reduce CFIT accidents, which killed more than 3,000 people in operations of Western-built transports from 1979-91. The preflight checklist assesses critical conditions at the intended destination as well as risk-multipliers and risk-reducing factors such as weather, company culture and flight crew training.
GEN. MIKE LOH, HEAD OF USAF'S AIR COMBAT COMMAND, has told Israeli officials that development of a fighter-mounted, kinetic-kill vehicle (KKV) for intercepting ballistic missiles soon after launch is now a low U.S. priority. KKV interceptors were to have been mounted on Air Force F-15s or Navy F-14s, while the Israelis have been pushing a stealthy unmanned aerial vehicle armed with a spinoff of Rafael's Python air-to-air missile (AW&ST June 13, p. 22).
BENEFITS OF COCKPIT RESOURCE management training are being transferred to maintenance teams. Now called Crew Resource Management, the training similarly emphasizes improved communications, situational awareness and assertiveness. The practice enhances maintenance crew safety, efficiency and teamwork. Other human factors changes aimed at reducing maintenance errors include better lighting and redesigning aircraft systems and repair procedures to make tasks and inspections easier and less mistake-prone.
Cellupac is a biodegradable packaging material made from recycled cellulose fiber. The material is flexible, light in weight and dampens vibration to cushion products and absorb shock. Vibration tests performed in accordance with ASTM D-4728 for 180 min. showed no label scuffing or container abrasion. The product did not settle in void fill tests meeting ASTM D-4169 that subjected Cellupac to vibration resonance dwell for 30 min. with an input acceleration of 0.5g. Cellupac is available in densities of 2.5-6 lb./cu. ft. in 0.5-3-in. rolls or sheets.
The U.S. Air Force has reset the Titan 4 launch of a Defense Support Program missile warning satellite for Dec. 16 after cleaning the $300-million payload that was twice contaminated on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Station.
Burns Aerospace Corp., Winston-Salem, N.C., has named Thomas G. Sayers vice president-materials. He was vice president-manufacturing operations for the Seating Products Div. of BE Aerospace.
As GPS receiver prices plummet and accuracy-enhancing techniques burgeon, innovators are using GPS to gain new capabilities for a wide range of applications. GPS is improving the precision of aerial surveys using laser terrain profiling, for instance, and it is the key to a new aircrew survival radio system for the U.S. military. In Switzerland, differential GPS and laser altimetry are being used to detect fluctuations in the height of glaciers that could presage climactic changes.
The SSC-100 solid-state long-wave ultraviolet lamp is designed for nondestructive testing. The 5.5-in.-dia. lamp head weighs 1.75 lb. but produces a steady-state 365-nanometer intensity of 4,000 microwatts per sq. cm. at 15 in. from its subject. It can be powered by standard a.c. lines up to 400 Hz. or by an inverter connected to a 12-v. battery. Visible light emission of less than 2 footcandles meets military and commercial specifications for fluorescent penetrant inspection and magnetic particle inspection. The light is available in 115-v. and 230-v. versions.
The Gemcor Lip Skin and Nacelle Fastening System, developed for the Shorts and Canadian Regional Jet nacelle program, installs rivets to join nacelle components such as doors, tailpipe fairings and complete nose cowls. The new device is being used at Short Brothers factory in Northern Ireland. It is adaptable for two-piece and blind fasteners and has a variable-speed drill spindle. It can drive through multiple material stacks of carbon fiber, Kevlar, titanium, stainless steel and aluminum. Gemcor, 785 Hertel Ave., Buffalo, N.Y. 14027.
Equitest is a Microsoft Windows-based program for setting up and maintaining a drug screening program that meets requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The system, developed by Redtop Software, Inc., of Cincinnati, can generate notices to pilots, mechanics, dispatchers, flight attendants and other safety-critical employees for preemployment, random, post-accident and for-cause testing. It also maintains a tamper-proof, encrypted copy of the historical file that lists the employees who have been screened for drug or alcohol use.
U.S. TRANSPORT MANUFACTURERS ARE WORKING with the Aerospace Medical Assn. to distribute updated information to doctors, advising when potential passengers have a medical condition that may be aggravated by flight. The information also could lead to a reduced number of passenger complaints about poor cabin air quality. An earlier request to update and distribute a 1961 American Medical Assn. publication on the subject was frustrated when the organization requested a one-time grant of about $30,000 to gather experts, hold discussions and prepare a report.
