NASA engineers dropped a prototype aircraft designed to operate in the thin atmosphere of Mars from a helium balloon at 103,000 ft. in an Aug. 9 test of its aerodynamic performance. Researchers said it appeared that the unpowered prototype met its test objectives. A powered airplane is under study as a way to tele-explore large areas of the red planet.
NASA HAS SELECTED EMBRY-RIDDLE Aeronautical University as the winner of the National General Aviation Design Competition sponsored by the agency, FAA and U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The university's team was chosen for its cooperative work with SMA of France to install its SR305 turbocharged four-cylinder, 230-hp. diesel engine into a Cessna 182 Skylane. The SR305, which burns JetA1 fuel, already is certified in Europe. The modification is scheduled to receive FAA approval late this year.
SMITHS AEROSPACE WILL SUPPLY THE U.K. MINISTRY OF DEFENSE with its generic health and usage monitoring systems (GenHUMS), for the Royal Navy's 90 Sikorsky Sea King helicopters. The system incorporates an integrated cockpit voice-and-flight data recorder with a health and usage monitor in a single box. It provides continuous checks of the performance of safety-critical components--such as engines, transmissions, bearings and rotors--and provides advance warning of potential equipment failures.
Regaining investor confidence after it's been shaken usually is an uphill climb for a management team, requiring successive quarters of painstaking work to deliver on promises to meet certain financial and operational goals.
CAE and Agusta have formed Rotorsim--a consortium focusing on helicopter simulation and training solutions worldwide for operators of AgustaWestland aircraft. CAE and Agusta own equal shares of Rotorsim. Westland, Agusta and CAE already are teamed with EHI, Boeing and Bell Helicopter Textron in competition for Canada's Maritime Helicopter Program, offering the EH 101 Cormorant. In related news, MD Helicopters Inc.
A Lockheed Martin/International Launch Services Atlas IIAS is scheduled to launch a National Reconnaissance Office payload into polar orbit from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., Aug. 25. The mission will be the first Atlas-Centaur to carry an NRO payload from Vandenberg, indicating the launch of a new class of spacecraft. Another Atlas IIAS fired from Cape Canaveral is set to orbit another secret NRO mission in late September or early October--only the second Atlas-Centaur to be used by NRO from the Cape.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL HAS RECEIVED FAA LEVEL D qualification for its new Cessna Citation CJ2 full flight simulator (FFS) installed at the company's Wichita, Kan., Cessna Learning Center. The center began operating a Citation CJ1 FFS earlier this year. In addition, the first FFS for Raytheon Aircraft Co.'s Premier I entry-level business jet has received Level C approval and is operating at FlightSafety's Raytheon Learning Center. Level D qualification is scheduled to occur after data from additional flight testing is received, according to the company.
Robert S. Sullivan has become chairman of Stewart&Stevenson Services Inc. of Houston. He succeeds C. Jim Stewart, 2nd, who has retired. Sullivan is dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.
Bing Lantis has become president of the Lancair Co., Bend, Ore. He was head of the Lancair Sales and Service Centers and is a former CEO of Mooney Aircraft.
British Airways, according to industry sources, is evaluating the fate of its loss-making German subsidiary Deutsche BA and could reach a decision to sell or close down the operation as early as September. Deutsche BA's (DBA's) Chief Executive Officer Adrian Hunt said that BA has asked DBA to improve its performance, and added that DBA is working diligently to make ``steady progress'' in achieving this end.
The military aerospace realignment set in motion by the Russian government is likely to drastically alter the industrial landscape here, causing long-established companies to fade as new powerhouses try to emerge.
Air France has agreed to take the lead in new efforts to save ailing Air Afrique. The French flag carrier is expected to define a new strategy for the multinational airline quickly.
Translation Technologies Inc. will introduce an advanced computer-aided design translation tool late this month. Called Acc-u-Trans Interoperability Engine, the software was created to allow design teams operating in SDRC I-DEAS, Pro/Engineer, Catia or Unigraphics to share files without data dropouts. Assuring translation fidelity by having to manually correct files from another CAD system is one of the industry's biggest headaches because it adds time and cost. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Johnson Controls and Goodrich Sensor Systems are among TTI's customers.
