Checking In

Texas A&M Team Earns Grant
Three faculty members from Texas A&M University have received a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Air Force with the intent to help the government create more efficient aircraft.

The grant, announced by officials from the Air Force's Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), will fund the group's study of the complex interaction between turbulence and thermal non-equilibrium, where specific types of energy in molecules are at a different temperature than their surroundings. By artificially raising the molecules' temperature and monitoring the effects on turbulence as they cool down to their surroundings, the researchers hope to understand model turbulence flows better, with the broad goal of providing the Air Force with the necessary information to build more efficient aircraft. www.science.tamu.edu

Airbus to Double U.S. Spending
In an effort to forge new partnerships with Southern California manufacturers, Airbus Americas Chairman, Allan McArtor, plans on doubling the more than $1 billion currently spent in the area each year. The announcement, made to an audience of more than 100 local manufacturers attending an educational summit at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, focused on attracting new supplier companies for Airbus.

Backed by a strong global backlog of more than 4,400 aircraft and growing future demand, Airbus plans to double its annual $12 billion spending with U.S. manufacturers in the coming years. www.airbus.com

FAA Approves Type Certificate for S-76D
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the Type Certificate for the S-76D helicopter, capping an intensive flight test program to introduce Sikorsky’s newest commercial product, the S-76D helicopter. The S-76D helicopter has a current backlog approaching a half-billion dollars, with expected deliveries to begin in Q4 2012, adding to the more than 800 S-76 helicopters delivered to the global fleet since 1979.

“Our customers are excited to begin receiving the S-76D into their fleets. We are equally excited to deliver a new product that represents three-and-a-half decades of continuous product improvement, to offer them a helicopter with improved efficiency, power, and best-in-class noise signature,” says Carey Bond, president, Sikorsky Global Helicopters. www.sikorsky.com

Hermle Joins CCAM
CCAM’s (Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing) welcomes Hermle Machine Co. A Hermle C42 UMT 5-axis mill-turn machine will be on site at CCAM, enabling researchers access to Hermel’s state-of-the-art machine tool, adding significant value to CCAM members. CCAM brings together best-in-class manufacturers, Virginia’s top research universities, and CCAM’s experienced scientists and engineers in an exclusive R&D collaboration designed to help industry accelerate the transfer of laboratory innovations to production-line solutions. www.ccam-va.com