All Safety News – Page 1219
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News
SilkAir captain claims he 'quit over crash pilot'
SilkAir denials that one of its former senior captains had warned it about the behaviour of the pilot of a Boeing 737-300 which crashed days later have been contradicted by the captain. The warning was said to have been given days before the accident on 19 December, 1997. Former ...
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NASA panels to probe loss of Mars Orbiter
Tim Furniss/LONDON NASA has established three investigation panels to look into the failure of the Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) on 23 September. NASA's $125 million craft was lost 5min after the firing of its orbital-insertion engine burn. The Orbiter was flying at up to 80-90km too low because the ...
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Smooth change for ATC channel
Eurocontrol says the introduction of the new 8.33kHz radio communications channel spacing on 7 October went "better than expected", with worries about a temporary increase in delays not being borne out. The scheme reduces channel spacing from the original 25kHz, creating new frequencies and enabling the provision of additional ...
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Crisis needed
Air traffic control delay in Europe's skies is costing the air transport industry far more than it pays through Eurocontrol into the coffers of national ATC providers. The latter see themselves as accountable for safety, but they are not accountable for the cost, efficiency or quality of service they provide. ...
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Cabin standards hinge on new authority
Emma Kelly/SALT LAKE CITY The boards of the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) and ARINC are expected to consider by the end of this month a proposal for the formation of a new body to develop cabin standards. The new standardisation authority, the International Airlines Cabin Committee, should be established ...
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Disorientating drug found in pilot's blood
The captain of an Air Fiji Embraer EMB-110 which crashed in July, killing 17, had at least triple the normal dose of a disorientating antihystamine in his blood, according to toxicological test results. A report released by Fiji's aviation minister reveals that blood tests on the captain detected a ...
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Air Kenya freezes expansion
Air Kenya's international expansion plans are on hold following Tanzania's announcement that it plans to withdraw from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) economic grouping of 21 sub-Saharan African states. Air Kenya had hoped to inaugurate flights to Kilimanjaro and Mwanza in Tanzania, from Nairobi, with ...
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German ATC buy
The German Civil Aviation Authority has purchased four additional Lockheed Martin Short Term Conflict Alert systems that alert air traffic controllers to potential aircraft conflicts at congested airports. The systems, worth $8 million, will be installed in Munich, Langen and Bremen. Contract options provide for three more systems. A second ...
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Lockheed Martin wins ATC conflict probe work
Lockheed Martin, already contracted to produce the next-generation air traffic controller workstation for the US Federal Aviation Administration, is to develop a software tool allowing controllers to look ahead up to 20min for potential in-flight conflicts. An essential element of the US aviation agency's "free flight" concept, the User Request ...
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China maintenance market attracts joint ventures
New Chinese maintenance company Shandong TAECO Aircraft Engineering (STAECO) plans to expand its capabilities and customer base by mid-2000. The move is part of a wide-ranging expansion of maintenance capacity in China as established companies increase facilities and new entrants join the fray. STAECO carries out maintenance below D checks ...
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Rockwell secures HGS approval in UK
Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics has secured UK Civil Aviation Authority approval for its head-up guidance system (HGS) on easyJet Boeing 737-300s and added new business with an order for 25 systems for Air Canada's Bombardier CRJ-100 and -200 regional jets. Low-cost scheduled carrier easyJet is the 17th airline to ...
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Shanghai's new Pudong Airport enters running-in trial period
Shanghai's new Pudong International Airport is to enter a six-month running-in period in November, after completing initial trials, it was revealed at the show. The $1.6 billion airport, which opened on 16 September, will eventually serve all international and most domestic flights, now being transferred in three stages from ...
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Euro ATC delays could rise by 70%
David Learmount/GENEVA The bulk of Europe's air traffic control system will suffer a capacity shortfall of more than 10% by 2005, even if all the national proposals put forward through Eurocontrol are fully implemented, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA) studies. Europe faces a 70% increase in ATC-related delays ...
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Widebody cargo conversion market expands
Max Kingsley-Jones/SEATTLE Airliner freighter conversion programmes have been launched by Lockheed Martin and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa) Airbus, as rivalry continues between Dasa and fellow Airbus partner British Aerospace on an integrated conversion strategy. Lockheed Martin has revived the L-1011 TriStar conversion and has agreed to use Marshall Aerospace's ...
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ATC decision close
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)could choose a contractor early next year to build three new area control centres (ACCs) to cover eastern China. The four competitors for the contract - Airsys ATM, Alenia, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon - have to submit revised proposals at the end of this ...
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NTSB warns airlines on media briefings
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is to issue carriers with new rules for post-accident briefings to the media, after a strongly worded exchange with American Airlines over the handling of the recent Little Rock crash. Following a meeting with the Air Transportation Association (ATA), the NTSB will ...
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Marketplace
Air Foyle has confirmed that its outsized cargo joint venture with Antonov is being expanded, with the design bureau's operating division, renamed Antonov Airlines, taking two additional An-124s (Flight International, 22-28 September). These ex-Rossiya operated aircraft bring the An-124 fleet to eight aircraft, and a ninth, ex-Titan, aircraft is to ...
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Airlines cut millennium flights
David Learmount/LONDON Airlines are cutting flights 24h either side of midnight 31 December in response to lower than normal passenger bookings. Overall passenger demand is following a "seasonal pattern", according to scheduled and charter carriers, people are travelling earlier for a longer New Year holiday and want to be at ...
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Russia lags behind in Y2K readiness
Russia has not yet reported its year 2000 (Y2K) readiness status to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), industry sources have revealed. ICAO says that 156 of its 185 contracting states have filed Y2K status reports, but will not confirm that Russia has not reported. Among 28 other states ...
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Higher thrust 777 Trent tested
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELESBoeing is starting certification flight testing of the higher thrust Rolls-Royce Trent 895 turbofan on the 777-200ER, and is preparing to start tests of the General Electric GE90-94B by the middle of next year. Tests of the R-R engine, rated at 93,400lb (415kN) thrust, have focused on the ...