First flight of the Boeing 717-200 100-seat transport has been successfully completed, setting the stage for a fast-paced flight test program aimed at delivering initial production aircraft in less than a year. The first flight was made on Sept. 2, about two weeks earlier than program officials had projected when the aircraft was rolled out on June 10 at Boeing's Long Beach, Calif., Div.
The UltraForce LE is an airborne imaging system that uses both infrared and color television cameras in a 29-lb. package. The modular design allows operators to switch sensor packages in minutes. The system is designed for law enforcement and electronic news gathering, as well as paramilitary surveillance. It is available with cooled or uncooled infrared imagers, charged coupled device daylight cameras and high-magnification video cameras. The four-axis, gyro-stabilized gimbal can rotate through 360 deg. horizontally. FLIR Systems Inc., 16505 S.W.
Pentagon acquisition chief Jacques Gansler warns the Defense Dept. may have to consider the ``termination of a number of traditional weapon systems that are now in acquisition,'' if it is to have any hopes of buying cutting-edge weapons. The Pentagon already can't buy everything it wants, but Gansler adds that without changes, it will soon be unable to buy what it needs.
The Right-Angle Deck relies on conventionally geared motors and hydrostatic drives to move cargo in and out of aircraft. The drive units can be rotated up to 360 deg. to change the direction of motion. The roller layouts also can be customized, depending on the application. Approach and limit switches can be used for automated control sequences. Trepel GmbH, Hebe- und Fordertechnik, Alte Schmelze 21, D-65201, Wiesbaden, Germany.
Engineers at the FAA Technical Center here are evaluating data from the drop test of a Shorts 330 regional transport. The aircraft, which had a 75-ft. wingspan and weighed 21,210 lb., was the largest ever drop-tested at the facility, officials said.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory engineers are briefing military leaders on a conceptual hypersonic vehicle that would ``skip'' on the upper atmosphere, enabling payload deliveries to any spot on the Earth's surface within 2 hr. This ``HyperSoar'' aircraft also could double as the first of a two-stage-to-orbit launcher. Technology maturation is still required in several areas, but a demonstrator aircraft could be developed within about three years, according to proponents.
K. Steven Pack has become vice president/general manager and Brian Watkins chief engineer of Garrett Aviation Services in Springfield, Ill. Peck held the same positions with Pratt&Whitney PSD. Watkins was project engineer at the Lockheed Martin Aircraft Center, Greenville, S.C. Wayne Burk has been named aircraft systems and equipment program manager in Phoenix. He was vice president-marketing and customer service for WECO Aerospace Systems, Lincoln, Calif.
ARRAY SYSTEMS COMPUTING WILL SUPPLY the advanced radar imaging software for the Royal Air Force Replacement Maritime Patrol Aircraft program. The Toronto-based company is under contract to Racal Radar Defense Systems (Crawley, England). Array's TriSAR software, integrated with the Searchwater 2000MR radar, will give three different real-time high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) modes--spotlight strip map, and ISAR (inverse synthetic aperture radar).
Latecoere will install Landscape Video Camera Systems on transport and business aircraft operated by Finnair, Gulf Air and Jet Aviation. In addition, the French company concluded an agreement with Air France Industries and the DGA French armaments agency to equip 12 Boeing KC-135F tankers with new video surveillance systems.
Los Alamos (N.M.) National Laboratory has commissioned a multiton magnet capable of creating powerful, pulsed magnetic fields for long periods of time. Powered by a 1-billion-watt generator, the electromagnet ``will revolutionize research in high magnetic fields,'' according to Greg Boebinger, director of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory's Los Alamos Center. The liquid hydrogen-cooled magnet consists of nine nested electromagnetic coils wrapped in steel cylinders.
Abdullah Sharif has been appointed director of technical marketing and Greg Downing Wichita, Kan.-based Midwest U.S. sales manager for Shaw Aero Devices Inc., Fort Myers, Fla.
This line of ``inside-out'' motors is designed for specialized applications with limited space. The spinning rotor is on the outside of the motor, while the stationary stator is on the inside. The entire motor can be located inside a process roll driven by the motor, which reduces the number of components and space requirements. Motors ranging from 0.1-100 hp. with speeds of 60-60,000 rpm. with 2 through 36-pole configurations are available. Welco Technologies, 200 TechneCenter Drive, Suite 205, Milford, Ohio 45150.
The PTC Cam 3.0 is a rugged, waterproof pan/tilt camera system available either with 12:1 or 24:1 zoom lenses. Its pan, tilt, zoom and focus functions can be controlled remotely. The camera has a 2.9-in. diameter, is 10 in. long and allows access through a 3-in. hole. Emco Intertest Inc., 27-1 Ironia Road, Flanders, N.J. 07836.
EnSight Version 6.1 advanced postprocessing software allows aerospace engineering visualizations to be distributed via the Internet and over corporate intranets. The new version also has more than 50 new functions to simplify computation of derived variables and provide greater accuracy by handling variables at element centers and vertices. Animations and still images can be exported in a variety of formats. Engineering issues and significant findings can be highlighted by digitally marking up models with lines, arrows, text, legends and bitmaps.
Sir Michael Moore has been appointed director-general of the U.K.'s Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He retired from the Royal Navy in January as a vice admiral.
The avionics industry stands on the brink of major advances in cockpit display techniques that could give commercial transport pilots an entirely new view of the terrain and weather along their route of flight. Pilot situational awareness is already being improved with the installation of enhanced ground proximity warning systems (EGPWS), but more integrated solutions may be coming soon to present pilots with a variety of vital information. Several enhancements to situational awareness are possible within 10 years, including:
Jennifer I. Wagner has been appointed manager of media relations for Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She was a reporter and editor at U.S. News and World Report in Washington.
The agreement between Israel's Rafael and Lockheed Martin to cooperatively market and build air-to-air missiles also will involve developing upgrades for existing missiles, the companies recently decided. The venture, which initially will be focused on selling and improving the Rafael-built Python 4 short-range missile, will be part of the PGSUS joint venture through which the two companies sell the AGM-142 air-to-ground missile. Production will take place in Israel and the U.S.
Duane Terry (see photos) has been named director of operations and Debbie Mester senior manager of entertainment programming for Sony Trans Com, Irvine, Calif. Terry was vice president-operations for Micronet Technologies and Mester vice president-inflight entertainment services for Interactive Flight Technologies.
Wil Pergande, Rick Lesan and A.P. Roy Choudhury have been appointed vice presidents-special projects for Osmonics, Minnetonka, Minn. Pergande remains general manager of the Rockland, Mass., facility. Lesan was assistant to the president for technical development, and Choudhury was assistant vice president-international.
Delta Air Lines last week dropped its bid to complete a code-sharing pact with United Airlines, after leaders of Delta's pilots' union said they would not back such an arrangement.
Manish Thakur has been named chief financial officer of Ellipso Inc. of Washington. He was vice president of the Global Communications Group of Merrill Lynch&Co.
