All Airframers articles – Page 1491
-
News
US airlines get EGPWS mandate
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC THE Enhanced ground- proximity warning system (EGPWS) is to become compulsory for aircraft operated by major US long-haul and most regional airlines. The US Federal Aviation Administration will issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in April 1998, calling for implementation by the end of the ...
-
News
Alitalia restructures Airbus narrowbody order
Alitalia has completed the restructuring of its A321 orderbook with Airbus Industrie and placed additional orders, which will see the majority of the 27 aircraft now on backlog delivered as smaller A320s. It was revealed earlier this year that the Italian flag carrier was negotiating to re-arrange its outstanding ...
-
News
Air France president Spinetta lays plans for competitiveness
Julian Moxon/Paris Air France president Jean-Cyril Spinetta has unveiled the main elements in his plans to solve the "persistent competitiveness problems" which he says continue to plague the airline. Pilots' unions have objected to the plan, however. The strategy centres on a Fr40 billion ($6.7 billion) investment in ...
-
News
RVSM comes of age after trial period
Following a successful eight-month trial period, North Atlantic tracks (NAT) working to reduced vertical-separation minima (RVSM) are to be declared fully operational on 27 March. Plans have also been announced to extend the RVSM vertical band in 1998. The NAT RVSM vertical band is now FL330-FL370 (33,000-37,000ft/10,060-11,280m). This is ...
-
News
Cost cuts increase hopes for MD-95 production
Guy Norris/LONG BEACH Douglas Products division is optimistic that Boeing will clear continued develop- ment of derivatives and production of the MD-95 in January, after the development of a series of cost-saving initiatives by the manufacturer and its risk-sharing partners. Boeing is due to decide whether to proceed ...
-
News
737 production recovery disappoints Boeing
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Boeing "is not seeing the improvement anticipated" for its production-recovery programme on the Next Generation 737, admits Commercial Airplanes Group president Ron Woodard. The number of jobs behind schedule have stayed essentially static since October, despite Boeing's efforts to "rebalance" the 737 production line. Woodard ...
-
News
Guarantee allows Garuda to receive 737s at last
Garuda Indonesia will finally begin taking delivery of six completed Boeing 737-300/500s parked in the USA, following a long-awaited guarantee from the Indonesian finance ministry on lease financing. Delivery of the aircraft has been on hold since August after demands from the US Eximbank for a guarantor to agree ...
-
News
Boeing expects to receive JAA approval of 737-700 in January
Guy Norris/SEATTLE Boeing expects the first of the Next Generation 737 models, the -700, to be given long-awaited European certification by "mid- to late-January" when final tests are conducted on the first European production-standard -700, which is destined for Maersk Air of Denmark. The tests centre on the ...
-
News
P&W considers new rival for CFM56
Guy Norris/EAST HARTFORD Pratt & Whitney has begun studies of an advanced-technology geared-fan engine in an initiative to re-enter the narrowbody market and challenge the dominance of CFM International. The study outlines an initial series of engines for the 107-156kN (24,000-35,000lb)-thrust range, and is based around the use ...
-
News
747-400IGW gets go-ahead
Guy Norris/SEATTLE The Boeing board has given its civil-aircraft sales team authority to offer a growth version of the 747-400 with a maximum take-off weight of 413,140kg and a range of up to 14,245km (7,700nm). The decision is the first significant growth step for the aircraft since the ...
-
News
GE-P&W starts A3XX study
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Team members from the General Electric-Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance began installation studies with Airbus Industrie on 18 December aimed at finalising a firm engine configuration for the A3XX by as early as the first quarter of 1998. "I would like to have a firm ...
-
News
British Midland expects to make record profits for 1997
British Midland (BM) expects to return record profits for 1997, after having successfully fended off growing competition from low-fare airlines, and benefited from the industrial dispute at British Airways. The news comes as the airline reveals plans for head-on competition with BAon the London-Manchester route. BM expects to ...
-
News
BA pioneers global monitoring
Ian Sheppard/LONDON British Airways is using an aircraft visual-tracking system which allows it to monitor the position of aircraft and immediately react to unforeseen events which cause flights to be diverted. Previously a diversion decision by a flightcrew would require "a call to tech-dispatch and manual calculation of ...
-
News
Pathfinder 21 flight tests to begin
Soloy's Pathfinder 21 modification to the Cessna Caravan 208B is set to begin flight- testing in January following US Federal Aviation Administration supplemental type certification of the 1,000kW (1,330shp) Soloy Dual Pac, which combines two Pratt & Whitney PT6-114As driving a single-propeller shaft (Flight International, 3-9 December). Flight-testing will ...
-
News
Italy ponders AMX disposal
Andrea Spinelli/GENOA The Italian air force is considering selling off some of its Alenia/Embraer AMX fighter aircraft as it struggles to rationalise the number of variants of the type in the fleet and to improve its poor availability. The AMX disposal option has emerged from the highest echelons ...
-
News
ST Aero purchases Dalfort maintenance
Singapore Technologies Aerospace (ST Aero) has acquired Dalfort Aviation's maintenance site in Dallas and is planning to expand its Mobile Aero- space Engineering (MAe) subsidiary in a move to increase capacity in the USA. The Singapore company has agreed with Astraea to purchase the leasehold, assets and inventory of ...
-
News
Snecma lands in full control of Messier-Dowty as TI sells out
Snecma plans to take full control of the Messier-Dowty landing-gear business just three years after the Anglo-French joint venture was founded in a 50/50 partnership, together with the TI Group. The company now plans to create a major landing-systems business, including its Messier-Bugatti brakes unit. Under the terms of ...
-
News
LTU dismisses managers as 767 cracks show poor maintenance
AndrzejJeziorski/MUNICH German charter operator LTU has sacked three senior managers after the discovery of a series of maintenance deficiencies in the fleet of Munich-based sister airline LTU Süd. LTU says that it is unable to name the managers concerned for legal reasons, but they included one of two ...
-
News
Next Generation 737 delivery encounters further delay
Delivery of the first Boeing Next Generation 737-700 to Southwest Airlines has been held up again, this time because of last-minute modifications to the lateral trim system. The first aircraft was originally due to be handed over to launch customer Southwest in October, but this slipped to late November ...
-
News
Fairchild rolls out first 328JET
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH Fairchild Dornier has unveiled the first 328JET prototype at Oberpfaffenhoffen, and is to begin trials this month. The aircraft has been created by the conversion of the second Dornier 328 turboprop prototype. Its first flight is due on 20 January, weather permitting, says Fairchild Dornier president ...