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Aviation History
1988
1988 - 1742.PDF
PRODUCTS Airframe component pro duction tools such as the BAe 146 flap jig at Brough pass their six-monthly accuracy calibrations in half a da;, instead oi four, it is claimed, using LK's optica! measuring system employing electronic theodolites. The LK/Kern ECDS2, linked to a trolley- mounted Hewlett-Packard Vectra computer with VDU printei. can cut iig calibration times by up to 90 per cent, according tc the company, it eliminates manual micro- alignment telescopes and cali bration fixtures, and !he job can be done with the component in place, further reducing production down times and manhours (LK Too! Company, East Midlands Airport, Derbv DE7 2SA, England; tel 0332 811349). Cranfield's aeronautical instrumentation laboratory has installed a Contraves three-axis motion simulator to evaluate the accuracy and sensitivity of the guidance and •i |3#st jstif !i|»i!jfitftS SijtB'i!i||if?i i metre diameter can be ; u;,r« '< -" •.' ;:' r-.,'.'..:':. i ••*•• '.->. 'J. MK43 OAL, England; te! 0234 752747). Vancouver's floating heliport has been made safe: at night with a 5ft saiety net woven with 3m Scotchliie by Gem An. The reflected net. devel oped at the request of Vancouver Heliport Author ity, makes night landings easier for pilots and ensures that no-onc runs from a landed helicopter into the water (SEI Industries. 406-5940 No 6 Road, Rich mond, BC. Canada V6V iZl. tei (604) 270-6433). If a component can be i itiijpiii m| 3IK ifc M ;!'• \CSmlmiit' out tools or machines, claims Dennis Medler of 3D systems for the company's new stereo- lithography process. A part is drawn incre mentally in three dimensions by an ultra-violet laser beam on to a liquid photopolymer. The drawing solidifies the f lipll^ilp^iS^^ytMch :t|it: component. 80 per cent cured, is withdrawn for complete curing in an oven. "A part can be held in the hand almost as soon as it has been designed," says Medler. "Adjustments can be imple mented quickly and cheaply." he claims. The cost of a typical installation is $185,000, including the oven. flame detector for aircraft hangars. The SI 31 detector senses fiame in the infrared region through an abrasion- resistant sapphire window, is not blinded by thick smoke, and is "highly tolerant of dirty environments" (Thorn Security. Grosvcnor Road, Twickenham TW1 4AB, England, tel 01 892 4422V See-through airport check-in At the front of this Gatwick check-in desk is a colourful map(le(t). Behind it (right) staff have a clear vies: of check-in traffic so that they can help their colleagues. Made by Fasson Contraviston, the one-way windows allozc staff to work in privacy while remaining constantly aware of anyone requiring help Fasson UK, Eastman Way, Heme; Hempstead. Herts HP2 7HF, England, tel 0442 60211). Storm warning advances Stormscope ll's two viewing modes are, left, 360° all round the aircraft and, right, a 120° forward view. "The most advanced airborne stormwarning system available" is 3M's description of its new Stormscope II, which it says is "so different from previous Stormscope technology that it requires new patents". The innovation is "a unique method of calculating the range of electromagnetic discharges emitted in thunderstorms". Conventional warning sys tems use the storm's electro static and magnetic fields, but 3M claims to have "the only known technology to isolate and correlate both components of the magnetic field". The Stormscope II has a 360° all-round viewing mode, or a 120° enhanced forward-only view (which can be correlated with weather radar). Range selections are 200, 100, 50, and 25 n.m. 3M points out that 230 people have been killed in the last five years in US general- aviation accidents associated with thunderstorms (3M Aviation Safety Systems, 6530 Singletree Drive, Columbus, OH 43229, USA; tel (614) 885 3310). Finnair tests ice spy Finnair has flight-tested a new system for detecting ice build up, particularly that due to the thermal lag of jet fuel in wing tanks. Clear ice which forms under these conditions, with high humidity, can be difficult to see. Swiss firm Vibro-Meter has developed an ice detector comprising a piezo-electro oscillator which is mounted flush to the surface being protected. As ice builds up on the wing it increases the stiffness of the sensor. This raises the frequency at which the sensor vibrates. This is measured and, at a certain frequency, an alarm is triggered. This avoids false alarms with surface contami nants such as water or dirt, which tend to lower the vibration frequency of the sensor. The sensor also fails safe by monitoring the vibration frequency and registering a fault if this frequency leaves the normal operating range. The first results are promis ing, although the tests did not start until the spring, and the end of the worst icing. FlightSafety expands Training specialist FlightSafety International has bought a United Airlines' training sub sidiary for an undisclosed sum. United Airlines Services pro vides training and base support to the US military. Training is primarily provided for US Air Force C-5 aircrew and not for United Airlines' own pilots. FlightSafety says that the operation fits in well with its other interests, which include 32 centres training some 28,000 pilots and technicians each year. United Airlines is restruc turing, and says that divesting itself of the training services arm is one part of a return to its core airline business. Last year United Airlines Services gener ated $65 million in revenue. 40 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 2 July 1988
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