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The Air Force mission is to fly and fight. The organization which I represent has a basic role in that mission. Our job is to contribute the best science and technology available to make Air Force operations training as effective as possible. We are the Operations Training Division of the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory. Our function as the leading edge for the advancement of operational training is unique; we are the only organization with such a charter.

Central air data computers will become widely used on subsonic commercial jets in the near future. Military and SST air data requirements will result in substantial reliability improvements, primarily through the introduction of digital techniques. Improvements in performance, size, and weight will lag until really good digital sensors are developed, at which time air data computers no larger than a common blackboard eraser will be feasible. An important new market will develop through the application of advanced air data techniques to the control of supersonic jet engines and intake systems. Of particular significance to manufacturers of flight control systems is the general trend to widespread application of central air data computers, thereby eliminating the air data functions formerly included within autopilot systems.

Methodology development from analysis using both starter parameter trends and auxiliary system features can be applied to focus future starter development efforts. This analysis method can be used to devise improvements to the starter system and its supporting systems and equipment. Results of historic development trends of air turbine starter characteristics, parameters and features are examined for basic trends and for state-of-the art limits. This analysis of parameter relationships and of current examples breaks-down paradigms to realize previously unseen component and system advances. The data from analysis provides a new platform for starter development that can bring maximum overall value to the customer.

New electronic devices such as the silicon rectifier, transistor, silicon controlled rectifier, and miniature electromagnetic relay are changing the complexion of aircraft d-c generating systems. Their application has resulted in the introduction of a static equivalent of the familiar carbon pile regulator and of the overvoltage relay, as well as a unique protector against feeder faults. As developed by General Electric, these new products provide better voltage regulation, improved engine starts, and better system protection. They are smaller, lighter, and longer-lived than the older electromechanical devices. Brushless d-c generators, also made possible through the use of modern semiconductors, bring relief from old-time maintenance problems of brush and commutator wear. All these new products represent new trends in aircraft d-c systems.

Approaches to the development of improved high temperature engine materials are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on emerging materials technologies and their potential benefits to aircraft gas turbine engines. Advances in materials processing technology are considered also, with emphasis on areas of potential cost reduction. This review also examines a changing approach to the selection of turbine engine materials technologies for future development. This changing approach places greater emphasis on the overall economic benefits to the aircraft system rather than improved engine performance.

This paper presents a simplified overview of the subject of TACAIR MSC. A definition for MSC is presented, which focuses on the purpose of MSC. A key in the author's definition is that MSC is not more data, but rather improved quality and timely presentation of relevant data for the purpose of crew situation awareness. A brief overview of TACAIR sensor systems follows to highlight the type of information these sensors could contribute to an MSC algorithm to be electronically processed and correlated. Next, representative needs for MSC are reviewed based on the author's perception of emerging operational considerations and selected advanced technologies. The paper concludes with a discussion of a design approach aimed at a single TACAIR MSC system which consists of: sensors and interface electronics, the cockpit displays and controls and MSC algorithms.

Trident Aircraft Ltd. was formed for the specific purpose of completing the development of the Trigull-320 amphibian. This is the account of the development of the aircraft to date as experienced by a newly assembled management and group of designers.

This paper describes the system operated by BA to monitor the RB211 engines in their three fleets of TriStars and the philosophy which led to its design and integration with the existing maintenance structure. It is regarded as a successful, cost-effective system, having its major benefits in the maintenance area, but also, of considerable use in repair-shop, logistics, and engine management fields. Some examples of successful uses are described and parallels are drawn between it and the guidelines of ARP 1587. Like the authors of that document, BA recognises the importance of ‘people planning’ in the operation of EMS, rather than total reliance upon automated systems and the outputs, for example, have been designed to make for rapid interpretation by line engineering staff rather than by computer or thermodynamics experts.

To reduce the fuel related logistic burden, NATO Armed Forces are advancing the use of a single fuel for both aircraft and ground equipment. To this end, F-34 is replacing distillate diesel fuel in many applications. Yet, unacceptable wear due to poor lubricity was illustrated by tests conducted with kerosene on High Frequency Reciprocating Rig. Therefore, HFRR tests were performed with fatty acid methyl esters of sunflower, palm, cotton-seed, tobacco-seed, olive, rape-seed and used frying oils, at volume concentrations from 0.05% to 0.6%. This study showed that the biodiesels used, produced a significant decrease in the wear scar diameter at concentrations of 0.2% to 0.4 %. Biodiesels derived from non-polyunsaturated oils, such as palm and olive gave better lubrication at certain concentrations.

