All news – Page 6986

  • News

    Hughes plans Expressway satellite system

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Hughes Communications is planning a $3.9 billion, 14-satellite, geostationary-orbiting, broadband-communications system, called the Expressway. Plans have already been filed with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It will complement Hughes' already-announced $3 billion, eight-satellite, system, called the Spaceway, which has been authorised by the FCC. The ...

  • News

    PanAmSat launch

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Arianespace of France conducted its 27th consecutive successful launch of an Ariane 4 booster on 8 August, placing the Space Systems/ Loral-built PanAmSat 6 communications satellite into geostationary-transfer orbit. The next launch, flight V99, is scheduled to carry Eutelsat's Hot Bird 3 and the Eumetsat Meteosat 7 satellites on 2 ...

  • News

    FAA sees 'aggressive growth' for LEOs

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    THE US Federal Aviation Administration projects that aggressive growth in the market for satellite-provided services will lead to deployment of five big low-earth-orbit (LEO) systems, three little LEO systems and one large broadband LEO system between 1997 and 2006. The Office of Commercial Space Transportation defines big LEO ...

  • News

    Kazan cashes in with Daily Air commitment for eight Mi-17s

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Kazan cashes in with Daily Air commitment for eight Mi-17s Taiwan's largest scheduled passenger helicopter service, Daily Air, has ordered eight 28-seat Kazan Mi-17 helicopters, and two Mi-17 MTV transports, to add to its existing five-strong fleet. Pending certification by the country's Civil Aeronautics Association (CAA), Daily Air's ...

  • News

    AIDC turns to civil-manufacturing plans

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development (AIDC) is looking to civil-sector manufacturing to secure its future beyond the end of its Ching Kuo Indigenous Defence Fighter (IDF) programme in 1999. It has teamed up with France's Latecoère on a joint bid to build fuselage-extension plugs for the Airbus A340. It ...

  • News

    AIDCF-5 upgrade will fly in 1998

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Aerospace Industrial Development (AIDC) will complete the prototype of its upgraded Northrop Grumman F-5E/F Tiger 4 by the end of 1998.It is offering the aircraft to the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF). The upgraded avionics include hands-on-throttle-and-stick, a GEC-Marconi head-up display and a Northrop Grumman APG-66 multi-mode radar, says ...

  • News

    RoCAFseeks C-119 successor

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Taiwan's air force, the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF), is seeking funding to order up to 18 new tactical transport aircraft to replace its fleet of elderly Fairchild C-119s, many of which are now grounded because of a lack of spare parts. Taiwan has issued a request ...

  • News

    First Asia 609 sale

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Bell Helicopter Textron has sold its first 609 tilt-rotor aircraft in Asia with an order from an unidentified Taiwanese corporate operator for two machines. The US manufacturer now claims to have some 60 orders in hand worldwide for the new 609 aircraft, 85% of which have been received from US ...

  • News

    Shooting camp at Oulu

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    During the week of 9-12 June, the civil airport of Oulu, 200km (125 miles) south of the polar circle near the Gulf of Bothnia, became a busy Finnish air force air base. Once a year, the service has the annual gun and missile shooting camp at Oulu. In total, 40 ...

  • News

    Racing against time

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Like a chill wind, news of the Korean Air Boeing 747 accident at Guam swept through the safety meeting in Vancouver, rattling nerves and unsettling delegates. Less than 24h earlier, almost at the exact time of the crash, attendees at the first Technology ...

  • News

    A330-200 flight-testing programme takes off

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Max Kingsley-Jones/TOULOUSE Airbus Industrie's latest widebody, the long-range A330-200, had a successful maiden flight on 13 August, with the consortium's chief test pilot, William Wainwright, at the controls. The initial General Electric CF6-80E1A4-powered version is scheduled to be certificated in March 1998, and to enter service ...

  • News

    Trans-Tasman partners study operations link for efficiency

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Air New Zealand and Australia's Ansett Airlines are studying innovative ways of making flight operations and aircrew training more efficient, and are looking to include Singapore Airlines in some of the initiatives, taking advantage of the three-way alliance they announced in July. Under the ...

  • News

    PAL's new Airbuses come on line

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    The introduction of a new fleet of Airbus aircraft by Philippine Airlines (PAL) has gathered momentum recently with the delivery of the first A330-300 (pictured) and first A320. The airline's fleet renewal programme is based primarily on Airbus types, and includes eight A340s, eight A330-300s and 12 A320s. All the ...

  • News

    Air Niugini introduces two de Havilland Dash-8s into service

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Air Niugini recently introduced its two new Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8-200s into service. The two 36-seat aircraft, ordered last year, are being operated on regional routes from Port Moresby, and will eventually replace the airline's two 48-seat de Havilland Dash 7s. Source: Flight International

  • News

    Star offers leading role to Cathay/SIA

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE The recently established Star Alliance is set to further expand in Asia, with both Cathay Pacific Airways and Singapore Airlines (SIA) now holding separate discussions to join the global partnership. According to industry sources, talks between Star and the two Asian airlines have been ...

  • News

    World's first civil GPS satellite landing system obtains FAA approval

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    The Honeywell/Pelorus SLS-2000differential global-positioning-system (GPS) satellite landing system now has US Federal Aviation Administration Special Category 1 (SCAT-1) approval. The "fail-operational" SLS installation comprises three GPS "pseudolyte" Remote Satellite Measurement Units (RSMU) up to 100m from an SLS ground reference station. The RSMUs supply the station with a ...

  • News

    Dragonair and ILFC agree to roll over A320 fleet

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Dragonair has signed a deal with International Lease Finance (ILFC) to roll-over its fleet of Airbus Industrie A320s with seven new leased aircraft. The Hong Kong-based airline's seven International Aero Engines V2500-A1-powered A320s will be replaced by the latest-specification version, equipped with more powerful 118kN (26,500lb)-thrust V2527-A5 turbofans ...

  • News

    Express carriers to oppose ECAC plan

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    The European Express Organisation (EEO), a lobby group representing the express-parcels services of UPS, FedEx and TNT, says that it strongly opposes any limitation on hushkitted Chapter 3 aircraft as proposed recently by the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) (Flight International, 16-22 July). All three operate Stage 3 ...

  • News

    FedEx MD-11 crash still mystifies NTSB

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    The reason for the crash of the Federal Express Boeing MD-11 freighter which overturned and burst into flames after landing at Newark airport, New Jersey, USA on 31 July is still puzzling National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators, partly because the last 5s of flight data recorder (FDR) information has ...

  • News

    Formosa has third major 228 accident

    1997-08-20T00:00:00Z

    Formosa Airlines has suffered its third fatal Dornier 228 accident in five years, with the loss of one of the Taiwanese regional airline's 19-seat 228-200s on approach to the Taiwanese island of Matsu. The aircraft hit high ground during a visual approach in poor-weather, killing all 16 passengers and crew. ...