Carboloy, a part of Seco Tools AB, has introduced the new T250D drilling grade for high temperature alloys and severe stainless steels. Specially configured for use in the aerospace industry, T250D is designed for drilling difficult-to-machine alloys such as Inconel 718, 17-4PH stainless steel and 52 HRC hardened steel. With a high aluminum content, T250D features a newly developed coating that combines the high temperature stability and oxidation resistance of (Ti,Al)N. The new grade is expected to enhance the performance of Seco-Carboloy Perfomax drills.
European operators are extending fractional ownership and quasi-fractional ownership plans down to the single-engine turboprop level as the business aviation community continues to tailor joint ownership concepts to meet European requirements.
New Zealand's Ministry of Defense has accepted delivery of two SH-2G(NZ) Super Seasprite helicopters from Kaman Aerospace International Corp. The two aircraft represented initial delivery of an order for five helicopters for the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
The IDC HandiScope enhances a user's ability to observe tiny items of interest. The design utilizes the latest in optics and electronics technologies to make the HandiScope small and portable. The unit has applications in manufacturing, allowing for on-the-spot inspections of electronics boards and components, plating, chemical compounds and other items. The standard model is equipped with a 20X/50X selectable microscope lens, video output, video cable, image freeze capability and a power adapter.
Vagn Soerensen has been named CEO of Austrian Airlines. He succeeds Herbert Bammer and Mario Rehulka, who were co-CEOs. Soerensen was an executive with SAS.
Stephen A. Jamison (see photo) has become vice president/general manager of the Lexington, Mass.-based Infrared Imaging Systems unit of BAE Systems' Information and Electronic Warfare Systems.
U.S. cargo and parcel express operators faced even tougher security restrictions than passenger airlines as the carriers scrambled to return to full air service after the two-day flight embargo. Operators anticipated a strong volume of traffic swelled by the number of detained packages and freight that had not been transported by truck. UPS and FedEx ferried dozens of aircraft on Sept. 13 to prepare for a busy night of package sorting in Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn.
For longer than anyone can remember, the U.S. has been immune at home to the ravages of war and to terrorism on a large scale, save for the Oklahoma City bombing, which was perpetrated by an American. That innocence was shattered by the events of Sept. 11, with the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Americans realized there are organized terrorists abroad more than willing to use airliners with passengers on board as smart bombs.
Jeffrey T. Fisher, who has been vice president-finance and marketing for Delta Air Lines, has become vice president/chief financial officer for Delta Connection Inc. Anthony J. DiNota has been appointed vice president-maintenance and engineering for Delta subsidiary Atlantic Southeast Airlines. He was general manager for aircraft engines for Delta. Maureen Brady has been named managing director for the Delta Shuttle. She succeeds Carolyn Ezzell, who has been promoted to vice president-Atlantic Region.
These 3- and 6-cylinder units offer many features and benefits not found in other gas cylinder handling products. The polyethylene plastic stands will not scratch or mar cylinders, reducing maintenance costs. The molded Ultra-Cylinder stand carts are full height, allowing optional manifolds to be added to the stands to provide convenient manifolding of all of the cylinders. They can be forklifted and moved when full and use safety straps and molded-in cylinder stops to mechanically lock the bases of the cylinders in place.
Using a manufacturing cell concept to reduce lead time to manufacture its Master/Setco M series of hand wheel manual feed precision dovetail slides, the company has reduced shipment time from days to hours. They have 2-, 4-, 6- or 8-in. saddle widths, with a single axis, compound axis and vertical axis mounted slide. Standard M slides are equipped with an Acme leadscrew. As options, they can be fitted with a right angle hand feed, square 360-deg. swivel saddle adapter, manual saddle locks, crank or ratchet positioning handle.
Miguel Southwell has become assistant aviation director for business development of the Miami-Dade Aviation Dept. He was manager of marketing, public relations and customer service at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport.
Despite threats from top Defense Dept. civilians about leaking plans, military officials acknowledge that they are preparing for a protracted conflict that includes operations in Afghanistan. It would involve heavy use of airpower, special forces for raids and conventional troops for the establishment of armed bastions.
