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To a large degree all of us at one time or another have envisioned our “Over the Rainbow” version of a future should be. System engineers envision perfect harmony between vehicle aerodynamics and avionics integration. The program manager dreams of schedules and funding well within the projected budget. Then reality; budget constraints, backward compatibility, technology availability, schedule problems, and etc. This paper is intended to recognize the “dreamer” and at the same time offer a means of reconciliation to the real world. We will address advanced avionics architectures and a transitionary means to attain our goals and objectives. An “Avionics System Index” will be presented which defines and specifies a means of describing and partitioned avionics configuration.

When looking into using PCMCIA PC Cards in the avionics market, three areas must be researched. The first is what are the applications and benefits of using the PC Cards while in flight, followed by the applications and benefits on the ground, and thirdly on how to make a PC Card that would stand up to the rugged avionics environment. PCMCIA PC Cards can be used in all aspects of flight. Three possible applications on the ground are; paperless documentation, modifications, flightline changes. Once airborne, PC Cards can be removed and a different functionality card can be inserted. One PC card socket can be used for many different functions during one flight. Some of the possible applications for PC Cards inflight are; flight plan changes, backup Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), and solid state data collection.

A wide body aircraft carries almost a half–ton of water and ice between the cabin and skin of the aircraft. The water can get on wires and connectors, which can cause electrical problems, cause corrosion and rust, and, eventually, “rain in the plane”. The speaker is the CEO of CTT Systems that has developed a system that solves the condensation by using dry air. The speaker will discuss how condensation can be prevented and how airlines can also save maintenance costs in the process. This topic is relevant for the attendees at the Aerospace Expo, as they are decision makers who need to be aware of this issue. It is also important for the MRO shows as the attendees are on the front lines of dealing with this problem.

eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) is a powerful X-ray telescope under development by the Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) in Garching, Germany. eROSITA is the core instrument on the Russian SRG1 mission which is planned for launch in 2011. It comprises seven nested Wolter-I grazing incidence telescopes, each equipped with its own CCD camera. The mirror modules have to be maintained at 20°C while the cameras are operated at -80°C. Both, mirrors and CCDs have to be kept within tight limits. The CCD cooling system consists of passive thermal control components only: two radiators, variable conductance heat pipes (VCHP) and two special thermal storage units. The orbit scenario imposes severe challenges on the thermal control system and also on the attitude control system.

The scope is determine if an 'Electronic Authorized Release Certificate' is viable and what is needed to make it viable.

THIS PAPER is concerned with design problems which are encountered on manned aircraft operating at very high speeds. Very high speeds are considered to be from Mach 2 or 1300 mph to speeds of the order of Mach 38 or 25,000 mph, which is the velocity for escape from the earth. Mach 2 is considered a logical starting point since it represents the approximate upper limit of present day military aircraft. Manned aircraft will continue to be developed for flight at very high speed and high altitudes and the experiences gained will serve as stepping stones to eventual manned satellites and space vehicles. The major problems to be solved relate to aerodynamic heating, stability and control, and human effects. This paper received the 1958 Wright Brothers Medal.

This specification covers a zinc alloy in the form of die castings.

For human beings who have been reared on the earth with its 1 G gravitational field, the condition of weightlessness is a world with which we are unfamiliar. Even if the layout and equipment configuration of a spacecraft designed to compensate for operation under Zero-G conditions, there are some things which are not effective under actual weightless conditions. In the design of a manned spacecraft, it is necessary to accumulate design data on human performance in a weightless condition, then to undertake design evaluations and verification under weightless conditions. In this paper, testing for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of Zero-G simulation using neutral buoyancy, conducted first of all in Japan, and recommendations on the equipment and Facilities required to conduct such simulations, are described.

(From Standards Proposal No. 2358, formulated under the cognizance of the EIA Quality and Reliability Engineering (QRE) Committee.)

Conventional attribute sampling plans based upon nonzero acceptance numbers are no longer desirable. In addition, emphasis is now placed on the quality level that is received by the customer. This relates directly to the Lot Tolerance Percent Defective (LTPD) value or the Limiting Quality Protection of MIL-STD-105. Measuring quality levels in percent nonconforming, although not incorrect, has been replaced with quality levels measured in parts per million (PPM). As a result, this standard addresses the need for sampling plans that can augment MIL-STD-105, are based upon a zero acceptance number, and address quality (nonconformance) levels in the parts per million range. This document does not address minor nonconformances, which are defined as nonconformances that are not likely to reduce materially the usability of the unit of product for its intended purpose.

