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Safe airplanes



Friends,

Yes, I over reacted yesterday about Dave's statements.  It made me
realize how much it still hurts losing not only a good friend but a
whole family of friends.  However, I refuse to let this loss be
meaningless.  It just gives my present work more resolve.

In the last few weeks I've teamed up with Dr. Dave Fleming of Fla. Int.
of  Tech. to do serious research on extremely crash-worthy aircraft
designs.  Dr. Fleming did his thesis in composite structures and is
presently working on another NASA crash-worthiness program.  We are
borrowing the work of Dr. Ilan Kroo from Stanford in Calf. for the basic
aeronautical configuration.  My part is in evolving my present molding
process so that we produce whole airframes in one step, 100% monolithic
and co-cured.

We have the inovations that NASA is soliciting and the team to pull it
off.  They have just got to award us the contract.  Until they do though
I'm not supposed to talk about it any more.
The abstracts I've been reading on current crash resistant design
research has revealed some interesting facts.  Carbon cabins fragment
without absorbing energy and carbon structures may sustain damage that
is hard to detect.  Cabins should be snug preventing the occupants from
flying around.  All sharp and hard objects should be kept out of the
cabin area.   The ideal protection is foam and fiberglass sandwich
structures surrounding the occupants.  This is why when you get lucky
and don't impact a Velocity but tumble one you can walk away.

good night

Alan