The Computer Tester Analyzer Controller family of embedded-system support tools now features a channel for real-time nonintrusive monitoring at up to 25 MHz. of all data transfers for Intel's i960 MM/MX superscaler microprocessor. It records updates for system input/output and up to 250 program variables without stealing cycles, injecting wait states or affecting software timing and sequencing. It features symbolic debugging, links to Ada tools and bus support for the i960. ITCN, 8571 Gander Creek Drive, Miamisburg, Ohio 45342.
The Model 7310 Series of 10-slot, rack-mount chassis enclosures is available in 112 customizable models. They feature PCI, EISA or ISA passive or active backplane bus structures. A variety of power supplies for a.c. or d.c. input and various output ratings are offered. They install in any 19-in. equipment rack and require as little as 20 in. of depth. Users can add indicator lights and switches to the front panel or replace the standard front panel door with one that locks. The drive cage provides shock mounting for three 5.25-in. devices and one 3.5-in. floppy drive.
NASA has named Alan Ladwig director of its Office of Policy and Plans at headquarters. He was senior policy advisor in NASA's Office of the Administrator.
These wire-wound resistance temperature detectors can operate over ranges of -425-2,000F. They feature resolution of 0.01F, response characteristics of 10 millisec. and resistance densities to 5,000 ohms. Their interchangeability and self-heating uniformity characteristics are superior to those of thin-film devices. Their resistance versus temperature relationship is extremely predictable. They are available in platinum, nickel, balco, copper and tungsten and can be encapsulated in Kapton or coated with ceramic glaze.
Development and implementation of Very Large Commercial Transports (VLCT) and New Large Aircraft (NLA) into world airline fleets by 2005 would, by necessity, involve airport designers and authorities as well as the usual airline input. Certain critical dimensions of the aircraft, such as wing span and fuselage length and height, may be dictated more by airport restraints than by airline economics, an Airports Council International official said.
MARTIN MARIETTA PLANS TO USE INTEL'S PARAGON supercomputers in its 2-D radar development. Martin Marietta Ocean and Radar Sensor Systems, Syracuse, will integrate two Paragon XP/E 12N supercomputers into its RANGERadar series of solid-state primary surveillance radars. The company goal is to use commercial off-the-shelf technology to produce a cost-effective S-band (2.7-2.9-GHz.) radar with a 60-mi. range for airport surveillance, coastal surveillance and gap-filler applications. Martin hopes to have a prototype operating early next spring.
A multimedia, computer-based interactive training program now is available for training workers in the safe operation of aerial work platforms. The program provides documentation of operator training in safe procedures. It meets American National Standards Institute/Scaffolding Industry Assn. A.92 training requirements. The self-paced system has eight modules covering different types of aerial work platforms, including telescoping booms and scissor lifts. The generic program contents are applicable to any manufacturer's equipment.
THE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-90 received FAA certification and production authorization Nov. 16. The twin-engine transport, powered by International Aero Engines V2500 turbofan powerplants each rated at 25,000-lb. takeoff thrust, seats 153 passengers in mixed-class accommodations. The first customer aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to Delta Air Lines in February and enter service shortly thereafter. McDonnell Douglas has 72 committed orders for the MD-90 with options for another 84.
Acampaign to save Boeing Sikorsky's RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program has gathered the support of at least 20 lawmakers, primarily Republicans, several of whom are slated to move into more powerful positions in the 104th Congress.
The HT/2800 rugged, hand-held terminal uses an integral radio frequency module to provide wireless, bidirectional communication in virtually any environment. The spread-spectrum RF module allows higher data rates than narrow-band RF and does not require users to hold a radio operator's license. The HT/2800 can be used up to 400 ft. from the host device's RF module. The terminal transmits in the 908-928 MHz. band and displays data on a four-line, 20-character supertwist liquid crystal display. It comes with either a sealed membrane or elastomeric keypad.
U.S. and Russian government and industry officials are hitting snags in negotiations aimed at merging human space flight activities, including a major one over the cornerstone of the international space station--the Salyut FGB ``space tug.'' Khrunichev Machine Building Enterprise is under a three-page letter contract with Lockheed Missiles&Space Co. (LMSC) and has begun to work on the Salyut FGB for the station, but has not won acceptance of its selling price of $245 million for the service module.
Recent studies indicate that a fleet of supersonic transports should have little negative effect on the Earth's protective ozone layer. Models of the atmosphere used to diverge widely when predicting the effects of an SST fleet. But recent atmospheric sampling flights, satellite observations and laboratory experiments have produced hard data that the models must agree with, and this has forced them to converge to a narrower, and SST-favorable, range of predictions.
