April 19, 1976

April 19, 1976

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Safety

King Air Crash Data Evaluated by NTSB

Air Transport

TWA Beginning Long Trek Back

By William H. Gregory12 min

Composite Aircraft Study in Final Stage

By Michael L. Yaffee8 min

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7475
Safety

King Air Crash Data Evaluated by NTSB

About 1210 EST on Jan. 25, 1975, a Wolfe Industries Beech 65-A90, King Air (N57V) crashed while conducting a VOR/DME approach to Runway 18 at Washington National Airport, Washington. The ceiling was 700 ft. overcast and the visibility was more than 20 mi.
2627
Air Transport

TWA Beginning Long Trek Back

Sale of 11 of fleet transports, aggressive marketing campaign and improving load factors could lead to financial turnaround

By William H. Gregory12 min

1617

Composite Aircraft Study in Final Stage

Dayton, Ohio—Critical Air Force study to be completed June 30 is likely to dictate the extent of new structures technology that will be adapted to the next generation of fighter aircraft. Program researchers here believe 60-70% of the aircraft structure will be composite materials that will save up to 12% of the all-up gross weight.

By Michael L. Yaffee8 min

4849
Aeronautical Engineering

Civil Helicopter Competition Stiffens

Marignane, France—Aerospatiale of France will begin deliveries of its new 5-6-place AS-350 helicopter in 1978 in direct competition with the Bell JetRanger in an expanding civil helicopter market (AW&ST Apr. 12, p. 20). At the same time, officials of Aerospatiale’s Helicopter Div. believe, the aircraft will find a strong market as a replacement for the more than 1,300 Alouette 2 four-place helicopters sold by the company.

By Robert R. Ropelewski7 min

5859
Avionics

Reliability Test Procedure Changes Set

Washington—First major change in military contractor reliability test procedures in more than a decade, designed to simulate field-use conditions and failure rates more accurately, will be introduced this summer. The new Revision C to MIL-STD-781, out for industry comments, is expected to result in a major improvement in field reliability (AW&ST Mar. 29, p. 57).

By Philip J. Klass7 min

3637
Air Transport

Saudi Airport Expansion Plans Clouded

Jidda—Plans to improve airports throughout Saudi Arabia to provide transportation support of the nation’s $142-billion five-year program are being endangered by an overheated economy that threatens to stifle future industrial development.

By Laurence Doty6 min

2829
Air Transport

Conflict Emerges on Plans To Cut Aviation User Tax

Washington—Air carriers and the Administration are at odds over proposals to reduce aviation user taxes funneled into the Airport and Airways Trust Fund. In testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee last week, government officials challenged an effort by air carriers and individual congressmen to lower the taxes for the trust fund, which has a surplus of about $ 1 billion, and called it “wholly unwarranted” at this time.

By Eugene Kozicharow6 min

4243
Management

Continued Defense Spending Rise Seen

New York—Defense spending will continue to grow over the next 10 years with a prospective turnaround in public attitude toward military security, Stanford Research Institute economic and political studies are forecasting. What appears to be an abrupt change this year in the congressional ax-wielding mood toward the Fiscal 1977 U. S. defense budget was not expected so soon by the research team.

By William H. Gregory6 min

3233
Air Transport

Key Senator to Push Regulatory Reform

By Rosalind K. Ellingsworth5 min

4041
Space Technology

U.S. Hardware Carried on Intercosmos

Washington—Soviet Intercosmos spacecraft destroyed last year during an SS-4 launch vehicle failure at Kapustin Yar, carried a Swedish experiment containing U.S.-built hardware. Launch of a backup mission with another Swedish solar experiment will be attempted in July or August (AW&ST Jan. 26 p. 13) after the Soviets complete construction of a replacement spacecraft.

By Craig Covault5 min

April 121976 April 261976