All news – Page 6555
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Pilot shortage will hit industry growth
A shrinking US pilot population and its potential to limit the growth of the helicopter industry are issues raised by a 10-year market forecast unveiled by UK engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce at the show. The survey says the number of commercial helicopter pilots in the USA fell from around 27,000 in ...
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EC-funded tiltrotor hits setback
Eurocopter's hopes of establishing a pan-European consortium to pursue a European Commission-funded tiltrotor demonstrator has suffered a setback, with Agusta instead pressing for aid to develop a compound helicopter. "We're proposing that Agusta and Westland study something that does not exist now, such as a compound helicopter. Money ...
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Hughes and China Great Wall rocked by satellite export ban
Tim Furniss/LONDON Hughes Space and Communications and China Great Wall Industry have been hit by a US Government decision to delay issue of an export licence for a satellite launch on a Long March 3B booster. The launch of the Hughes-built Asia Pacific Mobile Telecommunications satellite from China ...
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Last of the Mir crews are put into orbit
Russia launched what may be the final crew to inhabit the Mir space station, 13 years after the launch of first core module. The Soyuz TM29 was lifted off on a Soyuz U booster from Baikonur on 20 February and docked with the station on 22 February. The crew ...
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Doubts over future of VentureStar and X-33 SSTOs
A key Congressman, who is responsible for oversight of US space activities has voiced doubts over the viability of the Lockheed Martin X-33 and VentureStar projects to develop and operate a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle to replace the Space Shuttle. Lockheed's plan to finance VentureStar development with venture capital will ...
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Minerva 328 runs into sea at Genoa
A Minerva Airlines Fairchild Dornier 328 turboprop ran off the runway into the sea when landing at Genoa, Italy, on 25 February. The aircraft was operating an Alitalia codeshare flight from Cagliari, Sardinia, with 28 passengers and four crew on board, including an instructor. Early reports indicated four fatalities with ...
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Indian Airlines drops fleet renewal plans
State-owned Indian Airlines has shelved plans to replace its fleet of 11 ageing Airbus A300B2/B4s and 12 Boeing 737-200s, opting instead to pursue a refurbishment programme. The programme, which will include an interior refit, will allow the aircraft to be operated for "several more years", according to Indian Airlines. ...
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US safety agency urges FAA to adopt JT8D strip-down plan
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Thousands of airliners powered by Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofans could be taken out of service temporarily if the US Federal Aviation Administration decides to adopt an engine inspection recommendation published by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The move would affect Boeing 727s, 737-100s ...
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KLM to order 747s
KLM is poised to order four Boeing 747-400s. It already operates 19 of the type, of which 14 are combi-configured. KLM aims to standardise a longhaul, widebody fleet which includes 747 Classics, MD-11s and 767-300ERs. Source: Flight International
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Embraer wins order for a LOT of ERJ-145s
LOT Polish Airlines is to acquire up to 12 Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets as part of a major restructuring plan which is aimed at reversing three consecutive years of losses. The carrier will use its new fleet of 50-seaters, replacing Boeing 737s, to boost frequencies on low-density routes to ...
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Control snags hit Metrojet 737
A Metrojet Boeing 737-200 suffered a sudden unexplained roll in the cruise at 33,000ft (10,000m). The 737, operated by the US Airways' low-fare subsidiary, made a safe precautionary landing and the US National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. The in-flight incident follows changes to the 737 rudder system, prompted ...
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Marketplace
*Sabena has contracted to lease a three-year-old ex-Malaysia Airlines, Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered Airbus A330-300 in April on a six-year-lease from International Lease Finance (ILFC). Sabena operates three General Electric CF6-powered A330-300s on lease from Airbus, and will also add three new PW4000-powered A330-200s from ILFC from August. *The ...
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Routes
* From 31March, KLM uk will withdraw all operations from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, including services to Southampton, London Stansted and Amsterdam. * British Airways' low-cost division Go is to expanding its services to south-west Europe, with new services from London Stansted to Faro and Malaga from the ...
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SPW14 team ups thrust rating
Paul Lewis/Washington DC Pratt & Whitney Canada and joint venture partner Snecma are to increase the thrust rating of the proposed SPW14 turbofan to compete for larger new regional aircraft, including the recently unveiled Embraer ERJ-170 and -190 developments. "We started at 12,000-16,000lb-thrust, but, as time has gone ...
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UPS goes with Pratt & Whitney PW4000
United Parcel Service (UPS) has choses Pratt & Whitney's PW4158 turbofan for its planned fleet of 75 new Airbus A300-600 freighters. It is the engine's first freighter application. The deal, worth up to $3 billion, is P&W's largest single sale of the 2.39m (94in) fan-diameter PW4000 engine series in ...
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America West pulls put of UAL talks
America West has pulled out of talks with potential buyers, including United Airlines (UAL), complaining that the "expressions of interest" received were "highly conditional". Chairman Bill Franke says America West will continue to go it alone as the USA's ninth largest airline, adding that he is confident that the ...
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Electro-magnetic launcher sought for carrier
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Navy (USN) intends to award competing contracts for development of an electro-magnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) for the planned CVX next-generation aircraft carrier. The first CVX, which would be capable of conventional take-off-and-landing (CTOL) operations, would be bought in the fiscal year 2006. ...
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Italy to buy more helicopters, fighters, for two-carrier force
Andrea Nativi/GENOA The Italian navy is to significantly increase its capacity to project air power in the next decade, with plans to acquire additional fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and new platforms for operating them from. It currently operates 16 McDonnell Douglas Harrier II Plus fighter bombers and two TAV-8B ...
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UK plans marriage for services' Joint Force 2000 Harriers
Howard Gethin/LONDON UK Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Harrier squadrons are to be reorganised into new combined strike wings for the services' new carrierborne Joint Force 2000 (JF-2000), in a move that represents the closest co-operation between the two services in decades. The merger of the Harrier ...
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X-32 meets JSF compliance target
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Boeing claims to have kept its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme on budget by balancing the cost of a revised preferred weapons system concept (PWSC) with savings achieved in the construction of two X-32A/B demonstrator aircraft. "We've had a management plan in place that has been ...