January 9, 1961

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AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

Nx-2 Design Reflects Approaches to Shielding Problems

Washington—Aerodynamic configuration of the Convair NX-2 testbed, the first U. S. aircraft planned to fly under nuclear power, illustrates the approaches designers must take to cope with hazards of nuclear engines and still keep radiation shield weight to a minimum.

122

FINANCIAL

Defense Lists Top 500 R&d Awards

Washington—North American Aviation, Inc., with research, development and test awards of more than $567 million, headed 500 companies and agencies which received Department of Defense prime contracts for such work in Fiscal 1959. Next ranking were Lockheed Aircraft Corp., $511 million; General Electric Co., $395 million; General Dynamics Corp.’s Convair Division, $313 million, and Martin Co., $284 million.

AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

Luftwaffe Stresses Jet Pilot Training

Furstenfeldbruck—German air force training command, in its drive to meet the demands of the growing West German air force for added pilot strength, is transitioning students from three primary aircraft with widely-ranging performance onto the 600-mph.

By Cecil Brownlow10 min

100

BUSINESS FLYING

Piper Shifts to Low Wing Lightplane

Vero Beach, Fla.—Piper Aircraft Corp.’s entry into the low wing, all-metal lightplane market—the Cherokee —is being built here with design and construction methods aimed at simplicity combined with strength. The Cherokee, priced at $9,995, points up the swing toward all-metal planes.

By Herbert J. Coleman10 min

AVIONICS

Litton Is Producing F-104 Inertial Navaid

Beverly Hills, Calif.—Lightweight inertial navigation systems scheduled for use in at least 400 Lockheed F-104 supersonic fighters destined for several foreign nations can pinpoint a fighter’s position within a mean circular error of 1.5 naut. mi. for each hour of flight, recent flight tests indicate.

By Barry Miller7 min

SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Apollo Will Avoid Solar Radiation Hazards

Washington—Radiation shielding for the Apollo manned spacecraft can be built with existing design knowledge because newly developed theories indicate that solar storms can be predicted and avoided in the high orbital and cislunar flights planned for the vehicle.

By Edward H. Kolcum6 min

142

Letters

In the Dec. 12 issue (p. 31) of your fine magazine we noticed an error in the caption accompanying the first photographs of the atomic bombs. In the last sentence it credits the Enola Gay with carrving both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. The Enola Gav, which is in the National Aeronautical Collections and which will be restored in preparation for exhibit in the new National Air Museum Building, carried only the first bomb.

AVIONICS

Faa Pushing Control System Development

Washington—First of the Federal Aviation Agency’s new semi-automatic data processing and display systems, expected to provide a significant advance in air traffic control, is scheduled to become operational in the Boston area within two years.

By Philip J. Klass6 min

January 21961

January 161961

January 9, 1961

January 9, 1961