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Aviation History
1983
1983 - 0009.PDF
AVIONICS Rockwell-Collins Efis 85 cathode ray tube (CRT) displays have just been certificated in this Falcon 100 of Falcon Jet Corporation Collins first with five tubes CEDAR RAPIDS Rockwell-Collins has certifi cated a five-tube cathode ray tube (CRT) display system in a Falcon 100. It claims to be the first to reach this stage on a business aircraft, having won approval for its Ehsi 74 in September 1982. The aircraft, owned by Fal con Jet, is fitted with Efis 85 displays. The screens in front of each pilot would normally display AD I and HSI data, but the central unit is multi functional. Possible uses of the multi-function display in clude preselected waypoints, and checklists. Improving the pilot's eye view A helmet-mounted laser projector is being developed as a high-quality, inexpensive simulator visual display by American Airlines, with aid from General Electric. An outside view is projected only along the pilot's gaze—other areas of the display screen re main blank. This technique provides good image detail across a wide field of view, which is necessary for simulated low- level flight, air-to-ground tar get acquisition/attack, and threat avoidance. A mosaic of traditional computer gener ated image (CGI) visual dis plays can meet this need, but costs a lot to buy and main tain. Restricting the projected image to the pilot's field of view frees the computer to concentrate on detail. When the pilot turns his head, the new view is automatically computed. American is doing the re search under a $9 million con tract from the Naval Training Equipment Centre, Orlando. GE is providing CGI tech niques and computers under a $1 • 5 million subcontract. De livery of this hardware is due in late 1984. Sterling, Lacsa buy $15,000 fuel-saver MIAMI ~ Aero Systems has sold its CD3000 fuel-saving computer to two airlines—Sterling Air ways of Denmark and Lacsa of Costa Rica. The computer is relatively inexpensive at $15,000, and Aero Systems says that the latest orders could herald widespread airline accept ance. Sterling has bought one CD3000, ordered another trials unit, and taken options on four more. Lacsa is buying one CD3000 for its sole DC-8, and has begun tests on one of its Boeing 727s. American Airlines has agreed to begin CD3000 trials on a DC-10 in Feb ruary/March. Spas forms Eureca's backbone PARIS MBB's Spas framework will act as the structure for Europe's experiment-carrying free-flier, Eureca. Spas beat a British Aerospace Dynamics proposal based on a half-size Spacelab pallet, in an evalu ation by the European Space Agency. Eureca project - manager Robert Mory explains that the competing bids were roughly equal in terms of pay- load, design and function, operations, maintenance, in tegration, and testing. But Spas emerged better on low technical risk, cost, and schedule. BAe's pallet was considered a greater risk because of loads imposed by the experiment- supporting bridge. These loads demanded structural and dynamic analysis, and overall safety margin was around 1-3, compared with 2-0 for Spas. ESA points out that low-risk is particularly important in a design-to-cost project such as Eureca. Another factor against a pallet-based Eureca was that the bridge had to be separated for transport in a Boeing 747. The bridge-and-pallet con cept did offer better turn around time, however, plus more room for growth. A Spas-derived Eureca wears some of its systems outside the framework, giving a larger volume and hence a slightly higher launch cost. Eight countries are par ticipating in Eureca, whose total budget is $156 million at 1980 prices (156 million ac counting units). This cost in cludes one launch and re trieval, integration, and operations. West Germany plans a 42 per cent share in Eureca. Since this is the highest stake, Erno gets to be prime con tractor. MBB's Spas will be a proportion of this share. Britain expects to contribute only about 2 per cent to Eureca, and one possibility is that it supplies the solar arrays (derived from those being built for Nasa's Space Telescope). Other large shares SPACEFLIGHT include about 15 per cent each for France and Italy. Eureca is due to be deployed j from Space Shuttle for the first time in April 1987 (STS 55). It will be retreived in Sep tember of that year (STS 63). ESA has yet to allocate Eureca's attitude - control, data - links, propulsion, thermal-control, and solar arrays. These will all be sub ject to competitive bids, and hardware contracts should be let toward the end of 1983. Ford plays the Comsat game Ford Aerospace has created a subsidiary to build, launch, and operate domestic commu nications satellites in the USA. Called Ford Aerospace Satellite Services, the new company will sell and lease transponders for the relay of services such as television, voice and data. Three satellites are planned; two would be launched in 1987—the third is a ground spare. Each would use C and Ku-band fre quencies. The network is sub ject to approval by the Federal Communications commis- BAe pens Giotto contract British Aerospace has been awarded a £34 million con tract for the comet probe Giotto by the European Space Agency. It had been named as Giotto prime contractor in July 1982—the signing is simply confirmation. BAe plans to deliver Giotto in time for an Ariane launch in July 1985. Flyby of comet Halley would follow in March 1986. Co-contractors include AEG-Telefunken, BTM, Dor- nier, Etca, Fiar, Fokker, La- ben, SEP, Thomson-CSF and VMW. Spaceshot... Aerospatiale is to supply control centre computer pro grams for France's first direct-broadcast television satellite, TDF 1. The CNES order is worth Fr8 million and includes Sesa and Informa- tique Internationale. FLIGHT International, 1 January 1983 9
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