Boeing is scheduled to begin operational tests of two Rolls-Royce RB211-524G/H-T engines from Cathay Pacific's fleet this month. Retrofit by the joint Cathay and Rolls-Royce engine affiliate, Hong Kong Aero-Engine Services Ltd., the -524G/H-T program replaces the engine's complete high-pressure system with Trent 700 technology. Besides reducing engine weight by 200 lb., the modification is expected to better fuel burn by 2% and lower NOX emissions by about 40%. It also improves temperature margins so the engine can operate about 60C hotter than a standard 524G/H.
Easier satellite programming is the aim of Pacific Sierra Research and ILOG Inc., which have combined their scheduling software products for use with Satellite Tool Kit's mission planning software. Pacific Sierra produces a commercial application package for the space industry called the Generic Resource, Event and Activity Scheduler (Greas). ILOG Solver and ILOG Scheduler are 2D and 3D data visualization tools.
Spencer Dickerson, who was executive vice president of the Alexandria, Va.-based American Assn. of Airport Executives (AAAE), has become executive director of the International Assn. of Airport Executives (IAAE). Will James, who was the AAAE director of accreditation and training, has been appointed IAAE managing director for Canadian affairs.
U.S. AIR TRAFFIC was disrupted Oct. 15 when overnight removal of ceiling tiles left the operations room of the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (Tracon) facility covered with irritating dust and mold. Controllers reporting for the morning shift reported a variety of breathing and skin ailments, forcing the facility to use a skeleton crew to manage traffic into and out of the metropolitan New York area. That resulted in more than 1,000 cancellations and flight delays at the area's three main airports and more than 200 delays to other U.S.
An optical method to measure the state-of-charge of lead-acid batteries has been developed at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. The system may have defense and aerospace applications as it is nonsparking and not susceptible to electromagnetic interference. The technique measures the change in battery sulfuric acid concentration through the optical absorption of the electrolyte at certain absorption peaks of pure water, according to Jonathan D. Weiss, senior technical staff member.
In a long-overdue consolidation initiative, France will form a defense/ space ``national champion'' centered on Thomson-CSF. The government has decided to combine the state-controlled Thomson-CSF defense electronics company with Dassault Electronique, Aerospatiale's satellite branch and Alcatel-Alsthom's military telecommunication/satellite businesses. The Lagardere group's rival proposal to join forces with Thomson-CSF, backed by British Aerospace and Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA), was rejected.
Stephen Henderson has been named vice president/general manager of the Component Services Div. of BFGoodrich Aerospace's Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Group, Everett, Wash. He was general manager of sales and marketing for GE Engine Services.
To justify Navy aircraft carriers, Rear Adm. Daniel J. Murphy, Jr., the director of surface warfare, notes that the Air Force tactical fighter wing in Saudi Arabia can't be scrambled just any old time the U.S. wants. ``The Saudi government is sensitive to when . . . aircraft flying from its territory can respond,'' he says. Carrier-based aircraft, he reminds, can fly from international waters without foreign restrictions. Murphy wants a minimum of 12 carriers and a new one built every five years to maintain the industrial base.
Putting unmanned combat aircraft on cruisers and destroyers appeals to Murphy. But first the Navy wants a UAV on ships for gunfire targeting, battle damage assessment, communications relay and over-the-horizon reconnaissance. Murphy is ``very excited'' about a vertical-takeoff UAV demonstration the service has on tap next year.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman's Commercial Aircraft Div. are implementing an Accurate Fuselage Assembly program using a three-dimensional, digital database to build fuselage panels for the Boeing 747 that eventually will eliminate ``hard'' tooling and reduce cycle time and costs.
A SPECIAL ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES ASSN. STUDY raised a red flag on one area of growing importance for the military--information superiority. Despite recent emphasis on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) procurements, the study concluded that the Pentagon will not be able to achieve its information superiority goals by relying on commercial computing and communications systems alone. Unique military technologies will have to be developed quickly to gain the advantages that the Joint Chiefs of Staff envision, according to T.K. Jones of Boeing, who headed the study.
Six-year-old Transaero Airlines expects to post its first profit in 1997, prevailing despite Russia's economic upheaval. Pretax profits for Russia's first privately owned carrier are projected to reach nearly $60 million by year's end. Debt is about $30 million and is declining for the first time since Transaero began service, with nonscheduled flights, in 1991. Its tiny 14-aircraft fleet consists entirely of U.S.-built Boeing and McDonnell Douglas aircraft, except for one Russian-made Ilyushin Il-86.
Officials of North and South Korea are set to sign an agreement this month to establish civil air routes connecting the two nations. A direct voice communications link will be used between ATC centers at Pyongyang in the north and Taegu in the south. According to the International Air Transport Assn., airlines using the routes will save $125 million annually from reduced fuel consumption. North Korea could obtain up to $5 million in overflight fees. The routes could be used as early as next year.
DELTA AIR LINES WILL USE SERVICE from Comsat Mobile Communications to provide satcom service for fax and voice calls for the cockpit crew and passengers on all international flights. Delta plans to equip all 46 aircraft in its international fleet under a three-year contract. Calls will be transmitted via the Inmarsat satellite system to one of four Earth stations for connection to public telephone networks anywhere in the world. Communications between Delta's Atlanta flight operations center and the cockpit will flow through ARINC and the Inmarsat satellites.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense has selected the Luxembourg-based TAG Group to operate the Farnborough Aerodrome under a 100-year lease, a move that ensures the continuation of the biennial Farnborough international air show at the site.
Snecma is developing a data mining and case-based reasoning software tool for airlines and CFM International's technical representatives to trouble-shoot problems with CFM56-3 engines. The intent is to put the collective line maintenance experience of technicians to work identifying problems and offering solutions, Project Manager Richard Heider said.
The International Civil Aviation Organization has found serious deficiencies in safety oversight at dozens of national aviation authorities, according to a paper issued in advance of a world meeting next month. An analysis of findings from ICAO's own safety assessments of aviation authorities of 45 nations, none identified, reveal deficiencies in three areas: programs of supervision and certification, national laws and regulations, and personnel qualifications and financial resources of airlines.
A troublesome solar panel on Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) has resulted in at least a two-week suspension of aerobraking, change in a key element in the spacecraft's planned mapping orbit and the possibility of far greater implications for the mission following further analysis by project officials.
Four years after U.S. planners had virtually ceded tactical reconnaissance to unmanned aerial vehicles in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf war, the manned reconnaissance aircraft is making a comeback.
Proponents of cross-border defense industry consolidation in Europe saw some progress last week when British Aerospace and Lagardere expanded their missile joint venture to include LFK, the guided-weapon subsidiary of Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA).
The rivalry between Beijing and Zhuhai as homes for aerospace exhibitions in China is likely to continue for some time. Organizers of the Oct. 8-12 Aviation Expo/China '97 here say they will return in 1999 for an eighth time despite speculation that they would give way to Airshow China in the port city of Zhuhai, near Hong Kong and Macau.
Eurocopter is gearing up production to meet a growing demand for civil helicopters as company officials show cautious optimism for the future. ``Three years ago we were in a desperate situation,'' admits Siegfried Sobotta, copresident and chief executive officer. ``Now that is changing. We are fully booked'' with orders. The company does not want to overreact, however, and is taking a measured approach toward increasing production capacity to meet rising demand, Sobotta said here at Helitech '97, the biennial helicopter exhibition.
