All Systems & interiors articles – Page 753
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News
When size matters
The debate over the size of market for a new very large aircraft has become similar to a poker game; until the first cards are on the table, no-one knows which way the deck will fall. During a recent briefing in Washington, Airbus Industrie's senior vice- president, commercial, John Leahy ...
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OAG in search of new owner
OAG, the international travel information provider, is seeking a new owner. Parent company Reed Elsevier, which also owns Airline Business, put the business up for sale after a strategic review that will see the group focus on scientific, legal and business publishing - the last of which includes this ...
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Show time
Jane Levere NEW YORK Providing passengers with the latest advances in on-board entertainment is a definite marketing plus, but reliability and maintenance are real issues. The in-flight entertainment (IFE) industry is gearing up to enter the high-tech world of e-mail and Internet access and carriers are clearly keen to let ...
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Investigators throw light on MD-11 crash cause
Canadian accident investigators are again sifting the wreckage of the Swissair Boeing MD-11 Flight No SR111 to check whether cockpit map reading lights could have been the ignition source for the fire which brought down the aircraft, flying from New York to Geneva off Nova Scotia in September 1998. ...
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Japan's BK117 C-2 prototype flies at Gifu
Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) has successfully flown the first Japanese-built prototype BK117 C-2 medium-twin-turbine helicopter at its Gifu plant. First flight was on 15 March, for about 1h, says Masato Furusawa, KHI's senior manager of helicopter project engineering. The prototype hovered and demonstrated forward, reverse and sideways flight and ...
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767-400ER schedule set back
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing faces a delay to its 767-400ER certification and delivery schedule in the wake of its recently resolved engineering employees' strike. Before the 40-day strike by Society for Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace members, Boeing was on target to certificate the -400ER in April and deliver ...
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Performance snags delay first 728JET delivery to Lufthansa
Fairchild Aerospace has slipped 728JET development by six months because the 70-85-seat regional jet's performance would have failed to meet the requirements of launch customer Lufthansa CityLine. The US manufacturer claimed at the February Asian Aerospace 2000 air show in Singapore that the primary driver behind the decision to ...
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WAAS guides FAA to new approach
The US Federal Aviation Administration plans new categories of approach guidance based on the expected performance of the wide area augmentation system (WAAS). Details revealed at the WAAS users' summit in mid-March suggest the new levels will provide increased operational benefit earlier than expected. The FAA told users that ...
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Delta discusses CRJ order with Bombardier
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Delta Air Lines is discussing a major new order for the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) series and is studying a longer-term requirement for a larger 110-seat class aircraft. Industry sources say the Atlanta, Georgia-based carrier is in talks with Bombardier to order a substantial ...
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Carriers queue for La Guardia
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines are moving quickly to claim additional slots promised for regional services at New York's La Guardia Airport as the result of newly approved Congressional legislation. Contained in the US Federal Aviation Administration reauthorisation Bill is a provision to grant ...
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Zvezda is cleared for launch despite poor safety levels
Tim Furniss/LONDON NASA has cleared the launch in July of the Russian Zvezda service module for the International Space Station (ISS), despite US concerns about the failure of the Zvezda and Zarya modules to meet NASA safety standards, such as noise levels and pressurisation integrity. NASA says it ...
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Lockheed Martin forms GPS company
Lockheed Martin has formed a new company, Synchronetics, to provide regional augmentation of the global positioning system (GPS). It plans to operate ground- and space-based augmentation systems that allow GPS to be used for air navigation. Initially, Synchronetics is targeting South America, says Dan Brophy, director of navigation services ...
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FedEx studies head-up displays
FedEX is examining options to fit up to 290 of its jet aircraft with head-up displays (HUD) or enhanced vision systems (EVS). The programme has been launched to improve safety, permit operations to lower weather minima and broaden situational awareness. It was prompted by recent landing accidents involving the ...
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777-200ER takes polar route to Asia
American Airlines has flown a Boeing 777-200ER twinjet over the North Pole from North America to Asia for the first time, demonstrating wider applications for the new route and strengthening its bid for services to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The American flight from Chicago to Hong Kong was ...
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Airbus begins A3XX proposal process
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Julian Moxon/PARIS Chris Jasper/LONDON Airbus Industrie has begun submitting proposals to airlines it regards as key potential customers for the A3XX as it bids to rack up sufficient commitments for the 480-660 seat family to be launched later this year. Unofficial agreement has been reached on assembly ...
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Nav Canada aims for North Atlantic ADS datalink trials
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Nav Canada hopes to begin full operational trials with automatic dependence surveillance (ADS) over the North Atlantic in early May, followed by controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC), with the upgrade of its Gander Automated Air Traffic Control System. "We are targeting being operational on 7 May. ...
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Smiths identifies purchases as way ahead for expansion
Chris Jasper/LONDON Smiths Industries says limited opportunities for mergers in the avionics sector mean the growth of its aerospace business is likely to be achieved by expanding its burgeoning control systems interests through more bolt-on acquisitions funded by a £750 million ($1.2 billion) war chest. The UK company says ...
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Aviation industry unites on frequency protection issue
Emma Kelly/LONDON The aviation industry has developed a unanimous position on the protection of its radio frequencies, says John White, director of the Infrastructure Support Group at the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The decision precedes May's International Telecommunication Union World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC). IATA and the International Civil ...
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Frequency wars
At last, the aviation industry has woken up to the fact that it no longer has a birthright to all of the radio frequencies it had assumed belonged to it forever. Radio frequencies are valuable commodities, especially to mobile satellite service (MSS) companies, keen to expand their services and profits ...
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Slow service take-up hits Globalstar/Iridium
Loral Space and Communications is considering selling all or part of its 45% stake in the Globalstar worldwide mobile-communications satellite system following slower than expected sales of the telephone service. Meanwhile, Iridium prime investor Motorola has notified customers of its worldwide satellite mobile-telephone and paging services that it will ...