Bereft of funds, Russia has canceled production of the advanced MiG 1.42 fighter as part of a sweeping defense ministry order to abandon production of all state-of-the-art weapons until at least 2005. In the meantime, Russia will confine itself to conducting military research and development and the building of prototypes for advanced armaments.
Concerned that sloshing fuel would interfere with the autopilot of its new Long-range Fiber Optic Guided Missile (Longfog) the U.S. Army went to the Nascar races. Figuring the stock cars that race at the nearby Talladega track must have similar problems, engineers at the Army's Missile Command in Huntsville, Ala., contacted teams from the National Assn. for Stock Car Auto Racing (Nascar) for advice. As a result, the Army spent $40 to purchase a ``trunkload'' of the reticulated polyester foam Nascar racers use to quell fuel sloshing in their vehicles.
Raytheon E-Systems and the Royal Australian Air Force say they will market the avionics upgrades that have been developed for the RAAF's 18 AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft abroad as part of an effort to broaden the industrial base of Australian defense firms.
Raisbeck Engineering has received FAA approval for its Noise Abatement System that brings Boeing 727-100 and -200-series transports into compliance with Stage 3 noise standards, chiefly by limiting deflection of the aircraft's high-lift systems and flat-rating its Pratt&Whitney JT8D engines.
Driven by fleet growth, a stable economy and accelerated pilot retirements, the U.S. airline industry is poised to hire up to 12,000 pilots this year, according to AIR Inc., an Atlanta-based company specializing in airline pilot hiring with major and regional carriers.
PPG's abrasion-resistant coating for transport aircraft passenger windows, called SolGard 3, has been found to increase substantially the craze life of the stretched acrylic transparencies. The polysiloxane coating process improves the chemical and abrasion resistance of the window's exterior, according to Thomas E. Clark, director of sales and marketing for PPG's aircraft products group, based in Huntsville, Ala.
SEVERAL INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES ARE PREPARING to launch an Internet-based auction of select tickets, possibly within 4 mo. Software engineering and services contractor Voyager Technologies is testing the on-line auction service with consumers. The tests include measuring the length of time that bidders stay logged on. (The thinking is that bidder interest is limited to about 25 min.) Airlines would place on the virtual auction block tickets for seats that they determine would go unsold otherwise.
CyberFlyer Technologies of Denver is offering public Internet access to travelers at U.S. airports, using stations similar to telephone booths. The company plans to open its first three-site, six-workstation system at Norfolk (Va.) International this summer. One design will emulate an automatic teller machine, while a second will feature sit-down workstations. Business travelers would be able to plug in their own notebook computers or access the workstation's keyboard by swiping a credit card through a reader.
A GYROSCOPE FAILURE CAUSED the loss of the French Spot 3 space-imagery spacecraft last Nov. 14, according to a CNES French space agency investigation report released last week. The failure produced an uncontrolled rotation, preventing the solar panels from receiving the Sun's light. Spot 3 was launched in September, 1993, and CNES officials pointed out the onboard systems had already exceeded their three-year life span.
The rapid growth of U.S. airlines in the next 12 years will outstrip existing airports and air traffic control systems unless major steps are taken to resolve these issues, said airline officials attending the FAA's annual aviation conference here last week. The FAA's forecast for Fiscal Years 1997-2008, which was issued at the conference, contains significant predictions that underscore rapid growth predicted for the aviation industry. According to the agency:
Pilot Linda Finch and a navigator were scheduled to depart from Oakland on Mar. 17 in a restored Lockheed Model 10E on a three-month flight intended to closely replicate Amelia Earhart's 1937 attempt to circumnavigate the Earth at the equator.
The final version of software for the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System-Two, which will give it the same performance as its European counterpart, is now undergoing flight test.
NASA's Ames Research Center is entering new cooperative programs with industry, academia and other federal agencies to fulfill its mission as the space agency's lead center for excellence in information technology.
The first Space Systems/Loral Tempo direct broadcast satellite--the most powerful commercial communications spacecraft ever built--was being readied for launch here on an Atlas 2A booster late last week after two countdowns were canceled because of a problem with the booster and a ground-based telemetry system for the satellite.
