This electronic system provides high-precision measurement of aircraft refueling. It records time, gallons or pounds delivered as well as the fuel's density and temperature. It also logs the operator's identity, tail and flight number. Transactions are downloaded into a fuel management software and are simultaneously saved for backup. Contrec Systems believes this is the first time in commercial aviation that the system will allow truck drivers to give pilots a fuel weight/volume cross-check readout.
RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE in the U.K. say they are making progress on single electron transistors (SET), which can in principle be the basis for logic circuits and memory applications. Memory cells based on single or few electron devices will be necessary to advance to multi-giga-scale memories with high-speed operation, according to the researchers, who are working with SET devices fabricated conventionally in silicon on insulator material.
The U.S. Supreme Court ended a fee dispute between Los Angeles International Airport and airlines, which will result in LAX having to refund more than $100 million to the carriers.
The Deep II unmanned deep-sea surveyor has located a major portion of the first-stage LE-7 engine from the H-2 launcher that failed last November. Japan' s Space Development Agency said the part, located in a flat seabed 2,917 meters (9,567 ft.) beneath the surface, appears to be nearly the complete engine minus its nozzle skirt. NASDA will attempt to raise the full structure, which weighs about 1,000 kg. (2,200 lb.).
Ableluxtm AA50 single pack, photocurable adhesive is formulated to enhance productivity in the assembly of optical, fiber optic and optoelectronic devices. It cures in seconds when exposed to the appropriate intensity of visible (blue) or UV light. Adhesives may also be provided with a secondary thermal cure instability. It is well suited for LED mounting, laser diode packaging, fiber pigtailing and transceiver active alignment and potting. Ablestik, 20021 Susana Road, Rancho Dominguez, Calif. 90221.
Safety experts are working on techniques to help reduce accidents and crashes resulting from inappropriate crew response to powerplant system malfunctions. The high reliability of modern turbine engines and inability of full-flight simulators to accurately replicate the loud noise--which can be as dramatic as a shotgun blast 10 ft.
GE Capital Aviation Training and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. have signed an agreement to offer airlines commercial flight training at Hong Kong International Airport.
Eaton Aerospace has received a contract award to supply electrically locking cargo door actuators for 30 Airbus A3000F aircraft to be delivered to United Parcel Service, with an option for 30 additional aircraft.
The Pegasus by S.I.R.S. Navigation provides extremely accurate readings due to its fully integrated, 4-magnet correction facility. It is filled with silicone fluid to damp movement of the compass card, reducing the inaccuracies found in the usual liquid compasses. Pegasus uses metal bellows to compensate for expansion and contraction of the fluid caused by changes in temperature and altitude, providing long-term stability. It is highly visible in all lighting conditions and mounts in a standard 2.25-in. instrument hole. Lighting comes in 6, 12 or 28 volt illumination.
Up to 6,000 general aviation aircraft were grounded in eastern Australia last week because of a contamination of Mobil 100/130 aviation gas by ethylene di-amine. Mobil detected the problem Dec. 23 after an aircraft suffered an engine failure. The contamination first appeared as black deposits, which signaled a reaction of the ethylene diamine with copper in fuel system parts. Later, white and clear deposits were observed, a result of the contaminant reacting with carbon dioxide.
Boeing added five more sales to its commercial jet transport order book during the last week of December. Sales totals for the year now stand at 391. The new orders included a 757-200 to Turkmenistan Airlines, valued at $67 million. Airbus also announced additional orders for 1999 (see p. 425).
The cPRO3 is an extension of the Proteus family of embedded computers and was designed to facilitate customization for specific needs. It offers processor speeds up to 333 MHz., up to 128 MB of EDO DRAM, 515 kb. of Level 2 cache and up to 144 MB of Flash Disk-on-Chip. The board comes standard with rear panel COM ports and front panel mouse and keyboard ports. It uses an Award BIOS in Flas Rom to allow future BIOS upgrades to be programmed on site. The board is standard with rear panel COM ports and front panel mouse and keyboard ports.
Australian anti-monopoly watchdogs have warned Qantas and Air New Zealand they will investigate fare hikes now that an upstart carrier called K2000 has abandoned its attempt to compete against them on flights between Australia and New Zealand. K2000 officials say the two established carriers unfairly cut fares against them. Also to be noted will be whether Ansett and Qantas introduce extra-deep discount fares against Virgin Atlantic, which is expected to enter the Australian domestic market with a no-frills competitor in June.
