Jan de Vries (see photos) has been appointed Hong Kong general manager for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, succeeding Vincent Vogt who has transferred to Sydney. Albert Chan is now passenger sales and marketing manager and Annie Yuen marketing communications manager, both for Hong Kong and southern China. Chan succeeds Wyn Li, who also has transferred to Sydney, and Yuen succeeds Dorien de Buck, who has moved to London.
Alliant Techsystem's Outrider tactical-range unmanned aerial vehicle made its second and third flights late last month, neither longer than 10 min. A series of short flights is planned to check the responsiveness of flight controls at various speeds prior to integrating the autopilot system in July. The third flight was limited to 6 min. due to a suspected engine problem--which could not be verified. The 10-15-min. hops will continue through Flights 11 or 12, when the autopilot is put into use. Then they will stretch to 30 min.
Polymac is a composite polymer technology for producing high-definition keypad graphics with a laser-etched, non-halo effect. The process uses a thermoplastic film combined with a translucent substrate. Either the surface or substrate can be printed. The plastic film gives a hard-key feel and prevents contamination of the keypad. The Polymac technology can be adapted for automated assembly but also allows quick changes. ARC Global Technologies, P.O. Box 489, Pauls Valley, Okla. 73075.
The CASP/1100 is a microprocessor-based system for optimizing the effectiveness and extending the life of rechargeable batteries used in mission-critical aviation and aerospace systems. The system can operate on power supplies used in virtually any country, accepting inputs of 90-265 v. a.c. at frequencies of 47-440 Hz. The system works with nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, lead acid, silver zinc, lithium and other rechargeable battery types. Christie Electrical Corp., 18120 S. Broadway, Gardena, Calif. 90248.
The Model VLDS-BR is a ruggedized variable speed digital data recorder designed for high vibration and shock environments such as transport aircraft and helicopters. The recorder uses the IRIG standard recording format and has a variable data rate of 0-32 million bps. and a burst rate of up to 160 million bps. It can store 13.7 gigabytes on a single ST-160 tape cassette or 10.4 gigabytes on an ST-120 tape. Metrum, 4800 E. Dry Creek Road, Littleton, Colo. 80122.
Federal Equipment Co. is offering modular civil heliport landing systems that use the company's Helicomb decking material, previously limited largely to military applications. The decking has a honeycomb core sandwiched between layers of aluminum skin, making the material lighter than aluminum decking without sacrificing strength. Helicomb also has better shock absorption than aluminum or concrete pads. Federal Equipment Co., 719 Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati, Ohio 45203.
Russia and Ukraine are drawing closer together, despite Kiev's expanding ties with NATO and Washington. In an upbeat review last week of his country's foreign relations, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Yuri Shcherbak, spoke of a ``spring wonder.'' It began in early May, he told a National Press Club audience, with the opening of a NATO Information Center in Kiev and the submission of a draft charter for a special NATO/Ukrainian relationship.
Photograph: A new corporate structure at Lufthansa Passenger Airlines aims to enhance flexibility by integrating the management of passenger services and flight operations. Although financially attractive ``exclusive buying agreements'' favoring a single air transport manufacturer may be gaining favor in the boardrooms of U.S. airlines, such an approach is of no benefit from an operating standpoint, and may even be counterproductive, according to Lufthansa German Airlines.
These flexible Loop Heat Pipes are designed for cooling avionics in high-g environments. The one shown here will be tested at accelerations of up to 9g on a USAF Wright Laboratory spin table. The passive LHPs can transport high thermal power over long distances even at high g. The LHPs are to undergo qualification testing for the expected service conditions on the F/A-18. The third unit from the front is designed for cooling the electronics package on the fighter's aileron actuator and survived more than 7.48 million full stroke cycles.
The Breech-Lok EMI/RFI line of circular filtered connectors has been broadened to include circular planar capacitor arrays, ferrite beads and unique grounding components. They can be used to filter unwanted electrical noise in military and commercial avionics, aerospace and space applications. The connectors comply with Mil-C-28840 and Mil-C-38999 (Series 3 and 4). The new connectors include box, wall or jam nut mounting and are available in shell sizes 9-33. G&H Technology Inc., 750 W. Ventura Blvd., Camarillo, Calif. 93010.
Photograph: British Airways' 777s, equipped with GE90 engines, are being operated on U.K.-North American routes and from London to the Middle East. Operators of the Boeing 777 continue to praise the service-readiness of the aircraft upon delivery--asserting it has had the smoothest entry into service of any new aircraft in history.
Douglas Aircraft Co. is building an avionics facility in Long Beach, Calif., which will be used to integrate the avionics systems and related subsystems on the MD-95 transport. The 100-passenger aircraft has been developed with six-across flat panel displays as part of a system based on Honeywell's Versatile Integrated Avionics (VIA 2000) architecture, which is expected to improve dispatch reliability and reduce maintenance costs. The first MD-95, in the initial stages of final assembly at Douglas, is scheduled for first flight in about one year.
