All air transport news – Page 2508
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News
Dow-UT delivers F-22 RTM spars
DOW-UNITED Technologies Composite Products (Dow-UT) has delivered the first ship-set of 44 sine-wave spars for the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 wing. The spars were produced using an advanced resin-transfer moulding (RTM) process developed by Dow-UT (Flight International, 24-30 January). Boeing, which is responsible for the F-22 wing, calculates that ...
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GE's cost-cutting pays off
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON GENERAL ELECTRIC'S Aircraft Engines business pushed operating profits back above the $1 billion mark in 1995, confirming its place not only as the most profitable of the big three engine makers, but also as one of GE's star performers. In an upbeat annual ...
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Comair acquires low-fare Spirit
COMAIR HOLDINGS, parent company of US regional Comair, has agreed to buy low-fare carrier Spirit Airlines. Eastpointe, Michigan-based Spirit flies ten McDonnell Douglas DC-9s and will be operated separately from Comair, which is a Delta Connection carrier. Spirit is a charter airline, which is expanding into low-fare scheduled ...
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Dassault tackles cabin noise with seat system
Andrew Doyle/PARIS AN INDIVIDUAL SEAT-based active noise-cancellation system for airliners, which eliminates the need for complex acoustic modeling of the cabin, is now under development by French companies Dassault Electronique and Technofirst. The active-noise controller for aircraft seat (ANCAS) system consists of an electronic controller ...
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Gulf Air boss calls for action
Gunter Endres/LONDON THE NEW HEAD of Gulf Air, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif al-Nahyan, has reacted swiftly to the severity of the airline's $159 million loss in 1995 by convening an extraordinary shareholders' meeting to seek agreement on measures designed to bring the multi-national carrier back to profitability. ...
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World Airways offers stake to workers
AIRLINE EMPLOYEES may be offered a stake in World Airways as the parent WorldCorp group looks for options to sell its stake in the US carrier. WorldCorp is looking, at options for spinning off, at least part of its 59.3% stake in the airline. President Charles Pollard confirms ...
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Sultan of Brunei adds to fleet with first A340-8000
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI has ordered the first ultra-long-range Airbus A340-8000 to add to his growing VIP fleet of personal jet-powered airliners. It is understood that the aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 1997 and that it will be the first long-haul -8000 ...
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Continental Express order heralds ATR US fightback
CONTINENTAL EXPRESS has ordered eight Aero International (Regional) ATR 42-500s and taken options on a further 12 aircraft, at an estimated cost of $260 million. The order follows a barren spell for ATR in its most lucrative market since the highly publicised crash of an American Eagle ...
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JAST RFP released as MDC revises design
Guy Norris/ST LOUIS THE REQUEST FOR proposals for the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) concept-demonstration phase was released on 22 March, after Lockheed Martin withdrew a protest which threatened to delay the programme (Flight International, 27 March-2 April). The protest was withdrawn after the return ...
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UPS picks Flight Dynamics head-up system
UPS Airlines is to equip its 59-strong Boeing 727 fleet with the Flight Dynamics head-up guidance system (HGS). The move will allow UPS 727 crews to fly manual Category IIIA approaches in visibility as low as 210m (700ft) and take off in visibility down to 90m. ...
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Heavier Tu-204-200 has maiden flight at Kazan
THE FIRST TUPOLEV Tu-204-200 to be produced at the Kazan Aircraft Production Factory had its maiden flight on 21 March. The Perm PS-90A-engined aircraft, to be redesignated by Kazan as the Tu-214, has an increased maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 110t, up from the 98t of the Tu-204-100. ...
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Taiwan Lease
China Airlines (CAL) is to lease six new Boeing 737-400s, as part of its previously announced order for six 737-800s. The 737-400s will serve as an interim replacement for three 737-200s and two leased Airbus Industrie A320s, until the new -800s are delivered in 1998. The first three -400s will ...
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USA gains more time in bilateral disputes
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Gilbert Sedbon/PARIS THE USA HAS temporarily headed off the threat of serious confrontations in Asia and Europe over airline traffic rights. In the last week of March, US Department of Transportation officials have secured a cargo deal with Japan and agreed with France to ...
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MD-90 orders
Japan Air Systems (JAS) HAS ordered six McDonnell Douglas MD-90, taking its total firm orders to 16. The Japanese carrier also took an additional option. JAS received its first MD-90 in December 1995 and plans to begin services with three of the type later this month. The airline will take ...
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China set to snub USA with big Airbus deal
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE CHINA IS POISED to place a major order with Airbus Industrie for around 50 A320/321s, in a clear signal of Beijing's displeasure with US Government and Congress over political and trade issues. The China Aviation Supplies (CASC) order is expected, to be announced during ...
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Cracked glass
Designers of future flight decks have to correct the mistakes made in today's "glass cockpits". David Learmount/LONDON TODAY'S "GLASS COCKPITS" are designed, using a flawed concept and are causing pilots to make mistakes, which they have never made before, according to recent research. Yet flight decks of ...
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Through the looking glass
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL and Airbus Industrie have developed a "glass-cockpit CRM" [cockpit-resource management] course which is part of the A320 type-conversion training provided by Airbus for customers. In designing the specialist training, the two companies have identified factors, or training needs, which are unique to cockpits with sophisticated flight-management systems (FMS). ...
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SJ30-2 wind tunnel testing completed
SINO SWEARINGEN Aircraft has completed wind tunnel testing of the SJ30-2 business jet at the University of Washington, Seattle. Model tests were intended to fine-tune the revised design. The SJ30 prototype, meanwhile, is being modified to the stretched SJ30-2 and re-engined with up-rated Williams Rolls-Royce FJ44-2 turbofans for configuration-verification flight-testing. ...
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Otam? Oh, that Otam...
It is hard not to view the recently signed US-Germany open skies agreement as an example of high German engineering. Like all good designs, it is the details that reveal the craftsmanship. In this case, where most see an agreement between two countries, German air transport officials have designed a ...
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Suppliers
The French DGAC has certified the ATR42-400. The Rolls-Royce Trent 800-powered B777 has received joint type certification from the US FAA and Europe's JAA. Pratt & Whitney has taken over the Propulsion Systems Division of the Nordam Group. The United Technologies subsidiary has also take a ...