This specification covers a zinc alloy in the form of die castings.

This paper presents lessons learned from flight testing of the YA-10B Single Seat Night Attack (SSNA) testbed. The generic night attack avionics suite in the YA-10B was used to provide a workload baseline for use in future night attack programs. Pilot rating scales and physiological data were used to construct the workload data base.

The XB-70A represents the most advanced example of the evolution and technological advances of manned aircraft in the past decade. It is, in effect, the forerunner of SST type aircraft and in itself is responsible for many items or features that have been subsequently embodied in contemporary military aircraft. This paper describes the unique aerodynamic concepts and configuration of the XB-70A and its airborne systems. Results of the current flight test program are summarized along with discussions on “gremlin” areas during fabrication and flight testing, and how they were or are being solved. Examples of improvements in air vehicle No. 2 as a result of air vehicle No. 1 experience are presented, including a summary of major system reliability demonstrated during the flight test program as an indicator of the potential refinements in cost and performance possible for future large high-speed aircraft.

The development of the XB-70 research aircraft produced advancements in many fields of technology. This paper covers a few of these advancements in the areas of materials, equipment, and manufacturing. These include honeycomb construction, PH 15-7 alloy steel, vacuum melted H-11 steel, equipment capable of withstanding high temperatures, chemical milling of many different alloys, miniaturized welding equipment, and exothermic brazing techniques.

Planning for ground servicing and maintenance started in the proposal phase and has been followed by test program experience with the XB-70 Mach 3 air vehicle. Servicing and associated safety requirements are summarized. Discussion of maintenance and support actions includes mention of equipment provided to meet the requirements. Preflight, postflight, and periodic operations are outlined, along with some indication of changes that resulted when plans were put into practice. The demands of a high performance flight test air vehicle limit movements toward simplification.

A non-destructive x-ray technique, the double crystal diffractometer method, is presented as a tool to investigate the aging and deformation behavior of the Al-Li alloy. This is a sensitive method for measuring the strain and dislocation density within individual grains through the x-ray rocking curve. In addition, models were developed to describe the aging and deformation characteristics of this alloy.

X-ray is an indispensable aid in locating and determining the extent of incipient failures in structure which is inaccessible by position or covered by multiple layers of metal. It is also the most feasible method for checking oil coolers for contamination; bonded honeycomb panels for water; fuel lines for erosion; and with a 360 deg emission tube, fuselage frames for structural integrity without removing the interior upholstery and panels from the passenger compartment or cargo compartments.

The X-29A is the first X-series experimental aircraft developed in the United States since the mid-sixties. The X-29A is a technology demonstrator aircraft that integrates several different-technologies into one airframe. Among the technologies demonstrated are the aeroservoelastically tailored composite forward swept wings, close coupled canards, discrete variable camber wing, triplex digital flight control system with analog backup, thin supercritical wing, three surface pitch control, large negative static margin and the integration of these technologies into the X-29 airframe. This paper deals with the issue of technology integration of five of the X-29A subsystems and the early design decision to use existing aircraft, components whenever and wherever possible. The subsystems described are the X-29 aircraft Hydraulics System, the Electrical Power System, the Emergency Power System, the Aircraft Mounted Accessory Drive and the Environmental Control System.

An extensive high angle-of-attack (AOA) flight testing program has been performed with the X-29-2 (AF 82-0049) forward swept wing research aircraft. The high AOA envelope expansion phase cleared the aircraft to fly in a broad flight regime and produced important data on the high AOA clearance process and data analysis. Lessons learned during the military utility phase on the tactical advantages and disadvantages associated with high AOA maneuvering are impacting programs such as the X-31, HARV, and F-22. Insight on the critical forebody flow-field of the X-29 at high AOA was gained using on-surface pressure measurements and off-surface flow visualization during the aerocharacterization phase. The Vortex Flow Control (VFC) experiment conducted on the X-29 successfully proved the viability of a pneumatic blowing device manipulating forebody vortices to act as an aircraft controller, an historical first.