In-Flight Icing by Porter J. Perkins and William J. Reike of the NASA Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is a 40-page paperback covering meteorological and operational factors involved with icing including the probability of encountering icing, ice shapes and types, tailplane stalls, recovery techniques and limitations of ice protection systems. Icing for Regional and Commuter Pilots is a 37-min. video geared to pilots of turboprop and other aircraft with deicing boots and highly sophisticated wings. Tailplane Icing is a 25-min.
U.S. national security officials got their first real taste of the new era of high-resolution commercial imagery last week when Space Imaging Inc. released detailed satellite pictures of a secretive North Korean missile complex.
After a three-year phase-in starting with its DC-9 pilots, Northwest Airlines is now using AD OPT's Altitude Pairing crew-pairing software for all of its 6,000 pilots and 11,000 flight attendants worldwide. ``It has more than met our expectations in terms of performance, and AD OPT's technical support has been excellent,'' said Jeff Putnam, director of Northwest Airlines' Crew Resources Dept. . . . The U.S. Army's Anniston Army Depot, a tank maintenance center, has chosen Computer Associates' Unicenter TNG to manage its information network.
The State Dept. has granted permission for the National Test Pilot School to provisionally continue its training of foreign military students, after telling the school to ``cease and desist'' such instruction in a Dec. 20 letter (AW&ST Jan. 10, p. 34). The letter halted a class of 17 students that had started Jan. 3.
Corr-Paint is a single part, aluminum rich, ceramic-silicone based coating for protecting steel components and structures used in aircraft applications up to 1,200F. It provides excellent adhesion to marginally prepared steel surfaces as well as exceptional high-temperature corrosion resistance. It is also resistant to many acids and solvents, and provides good thermal shock, salt spray and UV resistance. The paint is a water-dispersible, easy to apply and dries at room temperature, curing fully during operation at temperatures above 450F.
Uniscan Instruments has introduced two non-contact surface profiling, measurement and gauging instruments this month. The OSP500LM (shown) offers unique specification in surface metrology and is designed for applications where surface measurement at the micronic level is required over scan areas up to 500 X 500 mm. It uses precision linear motors to scan a laser displacement device over the surface to be measured at speeds of up to 1 meter per sec., collecting data at up to one sample per micrometer over the entire surface.
El Al has opted for Rolls-Royce Trent 895 engines to power the three Boeing 777-200ER aircraft for which it recently placed firm orders. The engine maker said the $75-million Trent order brought its share of the 777 market to 44%, with orders for more than 250 aircraft. Meanwhile, Israeli Finance and Transport Ministry officials are still reviewing the costs involved in the state-owned carrier's planned acquisition of up to three Airbus A330s.
The Modular Air-Stable is animal-friendly, with both fore and aft loading doors for walk-through access. This design reduces animal stress and emphasizes flat and smooth components--including fasteners and mechanisms--to ensure an injury-free ride for horses and other large live cargo. The stable has been STC approved by the FAA for use in all cargo aircraft using standard pallets. It weighs 518 lb. for a triple stable capable of handling three 1,300-lb. animals, and can be assembled in minutes. Aerofex Corp., Box 638, Manhattan Beach, Calif. 90267.
Dark Sky, Black Sea--Aircraft Carrier Night and All-Weather Operations by Charles H. Brown addresses a significant but often overlooked part of carrier history: the ability of carrier combat units to fly and fight at night in all weather. From the early experiments on the USS Langley in the 1920s to vivid battle descriptions of naval air combat during the Persian Gulf war, Brown, a veteran naval aviator, traces the changes in training, operational techniques and tactics.
Amid growing concern about rising fuel prices, Lufthansa Group reports that during the first half of 1999 its aircraft fleet used an average of 4.8 liters of fuel to fly one passenger 1 km.--a record in economy for the carrier. The most fuel efficient aircraft was the Boeing 757-300 operated by Condor, Lufthansa's tour/charter airline, which consumed 3.1 liters of fuel to transport one passenger 1 km.
The Mystery of Mars by former astronaut Sally Ride and Tam O'Shaughnessy is aimed for children ages 8-10. The book, richly illustrated with color and black and white photos, describes the study of Mars from its initial discovery and Giovanni Schiaparelli's observation of the ``channels,'' later wrongly described as canals, through observations by the Mars Pathfinder and Global Surveyor. The authors compare Mars' mountains, canyons, myriad craters and other geological features with their counterparts on Earth.
State-owned MiG Russian Aircraft Corp., in the midst of a broad restructuring and conversion effort put in place by a new management team, faces a major challenge to its position as one of Russia's two leading military aircraft manufacturers.
