Flight investigation of a vertical-velocity command system for VTOL aircraft

A flight investigation was undertaken to assess the potential benefits afforded by a vertical-velocity command system (VVCS) for VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft. This augmentation system was conceived primarily as a means of lowering pilot workload during decelerating approaches to a hover and/or landing under category III instrument meteorological conditions. The scope of the investigation included a determination of acceptable system parameters, a visual flight evaluation, and an instrument flight evaluation which employed a 10 deg, decelerating, simulated instrument approach task. The results indicated that the VVCS, which decouples the pitch and vertical degrees of freedom, provides more accurate glide-path tracking and a lower pilot workload than does the unaugmented system

Bonding machine for forming a solar array strip

A machine is described for attaching solar cells to a flexable substrate on which printed circuitry has been deposited. The strip is fed through: (1) a station in which solar cells are elevated into engagement with solder pads for the printed circuitry and thereafter heated by an infrared lamp; (2) a station at which flux and solder residue is removed; (3) a station at which electrical performance of the soldered cells is determined; (4) a station at which an encapsulating resin is deposited on the cells; (5) a station at which the encapsulated solar cells are examined for electrical performance; and (6) a final station at which the resulting array is wound on a takeup drum

Professional Reading

The History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff In World War II: The War Against Japa

Sistema de prevenção e combate a incêndios florestais no município de Campinas-SP.

A atividade agropecuária foi a grande responsável pela erradicação da cobertura florestal do Estado de São Paulo. Atualmente, uma das maiores ameaças aos remanescentes florestais é o risco de incêndios. Em Campinas-SP, a evolução do uso das terras acompanhou esta dinâmica. Hoje, esses remanescentes recobrem 2233 ha do Município, representando 2,8% da sua área total, distribuídos em 114 florestas que variam de 1 a 230 ha. Nos últimos 20 anos, a cobertura florestal se manteve estabilizada. São raríssimos os casos atuais de desmatamento, devido ao interesse dos proprietários em preservar essas áreas. Todavia, essas manchas isoladas de matas mesófilas não estão isentas à ocorrência de incêndios. eles destroem a vegetação, determinam uma nova fitodinâmica e levam, em geral, a uma regressão do potencial biológico dessas unidades, incluindo os povoamentos faunísticos. Entre as causas mais frequentes de incêndios estão as queimadas agrícolas em áreas vizinhas, a ação de piromaníacos, o comportamento irresponsável de transeuntes e a realização de cultos religiosos. Este trabalho inventariou todos os remanescentes florestais de Campinas-SP e elaborou um sistema de prevenção e combate a incêndios. Os resultados também estão disponíveis na Internet

367-80 airplane variable stability simulation system /NASA Langley supersonic transport simulation program/

Four-engine jet aircraft used as in-flight simulator for variable stability testing of supersonic aircraf

Flight investigation of cockpit-displayed traffic information utilizing coded symbology in an advanced operational environment

Traffic symbology was encoded to provide additional information concerning the traffic, which was displayed on the pilot's electronic horizontal situation indicators (EHSI). A research airplane representing an advanced operational environment was used to assess the benefit of coded traffic symbology in a realistic work-load environment. Traffic scenarios, involving both conflict-free and conflict situations, were employed. Subjective pilot commentary was obtained through the use of a questionnaire and extensive pilot debriefings. These results grouped conveniently under two categories: display factors and task performance. A major item under the display factor category was the problem of display clutter. The primary contributors to clutter were the use of large map-scale factors, the use of traffic data blocks, and the presentation of more than a few airplanes. In terms of task performance, the cockpit-displayed traffic information was found to provide excellent overall situation awareness. Additionally, mile separation prescribed during these tests

From bottom landers to observatory networks

For a long time, deep-sea investigation relied on autonomous bottom landers. Landers can vary in size from 200 kg weight to more than 2 t for the heaviest scientific landers and are used during exploration cruises on medium periods, from one week to some months. Today, new requirements appear. Scientists want to understand in detail the phenomena outlined during exploration cruises, to elaborate a model for future forecasting. For this, it is necessary to deploy instrumentation at a precise location often for a long period. A new mode of ocean science investigation using longterm seafloor observatories to obtain four dimensional data sets has appeared. Although this concept has been proposed for many years, the high level of investment required limits the number of projects implemented. Only multidisciplinary programs, supported by a strong social requirement were funded. Some observatories have been deployed

Influence of display and control compatibility on pilot-induced oscillations

The differences in techniques used by seven pilots to acquire information from an advanced display for instrument approaches to and landings on a runway were investigated. A fixed base simulator programmed with dynamics resembling the terminal configured vehicle (TCV) was studied. It is shown that the seven pilots can be divided into two groups which used the display with distinctly different strategies for controlling the airplane. A related pattern of performance differences resulted. It is found that pilots who primarily use raw flight path information experience longitudinal oscillations while pilots using attitude information did not