All news – Page 6809
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FAA reviews DC-8 freighter safety
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC The US Federal Aviation Administration has launched a review of McDonnell Douglas DC-8 cargo conversions to determine whether safety concerns exist similar to those it believes affect some Boeing 727 freighter modifications. Reviews of freighter conversions ranging from the Boeing 737 to the Lockheed L-188 Electra ...
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FAA proposes to spin off air traffic services unit as business
The US Federal Aviation Administration plans to run its air traffic services (ATS) division as a business, funded largely by user fees, beginning in January 1999. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey says that draft legislation is being drawn up to convert the ATS operation into a "performance based organisation", as ...
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Russia faces new threat to ISS share
Tim Furniss/LONDON NASA is threatening to drop Russia from the International Space Station (ISS) programme after it was revealed that late arrival of Russian equipment could cause new delays. Joseph Rothenberg, the US space agency's associate administrator for spaceflight, has told Congress that NASA will decide on 15 ...
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Formosa crash
Taiwan-based Formosa Airlines suffered a fatal Saab 340 accident shortly after take-off on a domestic flight from Hsinchu to Kaohsiung. The Taiwan Civil Aeronautics Administration says that the wreckage has been located in the sea 10km (5nm) south-west of Hsinchu. All four crew and nine passengers are believed to have ...
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LHTEC bids to power the Tiger
LHTEC's T800-801 turboshaft is being proposed to Eurocopter as an alternative powerplant for export versions of the Tiger attack helicopter. "We're in the process of responding to a request for proposals," says Fred Dickens, T800 business development manager for the AlliedSignal/Allison joint venture. "We are not being considered for the ...
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Virgin doctors aircraft with medical links
David Learmount/LONDON medical diagnosis by satellite datalink promises to make flying safer for sick passengers on Virgin Atlantic flights. The airline is to fit new equipment originally designed to monitor the health of Virgin chief Richard Branson's crew during their attempts to circle the world in a hot air balloon. ...
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Aerospatiale defines future common Airbus flightdeck
Ian Sheppard TOULOUSE Airbus Industrie partner Aerospatiale has launched a major product improvement programme to develop a retrofittable, "freeflight" ready common flightdeck. Also included will be a switch to flat panel liquid crystal displays. The upgraded Airbus flightdeck will be designed for the A320/ A330/A340 range and future ...
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New Canadian system quietens Dash 8 cabin
Canada's National Research Council (NRC) is seeking an industrial partner with which to complete development of an active cabin-noise control system now under test. The NRC hopes to "commercialise" the technology during a third phase of the development programme, which would include flight tests on a Bombardier de Havilland Dash ...
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Mercury Systems introduces real time crew scheduling
Mercury Scheduling Systems is to release the "Beta" version of its Magellan airline management system to its launch customers at the end of this month. The new software allows real-time management of crew scheduling for the first time, claims the company, giving airlines a dynamic picture of their operations. ...
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Open skies hostility
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON The tussle between the European Commission (EC) and the member states over who has the right to negotiate transatlantic air agreements has just become more interesting. In the words of one Brussels insider, it is shaping up as one of Europe's "big political games". Legal threats are ...
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Space lifeboat aims for space test
An unmanned scale model of the X-38 Crew Emergency Return Vehicle "space lifeboat" for the International Space Station will be deployed from the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2000 to conduct an automatic re-entry and landing. The first demonstrator glide test was on 12 March at 23,000ft (7,010m). Tests from ...
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Russia gets go-ahead for new communications satellites
Tim Furniss/LONDON European, Japanese and US companies are to assist Russia in building 11 new communications satellites, beginning the replacement of an ageing fleet of spacecraft which have been kept in service for several years longer than planned because of severe budget restraints. The Russian Energia company will ...
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Loral selects Long March booster
Loral Space and Communications signed an agreement with China Great Wall Industry on 16 March for five launches by 2002 of company-built satellites on the Long March 3B. The LM3B, the most powerful booster in China's fleet, with a geostationary transfer orbit capability of 5,000kg, clocked up two successful ...
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Comets raised
Japan's National Space Development Agency has raised the perigee of the orbit of the Comets communications technology satellite stranded by an H2 launch mishap on 21 February, from 248km to 390km. The 1,884km apogee remains unchanged. A further series of firings of the satellite's engine is hoped to place the ...
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First UHF satellite lifts GBS for USN
The Hughes-built US Navy Ultra High Frequency Follow-On F8 communications satellite was launched by the final ILS International Launch Services Atlas II booster from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 16 March. The UHF F/O F8 will be stationed at 172¹E over the Pacific. The satellite is the first in the ...
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Sonex heavy fuel
Sonex Research is to convert 40 unmanned air vehicle (UAV) two-stroke engines to use "heavy" fuel (JP-5 or diesel) for the US Marine Corps. The Annapolis, Maryland based company will next month complete similar conversions of engines on US Navy Pioneer UAVs. Source: Flight International
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Raytheon upgrade
Raytheon has won an $81.2 million contract to upgrade the US Air Force Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, replacing radars with solid state, phased array, devices at Clear Air Station, Alaska, by October 2001. Similar upgrades have been performed at Thule, Greenland, and Fylingdales, UK. Source: Flight International
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Marion stealth
GE Aircraft Engines is transferring production of fixed false fan faces for the F414 engine to Marion Composites of Marion, Virginia. Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets will use two of the devices to conceal rotating fan blades and reduce Doppler radar "glint". Source: Flight International
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Racal in the MIDS
Racal-MESL of Newbridge, Scotland, is to supply integrated filter/amplifier components to Italtel of Italy for the Multifunction Information Distribution System (MIDS) Link-16 terminal. The MIDS is being developed by France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the USA for the Class 2 Joint Tactical Information Distribution System. It will initially be produced ...
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Payloads up
US market forecaster The Teal Group ,says that more than 2,000 payloads will be launched in the next decade, 65% of them accounted for by the USA. Russia will send more than 240 missions into space, the rest of Europe will be responsible for 200, while 140 craft will be ...