Head-worn displays will resemble glasses, reflecting images directly into the user's eye, if a small company in Seattle can achieve its vision. Microvision is developing its virtual retinal display (VRD) technology under the second phase of a U.S. Air Force small business innovation research contract worth more than $583,000. The company has delivered full-color, helmet-mounted display prototypes to Boeing and Ericsson Saab for evaluation (AW&ST July 21, 1997, p. 15).
Commercial engine designers at Perm Motor-Building are focusing their efforts on a $30-million joint program with Pratt&Whitney to upgrade and market the PS-90A powerplant. The upgrade effort, which should take about 2.5 years, is aimed at increasing the life of components and improving the overall reliability of the PS-90. The PS-90 has been in service for five years, powering Russian Ilyushin Il-96 and Tupolev Tu-204 commercial transports. It also powers the Il-76 freighter. About 160 PA-90As have been produced.
Innovative use of a commercial hunting-rifle telescopic sight is providing U.S. Air Force F-15 pilots a simple but effective method of visually identifying adversary aircraft at long distances. Mounted on the edge of head-up displays, the Eagle Eye ``scopes'' have been employed routinely by F-15 pilots at Kadena AB, Japan, in Europe and the U.S. At Kadena, the 67th Fighter Sqdn. always flies with them, and other units there use them as needed.
Although they still may not operate directly to Lebanon, U.S. airlines are now permitted to ``engage in foreign air transportation'' to the country through interline arrangements. In addition, both U.S. and foreign carriers are allowed to sell--within the U.S.--airline tickets to Lebanon to U.S. and non-U.S. citizens. The relaxation of restrictions on transportation services to Lebanon, which date to 1985, was ordered by President Clinton last month. It means U.S.
Boeing has delivered the aft fuselage section for the third Lockheed Martin/ Boeing F-22 Raptor three weeks ahead of revised delivery schedules. The titanium and composite assembly time was about 15% under budgeted manhours.
Aspect Development Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., has introduced a Preferred Catalog subscription product that allows design engineers and procurement managers to individually tailor their reference material on preferred parts and suppliers. Since Dassault Systemes and IBM Engineering Technology Solutions made CATIA Version 4 available on Silicon Graphics platforms in March, more than 1,000 licenses and 10,000 seats have been sold.
The second F-22 Raptor successfully completed its first flight from Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga., about 10 days ahead of schedule. Paul Metz, chief test pilot for the Lockheed Martin-Boeing F-22 program, took the aircraft to a maximum altitude of 20,000 ft. and a maximum speed of 250 kt. during the 1 hr. 6 min. flight on June 29.
There are perhaps a dozen types of U.S. aircraft and satellites collecting the once distinctive, but now increasingly elusive electronic signals emitted by foreign air defense systems--primarily their radars. These include the Air Force's U-2S, RC-135U Combat Sent and RC-135V/W Rivet Joint; the Navy's EP-3E Aries 2 and ES-3 Shadow; and a number of what are often referred to as ``ferret'' satellites. All these systems are operational in small numbers.
A flyoff between MiG-29s powered by the standard Klimov RD-33 engine and the new RD-133 upgrade with thrust vector control has been postponed until further notice. MiG-29 chief designer Valery Novikov said Mikoyan engineers are now doubtful whether the advantages afforded by the RD-133 surpass the weight penalties and vulnerability at low speeds that accompany it, Novikov said. Mikoyan initially planned to order four engines for evaluation, but only one has been built (AW&ST June 29, p. 18).
The heavily urbanized environment of Hong Kong's Kai Tak airport required pilots to adapt to the situation. Its most frequent approach, on Runway 13, was indirect, passing near mountains and over high-rise buildings that prevented its Category 2 instrument landing system from being fully employed.
Jeffrey Yaker has been named president of the Colorado Springs-based AMI Aircraft Seating Systems Div. of Coltec Industries and Michael Savilo president of Coltec's Arizona-based Walbar Engine Components Div. Yaker has been president of Walbar Arizona and succeeds Edward A. Osborne. Savilo has been president of Walbar Canada, Mississauga, Ontario.
John D. Wolf has become chief operating officer of Fairchild Aerospace, based in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. He oversaw the MD-11, MD-80 and MD-95 programs for the Douglas Aircraft Co. Joe Vreeman has been named senior vice president-customer support for the company in San Antonio, Tex. He was vice president-engineering and fleet reliability for Northwest Airlines.
Photograph: U.S. Air Force RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft ply the world tracking air defense radars and looking for mysterious signatures that could mean a new threat. RANDY JOLLY Last week an air defense radar in southern Iraq locked on to a flight of four patrolling British Tornadoes, and in response, a U.S. F-16CJ fired at a surface-to-air missile battery. The story has been repeated a score of times since the end of the Persian Gulf war, but those seemingly indecisive exchanges mask an electronic duel that U.S.
Cessna Aircraft Co. delivered the first Citation Excel business jet last week to Swift Air in Phoenix. The airplane has been leased by Cessna as a marketing and sales demonstrator. Plans call for Cessna to deliver 15 Excels this year and up to 40 in 1999.
Federal Express has closed its Asia-Pacific hub at Subic Bay, Philippines, as President Joseph Estrada took office. His choice of a new Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority leader prompted political demonstrations on behalf of the incumbent, Richard Gordon. FedEx is neutral in the dispute and said it will return when things calm down. FedEx moved operations to Manila and Taipei, temporarily.
The Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp. has become a risk and revenue sharing partner with Rolls-Royce on the Trent 500 engine for the Airbus A340-500/600. Marubeni will take a 5% share in the project, which could grow to10%. The company said it would act as a bridge between Rolls-Royce and Japanese industry, arranging the supply of Trent 500 components and materials from selected manufacturers.
Satya N. Atluri, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, has won a 1998 FAA Excellence in Aviation Award. He was cited for his research that expanded the knowledge of structural integrity and damage tolerance of aircraft.
Vicki A. Novak has become associate NASA administrator for human resources and education and Jeffrey E. Sutton associate administrator for management systems and facilities. Novak was director of personnel. Sutton has been acting associate administrator and was director of supply and equipment management.
E. Wayne Hogue has been named director of marketing for thrust reversers for the Dee Howard Co., San Antonio, Tex. He was manager of thrust reverser sales and manufactured products.
Japan's Transport Ministry is expected to expand a recent round of new slot offerings at Tokyo's Narita airport by including flight positions kept in reserve for the royal family and government officials. The ministry, which already has reallocated unused Federal Express slots to United Parcel Service and Nippon Cargo Airlines, will dip into a pool of 100 slots a week now reserved for special charter flights by dignitaries. Slots at Narita are among the industry's most prized; it has a total of 2,590 takeoff/landing slots per week.
Reducing costly reporting requirements by contractors by making documents available on line can have some unanticipated consequences. When Rockwell (now Boeing) won the GPS Block 2F contract in 1996 to build 27 follow-on global positioning satellites, the U.S. Air Force mandated that it make GPS-related documents available on line as a requirement of the Computer-Aided Acquisition and Logistic Support (CALS) initiative. That meant Boeing had to link its own employees, customers and suppliers.
