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Appendix A Synopsis of Presentations to the Committee Three separate sets of presentations were made to the committee. The first set took place at a meeting held on December 17-18, 1985 to review government application and operational experience and research and development activity with advanced organic composite materials. The second set, February 10-11, 1986, was a forum for aircraft manufacturers, an airline operator, and material manufacturers to review their individual experiences, problems, and technology needs. The third set, March 26, 1986, consisted of presentations by government representatives of their views of technology development needs and plans. The synopsis that follows contains the general sense of the individual presenta- tions in the order they were given to provide an overview of the substantive matters addressed. The views expressed were those of the individual presenters and do not necessarily represent those of the presenter's organization. COMMITTEE MEETING OF DECEMBER 17-18,1985 Application and Operating Experience U.S. Air Force (T. Reinhart) The Air Force has had 8 to 10 years of operational experience with composites, with good success; composites are being used on rotor blades and other parts of helicopters and for secondary structures on other types of aircraft. Plans indicate that some 40 to 60 percent of the structural weight of new aircraft will be composites. Operational problems include cracking and corrosion of metal honeycomb, inci- dents of maintenance damage, quality control in manufacture, paint removal, and repair. 43
42 dissemination. It is the committee's view that it would be appropriate for NASA to take the initiative in the development of the bold new program with strong participation from the U.S. Department of Defense and FAA, and with the active involvement of industry and universities.
