Search

illus

Boeing corp. has been using a 737 aircraft as a modified flying laboratory in 2000, logging more than 150 hours of flight testing on the avionics suite of its Joint Strike Fighter candidate, and completing more than 70 missions.

Independent European maintenance facilities appear to be ahead of US carriers in the implementation as well as benefits from state-of-the-art information technology systems in their maintenance and repair organizations. Some of the obstacles include error-proofing, regulatory issues and not having the software systems expressly designed for airline maintenance and repair organization (MRO) needs. Lufthansa and SAirGroup are pioneers in using information technology to streamline MRO activities. And their respective MRO subsidiary caters to third-party along with in-house business. Alaska and Continental airlines are slowly and carefully making the shift to new information technology systems for their maintenance and repair services.

The IIMorrow's Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) on-board traffic management and conflict system has shown in flight tests that it can give pilots accurate aviation traffic information in real time. The next step will be for comprehensive operational evaluation of ADS-B in summer 1999 in the Ohio River Valley. The systems are being installed in 12 UPS, Airborne Express and Federal Express transports that will take part in the summer testing. Article discusses in greater detail the ADS-B system and how it works.

GEC has developed an advanced head-up display (HUD) unit for commercial airliners. The lightweight unit, scheduled to be flight tested in Sep 1998, is derived from GEC's military HUD technology. American Airlines has ordered units for its fleet of 737-800 aircraft.

The FAA's Oakland Center slowly is making progress in implementing its new Oceanic Automatic Program air traffic control system, which is an early version of the FAA's proposed FANS. Oakland believes that flights handled at Oakland Airport will see ATC improvements by Apr 1998 due to OAP.

Delta Air Lines plans to install cockpit head-up flight guidance avionics systems know as Head-Up Displays in its new fleet of 737-800s aircraft. Delta possibly will fit other narrow body planes in its fleet with the HUD systems. HUDs have been used in attack aircraft and fighters.

Computer intrusion detection system (IDS) software monitors the corporate internal network and identifies suspicious network activity. Given that every organization can be victimized with computer network intrusion by external hackers or internal employees, using IDS software is a good idea. IDS can be installed alone or in combination with a firewall to collect and interpret audit data from across the network., As part of a monthly audit, the security manager at a large corporation asked the information system manager for a computer user profile of the twenty employees working on a [...]

Boeing Co introduced three new 737 model jets in late Dec 1996: 737-600, 737-700, and 737-800. The models are single-aisle airplanes for the globally burgeoning narrow-body transport market. The airline's main competitors in the niche are Airbus Industrie and McDonnell Douglas.

US Air Force pilots and Electronic Warfare Officers are being trained on US Navy EA-6B Prowler airplanes by the Electronic Combat Wing of the US Pacific Fleet. Three men were trained in July, 1996, and 24 men are scheduled to qualify for carrier landings and join the new expeditionary squadrons soon.

In the December 1994 issue of Solid State Technology, we described the yield management challenges and specifications for a defect-data management system for the SEMATECH Advanced Tool Development Facility (ATDF) […]

PIA is embarking on a 3-billion aircraft upgrade program to position the carrier to serve the emerging transportation markets of the former Soviet Central Asian republics. PIA's Islamabad-Tashkent, Uzbekistan service, begun in Mar 1992, is but the first phase of an aggressive expansion plan.

Air China has spent $2 billion to improve its fleet, and the airline is establishing management and service procedures used by Western airlines. Air China purchased two Boeing 747-400s and four 737-300s during 1992, and it now has 59 aircraft.

China's Xian Aircraft Corp is switching from military production to work on Y-7 transport development and try to win foreign contracts. They are seeking international partners to work on a new 64-seat transport that will be sold worldwide.

Flight Dynamics, in conjunction with Jeppesen Sanderson, and Smiths Industries Aerospace are designing a new graphics-based software called Surface Guidance System to simplify aircraft landing and take off. Three graphics of the screen are included.

Boeing Co.'s plans and product specifications for the development of its 747-400X, 747X, and 747X Stretch models are presented.

The efforts of regional air services and the aircraft industry in keeping up with the fast pace of air travel growth in the world is described.

Boeing Commercial Airplane Group plans to launch its first upgraded, longer range 777 in the first half of 2000, according to pres Alan Mulally. Both the upgraded 777-200 and the 777-300 transports will feature a new 115,000-lb.-thrust version of the GE90 engine, and a 13-ft wingspan increase to 213 ft.

Boeing Co. is developing a computer-based training system for the F-22 fighter aircraft, with Raytheon Systems Co. and USM of Houston as subcontractors.

Small airlines and flight training schools are working together to fill air pilot positions. Also the high salaries for pilots at the large airlines assures flight school graduates of employment as commercial air pilots.

Annual increases of 4.7% in passenger traffic mean world airports will face an uphill struggle to expand capacity. Cargo traffic is expected to grow by 6.4% annually, and the jet transport fleet is expected to double to over 20,000 aircraft by the year 2018. Environmental constraints and shortage of land make construction of new airports expensive, as much as $30 billion for Hong Kong International Airport, for example. However, investors are beginning to see airports as stable sources of cash flow, and large countries such as the US are beginning to realize that not adding capacity will penalize the entire nation.

