All Ops & safety articles – Page 1207
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News
MD-82 crashes during bad weather landing
An American Airlines Boeing MD-82 landing at night in a violent thunderstorm skidded off runway 04R at Little Rock Airport, USA, killing the captain and several passengers. The flight (AA1420) was due to arrive at 21.40 local time on 1 June, but was delayed 2h by the weather. The crew ...
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Atlas 747-400F enters service in British Airways colours
Atlas Air has taken delivery of its fifth and latest Boeing 747-400 freighter, painted in the colours of customer British Airways. The 113t payload freighter, which is the first all-cargo 747 to wear BA's scheme since 1982 when its own 747-200F was sold to Cathay Pacific Cargo, is operated by ...
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Boeing and P&W study high-thrust option for 777-200ER
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing and Pratt & Whitney are studying the use of the 98,000lb-thrust (436kN) PW4098 turbofan on the 777-200ER in bids to win key competitions with El Al and LanChile, which are seeking new long-range fleets. The PW4089 is in the final stages of flight testing on ...
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Lunar impact
NASA is considering targeting its Lunar Prospector at a specific site on the moon before it makes a natural descent, so that it can investigate the existence of water ice. The controlled crash into the Mawson crater at the moon's south pole in July/August will be observed by telescopes, focusing ...
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Israel, France and USA join for training
Israel's BVR Systems has teamed with Sextant Avionique of France and Flight Visions of the USA to offer the Advanced Training Avionics Suite (ATAS). The system allows pilots to train on fighter-type avionics while flying low-cost trainers. Sextant is offering ATAS on the MiG-AT trainer. The French company provides ...
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Family power
IAE has come of age thanks to the growing success of its V2500 on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Business is booming for International Aero Engines (IAE), which last month celebrated the 10th anniversary of entry into commercial service of the V2500. "It's an important milestone ...
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Cathay pilots start to disrupt services as pay talks collapse
Andrzej Jeziorski/HONG KONG Cathay Pacific Airways pilots have begun to disrupt scheduled services after the collapse of pay talks between airline management and unions. Three flights were cancelled on 28 May, when "a higher than average" number of pilots called in sick. Although airline management says it does ...
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Pressure builds for single-engine change
David Learmount/LONDON Ten Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) countries, plus Canada and the USA, have submitted proposals to the JAA in favour of reducing restrictions on single-engine turboprop commercial operations. Only the UK has filed against the proposals. The Joint Aviation Requirements Operations (JAR Ops) on the subject will ...
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Government blocks UK safety extension
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has been given the go-ahead to conduct more spot checks of foreign airlines operating into the UK. But there are no plans to extend formally the monitoring of foreign aircraft safety. The move follows further investigation of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which has flouted fuel ...
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US authorities diverge on safety priorities
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published a list of safety policy priorities which differs dramatically from one which was recently released by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The NTSB's "most wanted list" also includes priority recommendations for other transport modes, but the aviation demands include: ...
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ALPA hits out at lobby group report
A report from the Proposition RJ lobby group calling for a relaxation of current scope clauses has drawn a sharp response from the US Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), marking the opening arguments in a growing debate over US carrier restrictions on the use of regional aircraft. Proposition RJ, ...
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New beginnings from AlliedSignal
In July, AlliedSignal engineers will start a new engine for the first time. This is a critical milestone for any engine maker, but more particularly for AlliedSignal, which plans to make the AS900 turbofan a pivotal powerplant in its strategic plan for the 21st century. The AS900 is a ...
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China Airlines awaits approval to wrap up 747-400F contract
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI China Airlines (CAL) is preparing to conclude a deal with Boeing for 12 747-400 freighters, but is awaiting Taiwanese Government approval before it finalises the order. "We will replace our whole freighter fleet with the one aircraft type," says the airline, adding that fleet commonality is ...
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Q400 simulator ready for airline crews
Bombardier and FlightSafety (FSC) have completed the relocation and reconstruction of the Dash 8 Q400 simulator from Tulsa to the FSC training centre at Bombardier's Downsview, Toronto, plant. Interim level C approval is expected next month, when launch customer pilot training is to begin. Level D approval of the FlightSafety ...
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767-400 engine mounts strengthened
Boeing's design of different engine mountings for the 767-400ER, compared to other members of the 767 family, has been vindicated by a US Federal Aviation Administration proposal to accept the new design under the special conditions clause of its regulations. On 767-200 and -300 models, damage to the aircraft ...
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Syrianair thinks over 747SP role as new A320 fleet expands
Syrianair is considering the launch of new long-haul routes for its two Boeing 747SPs, as new Airbus A320s replace them on many services. The Damascus-based carrier has operated the 23-year-old, 320-seat 747s since they were delivered new in 1976. The airline ordered six 150-seat A320s in 1997 to update ...
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Mission 212 prototype poised for assembly
Lambert Aircraft Engineering plans to start building the proof of concept Mission M212-100 prototype this month. It is also awaiting certification of the air-cooled Zoche ZO 01A engine to kick-start flight testing next year. The manufacturer, based in Kortrijk, Belgium, has completed destructive wing tests on the single-engined Mission ...
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Towards unsettled skies
The economic crisis in Latin America is making the region's carriers focus on capitalisation and potential consolidation. Report from the annual meeting of airline chief executives in Miami. Latin American carriers, shaken by liberalisation, open skies agreements and the continuing encroachment of US airlines into their territories, must come to ...
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Time to reflect
Nicholas Ionides TAIPEI Taiwan's EVA Airways has enjoyed rapid growth since it started flying eight years ago. Now it is time for consolidation and to take stock An unfamiliar quiet now fills the once bustling halls of the EVA Airways corporate offices. After eight years of phenomenal ...
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Playing for profit
Chris Tarry at Commerzbank in LONDON Chasing market share has cost the industry dear in past cycles. To avoid a repeat, major airlines and their alliances must start to recognise that not all growth is good for profits. Alliance strategy in one form or another has come to dominate the ...