All Ops & safety articles – Page 1423
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News
Expanding the propulsion-control envelope
DESPITE A PCA DESIGN envelope of about 150-250kt (280-460km/h), limited to 10,000ft (3,000m) and below, the thrust-only system has been explored well beyond the original flight envelope. The guest-pilot demonstration flights were focused appropriately around the landing pattern, but test results gathered well away from the original design envelope suggest ...
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United hushkits to extend service lives
Kieran Daly/LONDON UNITED AIRLINES has decided to hush-kit its Boeing 727 fleet and some of its 737-200s, allowing the aircraft to remain in service into the next century. The carrier, which earlier cancelled its options on a second batch of 50 Airbus A320s, is also ...
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FAA issues regional rules
THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration issued final rules on 14 December, bringing Part 135 regional carriers operating ten- to 30-seat aircraft up to the same safety and training standards as those of Part 121 major long-haul US airlines. The harmonised rules are contained in new Part 119 carrier certification requirements. ...
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MDC details test plans for F-18E/F
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA McDONNELL DOUGLAS (MDC) expects to fly the second F-18E Super Hornet by 16 December. Flight testing of the first F-18E is expected to resume shortly after repair of an environmental-control-system bleed door, failure of which caused the 29 November first flight to be cut short. ...
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Boeing defines plans for a 'simple' 777-300 stretch
Guy Norris/SEATTLE DETAILED PLANNING for the design of the stretched Boeing 777-300 is to be completed by mid-February 1996. Half of the design will be released to manufacturing by September, and major assembly is due to begin in late March 1997. Boeing is keeping the ...
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CityLine hands turboprop operations to Contact Air
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH LUFTHANSA CITYLINE is to hand over its Fokker 50 operations to partner Contact Air to enable it to concentrate on jet-airliner operations. In a related move, Contact Air is to return five de Havilland Dash 8-300s to the Canadian manufacturer. The move, approved ...
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European airlines press for fast ground-handling reform
Julian Moxon/BRUSSELS EUROPE'S AIRLINE chiefs have called on the region's politicians not to drag their feet over plans to liberalise the airport ground-handling market. The warning came from the Association of European Airlines (AEA), two days before Europe's air-transport ministers were due to meet on ...
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Honeywell wins American deal
AMERICAN AIRLINES HAS selected the Honeywell/ Trimble HT9100 satellite-based navigation system for a fleetwide retrofit of 340 Boeing 727s and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s and MD-80s. The contract, is the first major fleet satellite-navigation avionics contract awarded, since the introduction of the Boeing/Honeywell FANS 1 system and is the ...
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English speakers must learn anew
Sir - In reply to Eric Mowrey's letter (Flight International, 29 November-5 December, P51), I am an aviation professional and native English speaker, resident and employed abroad. English has become the lingua franca of international aviation, but this does not excuse the attitude that non-native English speakers in ...
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GA association boosts CRM training
Forbes Mutch/LONDON THE UK GENERAL Aviation Manufacturers and Traders Association (GAMTA), has completed a benchmarking exercise into cockpit/crew-resource-management (CRM) training. The concluding report, published in association with Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, recommends the establishment of a central library of CRM training resources, including videos and other ...
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NZ sidesteps ICAO rules in ATC strike
Paul Phelan/CAIRNSDavid Learmount/LONDON NEW ZEALANDS privatised air-traffic-control (ATC) service sidestepped International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) procedures during a 4-6 December controller strike says, the international aviation organisation. The strike, which seriously disrupted domestic and international schedules, was due to be repeated on 12-15 December. The ...
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Northwest crew is punished for Brussels miscue
NORTHWEST AIRLINES has taken stern action against the flight deck crew of a Frankfurt-bound McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40, which landed at Brussels Airport by mistake on 5 September. Northwest has completed its internal probe of the incident, which has resulted in the captain "taking early retirement" the first officer ...
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Cargo expansion
Polar Air Cargo plans to add six Boeing 747-200s to its fleet of 12 747-100 freighters, and is projecting that it will be operating 22-24 aircraft within two years. The Long Beach, California-based carrier operates cargo services to Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand and South America. Source: Flight ...
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The dangers of down-wind turns
Sir - Although not always accepted by the flying establishment, the danger of the "down-wind-turn" phenomenon is accepted by pilots of light aircraft and gliders. The effect may be seen, as birds circle in windy conditions, when the rapid loss of height as the bird turns down-wind, becomes obvious. ...
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Dowty leads wing- technology study
Andrew Doyle/LONDON DOWTY AEROSPACE is leading a 30-month research programme aimed at developing advanced wing technologies for possible incorporation in Airbus aircraft. The £1.5 million ($2.3 million) "advanced high-lift programme" consists of 16 separate projects and is being partially funded by the UK Department of ...
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It's not where you are, it's who you are
Sir - The article "US airlines move to end passenger-liability limits", (Flight International, 15-21 November, P17) signals a welcome development as the new inter-carrier agreement addresses the long-overdue question of airline liability on a global scale. The new agreement will permit passengers to make unlimited claims under their national law, ...
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JAA may reduce safety margins
David Learmount/LONDON A CRUCIAL European decision on airliner-cabin emergency-exit design, is expected to be announced on 12 December, is set to derail the US/European regulatory-harmonisation process. The European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) conclusion, by exploiting a regulatory loophole, may lead to a reduction of safety margins for ...
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Restructured USAfrica ready for relaunch
USAFRICA AIRWAYS is optimistic that it will be able to restart services early in 1996 following the signing of a marketing pact with Continental Airlines and bankruptcy court approval for a refinancing package. USAfrica began serving South Africa in June 1994 from Washington, but it ceased operations and ...
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ATC deadline
Canada has set a 1 April, 1996, deadline for the planned handover of its air-traffic-control system to Nav Canada, a not-for-profit corporation owned by employees, airlines and business- aircraft users. Source: Flight International
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Safety comparisons with US record should be balanced
Sir - The article "Hull-loss accident rate climbing" (Flight International, 22-28 November, P22) calls for a response. It is correct to use the USA as a benchmark to trace the evolution of the frequency of this type of accident. The USA has been, and still is, a leader ...