Increasing pressure to reduce aircraft noise is pacing aircraft and engine design initiatives. Airbus Industrie's Noise Reduction Initiative, for example, is focusing on airframe drag. The program could result in aerodynamic improvements that are applicable in the near term.

Pulse detonation engines are becoming reliable powerplants in precision-guided standoff munitions, unmanned aircraft, and cruise missiles. Still in the testing phase, the engines will be capable of operating at various flight regimes and altitudes.

SkyWest Airlines plans to raise the number of its fleet by over 50% as part of an overall route expansion program and to meet the additional hub requirements of United Express. The new fleet will be a mix of turbofan and turboprop aircraft.

The FAA's Seattle Center will be the first FAA unit to test its new air traffic control system hardware and software. The upgraded ATC equipment, which will be tested over a two year period, includes a new Display System Replacement consoles that will serve as platforms for upgrades in the future.

Budget cuts are not expected to hinder the Air Force in its drive to raise the number of pilots it produces by 75% and expand its 'mission ready' training through 2003. The service is expected to face cuts as high as 25% in some areas.

Kistler Aerospace Corp is building a reusable commercial booster which would reduce costs for private launch of low-Earth orbits to only $17 million. The firm needs $500 million to develope the program for an initial launch in July 1998.

An ambitious $10-billion program undertaken by Korean Air Lines is expected to capitalize on the capacity offered by Seoul's new international airport and help the airline to double its freight and passenger aircraft by 2005. The airline, however, faces challenges from growing labor and overhead costs, as well as rival carrier Asiana.

Boeing's $100 million investment in Teledesic underscores its commitment to the commercial satellite industry. Teledesic plans to launch 288 communications satellites at a cost of $9 billion. The network, which plans to use the K(subset-a) band, faces competition from other satellite communications companies.

American Airlines and United Airlines are outfitting most of their jets with enhanced GPWS, while Alaska Airlines is outfitting its fleet of 737-400s with the systems. Enhanced GPWS will reduce the incidence of controlled-flight-into-terrain crashes by commercial jet aircraft.

A number of factors have contributed to the strong sales that the helicopter industry expects to enjoy in 1997. The factors include a resurgence of offshore oil activity, new models and a strong and stable global economy. The industry, however, has been affected by high operating costs.

The introduction of a global free flight air traffic control (ATC) system is been bolstered by an ATC management software from the Federal Aviation Administration that helps the National Route Program to track aircraft flying its preferred routes. The software became operational in Dec 1996.

The demand for new corporate jets has grown dramatically in the face of new fractional aircraft ownership programs, airline service limits and a growing international market. The improvement follows more than 10 years of declining sales.

The new Global Express from Bombardier Inc utilizes the most current system and aerodynamic technologies available to make inroads into the ultra-long-haul luxury business jet market. The new aircraft is expected to serve as the base of a new very competitive line of Bombardier aircraft.

Boeing's AST ballistic missile defense program uses a Hughes infrared telescope mounted on a specially modified Boeing 767 to track missiles. With the telescope mounted in a special cupola, the 767 has underbody strakes to promote low-speed stability. Boeing's AST program has completed 37 successful missions.

The Sea Launch Co., satellite launch venture founded in summer 1995, is on track for a June 1998 launch. The company will launch Zenit boosters at sea from a platform towed by an Assembly and Command Ship. The ship's home port will be at the former Long Beach Naval Base in Long Beach, CA.

Air cargo specialists say that hazardous items that are shipped by commercial airlines with declaration continue to pose a dangerous problem, although they acknowledge that on the whole, the airlines have done a good job of handling the shipment of dangerous materials. The National Transportation Safety Board says that the Transportation Dept. needs to assign more inspectors to spot-check small shippers, although there have been relatively few aircraft accidents resulting from hazardous materials shipment.

A Helicopter Assn International member survey forecasts worldwide helicopter sales increases of 5% in 1996. The trade group predicts that revenues will be buoyed by foreign military purchases, sales to first-time buyers and the development of high-efficiency and high-performance craft.

Honeywell Inc, GEC-Marconi Avionics Ltd and Gulfstream Aircraft Inc are teaming to certify a new EVS/SVS-compatible head-up guidance system for Gulfstream 4 and 5 business jets. Honeywell already has a prototype in the HUD-2020. The company will begin testing the unit in Jan 1996, with Supplementary Type Certificate approval slated for 3rd qtr. A Gulfstream survey indicates that 25% of customers for the G5 intend to purchase head-up systems.

Rapidly improving international and US economies as well as impressive order backlogs and exciting products in the form of new, high-performance business aircraft are good news for the members of the National Business Aircraft Assn scheduled to hold their annual convention in Las vegas, NV. Although the aircraft manufacturers are happy with current healthy sales, they are worried about new corporate taxes that will affect their profit margins.