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.
Star Alliance member Scandinavian Airlines System, looking to bolster its regional position, is expanding its cooperative agreement with Wideroe Flyveselskap, including taking an equity stake in the Norwegian carrier. SAS has acquired a 29% stake in Wideroe and an option to purchase another 34.2% by Dec. 28 for a total of $42.1 million. The regional carrier operates 21 de Havilland Dash-8 turboprops to 37 destinations in Norway, plus flights to other Nordic countries, Berlin and Murmansk, Russia.
Life support on the International Space Station will have more closed-cycle features than previously used on orbit, leading to long-duration technologies needed on a lunar outpost or manned Mars mission.
WILLIAM COMPTON, an MD-80 captain, has been named president and chief operating officer of TWA. He has been a member of the board since 1993 and is also chairman of the Air Line Pilots Assn.'s TWA Master Executive Council.
The Advanced Capillary Extrusion Rheometer or ACER 2000 is a high-force instrument for testing the flow properties of materials over a wide range of shear rates and viscosities. Propellants, explosives and polymer melts are among the materials that can be tested at pressures up to 30,000 psi. and shear rates of up to 1.8 million reciprocal sec. Swell, slit flow, extrudate temperature monitors or other equipment can be placed under the die. Rheometric Scientific Inc., 1 Possumtown Road, Piscataway, N.J. 08854.
British and Virgin Atlantic Airways put their cases to the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority last week to open new services to the U.S. next year. BA argued its proposal to begin a daily nonstop service from London Gatwick to Denver, while Virgin Atlantic presented its plan to start a twice-weekly service between London and Las Vegas. Under the current U.K.-U.S. bilateral air services agreement, only one additional U.S. gateway city can be allocated by the CAA, which is expected to decide between the two rival bids shortly.
The Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (Canso) has been created to support private air navigation service providers around the world. Canso aims to represent the views of its members with relevant international and regional entities, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and Eurocontrol, as well as develop common industry positions on future technologies and measures of performance. Initial membership consists of air navigation service providers in 16 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine and the U.K.
INTERNATIONAL LAUNCH SERVICES (ILS), joint U.S./Russian commercial launch consortium, achieved another major success on Dec. 4 with the launch of an ILS Proton booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the Hughes Astra 1G spacecraft for the European SES television broadcast group. The flight was the fourth ILS commercial success for the Proton which placed Astra 1G into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The spacecraft, a high-powered version of the HS 601, will use its own propulsion system to reach a parking location at 19.2 deg. E. Long.
Durabond is a new line of 14 application-specific epoxies. Ten are two-part, room-temperature curing epoxies, while two are urethanes, one is a one-part heat cure epoxy and the last is a two-part potting compound. The materials are formulated to have good adhesion and flow, low odor, improved clarity, higher strength and better durability than traditional epoxies and urethanes. Loctite Corp., 1001 Trout Brook Crossing, Rocky Hill, Conn. 06067.
Fizzy is a fuel system ice inhibitor for jet fuels. The diethylene glycol monomethyl ether additive, which has limited solubility in fuel but is completely soluble in water, works by depressing the freezing point of water that can contaminate fuel lines and freeze into ice crystals. As dissolved water separates from the jet fuel, the Fizzy leaves the fuel and dissolves in the water. Hammonds Fuel Additives Inc., 15760 W. Hardy Road, Suite 400, Houston, Tex. 77060-3147.
Northwest Airlines has been running full-page ads in newspapers around the U.S. urging policy-makers to accept nothing short of full ``open skies'' in aviation negotiations with Japan. What's all the fuss? And why is Northwest Airlines being so disingenuous?
