Skydrol 5 is a fire-resistant aviation hydraulic fluid that will be introduced early next year. It will have better thermal stability than Type 4 fluids in use today. It also will offer improvements in erosion protection, toxicity characteristics and weight savings, as well as paint compatibility. Skydrol will be compatible with existing hydraulic fluids, so it will not be necessary to drain or flush a system when it is used. Douglas Aircraft Co. told operators that Skydrol can work at an operating temperature of 275F, versus 225F for Type 4 fluids. Monsanto Co., 800 N.
James J. Greed, president of VSLI Standards Inc., has been elected chairman of the board of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, Mountain View, Calif. He succeeds Christopher Dobson, cofounder/chairman of Electrotech Ltd.
Recent advances in computing power and visual displays, and the promise of head-mounted display systems in the not too distant future, are fueling innovative training solutions designed to keep pace with the increasing complexities of modern aircraft.
Advances in Aircraft Flight Control by Mark B. Tischler of the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate is a resource for engineers that reviews many fixed-wing and rotorcraft flight control programs from the perspective of experienced practitioners who were directly involved in the projects. Each chapter addresses a different aircraft flight program, covering the control system design considerations, control law architecture, simulations and analysis, flight test optimization and handling qualities evaluations.
The X-Ray Conti 3000 is designed for nondestructive, continuous coating thickness measurement and inspection of electronic components and assemblies. The device can measure thicknesses on strip material or selectively plated perforated and preformed contact strips and even on curved areas coated in a continuous plating line. Applications include precious metal or tin coatings on copper, brass and nickel/iron substrates, double coatings like gold/nickel on copper, and alloy coatings such as palladium-nickel on copper with simultaneous alloy composition measurement.
A simple, reusable and lightweight pressure relief device for equipment housings has been developed by engineers at General Dynamics and NASA's Lewis Research Center in Cleveland. The device essentially consists of a flexible magnetic collar or frame that surrounds a pressure relief hole on the low-pressure side of a housing. An adhesive backing allows the collar to be attached easily. A blowoff plate is secured to the collar magnetically until an overpressure dislodges it. A retaining chain or line prevents plate loss.
FBI agents are looking for carpet sections, seat cushions and other debris from Trans World Airlines Flight 800 that likely captured important clues to the source of the blast that destroyed the aircraft.
A team of industry, military and academic researchers is performing the detailed design of a massively parallel processing chip set intended to provide inexpensive, high-resolution, real-time imaging capabilities for military and commercial applications.
HORIZON AIRLINES SWELLED Bombardier's Dash 8 orderbook last week with an order for 25 firm, 15 conditional and 30 options worth $270 million. The order is a blow to Fairchild Aircraft, as Horizon plans to consolidate its fleet to one type--the Dash 8--and phase out its existing Dornier 328 and aging Fairchild Metro fleets.
William D. MacDonald has been appointed director of contracts and procurement and Joanne E. Braeunle manager of planning and administration, for Eastman Kodak Commercial and Government Systems, Rochester, N.Y.
Ralph Fisch has been named national sales manager for aviation products and Bob Rutkowski aviation regional sales manager for Magellan Systems, San Dimas, Calif.
K.M. (Mike) Henshaw has been named executive vice president, John Dietz vice president-business development and advanced programs and Michael L. Coats vice president-civil space, all of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space, Sunnyvale, Calif. Coats succeeds Henshaw and had been vice president-avionics and communications of Loral Space Information Systems. Dietz was vice president of data development and dissemination.
Warren H. Lieberman (see photo), Gregory Campbell (see photo) and Michael Gordon have been promoted to vice presidents of Decision Focus Inc., Mountain View, Calif.
DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE and assembly (DFMA) processes have helped McDonnell Douglas pare the complexity, time and cost of producing military and commercial aircraft, according to company officials and their vendors. The aircraft maker in 1992 began implementing DFMA philosophies and using specialized supporting software, including Boothroyd Dewhurst's Design For Manufacture and Assembly and the Six Sigma DFM design-for-manufacture system developed by Motorola, applying them to new aircraft and existing production lines as resources permitted.
The Royal Air Force is readying a review of its training requirements for the Eurofighter 2000 and plans to create a training course design team in 1998 for an operational conversion unit. U.K. defense officials have already looked extensively at training requirements for the new aircraft which is scheduled for first delivery in 2001. A number of training analyses have been conducted with the aid of outside consultants.
Sales of military simulators remain strong in 1996, but their civilian counterparts are less robust, failing to rise in proportion to aircraft orders. International simulator sales in Asia and Europe are fueling the military sector, but the reason for the slack in the civil market is less obvious. Reflectone President/CEO Richard G. Snyder attributes it to excess training capacity, which is soaking up some of the new demand.
Stuart W. Thomson has been named vice president-business development at McDonnell Douglas Military Transport Aircraft, Long Beach, Calif. He succeeds Gary Mears, who has resigned. Thomson was director of business development for the C-17.
DESPITE STRONG AEROSPACE SALES, Rolls-Royce posted a pretax loss of 169 million pounds ($262 million) in the first half of the year as a result of its decision to exit the large steam power generation business. The company set aside 248 million pounds ($384 million) to cover the associated costs involved in the strategic move. Operating profit rose to 96 million pounds ($149 million), up from 64 million pounds ($99 million) during the same period in 1995 largely due to increased aerospace sales.
Norm Witteveen, deputy manager of aviation for planning and development of the Denver Aviation Dept., has received the American Society of Civil Engineers' Robert Horonjeff Award for his contributions to air transportation engineering.
After several years without funding, the U.S. Army's antisatellite program was revived by the transfer of $11 million from Pentagon coffers. Another $19 million of the $30 million allocated in Fiscal 1996 should be released by the Office of the Secretary of Defense within a few weeks. The funds will support conversion of a Polaris engine into a STARS booster and a kinetic-energy kill vehicle hover test at Edwards AFB, Calif., late this year (AW&ST July 1, p. 59).
BUS-69081 ACE Menu program allows developers of Advanced Communications Engine software for multichip module Mil-Std-1553 data buses to work with a graphical interface. The program features bus controller, remote terminal, monitor and test modes. The BC mode allows creation of bus controller messages by selecting parameters in a major and minor message data format. A user can specify the address of a remote terminal with the RT mode. The MON mode allows monitoring of the 1553 bus. ILC Data Device Corp., 105 Orville Drive, Bohemia, N.Y. 11716-2482.
Long March commercial boosters keep failing, and U.S. satellite builders keep publicly defending the China Great Wall Industry Corp. Since January, 1995, there have been six launches and three failures. The latest occurred Aug. 18, when one of China's own satellites, a Hughes 376, was lofted into a useless orbit. And tragically, lapses in safety have led to a substantial loss of life that easily could have been avoided.
Jim Giacobazzi has become general manager of Comsat RSI Mark and CSA Antenna Systems, Des Plaines, Ill. He was director of product operations for Motorola's Cellular Advanced Product Div.
James M. Burskey has been named general manager of the Aircraft Window Repair Co. station at Torrance, Calif. He was program manager for the Sierracin/Sylmar Corp.
Vaughn Sink will become chairman/ chief executive officer of Sullivan Higdon and Sink, Wichita, Kan., on Jan. 1 upon the retirement of Al Higdon. Recent promotions were: Joe Norris to executive vice president-creative director; Rand Mikul- ecky to senior vice president/director of client services; and Sam Williams to senior vice president/chief financial officer, all from vice president. Clayton Callihan has been named an account supervisor. He held the same position at McCann-Erickson Worldwide.
