A civil engine market worth as much as $200 billion in new products may evolve in the 17-year period following the commercial sector's emergence late next year from one of its deepest slumps. More than 30,000 jet engines may be needed to satisfy transport aviation demands during the period that began in 1993 and ends in 2013. However, because orders are firm only to 1998, fulfillment of these predictions is dependent on a substantial upturn in new aircraft orders in the last decade of the forecast.
The Permacable Horizontal Lifeline fall protection system uses an overhead synthetic fiber cable. The low-stretch, 5/8-in. cable provides several advantages over typical wire rope lifelines. It is designed for use in environments where no overhead anchorages exist. The Permacable system can be tensioned virtually in a horizontal plane. This allows the snatch block to roll freely along the cable above the worker, helping to avoid ``swing falls.'' The synthetic cable is resistant to weather, corrosive chemicals and electrical hazards.
Commercial transport builders are seeking to fine-tune their market forecasts to yield more precise data on the future demand for new aircraft worldwide. Depending on how successful they are, manufacturers may be able to eliminate some of the guesswork from suppliers' own strategic planning. That would be a welcome development, since the health of so many vendors is tied to the future market for new jetliners.
LOOK FOR FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES to begin development of a remotely piloted helicopter, the RPH-2, this spring. First flight is scheduled for December. Fuji has been conducting flight tests for five years of a smaller prototype, the RPH-1. The new vehicle is to be 31 ft. long, 4.2 ft. wide and 5.3 ft. high with a 16-ft.-dia. rotor. Takeoff weight will be 660 lb. including 220 lb. of payload. An 83-hp. EC8PL piston engine will provide power. Cruising speed is to be about 60 mph. with flight duration of an hour.
Minoru S. (Sam) Araki has been named president of Lockheed Missiles&Space Co. He was executive vice president of Lockheed Missiles&Space Systems Group and succeeds Vance D. Coffman, who is president-designate of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Space and Missiles sector. Araki will be succeeded by Mel Brashears, who was vice president/assistant general manager of LMSC's Space Systems Div. Dain Hancock has been named president of Lockheed Ft. Worth Co., succeeding Gordon R. England, who will retire. Hancock was vice president-F-16 programs. And, John S.
NASA CHIEF DANIEL S. GOLDIN KEEPS BOWLING OVER the troops in the shuttle program with his blunt talk and odd timing. During the recent shuttle/Mir rendezvous, Goldin was so preoccupied with his televised budget briefing that he barely caught a glimpse of the climax of the orbital ballet. Then, during the most recent mission countdown, for Astro 2, he saw fit to initiate a televised discussion of likely job cutbacks. Mincing no words, he asserted, ``There will be pain. There will be job loss.'' He urged one and all to consider a buyout offer good until Mar.
AIR ASIA CO. OF TAIWAN will team with Bell Helicopter Textron to establish a maintenance center for civil and military helicopters using Air Asia's facilities at Tainan Airfield in southern Taiwan. Bell has more than 175 civil and military helicopters in service in Taiwan, including the 206B JetRanger, a candidate for the Taiwanese army's helicopter trainer program against the Enstrom 480.
HMS-EYE2 is a three-dimensional, stereoscopic head-mounted display. It can be linked to any video source. Features include instant on/off wearability, digital-grade earphones, pivot, focus, inter-pupil, bifocal and head-comfort adjustments, and robust shock resistance. Resolution ranges from 110,300 pixels per eye to full VGA quality. It offers a 70-deg. field of view with 85% overlap. It weighs less than 16 oz. Options include wireless audio and video input, and voice command hands-free microphone and software. RPI Advanced Technology Group, P.O.
John J. Sheehan (see photo) has joined the Spectrum Management Group, Wallingford, Conn., from Pratt&Whitney, where he was an operations management executive.
The FH-480 horizontal machining center is designed to handle large volume outputs without losing the flexibility for running changes in quantities and design. The base configuration offers a two-pallet shuttle system that can be expanded to 100 pallets. The 30-hp. drive features 180 lb. of torque and achieves metal removal rates of more than 40 cu. in./min. in steel with a No. 40 taper milling tool. Chip shedding and removal characteristics allow continuous operation with aluminum, steel and combinations of materials. The spindle reaches its full speed of 12,000 rpm.
Stevens Aviation, Greenville, S.C., has named Jim Amador and Mike Lucas (see photos) aircraft acquisition and consulting specialists. Amador was vice president-aircraft sales for JetCorp. Aircraft Sales in St. Louis, and Lucas worked for United Beechcraft in Los Angeles.