The criminal investigation into an act of vandalism on a Pan American World Airways Airbus A300 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The transport arrived on a flight from Los Angeles about 9 p.m. on June 10 and was parked overnight at Terminal 6, the former Trans World Airlines Domestic Terminal. A Pan Am maintenance supervisor discovered the next morning that wires to the aircraft's ground proximity warning system had been cut. The damage was in an electronics bay under the cockpit.
The MPC-800 Miniature Signal Conditioner and Encoder is designed for use in missile and fighter aircraft applications. The unit is constructed of stackable conditioning and overhead modules containing discrete, thick-film hybrid and application specific integrated circuitry. A graphical user interface allows full programmability of gains, offsets, filter cutoffs and channel sampling rates. The MPC-800 can be operated as a master, remote or stand-alone unit. Typical size is 3.5 in. X 2.55 in. X 2.675 in. Typical weight is 25 oz. Aydin Telemetry, Vector Products, P.O.
Photograph: Red, white and blue color scheme is retained in lighter shades on fuselage, as shown on this 747-400 with Polish folk-art tail design. British Airways has unveiled a new corporate identity scheme, including a complete revamp of its aircraft livery, which it hopes will create a more global, passenger-friendly image for the airline. A key element of the airline's drive to enhance its global presence, the proposed alliance with American Airlines, continues to languish in government regulatory reviews, however.
Rep. Frank Wolf (R.-Va.) says he is ``heartened'' by the White House's nomination of Jane Garvey as FAA administrator. But the chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on transportation responded to the Garvey announcement (see p. 83) by lambasting the FAA and called for Garvey to clean up the agency as soon as possible. Wolf said that because of a lack of leadership, the agency's record of abuses and mismanagement has been so bad over the past few years, that he is considering requiring the FAA chief to testify to the panel under oath.
United Airlines is implementing a plan to improve its on-time performance. A team that looked into methods has taken hints from the operation of Shuttle By United. Boarding will begin earlier than usual. All advance seat assignments are now subject to release if unclaimed 20 min. before flight departure. To ease disruptions and handle problem aircraft, maintenance personnel have been added and additional spare aircraft made available.
Gerald Allen has been appointed vice president-Europe and Todd Kannegieter vice president-finance and planning for Comsat International, Bethesda, Md. Allen was vice president/managing director of AT&T Communications Services Canada Inc. in Ottawa. Kannegieter was executive director of financial planning and analysis for US West International Inc.
OF Eurocopter and Intertechnique plan to try again to complete a record nonstop New York-Paris flight with a single-engine Ecureuil helicopter. The first attempt ended earlier this month after a fuel leak developed following a third inflight refueling. The aircraft had flown 2,800 km. and was refueling from tugs at sea. The leak came from a tank installed for the record attempt.
Committee markup of the Fiscal 1998 defense authorization budget has recommended spending $1.4 billion for nine or more McDonnell Douglas F/A-18E/Fs instead of holding to an earlier plan to buy a mix of four E/Fs and 20 less-capable C/Ds, said Rep. Curt Weldon (R.-Pa.). The committee also approved $331.2 million in new funding ($353 million total) to restart the B-2 production line and begin advanced procurement for nine additional B-2s. However, Weldon predicted the funding increase would die before the bill is approved by the full House.
Alberto de Almeida Neto was killed when an AMX military aircraft he was flying crashed near Embraer's headquarters in Brazil on June 6. He was conducting a routine flight test of the aircraft prior to delivery to the Brazilian air force. The accident is under investigation.
This line of noncontact torque sensors is designed for installation between a power source and a load. The sensors have no moving parts, which makes them maintenance-free. The torque-sensitive element uses bonded resistance strain-gauge technology and is designed to eliminate the effects of bending and thrust loads. An inductive power and data transfer system is used for contact-free, air-gap transfer of excitation power and torque output signal. Teledyne Brown Engineering, 513 Mill St., Marion, Mass. 02738.
ED Series ultrafiltration membrane elements are designed to maximize electrodeposition paint recovery. The spiral-wound filters are made from a proprietary polymer. They are available in 4, 6 and 8-in. sizes. The filters offer consistent flow rates, which maintains rinse efficiency and improves recovery of paint solids. The reduced fouling of the new membranes increases the time between cleaning cycles, reducing downtime. Osmonics, 5951 Clearwater Drive, Minnetonka, Minn. 55343-8995.
Selective logging is gaining momentum and opening new opportunities for heavy-lift helicopter operator Columbia Helicopters Inc. The Aurora, Ore., company has just completed a high-profile, selective heli-logging operation at Echo Cove, near Juneau, Alaska, with others to follow. Selective logging cuts only a portion of high-value timber. One of about every eight trees was taken at Echo Cove, allowing landowners to profit while retaining the esthetic beauty of the forest.