In space engineering, a thorough thermal analysis on a spacecraft is necessary to evaluate structural stresses, and above all thermoelastic displacements (e.g. instrument pointing). The main problem of such an analysis lies in the fact that thermal and mechanical engineers do not use the same software tools. Thermal loadcases on structural models are all the more difficult to obtain that models become more and more complex. Interpolating temperatures by hand is now tedious and an inaccurate task. MATRA MARCONI SPACE recently developed an original tool that can automatically interpolate a 3D temperature map. This tool, in the very near future, will make thermal and mechanical engineers work together without throwing back into questions their methodologies for solving this kind of problem.

This paper presents four scenarios for Trigon surface operations representing a phased approach for the establishment of surface infrastructure: 1) Self-constructing Trigon units will autonomously build useful structures and vehicles out of stacks of imported units; 2) Self-assembly can be accomplished by “cassette factories” configured from the Trigon units that fabricate additional Trigon units from smaller imported parts using a series of modular processes; 3) Self-manufacture can be implemented by extending the “cassette factories” to process some local materials, such as found soils, sands, water, etc. to produce some of the smaller crude parts, while other finely machined parts and electronic components are still imported; 4) Self-replication can be achieved by gradually extending the “cassette factories” one process at a time to cover even fine machining and the production of electronic parts until all processes necessary for self-manufacture of its own parts (including the parts required in the factories) can be facilitated using only local raw materials and energy.

The object of this paper is to describe in a compressed mode the steps that have been taken, to design a prototype of the TRIPHIBIAN FLYING CAR, which can one day be converted into the every-man's utility car of the future. The TRIPHIBIAN should be a comfortable high performance car and amphibian airplane, that can take off and land on very short strips (STOL), be safer than most of the vehicles today, have an automatic piloting and navigation system, and be capable to operate from many land or water surfaces. In case of bad weather, when most small planes are stranded, the road driving capabilities are essential, as they are for the door to door transportation.

In response to recommendations from the National Aviation Weather Program Council, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is working with industry to develop an electronic pilot reporting capability for small aircraft. This paper describes the Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) sensor development effort. NASA is working with industry to develop a sensor capable of measuring temperature, relative humidity, magnetic heading, pressure, icing, and average turbulence energy dissipation. Users of the data include National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) forecast modelers, air traffic controllers, flight service stations, airline operation centers, and pilots. Preliminary results from flight tests are presented.

The objective of an engineering analysis - a numerical model and simulation designed to represent a specific manufacturing process - is not simply to determine the behavior and impact of that process on a specific product. If that were the case, extensive product testing would be a simpler and cheaper solution. The real objective of an engineering analysis is to use its associated numerical models and simulations to predict the impact of important design and manufacturing parameters on the behavior of the final product in terms of performance and cost. When dealing with advanced composite materials, such parameters include: material, surface topology, layup strategy, ply stacking, among many possibilities. Designers today are faced with the challenge of optimizing composite parts and, should redesign be required, having enough reliable data at hand to justify the redesign's necessity.

The evolving Aerospace manufacturing environment has created challenges that until now are not achievable with standard machine tools, large monumental gantry style machines and robots, or even manually operations. The solution is a lightweight, mobile/portable, and modular PKM (Parallel Kinematics Machine) solution, capable of machining to high tolerances, with minimal time and effort to relocate to a different area, at an affordable price With the carbon fiber PKM module mounted on a mobile platform, the module can simply be relocated using a standard pallet mover or forklift, to all areas in a factory. The module can also be removed from the mobile platform by two people, and mounted in a desired location and in any orientation “in hours”. The modularity of the PKM does not only make it possible to move it around in different production areas, but also makes it possible to reconstruct in an area that is not typically accessible by machines or robots.

An automated machine has been designed with true offset fastening to join shear-tie/frame assemblies to the fuselage of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The machine can access fasteners located close to structural components that are very deep. This is accomplished by offsetting the fastening axis from the axis of the head for true offset fastening. The head can be positioned next to the structural component and the offset fastening tooling ‘reaches’ out to the fastener location (Figure 1). By using a true offset, the fastening machine can access fasteners that would be otherwise inaccessible by traditional automated equipment. The machine can also be lighter and more accurate when compared to fastening machines with traditional tooling.