All General aviation articles – Page 682
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News
Fatalities In Kiwi Crash
A Beechcraft Queenair belonging to Kiwi West Aviation crashed near Hamilton in New Zealand on 29 March, killing all six passengers and crew. The twin-engine aircraft, under contract to Air New Zealand subsidiary Eagle Airways, was heading for New Plymouth when it crashed shortly after taking-off from Hamilton. ...
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Ice and poor management hit Viscount
THE OFFICIAL UK report on 1994's fatal crash of a Vickers Viscount freighter, following multiple engine ice-ingestion, severely criticises the crew's actions and the airline's emergency checklist. Two of the 36-year-old aircraft's four Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops flamed out after ingesting ice at 18,000ft (5,500m). The crew of the ...
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The big float
There are doubts over whether the jewel of the Chinese state-owned airlines, Air China, will be allowed to follow flotations at China Southern and China Eastern in two years' time. David Knibb reports. Whether Air China will sell and list shares overseas after China Southern and China Eastern depends ...
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China's high flyers
Timing. That is the key word for any interested party wondering when the big three Chinese carriers, China Southern, China Eastern and Air China, will eventually list and sell shares on the New York stock exchange.While the indications are that China Eastern at least will be ready later this year, ...
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Isles marshal united forces
The micro-carriers of the North Pacific have decided that group profits are better than individual losses, and are moving to form a joint airline. Led by Air Marshall Islands, the tiny island carriers have set up a working party whose task is to formulate an aircraft share scheme ...
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Sunny prospects
The future of the European charter industry looks bright despite increased threats from liberalisation and low-cost scheduled competition. Paul Holubowicz reports on the sector's considerable strengths.The imminent demise of the European charter sector has been regularly predicted since the 1970s, when 'charter' was often considered to be synonymous with a ...
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Vietnam on for sell-off
The wide-ranging ambitions of Vietnam Airlines are set to receive a boost in the near future with an expected government decision to clear the way for partial privatisation, including a measure of foreign investment. At presstime, airline officials were awaiting details of a planning package which is expected ...
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FAA's piston-engine directive leaves 6,000 aircraft grounded
THE DISCOVERY of faulty counterfeit connecting-rod bolts on some Textron Lycoming piston engines is expected to result in a bill of more than $10 million for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter owners. A US Federal Aviation Administration emergency airworthiness directive (AD) has grounded the aircraft for inspection. The FAA ...
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French firefighters reject upgraded Canadair CL-415
BOMBARDIER IS to modify its Canadair CL-415 water-bomber, following the refusal of French fire-fighting pilots to accept the first of 12 due for delivery. French Ministry of the Interior crews are refusing to fly the aircraft and it is effectively grounded. The official delivery ceremony has been cancelled. ...
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ICAO Lists Accidents
Scheduled airlines suffered 28 accidents involving passenger fatalities during 1994, compared with 34 in 1993, says the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). In 1994, the number of deaths was 941, an increase of five fatalities on the 1993 total. Non-scheduled operations suffered 54 accidents, accounting for 251 fatalities, reports ICAO, ...
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AGATE sets up Florida meeting
THE FIRST executive council meeting of the US government/industry Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) research-and-development programme has been scheduled for April, in Florida. The AGATE programme is a joint project involving NASA, the US Federal Aviation Administration, industry and universities. The goal is to pool resources and ...
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Europe and USA fail to avert showdown over landing aids
DEEP DIVISIONS, between US and European authorities, seem unavoidable at the key international meeting, to decide the future of precision-landing systems, now under way in Montreal. A US Federal Aviation Administration team has been visiting European authorities in a search for areas of agreement, but papers presented at ...
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Australian Caribou competition hots up
COMPETITION TO replace Australia's fleet of de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou light-transport aircraft has intensified, with IPTN of Indonesia and Alenia of Italy announcing teaming agreements with Australian companies. CASA is expected to follow. The size of the RAAF order has not yet been determined, but could ...
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Depressed market damps SAe figures
A DEPRESSED AIRCRAFT- maintenance market and higher taxation combined to push Singapore Aerospace's (SAe) net profit down by nearly 19% for the year ending 31 December 1994. SAe reported after-tax earnings of S$25 million ($17.6 million), compared with S$30.7 million posted in 1993. Company turnover, however, was up ...
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Eagle exceeds VLA stall minima
EAGLE AIRCRAFT HAS achieved stall speeds of less than the minimum 45kt standard for European Joint Aviation Authorities very-light-aircraft (JAR/VLA) certification in its "200 series" upgrade of the Eagle XT-S sports trainer. The aircraft had previously failed to meet the standard and was operating at a reduced take-off ...
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FAA predicts GA upsurge
THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration forecasts that industry response to the recent product-liability reform will take effect by 1998 and reverse the decline in US general-aviation (GA) activity. Passage of the legislation, which limits manufacturers' liability to 18 years after production, should enable companies to lower their insurance ...
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ICAO mandates GPWS upgrade
NEW REQUIREMENTS for the installation of ground-proximity warning systems (GPWS), on transport and general-aviation aircraft, have just been issued by the International Civil Aviation Organisation Council, in its fight against controlled-flight-into-terrain accidents. Commercial transport aircraft, which were registered before July 1979, which were previously exempted from the need ...
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Loral grows with Unisys
LORAL HAS WON ITS $862 million bid to acquire the defence operations of US computer manufacturer Unisys, seeing off rival offers from Hughes Aircraft and Raytheon. The acquisition, which will bring sales of $1.4 billion and around 8,500 staff, continues a five-year shopping spree in which Loral has ...
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Independence for Lufthansa school
LUFTHANSA'S AIRLINE pilots' school is to be renamed the Lufthansa Flight Training and run as an independent company. The move is the last major restructuring project in the Lufthansa Group. Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa Systems have all been turned into independent companies. ...
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Aerobatic Sales Success
AkroTech Aviation has sold more than 20 G-200 aerobatic kitplanes and expects sales to pass the 100 mark by the end of 1995. Oklahoma-based Task Research has taken over kit production. The first customer-built aircraft, are expected to be flown, on the contest circuit, in 1995. Source: Flight ...