Virgin Atlantic Airways' proposed new code-sharing partnership with Continental Airlines will allow U.S. government employees to fly on Virgin's daily flight to London from Washington. Currently, U.S. employees are required when going abroad to fly on U.S. carriers, when such service is available. The ``Buy America'' law has been roundly attacked in the past as ``good old-fashioned protectionism'' by foreign governments and airlines--including Virgin--contending it is contrary to the U.S. espousal of ``open skies'' and free markets.
The XRT combined diesel-driven electric-hydraulic power source can be used to power rescue equipment on an airport rescue and firefighting vehicle. The unit can power three hydraulic rescue tools as far as 150 feet from the pump simultaneously, while also operating emergency lighting. The hydraulic power source can be bolted on to an existing Westerbeke diesel-powered generator, or a mated pair can be purchased together. The system can generate electric and hydraulic power simultaneously. Westerbeke Corp., Industrial Div., 32 Tioga Way, Marblehead, Mass. 01945.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL and Boeing are forming a joint venture to provide ``one-stop'' worldwide airline pilot and maintenance training. Called FlightSafety Boeing Training International, the venture essentially combines the commercial airline pilot and maintenance training activities of both companies and totals 36 simulators in 12 locations worldwide. FlightSafety provides training for many Boeing, Airbus and McDonnell Douglas jet transports at several sites and also performs pilot basic, intermediate and ab initio training at its Vero Beach, Fla., flight academy.
So far, the 1990s have been the Asia/Pacific decade. The region was less affected by the gulf war and recession of the early part of the decade than Europe and North America, its airlines have consistently been profitable while others--until recently--fared badly, and passenger growth rates are very strong.
These cold drawn metal parts are formed in a cold rolling process and drawn into a rod with the profile of the final part. The result is a near net shape with a smooth, burnished surface that requires less machining than parts formed by other processes. Surface finishes to RMS 63 and tolerances to 0.005 in. are possible with a variety of metals, including nickel alloys. Rathbone Precision Metals Inc., 241 Park St., Palmer, Mass. 01069.
The Lum-21 pneumatic screwdriver is designed to improve productivity while protecting against fatigue and repetitive stress injuries. The tool, available in pistol-grip and straight versions, is designed to have minimum reaction impulse, while grip diameter is optimized to reduce hand and wrist fatigue from reaction torque. Features include a push-button reverse, lubrication-free motors for clean rooms and automatic air shutoff. The Lum-21 has free speeds of 400-2,300 rpm. Atlas Copco Tools, 37735 Enterprise Court, Suite 300, Farmington Hills, Mich. 48331.
Continental Express will put five Embraer EMB-145 regional jets into service Apr. 6. Originally scheduled to start Mar. 1, the carrier decided to take more time to acquaint staff with the aircraft--and to begin services after it had taken delivery of more EMB-145s. Five aircraft will be put into service next month, with a sixth to be used for an operational spare at first. Four of the 50-seat jets will operate from Continental's Cleveland hub to St. Louis, Minneapolis, Hartford and Greensboro, N.C.
CAE Electronics expects to establish the first jointly operated flight training centers with Chinese airlines. Business Development Director Brian Hampson said the new centers would be similar to those CAE already operates with Lufthansa and Bombardier. CAE has the strongest market presence among all simulator manufacturers in China, but its previous sales have been directly to airlines. Better cooperation between CAE and the airlines could cut the lag time between order and delivery of simulators to 12 from 18 months, he said.
Fiscal constraints, heavily influenced by the political drive toward European monetary union, and increasing cooperation in European military operations will step up the pressure for more common, although fewer, equipment programs in the future.
The combined $27 billion for space being sought in Fiscal 1998 by NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office is designed to provide lower cost spacecraft with data capabilities more closely tied to new ``information age'' technology into the 21st century. The total includes about $13.5 billion for NASA, $6 billion for USAF space and $6-7 billion for the reconnaissance office.
The Rex-Cut mounted seat track cleaner uses an abrasive wheel to clean the entire interior profile of seat tracks on transport aircraft. They can remove caked-on dirt, sticky soda residue and burrs without affecting track geometry. A single wheel can clean an entire seat track, saving time and eliminating the need to replace the track. The wheel is made of multiple layers of reinforced, nonwoven cotton fiber and abrasive grains. Rex-Cut Products Inc., 960 Airport Road, P.O. Box 2109, Fall River, Mass. 02722.
The world airline industry is riding a wave of traffic growth and big profits that will continue through this year. The traffic forecast is less optimistic for 1998-2000, but profits, though reduced, should stay in the picture.
The Arrow 2 scored a direct hit against a target missile in its fourth test launch, although the interceptor's fragmentation warhead failed to detonate due to a sensor malfunction. Israeli and U.S. officials said preliminary data indicated ``the overwhelming majority of test objectives were achieved,'' however, during the Mar. 11 launch. The Arrow 2 acquired, locked on and guided to the target, intercepting and destroying it. Engineers are now trying to determine the cause of the warhead sensor failure.
Asian sales were a major contributor to the boost in value of Rolls-Royce's orderbook to 7 billion pounds ($11.3 billion) last year. At 1.23 billion pounds ($1.99 billion), the company sales in Asia accounted for 25% of its 4.29-billion-pound ($6.95-billion) total and represented a nearly 40% increase over the region's sales in 1995. The largest contributor was the Trent engine, especially the Trent 800, which has been ordered for the Boeing 777 by Cathay Pacific Airways, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.
Frustrated by the lack of available open land in heavily populated Japan, emergency planners are coming up with innovative ideas for helicopter landing sites. These include bus stations with roofs that fold back to form emergency helipads and construction of a network of offshore helipads on reclaimed land, steel piers or floats. A fleet of strategically located, high-speed emergency response boats, each with a multisite helipad on a wide aft deck, also has been suggested.
Job shop tracking and reporting software has been developed by the manufacturing extension center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). Intended to aid small manufacturing organizations, the Tracking and Reporting System (TRS) has been evaluated and fine-tuned at UAH's research and development machine shop for the past six months. The shop employs three workers and has 30 machines, including two computer-controlled machining centers.
Space is designed to help airlines with planning provisions stowage and catering equipment needs. The Microsoft Windows-compatible program uses an integrated data base and linked diagrams. The system tracks stowage capacity in both weight and volume in either the English or metric system and prevents overloading while making maximum use of the tight space in an aircraft galley. The system also can track international and specialized menus. Calibre Consultancy Ltd., Popeswood Corner, Popeswood Road, Binfield, England RG42 4AD.
A simple and quick method to make extremely fine metal powders has been pioneered by chemists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The resulting highly magnetic powders have potential uses in information storage and magnetofluid seals, lubricants and bearings, according to Kenneth Suslick, a professor of chemical sciences. The technique essentially blasts liquid metal with short-duration, high-intensity ultrasound.
U.S. military and aerospace industry officials must reassess their strategies for survival because a prolonged spending slump has combined with a spasm of major contract awards in late 1996 to virtually empty the Pentagon's cupboard of major new aviation projects for the rest of the century.
