All Systems & Interiors news – Page 802
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News
Calm down
A new and unsettling problem for the airlines - dubbed "air rage" by the media - has been emerging over the last few years. The problem is unsettling because it appears to be global and growing rapidly, and although the airlines can describe it, they cannot define it. This intractable ...
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Muscular Malibu
Dave Higdon/WITCHITA In developing the Meridian, a turboprop derivative of its Malibu high-performance piston single, New Piper Aircraft is counting on the fact that customers will find the transition to turbine power both attractive and manageable. To test this premise, Flight International evaluated the Malibu turboprop conversion developed by JetProp ...
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Ion cruiser
Tim Furniss/LONDON NASA's Deep Space 1 (DS1) spacecraft is being propelled to its rendezvous with an asteroid by an ion propulsion system, the first use of such a system in the history of interplanetary exploration. The DS1, which was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 24 October, is the first ...
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Socata's diesel range kicks off with petrol prototype
Andrzej Jeziorski/SEOUL Socata has begun construction of the first prototype of what will eventually become a range of diesel-engined aircraft. The French manufacturer hopes to fly its MS250 Morane light single at next year's Paris air show in June. The prototype of the four/five-seat Morane will have a ...
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Lufthansa holds China talks as SIA prepares to be a Star
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE Lufthansa is in talks with three airlines in a bid to extend the Star Alliance into mainland China, according to Jürgen Weber, chairman and chief executive of the German airline. Early talks on a potential Chinese partnership are under way with Air China, China Eastern Airlines ...
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Carriers unite for airframe standard
Several leading international airlines have agreed to study the possibility of standardising aircraft configurations to cut the costs associated with customisation. Introducing the initiative in Washington DC on 5 November, United Airlines chairman Gerald Greenwald said: "Standardisation can save airlines a lot of money." Customisation adds 3-4% to aircraft ...
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Goresat goes ahead
US Vice President Al Gore's proposed satellite to send back - via the Internet - continuous views of the full sunlit disc of the earth, has been given the go-ahead by US space agency NASA. The Triana satellite, nicknamed the "GoreSat", will be deployed from the Space Shuttle in December ...
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Quiet cabin
Ultra Electronics has received certification for its UltraQuiet active noise and vibration control system for the Bombardier Challenger 604. The company claims the system reduce average cabin noise levels by 2dB. Source: Flight International
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VisionAire revises Spirit design
VisionAire has made major alterations to its ambitious Spirit VA-12B "personal jet" sports aircraft and has begun construction of a prototype at its Chesterfield site in Missouri. "It should be flying within 18 months," says Tom Stark, senior vice-president of the company's Future Works advanced development division. The ...
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Bombardier refines 90-seater
Guy Norris/PALM SPRINGS Bombardier has refined its plans for the proposed BRJ-X regional jet family and says a launch decision is likely to be taken around October 1999, pending the conclusion of a solid business case. Bombardier is now outlining plans for two main family members, a 90-seater ...
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MD-11 probe leads to entertainment disconnection
Swissair has voluntarily disconnected the in-flight entertainment systems on its Boeing 747 and MD-11 fleets as a precaution because some heat-damaged wiring associated with it has been found in the MD-11 which crashed off Nova Scotia, Canada, on 2 September. Both the airline and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada ...
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ATR targets January launch for regional twinjet
An ATR Jet study team has submitted its final proposals to Aerospatiale and Aeritalia, parent companies in the ATR consortium, which could pave the way for the launch of its planned regional twinjet in January 1999. ATR marketing president Antoine Bouissou, speaking at the Speednews regional and corporate aviation ...
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UK halts Air Atlanta leasing in parts maintenance inquiry
David Learmount/LONDON In a surprise move, the UK Civil Aviation Authority suspended operating permission for five days for UK airlines to lease aircraft from Air Atlanta Icelandic. The issue, says the CAA, was the manner in which Air Atlanta was using an out-of-service Boeing 747 to supply parts for ...
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British Midland to outline fleet expansion for long haul services
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Midland (BM) will this week outline plans to acquire a fleet of long-haul aircraft, as well as new deals for additional short-haul aircraft. In February, the UK airline unveiled plans for transatlantic services from London Heathrow in anticipation of a UK/US "open skies" accord, and ...
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Japan Air Lines ramps up efficiency plan
Japan Air Lines plans to accelerate efficiency improvements across the airline including a reduction of up to 10 aircraft in its fleet acquisition planning. Measures in the new"strategic business plan" include: achievement of a 10% cost reduction is to be brought forward from March ...
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Army offered combat 427 variant
Samsung Aerospace is studying development of a new multirole combat version of the SB427 commercial helicopter to offer to the South Korean army to replace its Boeing MD500s. The proposed SB427M derivative of the co-developed Samsung/ Bell twin-engine helicopter is being aimed at the army's future Korean Multi-purpose Helicopter ...
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American Utilicraft Freight Feeder makes progress
American Utilicraft has selected several subcontractors for its FF-1080-200 Freight Feeder, a twin-turboprop cargo aircraft which is being designed specifically for overnight package carriers. The UK's Meggitt Avionics will supply the flat panel flight and engine displays, and fuel quantity gauging and engine fire detection systems. Securaplane of Tucson, ...
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Air Canada rings up the costs of strike
Its pilot strike may push Air Canada temporarily into the red, but analysts differ over how much that will hurt the carrier's long-term strength. Air Canada's two-year settlement involved a 4% pay raise this year retroactive to April, a 5% raise next year plus stock options, pension enhancements and ...
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SAA gets competitive
South African Airways (SAA), now under its new chief executive Coleman Andrews, has laid out plans to give British Airways much stronger competition on the lucrative London routes and may be seeking closer ties with Virgin Atlantic to help achieve its goal. SAA recently poached Virgin's general manager for ...
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Current outlook
There are still some glimmers despite the gloom, it seems. Although there is little doubt that the world is poised for downturn, the latest projections coming out for the airline industry, if not exactly buoyant, are at least cautiously optimistic. The new passenger forecasts from the International Air Transport ...