May 1978

From The Space Library

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Current revision

The Natl. Aeronautic Assn. announced that a 15-member U.S. aerobatic team would travel in Aug. to Ceske Budejovice, Czechoslovakia, to compete in the ninth World Aerobatic Champion- ships sanctioned by the Intl. Aeronautic Federation (FAI). The 1978 U.S. team would be all male, as no woman had qualified in competitions to determine team members. Three-time U.S. national champion Leo Loudenslager, an American Airlines pilot, said, "We have high expectations. We have even better trained pilots and more sophisticated aircraft than we did in 1976, and we are more knowledgeable about what to expect." The 1976 U.S. team had lost to the USSR the titles it had captured in France in 1972: top team, best male, and best female. Loudenslager would fly his experimental modified version of the 200hp Stephens Akro, the Laser 200. Henry Haigh might fly the modified Pitts Special biplane in which he had competed in 1976, basically the same design flown by the remainder of the team. The five aircraft for the competition, disassembled Aug. 8 at Kennedy Intl. Airport for transport to Frankfort, would be reassembled and flown to Peine near Braunschweig in West Germany for 2wk of intensive practice, then to Budejovice for the competition: The championship event would mark nearly two decades of U.S. participation in FAI-sanctioned precision acrobatic competitions, first held in 1960 in Czechoslovakia. The event also would commemorate two-thirds of a century since the first recorded aerobatic flight: Lt. Peter Nesterov of the Imperial Russian Air Service was credited with performing in 1913 the first inside loop in a Nieuport monoplane. NAA, the aero club representing the U.S., had sanctioned as the official team representing the U.S. at the world championships the group selected by the Aerobatic Club of America, which would also be the only team competing in Czechoslovakia without government financing. (NAA newsletter, May 78, 1)

The USAF reported it had begun initial screening of sites in 10 states for the MX intercontinental ballistic-missile system. DOD officials said screening would identify and evaluate potential MX deployment sites in the continental U.S; the USAF would not make a selection, but rather evaluate candidate sites that could serve MX needs. Initial screening earlier in 1978 had identified 12 geologically suitable sites in 15 states; current studies would focus on Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. Final decision would require many additional studies, including environmental impact analyses. Deployment of an MX system could begin several yr after completion of its design and evaluation of environmental impacts. DOD officials had not decided whether to recommend ultimate deployment of the MX, which would depend on the outcome of development and analyses now under way and on approval by Congress. (AFSC Newsreview, May 78, 4)

Aerospace engineers at AEDC reported they had precisely measured damage from a single particle of rain, snow, or dust-or one from a meteorite-striking the surface of a missile or spacecraft at speeds up to 7000mph. Materials better able to protect missiles or spacecraft would result from this research and testing. The precision measurement used a 2-stage launch "gun" to propel small projectiles (3.2in long, 1.625in diameter) through a track formed by four guide rails inside the range's sealed tank, to simulate altitudes up to 46 000ft. The projectile, tipped with a sample of nosecone material, passed through the track and was photographed as it collided with single particles of water, glass, or nylon.

Previous tests had sent projectiles into clouds of small particles; however, engineers had arranged the single-particle impacts to get a more precise understanding of nosecone erosion and its effect on the accuracy of missile and spacecraft trajectories. Uneven or excessive erosion could cause a missile or spacecraft to miss an intended impact point or landing site. SAMSO had conducted the tests on a track 62ft long and 1.625in in diameter, with a 110ft recovery tube. (AFSC Newsreview, May 78, 5) The Dayton Air Fair had accelerated efforts to complete construction of a Wright B Flyer replica by the Apr. 30 fair date. Operation Tailwing, organized to ensure completion of the project, had had more than 400 participants in the project during the past 2yr. As plans for the original plane no longer existed, the builders had used measurements of one of the two original remaining Wright B craft, replacing wood with aluminum tubing and steel. Computer studies had verified that propellers turning at 1000rpm with a 210hp motor could maintain the original 17-to-1 power/weight ratio. Modern safety standards had required modification of the airfoil design and gas tank. (NAA newsletter, May 78, 6)

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