TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AFTER launch of the Space Test Experiment Platform Mission 4 (Step 4), controllers were still trying to establish communications with the satellite. Step 4 was launched by an Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus XL booster Oct. 22 off the coast of Virginia about 9:15 a.m. EDT, but communication was not established and the vehicle's solar arrays were not deployed. OSC officials said the satellite, designed to study the ionosphere and investigate Earth's atmosphere, had been delivered to its targeted low-Earth orbit.
Hornets Over Kuwait by Maj. Jay Stout of the U.S. Marine Corps is a first-person account by an F/A-18 pilot who flew 37 sorties during the Persian Gulf war. Stout describes his combat experiences and those of his comrades, while also offering a critique of leadership during the war, the aircraft and such issues as women in the military. Naval Institute Press, 118 Maryland Ave., Annapolis, Md. 21402-5035.
Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are adapting software written to model weapons systems to better protect aircraft from uncontained engine failures. Boeing, Pratt&Whitney and AlliedSignal Engines also are partners in the $1.5-million project, which is FAA funded. The unclassified DYNA3D computer code models collisions lasting thousandths-of-a-second by simulating how stress moves through structures, according to Rich Couch, LLNL physicist and project principal investigator.
The PPS-700-03 is a compact laser and driver system available in 810 or 940 nanometer wavelengths. The unit's fast pulse modulation makes it suitable for applications that require rapid switching. The optical output can be continuously adjusted between 0-750 milliwatts in constant wavelength mode and up to 1 watt in pulsed mode. A kit that also includes a 6-volt photovoltaic power converter and 100 meters of fiber is available for evaluating the unit's power conversion capability. Photonic Power Systems Inc., 1945 Landings Drive, Mountain View, Calif. 94043.
The CLC449, CLC446 and CLC440 are low-power, Mil-Spec-qualified amplifiers suited for high performance military and aerospace applications such as radar, sonar, moving map displays and communications. The CLC449 features -3 dB. bandwidth of 1.2 GHz. at a gain of +2. The CLC446 is a high-speed, unity-gain-stable, current feedback amp that requires only 50 milliamps and is well-suited for video driver use. The CLC440 has a 1,500-volt/microsec. slew rate and 750 MHz. unity gain bandwidth. National Semiconductor Corp., 2900 Semiconductor Drive, Santa Clara, Calif.
Francis M. Scricco has been appointed executive vice president/chief operating officer of Arrow Electronics Inc., Melville, N.Y. He was a group president of Fisher Scientific International Inc.
Tracy Brannon has been promoted to vice president-training from training center manager for Simcom Training Centers, Orlando, Fla. He has been succeeded by Thomas Evans, who was Pilatus PC-12 program manager.
Richard Profit has been appointed group director of safety regulation of the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority, effective Nov. 14. He was director of safety, security and quality assurance at National Air Traffic Services Ltd..
The Globalstar venture is another step closer to orbit. The last of four satellites scheduled for launch on a Delta 2 booster on Dec. 4 was slated to arrive at Cape Canaveral late last week from Alenia Aerospazio's spacecraft assembly plant in Rome. Satellite No. 2 is pictured being ready for shipment. Both Globalstar and competitor Iridium are designed to connect mobile telephone users almost anywhere in the world via small, low-Earth orbit satellites. Iridium has a head start, with 34 of its 66 spacecraft in orbit and commercial service on track to debut next September.
The Hummingbird personal flying platform made its first hovering flight on Aug. 28. The vertical takeoff and landing platform is designed to fly with a single occupant and 20 liters of fuel for 45 min. at a variety of altitudes, including out of ground effect. The Hummingbird is based on a demonstrator flown by Hiller Co. in the U.S. in the 1960s. The updated craft has four single-cylinder engines and can continue flying safely after a single engine failure. Its landing gear can withstand vertical impacts of up to 12 ft./sec. without damage.
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN met with Indian Minister of Defense Mulayam Singh Yadav early this month and agreed to extend military and technical cooperation between the two nations another decade--at least through 2010. Yadav's visit to Moscow marked the first time the president of Russia has met with the defense minister of India. In working group meetings on cooperation next month, India is expected to request Kamov Ka-31 RLD airborne early warning helicopters for radar surveillance and Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refueling tankers.
QANTAS HAS ORDERED three Boeing 747-400s in a deal worth approximately $475 million. Deliveries are scheduled to occur in 1999 and 2000. Qantas will then have 23 747-400s. The airline also is evaluating the Boeing 777-200IGW versus the Airbus A340-300E to replace four 747-200s and six -300s. A decision is expected early next year. All of the Qantas board visited Toulouse in August and September for briefings on the A340-300E. In other Boeing sales last week, Lufthansa exercised options for two 747-400s valued at $330 million.