Air Canada recently announced plans to launch a comprehensive online travel site by year-end. Destina.ca's main target is the business traveler, but it aims to provide all types of customers one-stop, 24-hr. Internet access to a wide range of travel options, including shopping, reservation and information services. The move is in keeping with Air Canada's recent efforts to generate new revenues and ``e-enable'' the carrier (AW&ST Sept. 3, p. 84).
The U.S. Air Force last week lost a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle operating over Iraq. It is the second Predator suspected to have been shot down by Iraqi air defenses in the past few weeks. In recent months, Pentagon officials have been detecting that Iraqi air defenses are becoming more robust.
GE IAI Aviation Services International and Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. have received a maintenance contract from Southwest Airlines valued at more than $60 million. The seven-year contract covers seven DC-9 and four MD-80 aircraft.
Tnemec Co. has introduced StrataShield, a line of advanced floor coatings for processing, manufacturing and commercial facilities. The formulation utilizes a complex polyfunctional amine structure that offers contractors ease of application and extended durability, and is tested for resistance to chemicals, abrasion, scrapes and impact. The advanced chemistry of the material is a result of improved bonding of resins and hardeners within the molecular structure. It is designed for airport hangars, warehouses and manufacturing or processing facilities.
Richard P. Suess has been appointed chief of staff of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md. He was an assistant to the director for management and administration.
Fuel-filled jetliners now meet the federal criteria for weapons of mass destruction (WMD), normally associated with nuclear, biological or chemical threats, following the deadly attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. As the attack unfolded the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activated its command center here at ``Threat Level 1,'' specified when ``mass casualties'' have resulted from the use of a WMD.
The Memrecam fx high-speed video camcorders are fully self-contained, digital Hi-G systems capable of full-color image capture of up to 10,000 pps. with resolutions of up to 1,280 X 1,024 pixels. The family will initially have two models: the Memrecam 4,000, which includes a state-of-the-art CCD sensor with full frame resolution of up to 4,000 pps. and split-frame resolution up to 10,000 pps; and the Memrecam K3 that provides up to 1 280 X 1,024 pixel resolution at 1,000 pps. The Memrecam 4,000 offers up to 4 sec.
Karen Scott of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif., has received NASA's Silver Snoopy Award for her support to the space shuttle and International Space Station programs. The award is given to people who have enhanced the agency's goals for the human exploration and development of space. Scott was honored for her work to develop a window of the highest optical quality ever flown on a crewed spacecraft. This 20-in.-dia. window was installed on the Destiny laboratory module, which was attached to the ISS in February.
Honeywell signed an agreement with Colibrys SA, a Swiss micro-electromechanical systems manufacturer, to be the sole distributor of its MEMs accelerometer products in North America. Honeywell Inertial Sensors Products will be the sales and parts-stocking agent. The accelerometers will complement the Q-Flex line of accelerometers used for navigation in aviation and space markets, as well as the Accelerex RBA500 and SiMMA SA500 frequency-output accelerometers designed for the military tactical navigation market.
TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTOR'S SUBSIDIARY AEROSANCE has received an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate for installation of its PowerLink full authority digital engine control (Fadec) on Textron Lycoming 180-hp. O-360-series piston engines, which includes 28 different models. The Fadec uses a closed-loop system that monitors fuel flow to each cylinder and injects a precise amount of fuel using sensors prior to spark plug firing. More information is available at www.fadec.com.
This compact voice coil actuator is designed for applications requiring precision control and fast speeds of response for military, aviation and space systems. Model RA54-18-000A is a rotary voice coil actuator rated at 113 oz.-in. (0.8Nm) continue stall torque with a 300 oz.-in. (2.1Nm.) 10-sec. peak torque capability. It is suited for short-stroke, high-speed actuations. Offered as a two-terminal, non-commutated actuator, the RA54-18 has a linear, bidirectional control characteristic. It is cog free, hysteresis free and has no inherent preferred position.
Boeing Satellite Systems has received a U.S. patent for a new method of positioning optical star trackers on satellites, enabling extremely precise determination of spacecraft attitude. This technology helped BSS win a major U.S. government weather-satellite contract and meet the demanding design requirements for the Spaceway broadband satellite system being built at BSS.
