All Systems & interiors articles – Page 784
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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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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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Solution to 'blue ice' valve testing problem
To some people living under the approach paths of busy airports, the sky really is falling. 'Blue ice' is the euphemistically-named substance formed when leaks from aircraft toilets freeze at altitude. As an aircraft begins its descent, lumps of ice can break off - hurtling towards earth and thus ...
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Bright future
The market for aircraft of 400 seats and more over the next 20 years is likely to be about 1,040 units, according to a new report - the market for large civil transports (400 seats plus), 1999-2018 - by civil aviation consultants Keenan Silva Ltd (UK). "Depending on Boeing's ...
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Europeans moot rival to Tomahawk cruise missile
Tim Ripley European missile manufacturer Matra BAe Dynamics is looking at launching a rival to the US Tomahawk land attack cruise missile. The company revealed at the show yesterday that it has received French government funding to look at modifying the Apache/Storm Shadow/Scalp-EG family of precision guided weapons ...
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Delta and datalex-web seek IT solutions together
Atlanta, Georgia-based Delta Technology, the information technology (IT) subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, has signed a long-term joint development plan with Dublin-based IT firm Datalex-Web Ventures to build new reservations and information systems for the carrier's user applications. The systems will provide Delta with a new call centre ...
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Isovolta laminates display versatility
Clad in a costume fit to grace any catwalk in Paris, never mind an airshow stand, a gleaming silver mannequin shows just how versatile Isovolta's decorative laminates can be. The Austrian company is making its regular trip to Paris at Hall 5/D8 with its range of products for cabin ...
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'no easy rides' - eurofighter
Alan Dron Eurofighter yesterday bluntly warned that any suppliers to the EF2000 fighter project will be dropped if they fail to deliver their parts of the programme. Speaking at the show, deputy managing director Luis Muñoz says: "Suppliers have a critical role to play. We are demanding that ...
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Switched on to new in flight entertainment
Ian Verchere Sextant In-Flight Systems - a new joint-venture between French avionics giant Sextant (51%) and the US cabin interior products firm B/E Aerospace (49%) - expects to fit the entire fleet of United Airlines with its d-Series inflight entertainment (IFE) system by the end of next year, according ...
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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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Crossair starts ERJ-170/190 family rolling
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Embraer has launched its new family of 70/108-seat regional jets with a commitment from Crossair for up to 160 aircraft. The deal, involving about 60 firm orders, covers 70-seat ERJ-170s and 108-seat ERJ-190-200s for delivery from late 2002. The Swiss regional carrier has orders and options ...
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The living legend that is the Boeing 747
Some things don't change - a rain-dampened Le Bourget apron, the packed crowds that mark the Salon's public days and a major presence from Boeing. Crowds gather round the Boeing 747-100 at the 1969 Paris show for a look at the machine that changed the shape of air ...
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The 747 factfile
The statistics surrounding the 747 go on forever. Here are a few to mull over: * The world's 747 fleet has flown roughly 32 billion km (2.03 billion nm) - equal to flying to the moon and back 42,000 times. * That same fleet has flown 2.2 billion ...
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BA to slash long-haul 767 economy seats
Under its new strategy of focusing on high-yield traffic, British Airways is to reconfigure its long-haul Boeing 767 fleet by removing nearly 50 economy class seats to introduce first class and expand business seating. The carrier has also called a halt to its "Utopia" livery scheme. BA has seven ...
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Augmented GPS signal offers greater accuracy
Don Ormand, Raytheon's director of operations, is at Paris to enthuse about the company's wide area augmentation system (WAAS). This is the North America-wide project to "augment" GPS signals, making them more accurate, reliable and suitable for precision navigation and approaches. "The hardware was installed last summer, ...
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Two airlines target Las Vegas for new services
Two US airlines have launched new scheduled services, with an "underserved" Las Vegas, Nevada, market set firmly in their sights. Start-up National Airlines began flights from its Las Vegas hub to Los Angeles and Chicago Midway on 27 May. Five days later, charter carrier Sun Country Airlines ventured into ...
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Merger partners eager to walk down the aisle
Karen Walker "Less of a merger and more of a marriage," is how AlliedSignal Aerospace president Bob Johnson views the proposed deal with Honeywell. And, in his opinion the sooner the wedding ceremony, the better. Speaking in Paris on the eve of the required "quiet time", during ...
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Keeping HOPE alive
Japan's HOPE X could be a technology springboard for future RLV programmesAndrzej Jeziorski/TOKYO Japan's efforts to develop future space transportation systems are three pronged. Alongside work to upgrade the nation's expendable launch vehicles and the development of reuseable launcher concepts, the National Space Development Agency (NASDA)and the National Aerospace Laboratory ...
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CSA checks out its options on alliances
Andrew Doyle/PRAGUE CSA Czech Airlines is bucking the east European trend and holding back from joining a major alliance, preferring to develop codeshares to evaluate potential partners. While other flag carriers in the region - Hungary's Malév, LOT Polish Airlines, Tarom of Romania and Balkan Bulgarian - are in advanced ...