Word: tankfuls
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DIED. HELEN WILLS MOODY (ROARK), 92, imperturbable tennis ace; in Carmel, Calif. Her trademark white eyeshade set an enduring fashion trend, but there was nothing frivolous about Little Miss Poker Face, as she was known. She stood her ground like a tank, drilling out bullet serves and powerful baseline drives. Her casualties were legion: she won 31 major championships, including eight at Wimbledon, and her frequent rival Helen Jacobs was dubbed "Helen the Second...
There was some discussion of possible igniters: power surges and wires whose worn insulation could have turned them into spark plugs. Even spontaneous combustion couldn't be ruled out. Hall's main attention and considerable scorn, however, were trained on the neglected science of fuel-tank security. "I think I reflect to some degree the concern the American traveling public has in this issue," he said in a deceptively soft drawl. "In this country, we look to the FAA for regulations on safety." Incensed that in the months since the crash, industry inspectors have checked the fuel-tank safety...
...done, both his targets were claiming to be on his side. The FAA's Cheney announced that his agency had decided to study the safety board's recommendations. Insisting that "we are seriously embracing attacking this problem on the flammable-vapor level," he pledged to "take action" on fuel-tank maintenance programs for all U.S. aircraft. Boeing declared that it had been studying fuel-tank improvements since the crash and is considering more thorough insulation and "sweeping" out accumulated fumes during flight...
...fairness, it must be noted that the various fuel-tank solutions are fraught with complications. Two seemingly simple answers--distance the air-conditioning units from the tank or fly with it full of fuel--would boost ticket prices. So would "inerting," injecting a nonexplosive gas to decrease the fuel's volatility, although the manufacturer of the $1.5 million inerting units used in some military planes claims that simpler civilian versions would cost just $80,000 per plane. Some inerting gases, however, are potentially lethal: they reduce one danger to passengers but increase another. Cautioned Boeing's chief fuel-system engineer...
DIED. ELIOT DANIEL, 89, tunemeister who composed the upbeat theme song for I Love Lucy; in Los Angeles. Convinced the wacky sitcom would tank, Daniel initially asked that his name not appear in the credits...