Vivid Technologies Inc., which provides automated explosives-detection equipment for airline luggage, is setting up a joint venture company in partnership with an Indian concern.
Ten Western European nations are on schedule to provide four major modules and a long list of other elements for the International Space Station--the largest space endeavor, after the Ariane 5 booster, that Europe has ever been involved in. In October, the European Space Agency (ESA) handed over the first European hardware for the station--the Data Management System for the Russian Service Module (AW&ST Nov. 3, p. 26). The module is scheduled to be launched into orbit by the Russian Space Agency (RSA) on the third assembly mission in December 1998.
AS PART OF A NEW equal opportunity policy, Israel's El Al Airlines will begin accepting pilot applications from women. The carrier has traditionally hired only former Israeli air force pilots, who were all males. But since the air force recently began accepting women for pilot training, officials of the airline decided that male or female pilots who have not served in the air force can apply to El Al.
A new class of materials, called nanocomposites, could significantly increase the fire retardancy of plastic materials and synthetic fibers used in aircraft interiors. Nanocomposites are superplastic compounds in which about 1-nanometer-size particles of montmorillonite clay are dispersed throughout the polymer, according to Jeffrey W. Gilman and Takashi Kashiwagi, fire science researchers for the National Institute of Science and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md. A nanometer measures about 40-billionths of an inch.
The FBI is not quite out of the TWA Flight 800 investigation. Assistant Director James K. Kallstrom reminded the National Transportation Safety Board last week that the criminal probe is not closed, only ``pending--inactive.'' That's because of what Kallstrom said is the admittedly remote possibility ``that new evidence could be discovered.'' Writing to the safety board, Kallstrom objected to any use at the NTSB's hearing this week of the accounts of 244 eyewitnesses analyzed by the CIA in ruling out a missile.
The liquid oxygen tank for the X-33 single-stage-to-orbit demonstrator has passed a hydrostatic proof test at a Lockheed Martin facility in New Orleans. To simulate flight pressure, the dual-lobed aluminum tank (pictured) was filled with 19,400 gal. of water. Another 1,000 gal. were added to a standpipe at the top of the tank. Pressure during the test topped out at 66 psi. at the aft end of the tank. The hardware is now set to be shipped to Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in California, where the X-33 is being built.
Canada's changeover to a fee-based air navigation system, rather than fare- or waybill-based taxes, could increase domestic freight rates by as much as 10%, according to air carrier input to a recent government-led aviation policy forum. The resulting increase in costs could make fresh food less affordable to people living in the country's remote northern communities, many of which are entirely dependent on air transport. Air freight in Canada primarily moves north with empty returning aircraft still subject to air navigation fees.
Noesys 1.1 is a science data mining and visualization application for IBM-compatible and Macintosh desktop computers. The new version provides better support for the hierarchical data format (HDF) standard and a new import facility for netCDF files that are widely used to store meteorological data, as well as the ability to work with data sets of virtually any size and dimension. Fortner Software LLC, 100 Carpenter Drive, Sterling, Va. 20164.
In the wake of Boeing's production woes with the 737-700, launch customer Southwest Airlines will take delivery of only two of the next-generation aircraft this year. It was scheduled to receive four last month and another four this month, but Boeing has promised to deliver only two later this month and will be late delivering each of the 21 additional aircraft Southwest is scheduled to receive next year.
A NEW STUDY has found no evidence of life in Martian meteorite ALH84001 (AW&ST Aug. 12, 1996, p. 24). Worm-like forms in the rock that a NASA/Stanford University research team last year said could be fossils from primitive life forms are actually lamellae-fractured surfaces of pyroxene and carbonate crystals which were formed by geological processes, according to the study, led by John Bradley of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Canada's role in the International Space Station is deceptively small. Astronauts arriving at the sprawling orbital outpost will see no modules with ``Canada'' emblazoned on the side. Inside, they will find that the nation's scientists are allotted only 3% of the experiment racks. But the components Canada is providing are not only essential, they put the U.S. closest partner squarely in the middle of station development and operations to an extent unmatched by any other partner, save Russia.
