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The 757 and 767 airplanes provide maximum commonality in equipment, flight deck configuration and handling characteristics. Pilots with three-crew ratings will be qualified to fly either airplane with a three-crew requirement, and those with two-crew ratings will have the same flexibility. In addition to crew qualification, over 80% of the LRUs in the Flight Management System are interchangeable between similar crew configurations of the 757 and 767, i.e., they have the identical part number. Seventy-five percent of the LRUs are common to both the two-and three-crew configurations. Components that have engine-related software (the Thrust Management and Flight Management Computers) will be interchangeable between 757 and 767 aircraft powered by engines from the same manufacturer.

A review is given of air cargo economics over the past 15 years. Changing fleet mix, cargo handling techniques, and fuel cost are identified as significant determinats of economic patterns. In a forecast of the next 10 years, the impact of wide-bodied freighters is assessed, particularly with respect to their use in intermodal, air/highway movement of large, prepacked shipments. Estimates of different aircraft/load modes are given; container design, aircraft configuration, and loading equipment are crucial elements in cost projections.

Aircraft manufacturers spend millions of dollars reworking blown fastener holes, especially in portable tool drilling situations. Oval, tapered, rifled, and oversize holes are costly rework issues currently commonplace in the industry. The most common causes of imperfectly drilled holes include spindle runout, insufficient clamp and feed force, out-of-balance drill feed forces, spindle windup, and lack of adequate feed control. This paper will focus on a next-generation drilling machine that utilizes a unique combination of hydraulics and pneumatics to solve the problems associated with legacy drilling units. Several design elements will be examined, such as the use of an on-board, 1000 PSI hydraulic pump, controlling both drill feed and clamp force. This greatly reduces the size and weight of the clamp and feed cylinders compared to legacy air systems, while increasing their force and rigidity.