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Aviation History
1980
1980 - 0022.PDF
New technology and safety J. M. RAMSDEN concludes his report on the International Flight Safety Foundation's annual safety seminar, theme of which was new technology and its application to accident pre vention. Clear-a:r turbulence (CAT) is a major cause of passenger injuries, and Nasa Ames's Convair 990 has been pene trating CAT over the United States, reported Kenneth Hodge of Nasa. Three types of sensor were used in a 130hr programme: doppler, infrared radiometry, and microwave radio- . metry. ~ Laser doppler still lacks sensitivity at cruising altitudes, said Hodge, but the infrared radiometer is encourag ing: "I understand that a private company is constructing a prototype for evaluation in airline service." The microwave radiometer, based on US space programme hardware, is less affected by clouds. The de-icing of helicopters and general-aviation types, including com muters, is occupying Nasa at its Lewis Research Centre, "with a programme to update our 25-year-old data base," reported Hodge. Nasa is developing and testing fire- resistant cabin materials, using full- size transport fuselages at the Johnson Spacecraft Centre. These are giving promising results. The Royal Aircraft Establishment is working with Nasa, and with the FAA, in producing "really workable" anti-misting fuel additives. Frank Taylor of Cranfield warned, that anti-misting kerosene "had better go wrong only once in 10 million- like a stickpusher it must never op erate inadvertently, especially near the ground." Lightning research has been carried out by Nasa using a heavily instru mented F-106 from the Langley Re search Centre. The trend towards com posite materials and solid-state micro electronics, and their vulnerability to lightning, raises questions about the current level of systems integrity, in Hodge's view. Nasa is working with Boeing, Doug las and Lockheed in applying new- technology materials to new aircraft. "The industry is putting a lot of its own money into this work," said Hodge, "and we are going into the fundamental technology." Controlling the amount of informa tion made available by the new TV cockpits has made Boeing say to it self: "The pilot is the flight manager, and the objective is simply to enhance his ability to manage the flight." Douglas Clifford of Boeing described the new colour TV displays in the 757 and 767, and defined the objectives: "to avoid mental processing and to present data graphically wherever possible." A most considerable ad vance, in his view, is the ability to show the flightpath. Heading: New technology brings to the Boeing 767 cockpit-television displays o\ attitude and position Asked why the British Air Line Pilots Association (Balpa) has been 'critical of the TV flight-deck, Lew Bateman of British Aerospace said that, on the contrary, "Balpa has been very helpful in highlighting areas that need attention." On the question of brightness, Boeing considered that cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) are better than light- emitting diodes (LEDs). Clifford of Boeing mentioned 18,000hr mean time between failures (MTBF) for the shadowmask colour tube—five times the reliability of current mechanical displays. Questioned about possible limita tions of windshear information pre sented in head-down displays, Alex Fisher of British Airways said that 'this assumed only one pilot in the cockpit. "Information on the instal ment panel is a defect of any instru ment panel." Bateman of British Aerospace agreed with Clifford of Boeing that pilots have always adapted rapidly to new presentations and displays. "In particular the fault enunciator is much appreciated." Will pilots get hypnotised by CRT and overlook important decision making? Clifford of Boeing: "I can't deny the possibility, but in a short time pilots adapt and, as with so many other new systems in the past, there is no telling how good pilots will get using the new presentation." Asked about headup displays (Huds), Clifford added: "We have an active •••••i
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