All Systems & interiors articles – Page 927
-
News
European duty-time argument is all about safety...
Sir - In response to the letters from R P Holubowicz (Flight International, 11-17 January and 25-31 January), the issue of European flight and duty-time regulation is about safety. European pilots believe that the proposed regulation is unsafe, and is supported by the aero-medical establishment in Europe and the USA. ...
-
News
Waiting for the lift-off
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA Heli-Expo '95, the Helicopter Association International (HAI) convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 29-31 January, comes as the industry faces the issues of continued recession, inadequate infrastructure and concerns over the safety of the machine on which most helicopter pilots train today. Manufacturers have ...
-
News
Luxair kills Sabena's Luxembourg pilot-pool plan
Herman De Wulf/BRUSSELS LUXEMBOURG'S LUXAIR . has rejected a pioneering proposal by Belgian national airline Sabena to form a joint pool of aircraft and pilots across the border in lower-cost Luxembourg. Luxair says that the proposed co-operation, possibly involving an equity stake, would "...involve operational and ...
-
News
Pilots to influence flight-time limits?
Sir - On flight-time limitations, you say ("Duty bound", Flight International, 14-20 December, P32) that: "The International Federation of Airline Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) is convinced that the proposed European rules are dangerous..." It is entirely legitimate that professional bodies should say and do whatever they can to further ...
-
News
Exploring technology
The McDonnell Douglas Explorer was designed with the customer more than just in mind Guy Norris/MESA, ARIZONA As the latest commercial machine from the manufacturer of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, it is reasonable to expect the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) Explorer to incorporate the ...
-
News
Swissair strikes blow for satellite links
Kieran Daly/LONDON SWISSAIR HAS dealt would-be providers of terrestrial-based air-to-ground telephones a major blow by opting to fit its domestic European fleet with satellite communications. It is understood, however, that Lufthansa is about to sign up to use the competing terrestrial flight-telephone system (TFTS). ...
-
News
USA and UK move ahead on Halon test replacement
Simon Elliott/LONDON THE UK CIVIL Aviation Authority will award a contract to design and build an aircraft-cabin hidden-fire test rig by the end of this month. The system will be used to test replacements for Halon 1211, which is used in aircraft-cabin fire extinguishers. The contract ...
-
News
Boeing says 777 noise 'better than forecast'
BOEING IS about to submit "better than expected" noise data on the 777 to the US and European Joint Airworthiness Authorities. The noise data are essential for the type to qualify under Stage 3 requirements at certification, expected in late April 1995. Boeing 777 noise-engineering supervisor, Billy Glover, ...
-
News
Entertainment problem hits delivery of Cathay's A330
DELIVERY OF the first Rolls-Royce Trent 700-powered Airbus A330 to Cathay Pacific Airways has been delayed by problems with the aircraft's Matsushita inflight-entertainment (IFE) system. Cathay was due to accept the aircraft in mid-January, but that has slipped to 23 February because of "teething problems with the Matsushita ...
-
News
Government order reprieves Kania
Poland's Kania multi-role-helicopter programme has been granted a stay of execution following the placing of four new orders by the Polish Ministry of the Interior - the first new sale of the Kania in five years. The deal came at a time when some at manufacturer WSK PZL-Swidnik were pushing ...
-
News
Litton loses latest round in patent fight
LITTON SAYS THAT IT will "almost certainly" appeal against the surprise decision of a US federal judge to nullify a $1.2 billion patent infringement which it was awarded in a 1993 patent lawsuit against Honeywell. Honeywell vice-president Edward Grayson says that the group is "delighted" with the decision, ...
-
News
Expensive mistakes
The number of airline accidents rose a little in 1994, and insurance costs beat all records. David Learmount/LONDON World airline accident fatalities increased in 1994, compared with 1993, and exceeded the decade annual average. The increase is an insignificant variation in the context of annual figures during the ...
-
News
Germany embarks on GPS testing
THE GERMAN air-navigation-services agency, the DFS, has begun a satellite-navigation test programme which could lead to satellite-based non-precision approaches being allowed this year. The programme, begun in December, 1994, is being carried out in co-operation with the Federal Aviation Office (LBA) and Nuremberg-based regional carrier Eurowings. ...
-
News
Iberia considers defying EC over extra funding injection
Julian Moxon/PARIS SPANISH FLAG CARRIER Iberia may try and circumvent the state-aid rules of the European Commission (EC) by raising up to Ptas130 billion (£630 million) of new capital itself. The carrier says that the money, which would follow a previous cash injection of Ptas120 billion ...
-
News
Croatia seeks code-share as long-haul plan is deferred
Andrzej Jeziorski/ZAGREB CROATIA AIRLINES has shelved plans to buy long-haul aircraft this year and is instead seeking a code-sharing partnership with a US airline. According to senior vice-president Kresimir Magdic, the airline had intended this year to purchase either an Airbus A340 or an extended-range Boeing ...
-
News
Too close for comfort
The TCAS 2 mandate is being met as the FAA pushes the TCAS 1. Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC For the past year, all civil airliners with more than 30 seats operating in or into the USA have been equipped with the traffic-alert and collision-avoidance system (TCAS). ...
-
News
China loses satellite following fuel loss
Tim Furniss/LONDON CHINA'S FIRST three-axis stabilised, advanced 24 C-band, communications satellite has been declared a loss in geostationary orbit (GEO) after all its reserves of attitude-control propellants were prematurely exhausted (Flight International, 11-17 January). The 1,000kg satellite failed to reach its planned operational station, having reached ...
-
News
Insurers face record claims bill
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON THE GROWING COST of passenger-liability claims has begun to raise alarm in insurance markets, following early predictions that 1994 was a record year for airline losses. The total bill for major hull and liability losses on Western-built passenger jets leapt to more than $1.5 ...
-
News
Creditors baulk at TWA proposals for recovery
TRANS WORLD Airlines (TWA) has run into fierce opposition from some creditors to its restructuring plan, which would see some of the carrier's $1.8 billion debt converted to equity. TWA hopes to reduce its debt by $500-600 million by offering creditors an increased stake in the airline. A ...
-
News
PNG begins shut-down of aviation infrastructure
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS PAPUA NEW Guinea has begun the progressive withdrawal of major elements of its aviation infrastructure because of a lack of funding. The closures could eventually result in a complete shut down of the country's airways system and its airports. Air-traffic-control (ATC) services ...