All Ops & safety articles – Page 1186
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News
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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SkyTeam forced to shelve Spanish transport plan
German passenger and freight carrier SkyTeam has been forced at the last minute to shelve plans to acquire a CASA CN235 turboprop transport because the aircraft the Spanish manufacturer planned to supply does not comply with European Joint Airworthiness Requirements. The airline has instead concluded a deal with BAC ...
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Sony Trans Com sell-off near
Emma Kelly/SALT LAKE CITYAn unidentified avionics manufacturer, widely believed to be AlliedSignal, is conducting a due diligence review of Sony Trans Com with a view to buying the in-flight entertainment (IFE) supplier from Sony. Sony Trans Com declines to confirm the identity of the suitor, saying only that the company ...
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Boeing shakes up supplier network
Guy Norris/SEATTLEBoeing has revealed radical plans to forge partnerships with its suppliers, as well as to eliminate others, as part of wide-ranging initiatives to improve overall profitability, reducing costs and cutting cycle times. The revamp forms a vital element of Boeing's plans to boost its commercial aircraft operating margin to ...
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Swissair crash: IFE system installation prompts FAA ban
The in-flight entertainment network (IFEN) system in the crashed Swissair flight 111 Boeing MD-11 was installed without consideration for the aircraft's electrical system design concept, an extensive examination by the US Federal Aviation Administration has revealed. Following the study, the FAA has issued an airworthiness directive (AD) designed "to prevent ...
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JAA may back down on flightcrew rules
Transatlantic harmonisation of flightcrew licensing (FCL) rules could take a step forward when Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities council meets on 19-20 October. The committee is expected to modify the requirement for professional pilot training establishments to have their main place of business in Europe - a rule which has infuriated ...