Researchers here are demonstrating supersonic ramjet engine operation at speeds up to Mach 9 by firing 4-in.-dia. scramjet projectiles from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's SHARP light-gas gun. As part of U.S. Air Force Wright Laboratories-sponsored hypersonic airbreathing propulsion research, the most recent test series simulated high-Mach flight conditions at an altitude of 100,000 ft. Rockwell provided some funding support and participated in the tests, as well.
Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are gearing up to submit their final proposals later this week for an airborne stand-off radar (Astor) to the U.K. Ministry of Defense, which is also considering the U-2 and Joint-STARS as alternatives.
Safety investigators want to use computers to recreate the 1990 destruction of a Boeing aircraft to better understand how a fuel-tank explosion might have helped rip apart Trans World Airlines Flight 800. National Transportation Safety Board officials want to use a Boeing-developed computer program for simulating Flight 800's disintegration to model the fuel-tank explosion that destroyed a Philippine Airlines 737 on the ground in Manila six years ago. That accident would serve as a benchmark for judging the fidelity of the Boeing program.
The U.S. claimed early success in its latest skirmish with Iraq, but it is not yet clear whether Saddam Hussein's strategic position has been weakened, as the Administration asserts. Hussein's air defense forces moved quickly to test U.S. enforcement of an enlarged no-fly zone with the launch of a fighter patrol along the new barrier and the radar tracking of an F-16.
LEHMAN BROS. PARTNERSHIPS have sold their 18% share of Space Systems/Loral to Loral Space and Communications, giving the latter a 51% ownership of the satellite manufacturer. European companies own the remaining 49% (AW&ST Aug. 5, p. 58). The Lehman partnerships received stock in Loral, stock in the Globalstar venture and $4 million in cash in return for their shares.
The Gore panel also wants increased FBI counterterrorism activity and antiterrorism training for airport personnel at selected airports overseas. One member, CIA Chief John Deutch, says U.S. intelligence agencies are already rising to the challenge. He says, ``The gain of new sources [reporting on terrorist activities] in the past 18 months far exceeds previous achievements.'' The FBI has shifted 500 agents to counterterrorism. Why, the CIA and FBI are even cooperating!
J.R. Jones has been named sales director, Anthony Sanchez international sales director, Robert C. Waddell marketing manager and Alfred Escheu head of parts sales, all for International Aviation Services Ltd. of Ft. Worth.
On the basis of the documentation made available and the information presented to the board, the following has been observed: The weather at the launch site at Kourou on the morning of June 4, 1996, was acceptable for a launch that day and presented no obstacle to the transfer of the launcher to the launch pad. In particular, there was no risk of lightning since the strength of the electric field measured at the launch site was negligible. The only uncertainty concerned fulfillment of the visibility criteria.
ValuJet received advance FAA approval to fly to 17 cities, according to agency documents. In addition to three Florida destinations and Washington, FAA inspectors cleared the airline to fly from its Atlanta base to Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Raleigh/Durham, N.C. According to an Aug. 13 FAA report, the inspectors also signed off on ValuJet flights to Columbus, Ohio; Newport News, Va.; Ft. Walton Beach and Jacksonville in Florida; Louisville, Ky.; Mobile, Ala.; and Savannah, Ga.
Honeywell Inc., in Wall Street parlance, is a hot stock--it has nearly doubled in price in the last 18 months. While impressive, some analysts believe there are a lot more gains to come.
Immediate orders are unlikely as carriers wait to see what Airbus can offer to the 500-600-seat race. Carriers with major needs for 500-600-seat long-haul aircraft like what they have seen in Boeing's proposed 747-500X and 747-600X.
Securities analysts expect sales of Bombardier Inc.'s new Global Express business jet, unveiled last week in Toronto (see p. 65), to contribute substantially to the Canadian company's revenue and earnings growth, starting in 1998.
If Russia's combat training problems are not resolved in the near future, the air force will be gripped by a deep crisis which will hit fighter aviation first, according to some senior generals.
Graham Hotchkiss has been named chief executive officer of Jet Vacations Inc. of New York. He will remain U.S. director of advertising and communications for Air France. He succeeds Allen Stolz.
The U.S. Air Force/Navy's Joint Primary Aircraft Training System promises to be the largest and most advanced pilot training system of its kind when it reaches initial operational capability early in the next century.
Nytemp is a polymer self-locking patch material with a temperature resistance of 450F. It is suitable for aerospace and other applications that require high heat resistance. The orange-colored polymer element is sprayed on, which provides a more even distribution than baking on or embedding the material into threads would. This allows it to provide a more consistent vibration resistance. Nytemp-coated fasteners are adjustable and reusable. The material can be applied to internally or externally threaded parts.
NASA officials are now challenging accounts of an internal assessment back in January regarding rising costs for the international space station program. In question is whether costs could in fact rise by as much as 30% (AW&ST Aug. 26, p. 25). Andy Allen, the station program manager, didn't initially dispute the figure. Allen now says that, upon further investigation, he believes it applies only to the space station nodes and not the entire program. But for some reason, NASA refuses to release any documents or viewgraphs from the internal assessment.
The No. 776 chain conveyor oven is electrically heated to 350F. Its current application is for curing a coating on metal fasteners. The oven has a 2-ft. open belt loading zone, a 13-ft.-long insulated heat zone with recirculated heat flow, a 1-ft. open zone, an 8-ft. cooling zone and a 2-ft. open unloading zone. A 3,000 cu. ft./min., 2 hp. recirculating blower provides uniform vertical downward air flow. Grieve Corp., 500 Hart Road, Round Lake, Ill. 60073-9989.
The Gulfstream 5 ultra long-range business jet is scheduled to receive FAA certification in November after completion of a 1,200-hour, year-long flight test program involving four aircraft.
William D. Fletcher has been named senior vice president-technology and business development of Rockwell International, Seal Beach, Calif. He was senior vice president-international.
The NOS Flip Binder is made of a durable black plastic with 1-in. steel rings for holding approach plates. The cover flips all the way around so the binder can sit on a pilot's lap with the approach plate in full view. Chart wallets are made to organize and display standard NOS charts. The wallets have black vinyl covers and clear vinyl organizer pockets that make finding the correct chart easy in a busy or turbulent cockpit. Aviation Supplies&Academics Inc., 7005 132nd Place SE, Newcastle, Wash. 98059-3153.
Virgin Express services from Brussels to Geneva could be held up for another eight weeks as the airline continues to negotiate pricing levels with Swiss authorities. Failure to reach an agreement forced the airline to postpone its planned startup date of Sept. 2. Virgin Express wants to charge as much as 50% less than the lowest fares offered on the route by Sabena and Swissair.
Patrick J. Finneran has been appointed vice president/general manager of market development, Michael D. Marks vice president/general manager of the F-15 program and John D. Tyson vice president/general manager of the AV-8B and T-45 training system programs, all at McDonnell Douglas Aerospace in St. Louis. Also, Leonard F. Impellizzeri, vice president/general manager of production operations and general services, has assumed responsibility for the C-17 commercial support program.