Unions are favored as winners in this high season of U.S. airline labor negotiations. High-performing airlines are likely to restore wage levels, pushing up airlines' costs as they enter a questionable growth period. United Airlines signaled the trend to higher pay scales last week, offering pilots and mechanics generous pay increases, pension plan improvements and lump sum payments. The offer, which must be ratified, has raised the stakes for all U.S. pilots and maintenance workers.
EXTRASOLAR PLANETS ARE UNDER ATTACK. It's not Star Wars, though, it's scientific wars. The discovery 15 months ago by a Swiss-U.S. team of the first planet claimed beyond the Solar System, a purported object half the mass of Jupiter and orbiting exceedingly close to the Sun-like star 51 Pegasi, was predicated on infrared spectral data that suggest the planet is causing the star to wobble. But a recent paper in the influential journal Nature by David F.
After looking intensely at government secrecy, a congressional panel led by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D.-N.Y.) and Rep. Larry Combest (R.-Tex.), reports it didn't find much it liked. The Cold War mentality is alive and well. ``Knock it off!'' Moynihan said, hoping to reach the 2 million officials and 1 million industry workers who can stamp ``Secret'' on documents. Even though classification is declining, in 1995 there were still 3.5-million actions to classify, 400,000 of them at the Top Secret level. Most of what gets classified remains in a black hole.
Boeing continues to predict a strong world market for commercial jet transports through 2016, estimating the world's airlines will buy more than 16,100 new transports worth $1.1 trillion. The forecast projects annual traffic growth averaging 4.9% per year, down slightly from previous 5.1% estimates. Annual revenue passenger miles in 2016 should total about 4.5 trillion, compared to the 1.8 trillion flown in 1996. At the end of 1996, the world's commercial transport jet fleet totaled 11,500.
AIRBUS INDUSTRIE FORESEES a demand for 15,784 aircraft worth $1.1 trillion over the next 20 years, the same market value but fewer aircraft than forecast by its rival Boeing (see p. 45). Airbus believes that there will be a market for 1,442 aircraft ``larger than anything flying today,'' thus its decision to press ahead with development of the 550-seat A3XX. In its global market forecast issued late last week, Airbus said the average size of aircraft will grow from today's 179 seats to 235 seats by 2017.
In an effort to boost efficiency in a tight budget environment, the European Space Agency is scheduled to implement more flexible contract rules. In addition, a revised strategic plan will be completed during the second quarter of 1998.
Lower-tier U.S. aerospace suppliers--frequently at the mercy of large customers' dictates--finally may have an effective vehicle for resolving operating problems that threaten their survival. Washington-based Aerospace Industries Assn. has formed a Supplier Management Council to provide a forum for vendors and prime manufacturers to address these problems, which at times have strained customer-supplier relationships.
Two New York Air National Guard pilots, with the best view of the crash of TWA Flight 800 last July, are disagreeing about what they saw immediately before destruction of the Boeing 747-131 jetliner. One believes the airliner was struck by a fast-moving object coming from the east, while the other saw only a fiery trail from the west. However, both believe a violent explosion ripped the aircraft apart, propelling some of its passengers high enough that they did not hit the water's surface until 3-4 min. after the initial explosion.
The French aerospace industry's sales are expected to increase an estimated 7% in 1997, a positive trend halting a long-lasting decline and strengthening last year's modest upturn. In 1996, France's aerospace sales increased to $19.7 billion, up from $18.3 billion (at current exchange rates) during the previous year. The industry's booked orders valued at $21.5 billion were up from $18.9 billion in 1996. Export sales increased a healthy 27.9%. Last year, the French aerospace workforce slightly decreased to 96,000 employees, exclusive of temporary layoffs.
ARINC PLANS TO START OPERATIONAL HF DATA-LINK (HFDL) service in October. Although not yet approved for an ATC data link, ARINC is working to attain approval by late 1998. HFDL from Collins and AlliedSignal have been purchased for more than 200 aircraft. Airbus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas are providing HFDL wiring provisions for aircraft being delivered this year and beyond. Thirty-one aircraft are using an interim HFDL service for airline operational control--a service currently provided only by ARINC.
American Airlines boss Robert L. Crandall, in town last week, renewed his call for a system of user fees to fund the FAA. American is one of seven major airlines advocating replacement of the current 10% tax on airline tickets with a fee-based program. But Crandall was quick to point out that before any new funding mechanism is implemented, Congress and the FAA must ensure that the agency installs a fully structured cost accounting system, which it currently lacks.
