All Ops & safety articles – Page 1219
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News
Airbus flies towards FANS approval
Airbus is expecting certification of its FANS-A (future air navigation system) avionics next spring following extensive in-flight trials of the system and the first tests in an operational environment. The system, developed for the A330/A340, supports satellite communications (satcoms), datalink communications and automatic dependent surveillance (ADS). The first operational trial ...
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Engine under Buenos Aires crash spotlight
David Learmount/LONDON Initial information on the Argentine Boeing 737-200 fatal accident on 31 August indicates that take-off was abandoned following a mechanical failure in the No 1 engine. Witness and survivor statements supporting this view have yet to be confirmed by official sources, although the captain survived and the ...
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FAA selects Arinc to develop datalink
ARINC has been awarded a five-year contract by the US Federal Aviation Administration to support the development and initial operational capability of controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) in the US national airspace system (NAS). The aeronautical communications specialist will develop a prototype CPDLC system in conjunction with the FAA's William ...
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USA limits chemical tank numbers
The US Department of Transportation has put into force new restrictions on the transport of chemical oxidisers and compressed oxygen aboard commercial air transports. The regulations bar carriage of chemical oxidisers in an inaccessible aircraft cargo compartment that does not have a fire or smoke detection and fire suppression ...
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Police label SilkAir investigation as 'suicide cum murder'
The Singapore Police Force has classified its investigation into the crash of the SilkAir Boeing 737-300 in Sumatra on 19 December 1997 as "suicide cum murder". The police stress that the label has been adopted "solely to assist us in our investigation. It is not an indication of our ...
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Raytheon output rise may not be enough
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Raytheon Aircraft has increased planned production of its new Premier I and Hawker Horizon business jets to meet demand, but faces challenges meeting the programmes' schedules. Production of the entry-level Premier I will be increased by 25% to 60 a year, while production of the ...
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FAA satellite programme investigated
The US General Accounting Office (GAO) has launched a Congressionally requested investigation into the US Federal Aviation Administration's satellite navigation programme following concerns about the agency's plans to move from a ground-based to a satellite-based navigation system. The GAO expects to report next spring. The study follows an investigation ...
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NASA selects projects to pave way to future technologies
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC A massive cargo airship, a flying-wing airliner and a low-cost supersonic engine are the three projects chosen by NASA to jump-start a new programme to accelerate development of promising new aeronautical technologies. The Revolutionary Concepts (RevCon) programme will fund early flight testing of advanced technologies using ...
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Commercial Aircraft Directory: Part 2
Boeing and Airbus keep the new airliner developments flowing as the Russian industry struggles due to lack of funding Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON While Airbus Industrie has busied itself with the detailed definition of its new A3XX and launched production of the A340-500/600, Boeing has been quietly introducing major derivatives. ...
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FlightSim 2000 upgrade on test
Dave Higdon/WICHITA FlightSafety International has begun testing Microsoft's new flight-simulation software programme, FlightSim 2000, as an enhancement to its airline ab initio training programme at Vero Beach, Florida. Microsoft says the FlightSim 2000 upgrade includes improvements to the graphics, functionality and versatility of the flight simulation software programme. ...
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Dasa presses case for Hamburg assembly of A3XX
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa) is stepping up its campaign for A3XX final assembly to be located at its Hamburg Airbus plant with claims that Aerospatiale Matra's proposals for Toulouse production would load the programme with "unnecessary" transport and production costs. Dasa's bid hinges on what it considers to be a ...
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Modified A319 gets basic European certification
Airbus has won basic European certification for its A319 Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) as two are delivered for interior fitting. The changes to the A319 airliner certificate include installing up to six auxiliary fuel tanks (ACTs) to provide a range of up to 11,700km (6,300nm). The $40 million ACJ is approved ...
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Pan Am Academy orders RJ-85 and Saab 340 devices
Pan Am International Flight Academy (PAIFA) is continuing its expansion by ordering from CAE Electronics new British Aerospace RJ-85 and Saab 340 full flight simulators. The Level D-standard Saab 340 simulator, equipped with a 180°-wide CAE MaxVue Plus visual system, will be delivered soon to PAIFA's new training centre ...
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Boeing-GE 777X deal sparks EC probe into exclusivity
Chris Jasper/LONDON The European Commission (EC) is poised to launch an investigation into airframe-engine exclusivity deals following the sole supplier agreement between Boeing and General Electric on the Seattle giant's planned ultra-long-range 777X. Outgoing EC competition chief Karel Van Miert ordered that a file be opened on exclusivity deals ...
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AAIC calls police in SilkAir 'suicide' crash
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE Indonesian accident investigators say they have contacted police after formally confirming that a SilkAir Boeing 737-300 may have been deliberately crashed by one of the crew in December 1997, near Palembang, Sumatra. All 104 passengers and crew on board the 737, which was operating flight MI185 ...
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AeroPeru's hopes crash
AeroPeru entered bankruptcy in August, putting an end to remote hopes of a rescue deal for Peru's flag carrier. The decision by creditors to reject any last-minute bids for AeroPeru did not surprise observers, who believed that an earlier failed attempt by Continental Airlines to invest in the Peruvian ...
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Regional aid ruled illegal
The long and bitter dispute between Brazil and Canada over government subsidies for regional jet sales has been settled by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which has upheld earlier rulings that such activities are illegal. An appeal panel's investigation found that original WTO rulings were correct and ordered that ...
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TAP Air Portugal signs deal with pilots' union
Barry Cross LONDON Following two and a half years of labour unrest, TAP Air Portugal has signed an agreement with pilots' union (SPAC). As part of the new deal, all employees will now receive previously agreed increases of 3% for both 1998 and 1999. The pilots' working week will ...
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Ottawa ponders Canadian Airlines rescue options
Canada's federal government has been forced to intervene to avert a looming crisis at Canadian Airlines. Ottawa stepped in because of a growing threat that Canadian might not survive this coming winter. The beleaguered carrier has reported an annual profit in only one of the past 10 years, ...
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Airports
Brussels Zaventem Airport is planning to spend BFr1 billion ($26 million) to build a new air traffic control tower. This has become necessary because the view of one of the runways from the existing tower will be obstructed when terminal construction work is completed. The new 75m (246ft)-high tower will ...