Plymouth Tube Co. is making near-net extruded shapes of Invar-36, a specialized nickel alloy, for use as tooling components in the production of advanced composite aerospace structures, such as those made of epoxy resin with embedded carbon fibers. The alloy's durability and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) makes it well suited for applications where warping can take place between disparate materials and their molds during curing. Plymouth Tube Co., 29W150 Warrenville Road, Warrenville, Ill. 60555.
James R. Jensen has become senior vice president-maintenance and engineering of Trans World Airlines. He was vice president-product support for the Douglas Products Div. of Boeing, Long Beach, Calif.
A variety of aviation-oriented greeting cards is available for personal and business use. A customer can create a unique card with a custom logo or imprinted message. Designs also are available with an adhesive-coated front panel so customers can affix a photograph. The Christmas card catalog is available now. CardMakers, P.O. Box 236, Lyme, N.H. 03768.
Mark L. Mele (see photos) has been named vice president-strategic planning and Richard N. Jowett vice president-investor relations and public affairs of Alliant Techsystems of Minneapolis. Mele was director of business planning and Jowett director of investor relations.
Greg Helleckson has been named director of flight operations and John Ryan director of maintenance for Reno Air. Helleckson was director of training, and John Ryan was a regional line maintenance manager for United Airlines.
USAF Col. (Ret.) Don Freeman (see photo) has been appointed military market segment manager for Analytical Graphics Inc., Malvern, Pa. He was director of intelligence for Air Force Space Command.
Astrotech Space Operations, a subsidiary of Spacehab, has won a $100,000 grant from the state of California to make launch site infrastructure improvements at Vandenberg AFB.
The SJ-350 front-load parts washer has a load weight of 2,000 lb., a load height of 60 in. and a basket diameter of 42 in., allowing it to handle even large engine components. The unit's water-propelled spray bar eliminates the need for gears and drive motors. The spinning motion blasts parts 200 times per min. Landa Inc., 4275 N.W. Pacific Rim Blvd., Camas, Wash. 98607.
With turbulence the leading cause of injury in nonfatal inflight accidents, the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group is making available its ``Turbulence Education and Training Aid'' to nearly 700 customers. The illustrated manual and 26-min. video--aimed at reducing the number of turbulence-related injuries and aircraft damage--teaches cockpit and cabin crew as well as dispatchers and aviation meteorologists about what causes turbulence, how to avoid it and how to minimize the risks.
Michael Patterson has been appointed credit manager of the Avatar Alliance's Atlanta operations center. He was director of financial services for Avsco Aviation Services.
Kip Harkness has become director of styling and design for the Galaxy Aerospace Corp. of Fort Worth. He was manager of design for Bombardier Business Aircraft.
John N. Entzminger, former deputy director for technology for the U.S. Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office, has been appointed to the board of directors of Adroit Systems Inc., Alexandria, Va.
The Bose Aviation Headset 10 is a lightweight, active noise reduction aviation headset. The headset uses a new technology called triport in which the ports in the ear cup effectively increase the air space behind the speaker at low frequency, significantly increasing active noise reduction and passive attenuation. This eliminates the need for actual air space behind the speaker, allowing for smaller ear cups, which reduces weight to 12 oz. and requires less clamping force to keep the headset in place.
The U.S./Russia summit in Moscow was a disheartening ``what should have been.'' It should have been the scene of a START 3 signing that slashed the number of each side's deployed nuclear warheads to 2,000, as spelled out in principle at the Helsinki summit of March 1997. Strategic nuclear warheads, not just launch systems, would have been destroyed. Mutual scrutiny of warhead inventories would have been expanded, building on the stalemated START 2's tough inspection rules.
The third Boeing E-767 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft made its first flight last week with its 30-ft. rotodome installed. This aircraft, plus a fourth, is scheduled to be delivered to the Japanese Defense Agency next year. The first two were delivered in March. Japan also is studying the purchase of another four E-767s so it can maintain two full AWACS ``orbits.'' South Korea and Turkey also are considering AWACS purchases.
Ulrich Ogiermann (see photo) has become senior vice president-sales and marketing of Luxembourg-based Cargolux Airlines International. He was general manager of the South African Div. of Lufthansa German Airlines.
The Ice Shield line of pneumatic deicers has been approved for use on Piper Navajo and Beech King Air 200 aircraft under FAA Supplemental Type Certificates. The new deicers are designed to have shorter installation times and better durability than existing systems, according to B/E-SMR Technologies. Their tapered edge is intended to ease installation and provide a smooth aerodynamic transition to the aircraft surface. The company plans to seek STCs that will extend the deicer line to additional aircraft types.
The world's top arms suppliers remain tightly packed in the race for dwindling exports, although the U.S. slowed somewhat in 1997. France ranked first last year in the intense competition for arms transfer agreements with the developing world, capturing $4.6 billion worth and a 26.8% share of the $17.2 billion signed overall, the lowest level worldwide since 1990, based on U.S. government figures.
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark by Don Logan features hundreds of color photographs of the original variable geometry fighter. Logan tracks the development of the aircraft from its birth as the TFX, describes different versions procured by the U.S. Air Force, the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force and a plan that was later aborted to deploy the aircraft on U.S. aircraft carriers. Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, Pa. 19310.
Michael O'Leary (see photos) has been appointed national director of avionics and Jim Clifford general manager of Minneapolis operations for Signature Flight Support, Orlando, Fla. O'Leary was program manager for general aviation marketing for BFGoodrich Aerospace, Austin, Tex. Clifford was assistant to the president/vice president-operations at Kal-Aero's Battle Creek, Mich., facility.
Getting Started With QNX 4 by Robert Krten is a how-to guide for programmers using the real-time PC language. The book covers critical QNX issues such as priorities, scheduling algorithms, clocks, timers and interrupts. Tested code examples are provided to help programmers. Code examples and a sample chapter can be downloaded from http://www.parse.com. QNX Software Systems Ltd., 175 Terence Matthews Crescent, Kanata, Ontario, Canada K2M 1W8.
Jeffery M. Jackson has been named senior vice president/chief financial officer of Sabre Group Holdings Inc. of Fort Worth. He succeeds Patrick Kelly, who is now CFO of the Trilogy Development Group, San Antonio, Tex. Jackson was vice president/controller of American Airlines.
The space insurance industry is facing a sudden reversal of fortune that could result in its first yearly loss since 1994. The insurance climate was so favorable that underwriters had cut premiums by 50% since last summer (AW&ST June 15, p. 60). But the failed debut of Boeing's Delta 3 booster last month and on-orbit failures of two Hughes HS 601-model satellites, Galaxy 4 and Echostar 4, have left insurers facing nearly $700 million in claims. That could mean a hike in future premiums.
