All Systems & Interiors news – Page 876
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Lord tackles DC-9 cabin noise
LORD HAS flight-tested active noise- and vibration-control on a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and expects US supplemental type-certification of the system in November. The company says that its NVX Active System for the DC-9 and MD-80 series eliminates engine tones and reduces cabin noise by "as much as 70%". ...
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MMS eyes $2 billion contract
Tim Furniss/LONDON FRANCE AND the UK have invited proposals from potential suppliers for a $2 billion military-communications satellite system for Europe. The proposed four-satellite system, called the Trimilsat - which could also involve Germany - may be launched early in the next century to complement and ...
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Europe takes fare action
Julian Moxon/PARIS THE EUROPEAN Commission (EC) is considering mounting an enquiry into excessive pricing on fully flexible business-class tickets in Europe. Transport commissioner Neil Kinnock says that an EC analysis has shown that such fares are often "significantly higher than costs", and may contravene EC rules ...
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FedEx commits to MD-10 effort
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES US FREIGHT giant FedEx and McDonnell Douglas (MDC) have launched the MD-10 programme with an agreement covering conversion of a minimum of 60 (MDC) DC-10s to two-crew cockpit configuration (Flight International, 3-9 July). The two-phase MD-10 project was launched after a complex deal ...
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Where safety responsibility lies
Sir -Your Comment "Under oversight" (Flight International, 31 July-6 August) could give the impression that regulatory authorities rely on their own direct inspections to achieve high safety standards in aviation. This has never been the case. The aviation-safety process has always relied on regulatory-authority approval and licensing of ...
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Communication challenge
Passenger demand for on-board telephones is fuelling intense industrial competition. Kieran Daly/LONDON FEW battles being fought in the world of airliner equipment are fiercer than those to supply on-board telephony. As passengers come to expect telephones on aircraft, the degree of use is growing and so are the ...
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British Midland invests £15 million to upgrade its image
BRITISH MIDLAND has invested some £15 million ($25 million) on a re-launch of its image as a European business airline, with a new corporate livery and a package of service upgrades which includes the introduction of business class for the first time on its UK routes. The measures ...
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Big plans and growing pains
The next generation of large airliners captured the show headlines. Andrew Doyle/LONDON DESPITE THE FACT that Boeing, as expected, failed in its last-ditch efforts to launch its 747 major derivatives at the 1996 Farnborough air show, the civil spotlight was firmly focused on the next generation ...
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Alaska is second EGPWS customer
ALASKA AIRLINES has joined American Airlines in purchasing AlliedSignal Aerospace's new enhanced ground-proximity warning system (EGPWS) (Flight International, 4-10 September). Parent group Alaska Air has undertaken a $10 million commitment to equip Alaska Airlines' 25 Boeing 737-400s, and to train flightcrews in using an integrated global-positioning system (GPS) ...
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Faster future
Dornier's aircraft range faces changes. Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH THE 30-SEAT DORNIER 328 turboprop, which was first flown in December 1991, has always been a problem for its manufacturer, Oberpfaffenhofen-based Dornier Luftfahrt. While its performance, compared with that of its rivals, is impressive, the 328's 335kt ...
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Sound of silence
THE UK GOVERNMENT has decided that the absolute noise limits for airliners leaving London's three major airports should be reduced by up to 3dBA. This action, it says, will reduce noise for airport neighbours at little cost to the airlines - "only" 12% of departures of the heaviest-laden Boeing 747s ...
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Pros and cons of low/mid wings
Sir - The concept of the omnibus owes more to tradition than to talent; if a design works, there is no need to change it. Airbus Industrie aircraft - and Boeing airliners - are low-winged, so Airbus, with its A3XX, abjures the main advantage, which a clean-sheet approach has over ...
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Polish Government considers Swidnik SW-4 purchase
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH THE POLISH MINISTRY of the Interior could become the launch customer for the PZL-Swidnik SW-4 light helicopter, which is due to be flown for the first time within weeks. According to the company, Polish interior minister Zbigniew Siemiatowski has told Swidnik that he wants ...
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Behind the screens
Karen Walker/ATLANTA NEW TECHNOLOGIES are bringing new ways of entertaining and informing passengers while they fly, as well as helping them to use their time productively. The resulting changes in services, which might routinely be offered to passengers in the near future, could have most impact ...
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Dornier sets jet date
FAIRCHILD DORNIER could launch a turbofan version of its 30-seat Dornier 328 next month, with development of a stretched 50-seat turbofan to follow in mid-1997 after an eight-month definition phase. The turbofan development, an alternative to the long-awaited turboprop stretched-version of the aircraft, has already been deemed ...
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Heading out west
The Ilyushin Il-103 trainer is being aimed at Western markets Paul Duffy/Moscow With Russian certification now awarded, and with US Federal Aviation Administration certification expected shortly, the Ilyushin Il-103 trainer has become the pathfinder with which manufacturers wish to bridge the void between East and West on ...
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Highly rated
Is cross-crew qualification delivering its promises? David Learmount/LONDONPaul Phelan/CAIRNS AS AIRLINES AND regulators start to gain experience with cross-crew qualification (CCQ) training and mixed-fleet flying (MFF), its potential is becoming clearer. Cathay Pacific Airways, with its unique Airbus Industrie A330/A340 MFF operation, now has 55 complete ...
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BAe's asset management effort reaps return with more deals
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON BRITISH AEROSPACE says that its aggressive drive to limit losses from the group's extensive turboprop leasebook is beginning to produce results, with a series of new deals including the first sales of Jetstream J31s. BAe Asset Management Turboprops (AMT) announced plans to step up ...
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Lucent to test smart helicopter quieting
Use of smart materials to reduce helicopter rotor noise is to be studied by Lucent Technologies and Sikorsky Aircraft, under a three-year, $13 million contract sponsored by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Lucent is a new subsidiary of US telecommunications giant AT&T, and its Bell Laboratories research-and-development ...
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A coming of age
The powerful Trent 800 is carving out a big slice of the engine market for Rolls-Royce. Guy Norris/LOS A little over a year from now the world's longest jet airliner is due to fly from Everett, Washington. Powering the first flight of the Boeing 777-300 will be Rolls-Royce ...