Look for Daryl L. Jones to spend even more time in the cockpit than Sheila E. Widnall, should he succeed her as Air Force Secretary. Clinton has formally announced his intention to nominate the Florida state senator to the post. Jones told us he strongly approves of Widnall's heavy flight schedule and, if anything, would increase the secretary's military flight time. Jones, 42, is a 1977 graduate of the Air Force Academy and flew F-4s while on active duty and A-7s and F-16s with the Air National Guard before switching to a staff position.
THE NEW ALQ-211 SUITE OF INTEGRATED RF COUNTERMEASURES (SIRFC), which provides radar warning receiver (RWR), ESM radar location and jamming functions--originally developed for the U.S. Army's AH-64D Apache Longbow and other helicopters--now is expected to be used on Air Force Special Operations CV-22 Osprey aircraft and possibly the U-2. ITT Avionics, which is developing the ALQ-211, expects to begin delivering prototype hardware for Army tests by early next year (AW&ST Sept. 11, 1995, p. 63). Delivery of CV-22 prototype hardware is slated for mid-1998.
North Korea has purchased French Exocet air-to-ship missiles and shoulder-held Stinger missiles for reverse engineering production, a North Korean defector told a Senate panel. The Exocets were not obtained from France, Ko Young-hwan testified, but he had no information on when the missiles were purchased or from whom. He did supply the names of the North Korean organizations responsible for missile trafficking in the Middle East, among them the Yongak-san Trading Co. and the Changkwang Trading Co.
Mission controllers have not been able to communicate with the Mars Pathfinder lander for more than two weeks, project officials at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said last week. The communications breakdown is believed to be the result of key components of the lander's communications system becoming extremely cold, resulting in a significant frequency shift within the spacecraft's transponder.
Scott L. Cochran and Sarkis Garabetian have been appointed regional technical service and sales directors in Snohomish, Wash., and La Crescenta, Calif., respectively, for Premier Turbines of St. Louis. Cochran was managing director of Pacific Aerospace Services Inc., Kapolei, Hawaii, while Garabetian was sales and service manager of Acro Aerospace, Richmond, British Columbia.
EXECUTIVE JET INC. of Montvale, N.J., and Boeing Business Jets of Seattle have formed a joint venture that will introduce the Boeing Business Jet into Executive Jet's NetJets fractional ownership program. Executive Jet expects to place a firm order for BBJ, but the number will not be determined for another 30-60 days.
British Airways and Finnair are discussing entering into a long-term alliance to match the strength of Star Alliance partners SAS and Lufthansa in what Finnair CEO Antti Potila calls the ``battle of Scandinavia.'' The move could portend a broader link between the Finnish carrier and BA's prospective partner American Airlines if their alliance is approved. ``Finnair wants to be a member of a global alliance,'' Potila declared earlier this month.
This engine stand is designed for use with Allison 250-C18, C20, C28, C30 and C47-series engines. The tube-steel stand and its wheel system can be broken down into a small package for shipment to remote job sites and reassembled in a few minutes. The engine assembly or gearbox is installed by bolting the adapters to the gearbox and setting the engine between the stand uprights. The engine can then be rotated 360 deg. Red Barn Machine Inc., 4681 Isabelle St., Eugene, Ore. 97402.
MICHAEL T. SMITH has been named chairman and CEO of Hughes Electronics Corp. with the departure of C. Michael Armstrong, who has become chairman and CEO of AT&T. Armstrong, who worked toward re-setting the company's focus from a defense-related contractor to one with increased involvement in commercial markets, had been chairman and CEO of Hughes Electronics since 1992.
This shipping container, which is a simple cardboard box with a fiberglass insert, is approved for shipping oxygen generators on cargo aircraft under the competent authority numbers of the original equipment manufacturer. In a test, all but one of the nine containers in a sealed box were ignited. The exterior of the box did not exceed room temperature. After a 20-min. cooldown, the temperature inside the box was measured at 630F, but the insert protected the last generator and kept it from igniting. Viking Packing Specialist, 10221 E. 61st, Tulsa, Okla. 74133.
The Army Space&Missile Defense Command used the powerful ``MIRACL'' ground-based laser to illuminate the aging MSTI-3 satellite, in what the service said was a test of satellite vulnerability. However, it is not clear if all the desired data were gathered.
This swaging tool can be used for short run or high production installation or replacement of aircraft bearings. It fits standard drill presses and minimizes internal free play or torque changes due to outer ring distortion, develops full thrust capability on the swaged lip and ensures uniform swaging around the entire bearing circumference. Shafer Bearing Div., Rexnord Corp., 2400 Curtiss St., Downers Grove, Ill. 60515.