Germany's Thielert Aircraft Engines has selected Superior Air Parts as exclusive sales representative for the TAE 110 and 125 Jet A Piston aircraft engines.
Boulder, Colo.-based SimAuthor is working with United Airlines to standardize the way the airline's instructors rate line pilots during simulator sessions. SimAuthor officials say United purchased eight of the company's FlightViz systems, one for each type of aircraft in the fleet, to create three-dimensional visualizations of normal and abnormal flight segments recorded in the carrier's full-motion simulators. The simulator playbacks will then be used as part of instructor training sessions to help define a uniform performance rating system.
IERC's line of adhesive-backed peel and stick heat sinks are designed for use with BGAs, PGAs, PLCCs, QFPs, CSPs, uBGAs, flatpack packages and cooling applications with limited clip space. Highlighted features include reduced assembly costs; no adhesives or greases required; good mechanical bond; thermally optimized pin fin; omnidirectional; adhesive shear strength at 100C is 36 psi. IERC also designs and manufactures a broad line of extruded, stamped and machined heat sinks for server, instrumentation, telecommunication and military/aerospace applications.
Triumph Group Inc. has been awarded a 10-year agreement with a five-year option to support American Airlines' in-house parts repair protocol and maintenance for the Honeywell GTCP131-9B APU.
Michael Pley has been named president of Com Dev Space, Cambridge, Ontario. He succeeds John Keating, who has been promoted to chief operating officer. Pley was vice president-space programs.
Stormy T. W. Hicks has been appointed president of the Fluid Handling Systems Group of ITT Industries, Auburn Hills, Mich. He was vice president/general manager of the Aeroquip Fluid Connectors and Industrial Plastics Divs. of the Eaton Corp.
This 14-gauge, 430-stainless steel thick film conduction heater is designed for clamp-on applications and offers temperature uniformity, good heat transfer capabilities, high-performance functionality and low-profile design. The heaters can be applied in areas where conventional devices cannot be used because of limited voltage and wattage combinations. They are supplied as a multi-part assembly consisting of a heater, mica insulator, clamping plate and mounting hardware.
Air traffic controllers' nighttime situational awareness, takeoff clearance terminology and risks of misunderstanding bilingual radio trans- missions are being investigated by French civil aviation authorities. The need to scrutinize such key flight safety topics results from a runway incursion incident last year at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. The BEA French accident investigation bureau, which recently completed its report, determined that air traffic control (ATC) confusion played a critical role in the incident.
The Sentry A-Series Model B035 belt-driven precision spindles is designed for boring, drilling and milling applications in the aerospace, automotive, die/mold and general metal-cutting industries. The Model B035 spindle features dual 35-mm. angular contact front ball bearings for high rigidity and a 30-mm. rear cylindrical roller bearing. Front and rear labyrinth seals are standard, but contact seals are available, and a standard keyway is in the housing. Standard jackscrew holes are provided on both sides of the block housing for precise control of the centerline.
Boeing is providing use of its software outside of its own business. In an agreement with Fokker Services, Boeing will adapt its Portable Maintenance Aid (PMA) software for use by engineering and maintenance staff supporting the 1,200 Fokker aircraft around the world. PMA is a library of drawings, diagnostic methods, parts catalogs and other technical information on several compact disks that can be used in a mechanic's laptop computer (AW&ST Apr. 2, p. 102).
Twice as large as the previous year's edition, this catalog from United Electronic Industries reflects growth in the firm's product line to encompass all areas of data-acquisition hardware, signal conditioning and support software as needed in today's demanding test environments. The full-color catalog consists of several main sections, reflecting UEI's product families: multifunction cards with analog I/O and digital I/O as well as simultaneous sampling; analog output cards; digital I/O cards; signal conditioning; and software.