An Alabama software company has created a suite of ActiveX libraries that emulate cockpit instrumentation and aircraft dynamics, enabling simulation and cockpit developers to quickly create customized designs using a drag-and-drop interface. The ActiveX controls developed by Global Majic Software (GMS) Inc. of Madison, Ala., can be used in virtually any Microsoft Windows 32-bit programming environment, including Visual Basic and Visual C++.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO. ROLLED OUT the first production Citation Model 561XL business jet Nov. 21 at Wichita, Kan. FAA provisional certification is scheduled for January, with approval for flight into known icing, as well as autopilot and thrust reverser operation, set to follow in February. Initial deliveries would begin in April. The company has about 200 orders for the lightweight jet. It features a cabin height of 68 in. and can seat up to 10 passengers. Two Pratt&Whitney Canada PW545A engines, each rated at 3,785-lb.
Flight in the Cockpit 14 tracks the movements of a Fine Air McDonnell Douglas DC-8 during a flight from Miami to the Turks and Caicos. With stopovers in the Providenciales and Grand Turk, the video includes three takeoffs and three landings. The 75-min. video is hosted by the cargo carrier's director of operations. Like other videos in the series, this one is designed to give the viewer an accurate portrayal of flightdeck operations for a particular aircraft type. Just Planes Videos, P.O. Box 285214, Boston, Mass. 02128-5214.
The International Space Station's solar arrays will be the most powerful put in orbit by a large margin, ultimately producing 105 continuous kw. of electricity--about four times more than the Russian Mir station's 30 kw. Each side of an American array extends 108.6 ft., for a total span of about 240 ft. with the center structure, believed to be the largest deployable space structure ever built. Their area totals 26,000 sq. ft., or 54% the size of a football field.
Richard C. Ribich has been named senior vice president/general manager of AOG Inc. of Dallas. He held the same positions with SabreTech Inc. in Phoenix.
High taxes are restricting commercial aviation growth in Canada and making it difficult for the country to support two national carriers. A dramatic increase in taxes, fees and charges has moved airports in Canada from incurring a $188-million annual deficit to producing a $188-million surplus for the government, according to the Canadian Airports Council. The airline ticket tax alone has increased to 20% of the fare from 7% in 1984.
David Deal has been named director of Americas sales and business development for the Collins Air Transport Div. of Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was original equipment manufacturer product line director for Rockwell Land Transportation Electronics.
A Bombardier's Global Express flight test aircraft suffered a departure from controlled flight late last month and had to deploy its spin chute during stall testing. The incident, described as minor by sources familiar with flight test programs, is not expected to further delay Global Express certification. According to Bombardier, the first Global Express flight test aircraft, serial No. 9001, was performing an accelerated stall entry test at its aft-most allowable center of gravity when the problem occurred.
Trans World Airlines officials aim to cast doubt this week on the NTSB's investigation into the crash of its Flight 800, even reviving the question of whether the 747 was downed by a missile.
The U.S. Air Force's recent ``Global Engagement'' wargame underscored how dependent on space assets today's shrinking combat forces have become, as well as the nation's potential vulnerability to information warfare threats.
This switch design relies on elastomeric technology to save 40% of the cost over traditional switch designs that must be soldered while retaining the rigid-key tactile sensation that is usually associated with the high-quality switches on cockpit instrumentation. The new design uses the existing, concave switch dome, but the elastomeric design results in a sealed switch with fewer parts. IDD Aerospace Corp., P.O. Box 97056, Redmond, Wash. 98073-9756.
Pocket/Rescue is a patented, compact fluorescent orange streamer that can help a downed pilot attract the attention of rescuers in the water or on land during the day or at night. The device is available in mini-tube or pouch versions and opens into a 25-ft.-long, 6-in.-wide polyethylene streamer that was visible 1.3 mi. away at a search altitude of 1,500 ft. during Navy tests. The larger See/Rescue uses the same technology but is 40 ft. long and is available in widths of 6, 11 and 18 in. Rescue Technologies Corp., 99-1350 Koaha Place, Aiea, Hawaii 96701.