This Serfilco coalescer can separate water, oil and other liquids with dissimilar specific gravities. It can be used to separate tramp oil from coolants and to reduce waste. This model utilizes all-plastic construction, but carbon steel units are available for hydraulic oil and other applications. It is effective on liquids with a specific gravity difference of 0.09 or greater. Recovered effluent contains less than 10 parts per million of the discontinuous material. Serfilco, Ltd., 1777 Shermer Road, Northbrook, Ill. 60062.
Robert L. Karpinski (see photo) has been named director of international marketing for Electronic Space Systems Corp., Concord, Mass. He was director of international business development for Digital Equipment Corp.
The EZ-TRAK DX is a Series 1 mill machine with a factory-fit, two-axis intelligent ``DRO'' that is available with a programmable third axis. To perform in a third axis, the machine uses a side-mounted z-axis motor, gearbox, ballscrew and connecting bracket. Drilling in the third access can be done automatically or manually. The machine can store as many as 1,000 individual operations, allowing the user to request up to 10 routine mill and four drill preprogrammed cycles. Bridgeport Machines, Inc., 500 Lindley St., Bridgeport, Conn. 06606.
The Timearc Visualizer is a digitized, color, moving map display that works with the Timearc 6 GPS Navigation Management System. The display, using a liquid crystal diode screen, can present any topographic or radio navigation map. Timearc 6 data, including aircraft position, are displayed on the map. Map manipulation features allow the user to zoom in and out, present either north or flight track at the top of the screen, display navigation data, and scroll to destination/position. Flight Components AG, Ch-8184 Bachenbulach, Switzerland, Bitzibergstrasse 5.
The Series 5500 pressure transducers offer thin-film performance in test and measurement applications where accuracy, reliability and stability are paramount. They are designed to have a mean time between failure of 100,000 hr. and to offer 18-month stability of -0.1%. The transducers are available with outputs of 5 v. or 4-20 milliamps to eliminate the need for external amplifiers and reduce system noise. Applications include flight testing, jet engine test stands and ground support equipment. T-Hydronics, Inc./CEC Instruments, 149 Stelzer Court, Sunbury, Ohio 43074.
HARD ON THE HEELS of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman John Shalikashvili's revelation that any new defense reductions will mean smaller forces, U.S. Army personnel planners have identified at least two new targets. By 2001, Army officials say, the service would cut two more active divisions, to a total of eight from ten, and all the division structures in the Army National Guard. The budget would continue full support of National Guard contingency forces and enhanced readiness brigades.
DUTCH OFFICIALS SAID they expect the government to choose between the U.S.-built McDonnell Douglas AH-64D Apache attack helicopter and the German-French Eurocopter Tiger for a $838.7-million order by the end of the month. Dutch Defense Ministry officials expressed confidence that their preference for the Apache would prevail in an upcoming cabinet meeting, which could be held as early as Mar. 24. Dutch economists want the sale to stay in Europe. The contract would involve more than 30 helicopters with weapons and logistics support to equip a new airmobile brigade.
Dan Bart has been promoted to vice president-standards and technology of the Electronic Industries Assn./Telecommunications Industry Assn., Arlington, Va., from TIA vice president-technical and regulatory affairs.
The avionics market should remain flat for the rest of 1995, but will improve in 1996 if expected orders for new commercial air transports materialize. Military avionics will continue to garner an increasing share of declining military procurement funds as the electronic content of aerospace systems climbs. Specific growth niches are expected in data links, Global Positioning Systems, air traffic control upgrades, airborne office equipment for passengers and aircraft retrofits. Growth Trends: U.S. Avionics Sales 1985-97
USAir will begin reducing system capacity by 5% in April and delete 240 flights in an effort to cut costs and make the airline profitable. Much of the cutback in flights will be accomplished by eliminating redundant service. By the end of July ``point-to-point flights will comprise less than 10% of USAir's system,'' an airline official said. Instead, the airline will concentrate on increasing business at its four hubs at Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
The M Series Tank Cleaners offer 360-deg. action with optimum cost savings to perform cleaning during processing. They utilize low pressures of 20-60 psi. and flow rates of 15-74 gal./min. at temperatures to 250F. The M50II and M75 have radius jet coverage of 8-13 ft. The rotor shaft is made of stainless steel while the rotor itself is molded Acetal-CoPolymer. The tank cleaners contain no bearings that would be subject to corrosion or wear. Sellers Cleaning Systems, 420 Third St., Piqua, Ohio 45356.
The Pentagon has approved the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) for full-scale production in a streamlined review that followed a successful test by the Navy last summer.
Kenneth H. Colburn has been appointed vice president-project and international finance for Raytheon Co., Lexington, Mass. He was with CS First Boston Corp.
