All Ops & safety articles – Page 1222
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News
FAA faces criticism over GPS report
A storm of criticism has followed publication of the US John Hopkins University (JHU) report on future navigation systems, particularly Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite navigation. The University concluded that GPS could be a safe "sole means" guidance system, including for precision approaches (Flight International, 10-16 February). Experts have ...
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Changing times
Paul Lewis/KARACHI Pakistan's national carrier must reform radically to survive Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has embarked on an ambitious programme of reform to revitalise its finances, its fleet and its services in the face of mounting competition from rival carriers in the domestic and international markets. It is the most ...
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News in Brief
ERJ-145 warning Embraer RJ-145 regional jet pilots have been warned not to use the autopilot below 1,500ft (460m) altitude, says a new US Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive (AD). Flight manuals should include drills for pitch trim runaway, autopilot trim failure and stabiliser out of trim. The AD was ...
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Eurocontrol warns of French and Swiss ATM disruptions
Eurocontrol is warning operators of "severe disruption" to the French and Swiss air traffic management (ATM) systems at the end of February due to the latest version of Europe's air traffic services route network (ARN) being implemented. The revised route network, which will be introduced on 25 February, will ...
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Delta swallows Atlantic as US regional
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The US regional airline industry is poised to undergo further consolidation following Delta Air Lines' announced acquisition of partner carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA). Delta's $700 million purchase of ASA Holdings will boost its share of traffic in the south-eastern USA, and consolidate an already dominant position ...
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PIA: Turning It around
Paul Lewis/KARACHI PIA's decision to enlist the help of the US-owned Sabre Group was a brave move in Pakistan's politically fickle environment. The airline contends that its decision, endorsed at the highest political level, is central to turning the national carrier around and one which it is convinced will pay ...
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Eurocontrol plans air traffic management role for pilots
Julian Moxon/BRETIGNY Researchers at Eurocontrol's Bretigny centre in France have embarked on a programme aimed at giving pilots flying in crowded airspace limited involvement in air traffic management (ATM). The hope is that controller workload can be reduced, or at least stabilised, as air traffic continues to increase. ...
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Making a noise about safety at Schiphol
An overrun by an El Al Israel Airlines Boeing 747-200 freighter at Amsterdam Schiphol's runway 01L, after landing in snowy weather on 8 February, has again spotlighted the Netherlands Government policy of requiring air traffic controllers to avoid noise nuisance to local communities when selecting the runways in use. The ...
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Kitty Hawk beats 727F weight limit
US cargo carrier Kitty Hawk says the US Federal Aviation Administration has approved its alternative means of compliance on an FAA airworthiness directive (AD). The directive imposes severe payload limits on Boeing 727s that were converted into freighters by a number of third-party maintenance organisations. The AD affects ...
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CFM56 fault accepted under 'hazard ranking'
A serious mechanical fault that has occurred seven times in CFM International CFM56-3 turbofans between 1995 and 1997 has been calculated as an acceptable risk by the US and UK aviation authorities, a UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report reveals. The UK Civil Aviation Authority's acceptance of the ...
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Russia's AT traffic down again in 1998
Paul Duffy/MOSCOW Russia's air traffic fell by 11% to 22.4 million passengers during 1998, while revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) fell by 9.7% to 55.475 billion. The Russian Federal Aviation Service's [FAS] annual report reveals the eighth successive year of falling air traffic. While traffic had been showing a ...
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Slump in Taiwanese passenger numbers could spark mergers
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Taiwan's seven major airlines saw passenger numbers fall by more than 10% in 1998, compared with the previous year, making further consolidation within the ailing industry a strong possibility over the next 12 months. Passengers carried fell to 16.67 million - 10.4% down on 1997 figures ...
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Hushkit Rules
Europe's decision to jump ahead of international regulation over the highly contentious issue of noise pollution may put it "at the forefront of elaborating the most stringent environmental standards for aircraft" but equally runs the risk of destroying the longer term goal of uniform environmental standards. Nowhere is the ...
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Costs force testing to be cut
Commercial pressures are forcing satellite manufacturers to cut corners when conducting tests, according to Christopher O'Gwen, assistant vice-president of US insurance company Aviation Underwriters. Last year was one of the worst on record for the space industry, with losses of $1.9 billion - amounting to nearly double the $950 ...
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Gulf carriers eye regional and global links
Max Kingsley-Jones/BAHRAIN With increasing fragmentation in the Gulf market, the key airlines - Emirates, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways - are examining their future partnership strategies and flirting with the global alliance groupings. Meanwhile, Oman Air is establishing a regional shuttle and seeking co-operation, rather than confrontation, ...
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Condit warns of take-over threat to Boeing
Boeing chairman Phil Condit has warned that the giant may be potentially vulnerable to a take-over as a result of its low share price, the Seattle Times reports. Quoting managerial sources, the newspaper says that Condit shared his concerns with senior colleagues at an annual meeting early last month. ...
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Decibel count raised in US-EU hushkit battle
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC A transatlantic war of words over European Commission plans to place serious restrictions on hushkitted commercial aircraft operating in Western Europe has reached new levels following the European Parliament's endorsement of the legislation. The European Union's anti-noise rule is opposed by the Clinton Administration and ...
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Pan Am Academy snaps up SimCom
Continuing its rapid expansion, Pan Am International Flight Academy (PAIFA) is to acquire training company SimCom International. SimCom, which operates simulator centres in Orlando and Vero Beach, Florida, and Scottsdale, Arizona, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of privately owned PAIFA. Miami-based PAIFA, which is building new simulator ...
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BAe selects AS907 for RJ-X update
British Aerospace (BAe) Regional Aircraft has selected the all-new AlliedSignal AS907 turbofan to power the upgraded Avro RJ-X regional jet it is studying, rejecting Pratt & Whitney Canada's PW308. An announcement was expected on 16 February. The UK manufacturer is thought to being planning to launch the RJ-X programme ...
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Tailored training
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Ansett Australia, the country's principal domestic carrier, believes it has broken new ground in enhancing quality and standardisation in its flight operations. The source of those gains is in aircrew training: under Ansett's system, it more closely matches individuals' needs. The airline's training department assembles a database of ...