All Systems & interiors articles – Page 780
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Plastics substitute from Kafus seeks industry approval
Mike Martin A first-time exhibitor at the show is aiming to win over the aerospace industry to an environmentally-friendly plastics substitute material for use in aircraft interiors. Kafus did it with the automotive industry, signing a strategic collaborative agreement with Ford's Visteon division to develop and manufacture mat ...
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Optical fibres are light years ahead of wires
Mark Hannant The lid came off the world's first optically powered aircraft fuel quantity control indicating system at the show yesterday. By eliminating all electrical connections between an aircraft fuel tank and its avionics and power busses, the application, developed by Raytheon and Smiths Industries, will improve reliability. ...
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Sunspot activity threatens havoc for HF radio links
Forget the millennium, chuck out your GPS units and satellite phones and find your map and compass - the sunspots are coming! Researchers are forecasting the sun's solar cycle may peak during January to April next year. The sun is expected to heave with solar flares and coronal ...
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ANA converts 777 orders to long-range -200ERs
Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) has converted an order for a single Boeing 777-200 and three 777-300s to four longer-range 777-200ERs as part of its newly unveiled restructuring plan. ANA spokeswoman Kate Opekar says from Tokyo that the first of the new aircraft will be delivered in October ...
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Satair showcases main suppliers
Satair has expanded its presence at Paris this year, taking four times more space than in '97. The company's stand, shaped like an aircraft wing, features product displays from six of the company's main suppliers, giving visitors the chance to have direct contact with the manufacturers. Products on show ...
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BAe rolls out welcome mouse mat
British Aerospace is throwing out an open invitation to visitors pouring through Hall 2 to try out its cyber café - surf the BAe web site before sipping a complimentary soft drink. But there's more to the futuristic feature than surfing and slurping, as Robert Gardner explains: "We want ...
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Socata spots niche in freight market
Mark Hannant Socata is to check the viability of the single turboprop TBM 700 as a freight carrier through a partnership agreement with French airline Air Open Sky, it announced at the show. The TBM 700 has previously only been used as a pressurized, six or seven-seat business ...
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Eurocontrol legal power looms
Julian Moxon/PARIS Eurocontrol wants to introduce a tougher enforcement mechanism for new air traffic management (ATM) procedures and suggests using the European Union (EU) legislative system to give it the power it needs. The move results partly from confusion among member states over the introduction last year of ...
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Science still the 'pillar' of ESA: Rodota
Tim Furniss Science is still "the pillar" of the European Space Agency (ESA), director general Antonio Rodota said at a press breakfast yesterday. In the "shaping and sharing of the future of European space," science hasn't always received such bullish support but Rodota emphasised its importance when he ...
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Logging on to English language
The Internet is playing a vital role in helping pilots and navigators whose first language is not English get to grips with the universal language of aviation. Virtual Languages, an American company based in Boca Raton, Florida, has launched an Internet site where students can learn aviation English ...
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NASA orders hybrid Delta for SIRTF launch
NASA has contracted Boeing to supply a hybrid Delta booster to launch its Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). The booster is a Delta II with the nine large strap-on boosters from the Delta III. This booster is also available to commercial customers for launches of 2,030kg (4,400lb) payloads ...
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FAA prepares for millennium countdown with confidence
Tamzin Hindmarch Mission impossible or mission accomplished? Just how confident is the US Federal Aviation Administration about beating the Millennium Bug? In this year's Aviation System Capital Investment Plan, prepared for the US Congress in January, the FAA committed itself to ensuring all its systems would be certified ...
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SITA commits to new datalink
Emma Kelly/GENEVA Airline telecommunication giant SITA has committed itself to the next generation of aeronautical datalink services - VHF datalink mode 2 (VDL-2) - by awarding a $23 million contract to Harris for a global network of VHF ground stations (VGS). The VDL-2 aircraft-to-ground datalink protocol will provide a ...
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Cocooned in your own little piece of heaven
Tamzin Hindmarch The Cocoon is not just a seat, it's a business traveller's dream. But will it catch on with the airlines? That is the $64,000 question. At a price a little above that, Avio Interiors' new super seat, which reclines to become a bed at the press ...
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Surfing to buy
Buy your aircraft on-line - that's the deal being offered by Gulfstream, allowing potential customers to preview pre-owned aircraft from the comfort of their own homes. By accessing the web site www.gulfstreampreowned.com visitors will be able to obtain photographs, aircraft specifications, features and maintenance history. The site will ...
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Passenger comfort from the bottom up
Mark Hannant The way to a man's heart may traditionally be through his stomach, but when it comes to the hearts and minds of business travellers it seems it's their bottoms that hold the key. The battle to hold position in the business- and first-class travel markets has ...
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Meggitt starts show with multi-million bid
Meggitt laid out its stall on the eve of the show with a $380million bid for the Whittaker Group. UK-based Meggitt has followed a strategic acquisition policy to exploit niche markets in the aerospace industry. Whittaker's aircraft fire and smoke detection systems will make a good fit with its ...
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Honeywell unveils Primus Epic avionics system
Steve Nichols You would think that Mike Smith, president of Honeywell's Commercial Aviation Systems, would be too preoccupied with the AlliedSignal Aerospace merger to talk about business. But he's philosophical. "We've had a lot excitement over the last two weeks, but one constant in any business nowadays is ...
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Autonomous operator
The fuel system is among Typhoon's technological innovationsEurofighter says it "pushed technology on several fronts" to package the required capability in an aircraft as small as the Typhoon. The task was made more challenging by customer demands that the Eurofighter be capable of autonomous operation and require minimum support in ...
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Raytheon team celebrates astor contract success
Tim Ripley Yesterday's success for the Raytheon airborne stand-off radar (ASTOR) bid will provide a major boost for its 18 partners as they push to get the revolutionary system into operation over the next six years. At the centre of the programme is Raytheon System (RSL), the UK ...