All news – Page 6265
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Engineer shortage to push up wages
If the airline industry does not act to stem the engineer shortage, "employment costs for maintenance and engineering staff will equate to those normally associated with flightcrew", the UK Civil Aviation Authority predicts. Europe and the USA face such a shortage of avionics and maintenance engineers that it will "cut ...
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Ilyushin begins design work on cargo Il-96-300 variant
Paul Duffy and Alexander Velovich/MOSCOW Ilyushin has initiated design work for a freighter version of its 240-seat Il-96-300 four-engined widebody. The design bureau is also studying the development of a Russian-engined version of the Westernised Il-96M/T. The Il-96-300 freighter project will be developed by a partnership which includes ...
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FAA likely to act on 747 fire-extinguisher alert
The US Federal Aviation Administration is expected to issue an airworthiness directive (AD) calling for inspections of engine fire-extinguishing systems on Boeing 747-400s. It comes after Lufthansa temporarily grounded its fleet following the discovery of a cracked copper hose on an engine. The AD, which was expected to be ...
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Riding high
Kate Sarsfield/LONDONConfidence among the business aircraft community is at its highest for years as sales of new aircraft scale record levels and order backlogs remain solid well into the new decade. Aviation analysts confirm this. AlliedSignal Aerospace suggests "deliveries of business jets will peak this year, but will remain at, ...
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Dem/val flight testing of Comanche is completed
Flight testing required to support an April decision to proceed with development of the US Army's RAH-66 Comanche scout/attack helicopter has been completed, says the Boeing/Sikorsky team. Approval to move from the protracted demonstration/validation phase into the $3.1 billion engineering and manufacturing development programme is contingent on the RAH-66 meeting ...
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USAF revamps GPS deployment plans
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Anew US Air Force acquisition strategy for global positioning system (GPS) navigation satellites will accelerate the deployment of improved anti-jamming for military use and increased integrity for civil use. As a result, the USAF will cut back Boeing's contract to produce GPSIIF follow-on satellites and ...
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USAF weapons to get GPS jamming update
The first production units of a system designed to improve the jamming resistance of global positioning system (GPS)-guided weapons will be available for incorporation in the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) early next year, say industry officials. GPS-guided weapons, such as JASSM and the Boeing Joint Direct ...
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Canada ponders CC-130 future
Canada has begun a study to consider alternatives for replacing its Lockheed Martin CC-130 Hercules, or extending the life of the aircraft, some of which are among the highest time C-130s operating. An industry source says the Canadian Forces has had to rethink the future of the aircraft sooner ...
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MiG 1.44 undergoes high-speed runs as MAPO prepares for maiden flight
Alexander Velovich/MOSCOW MAPO's experimental MiG 1.44 advanced fighter is closer to achieving its first flight. The aircraft was airborne for several seconds as it underwent high-speed runs on the runway of LII Gromov Flight Research Institute at Zhukovsky, near Moscow, this month. In line with standard pre-maiden ...
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Datalink deal
Data Link Solutions and ViaSat have won contracts to prepare for competitive production of Multifunction Information Distribution System (MIDS) low-volume terminals. The MIDS Link 16 datalink terminals will be fitted to a range of US and NATO combat and other aircraft. Deliveries against an expected requirement for 8,000 units are ...
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JSF engine thrust beats expectations
Pratt & Whitney's JSF119-611 engine has exceeded the thrust requirements of Lockheed Martin's X-35 short take-off and landing (STOVL) Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) concept demonstrator in ground testing at the company's test site at West Palm Beach, Florida. The engine demonstrated thrust above requirements for short take-off and vertical ...
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New company aims to power A400M
Snecma, MTU, FiatAvio and ITP have established a joint company to produce the M138 engine on offer to power the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft. Turboprop International (TIP) is competing against Rolls-Royce's German subsidiary, proposing the BR700-TP as a development based on the common core of the BR700 turbofan ...
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Turkey expands AEW&C requirement
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Turkey has expanded its airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) requirement to seven aircraft. It is expected make a final selection shortly after the recent submissions of best-and-final offers by competing teams Boeing/Northrop Grumman and Raytheon/Elta. Ankara is to decide by the end of March between ...
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On the rack
Flight International flight tests Boeing's latest 757 model, the stretched 240-seat -300 which entered service last MarchPeter Henley/LUTONOne of Boeing's marketing slogans is that it has a family of airliners for every market. The 757 and 767 family members are intended to complement one another in range and capacity. The ...
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Private education
The RAF's new Hawk simulator will save money and allow more training Stewart Penney/RAF VALLEYWhen the Hawk Synthetic Training (HST) facility opened on 11 February it was no ordinary debut - it was a milestone in the UK Government's use of its private finance initiative (PFI) to fund capital investment ...
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Diamond plans for triple expansion
Diamond Aircraft plans a family of general aviation aircraft to add to its line-up, which includes the DA20-C1 Katana trainer and the new DA40 Diamond Star piston single. "We have come up with three aircraft types, which we feel will be welcomed by the marketplace. Our decision is based ...
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Fractionals could escape change
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Fractional ownership programmes should continue to operate under the regulations which govern general aviation, but with the increased safety oversight applied to commercial operators, says an industry committee formed by the US Federal Aviation Administration to provide guidance on the contentious issue. The Fractional Ownership Aviation Rulemaking ...
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Travel Air soars
Raytheon Aircraft says its Travel Air fractional ownership subsidiary sold 25% more aircraft shares than forecast in 1999, its second full year of operation. The company ended the year with 489 shareowners, up 132% from 1998, while its fleet expanded from 35 aircraft to 59 and hours flown almost doubled, ...
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Altimeter discrepancies found in crashed 707
More details have emerged of the Trans Arabian Air Transport Boeing 707-320C accident in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, on 3 February. The aircraft came down during a night landing 4km (2nm) from the threshold of Mwanza's runway 12 during its second approach. After a go-around, the captain began a left-hand circuit, ...
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Bearing fails in Lockheed Martin JSF STOVL tests
A bearing in the shaft-driven lift fan of the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) propulsion system for Lockheed Martin's X-35 Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator has failed during engine ground testing at Pratt & Whitney. The bearing failed after 67h of testing, equivalent to about 18 months of ...