Capitalizing on the flexibility brought by defense acquisition reform, the U.S. Air Force has taken a new approach to maintaining its small fleet of B-2 bombers, by teaming the aircraft's manufacturer with a government depot.
Two models of polishing machines for the aircraft industry are offered: fuselage and leading edge machines. One mechanic using an Aeroshine machine can polish four times faster than with any hand-held polisher. The machines carry the weight of the buffing heads, yet allow operators to polish with their own techniques. The fuselage machine can polish 8 sq. ft. at a time. The leading edge machine has a smaller work area and can be fitted with an 8- or 10-in. drum.
The following items were contributed by James R. Asker and Michael A. Taverna from the 51st International Astronautical Congress, which was held in Rio de Janeiro last week.
New York LaGuardia Airport's recent moratorium on the influx of hundreds of regional services highlights industry's need for post-Air-21 guidelines and raises the question: Who has final authority over airline-scheduling-versus-airport-capacity decisions?
Etrema has a patent for actuation systems that can simultaneously sense conditions and adjust output for optimum performance. The multimode systems use solid-state actuator technology that provide high sensitivity signals in response to external forces and react with high drive force. The sensing and adjustment capability allows for rapid response and simplified electronic control. Uses include reduction of active vibration and noise.
Sales of automated machine tools designed to mass-produce composite aircraft parts are rising steadily, reflecting a growing acceptance of composite technology as manufacturers move beyond the hobby-shop phase when composite parts were made in small lots using hand-layup techniques, according to an executive with the world's largest manufacturer of automated composite tools.
Look for NASA to start sending more people off to graduate work. Administrator Daniel Goldin thinks the agency has let its once-tight relations with academia slide in recent years. Top talent was considered too essential to spare, and mere mortals were told money was lacking for graduate training. Now NASA is having the same troubles as the industry attracting and keeping young technical whizzes. Goldin demurred when managers suggested he ask Congress for more money. ``I took 'em and shook 'em upside down.
Frisco, Tex.-based Beal Aerospace Technologies Inc., a start-up company developing the BA-2 expendable launch vehicle, has furloughed about 80 employees as part of an effort to refocus on design and development of the heavy-lift booster's first-stage BA-4100 rocket engine and the vehicle's fuel tanks. According to a company official, most of the workers were involved in shop floor and engineering jobs. A key group of 70 engineers, however, has been retained to continue development of the BA-2 during the next 18-24 months.
Sales of new business jets compared with turboprop-powered aircraft are projected to increase in the near-term, according to a study by CIT Equipment Financing, which specializes in aircraft financing within the aerospace industry. The study found that 3.4 jets are sold for every turboprop. About 430 business jets will be sold this year with another 450 sales anticipated next year.
The user-friendly Windows-based Labacus Innovator software package has a unique label-build ``wizard'' to produce sequential labels in minutes. It also has a powerful auto sequence builder that will run any number of sequences on the same job and can be easily fine-tuned to adjust text position prior to printing. Labels can be customized with the user's choice of fonts and logos. The software prompts the user at every stage.
Jefferson Hofgard has become Washington-based director of international export policy and strategy for Boeing. He was director for international policy for Boeing Space and Communications.
Brian F. Walters (see photo) has been named director of F-2 development programs for Lockheed Martin Sanders, Nashua, N.H. He has succeeded Bob Gosselin, who has retired. Walters was head of the F-22 electronic warfare integration and test team.
The pool of qualified, experienced professional pilots in the U.S. is beginning to shrink, forcing an increasing number of flight departments and charter operators to rethink salaries and work schedules to not only attract but retain qualified cockpit crewmembers.
The U.K. government's plan to largely privatize National Air Traffic Services (NATS) drew fewer bids than expected, with several major aerospace companies passing up the opportunity to take a leading role in the project. The Dept. of the Environment, Transport and Regions received bids from four companies and consortia for a 46% stake in NATS, which is to be privatized next year. More than nine groups had previously registered interest. The bidders are: -- Raytheon Systems Ltd.
The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Assn. and the U.S.'s two direct broadcast satellite television providers--DirecTV and EchoStar Communications--have filed suit in Federal District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia in response to a new federal law. Beginning on Jan.
The U.S. Air Force is flight testing a new magnetic radar-absorbing material (RAM) designed to significantly reduce the time and effort required to maintain a B-2 bomber's stealthy surfaces. If the RAM meets expectations, it would be applied to the 20 operational aircraft during scheduled depot maintenance periods over the next seven years. Flight evaluations are being conducted at Edwards AFB, Calif., on AV-3, the only B-2 dedicated to testing upgrades destined for the entire stealth-bomber fleet.
China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) could make the Hong Kong International Airport the principal cargo center for China, or diminish its role as a result of stepped up airport improvement programs taking place on the mainland. Regardless, the ramifications of China joining the WTO ``will be felt around the world as its biggest potential consumer market gradually opens to global business,'' said Victor Fung, chairman of Hong Kong's Airport Authority.
Dave Collogan, Washington correspondent for Aviation Week's Business and Commercial Aviation, is scheduled to receive the 2000 Gold Wing Award for Journalism Excellence at this year's annual meeting and convention of the National Business Aviation Assn., for his series of articles on fractional ownership.
Thai Airways International is proposing its second international fare increase this year, mainly on European and U.S. routes. The airline, which raised international fares by 7%, and domestic fares by 13% earlier this year, blames surging fuel prices --up 43% since January--for the increase. The amount of the fare raise is to be determined following approval of the airline's proposal by Thailand's Ministry of Transport and Communications.
There were 47,893 delays in the U.S. air traffic control system in August--a 7.8% increase compared to July and a 28.8% increase compared to August 1999, according to the FAA. The nation's 553 control tower airports handled 14,911,621 operations, an increase of only 0.5% compared to August 1999, and a 2.2% increase over July 2000. Weather accounted for 33,339 delays, a slight decrease from July but up 27.4% from the same month last year.
PanAmSat is operating its Galaxy VIII-i satellite on backup chemical thrusters after both primary and backup xenon ion station-keeping thruster pairs stopped operating in August, and could lose 10 years of life if the ion thrusters can't be fixed.
Japan's National Space Development Agency plans additional test firings this year of the LE-7 engine blamed for the failure of an evolved H-II rocket, and will place a dummy payload on the first H-IIA, set for launch next February.
Several factors influenced Singapore Airlines' $8.6-billion decision to buy the Airbus A3XX over the Boeing 747X--massive discounts by the manufacturer, and SIA's request for bulk order pricing among them--and the buy may entice more carriers in the Asia-Pacific region into the Very Large Aircraft web and begin changing the profile of the world fleet.
Clarex nonglare optical quality acrylic sheets, specially formulated to minimize glare and reflection on display panels, have a very fine etching on the surface that virtually eliminate light reflection, enhancing the clarity of letters, numbers and images on LCDs, CRTs, LEDs, ELs, PDPs and VFDs. Cast in a lightweight acrylic and available in a range of thicknesses from 0.2-5.0mm, the sheets offer excellent optical, impact and weatherability characteristics.
