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Aviation History
1983
1983 - 0393.PDF
INDUSTRY See-through air-cargo smugglers LONDON A new anti-smuggling device for the examination of container cargoes has been developed by British Aero space Dynamics Group. The new system allows containers or pallets to be checked with out unloading or unpacking. The container arrives on an automatic conveyor. Before it enters the building an air sample is taken for spec- trographic analysis, for the detection of such contraband as alcohol, drugs, and explosives. When the air sample has been taken, the container is passed in front of a double linear accelerator and exposed to a short burst of X-rays. The picture is stored on a computer and viewed on closed-circuit tele vision. Outlines of typical contraband such as guns and bottles are readily visible. Twenty containers an hour may be examined, compared with the one or two hours typically taken to open one. The British Aerospace anti- smuggling system has been developed by the Bracknell Division (formerly Sperry ) in association with Rolls-Royce, who pioneered large-scale X- ray examination of jet engines; Radiation Dynamics, the leading British supplier of linear accelerators; Sciex, a leading company in gas spec trometers; and Taylor Wood- row, civil engineers. More to be declared by British Aero space Dynamics Group, Bracknell Division, Down- shire, Way, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG1 1QL England; Tel 0344 3222. Flying-boat planned TOKYO Japan's Shin-Meiwa is talk ing to Dornier and Indonesia's PT Nurtanio about a new inter-island flying-boat trans port. Shin-Meiwa has said that Nurtanio wants to develop a boat similar to the Dornier Do24. Which airlines are infringing airport noise regulations, how often, by how much, and for what duration? The Metrosonics Series 100 Airport Noise Monitor System could help to find the answers. The system computes "single-event" data and keeps hourly, daily, monthly, and annual records of noise values for planning and enforcement purposes. Fuller readout from Barry Ceci, vice-president engineering, Metrosonics, PO Box 23075, Rochester, NY 14692, USA; tel (716) 334-7300 French outlook 'less satisfactory" PARIS Although 1982 saw French aerospace industry turnover of Fr50,000 million (£5,000 million) compared with Fr44,000 million in the previous year, on an order- book up from Fr52,000 million to Fr58,000 million, the medium-term outlook is "far less satisfactory", warns industry-association Gifas president Jacques Mitterrand. The good results for 1982, including employment up to 116,000 from 113,690 in 1981, "should not justify any rejoicing", he says. Pointing out that the markets for airliners, helicop ters, and executive aircraft are all depressed, that military programmes have been affected by European austerity budgets, and that "American competition is becoming keener while Euro pean co-operation is in a torpor", Mitterrand says that the industry "is now in a slump period, and this situ ation will be felt in workloads, employment, and investment policies." The French indus try wants to see "a second wind for European co operation, notably Franco- German". "The slump must be faced and weathered," says Mitterrand. "The industry is used to cyclic variations. Austerity and solidarity will be the rule." But the French industry, because it is now so strong and well equipped, "will be able to sit out the slump period". WHAT'S NEW An epidemic of high turbine temperatures involved an airline in expensive inspections, ground runs, component changes, aban doned take-offs, and heavy hotel bills. The fault was found by flight-data recorder analysis to have nothing to do with the engines, but with airport-tower temperature reporting procedures and local temperature inversions during the climb. FDR anal ysis of, for example, approaches and landings against manual speeds and other parameters can lead with the co-operation of flight crew to major improvements in the quality and safety of landings, and of maintenance costs. These examples of how flight data-recorders can be more than dead-weight "crash detectives" typify the service offered by Flight Data Company, which is offering aircraft operators help in real ising the full economic poten tial of flight-data recorder analysis. Founded by ex- British Airways engineers E.R. White and Peter Waller, the company says: "We can help an airline to reduce oper ating costs and safeguard safety margins by supplying flight-data recorder analysis services tailored to suit." (The Flight Data Company, Hunt- avia House, 420 Bath Road, Longford, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 0LL, England; tel 01-897 6446.) A helicopter landing pad designed by a North Sea helicopter pilot replaces the conventional smooth helideck with a non-slip metal grid under which is mounted a shallow metal tray filled with a foam injection system. This allows fuel spills to run off the deck's surface, reducing fire risk and allowing any fire to be remotely controlled. Contact G.A. Smith, Safe- deck; (UK) tel 01-235 4861. WHO'S NEWS M. R. Arnold is appointed product support manager for Dunlop Aviation Division. He succeeds Basil Lockwood- Goose, who is appointed the division's marketing manager. New technical sales manager of Kilfrost, hot-fluid de-icing pioneers, is Denis Mitcheson, an ex-RAF Vulcan pilot. He takes over from Peter Ward, whose aviation career began with propeller design for the Schneider Trophy S-6B. MUST READ Australia's celebrated "Two Airline System" is the founda tion on which competition between Australia's two major powerful domestic airlines, state-owned TAA and privately owned Ansett, has been regulated. A comprehen sive study of the system has now been published by our Australian contemporary Aircraft. The author is Dr Harold Poulton, recognised as creator of the system when he was a senior Federal Govern ment official, since becoming head of policy for Ansett Transport Industries. Law, History and Politics of the Australian Two Airline System by Dr Harold Poulton, published by Aircraft, GPO Box 5023Y, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, Australia; 494 pages. Price A$46 (including packing and postage). FLIGHT International, 5 March 1983 587
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