Systems & interiors – Page 816
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News
Hydraulic loss spoils Global Hawk UAV test
Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical (TRA) is investigating a hydraulic failure which marred the otherwise successful third flight of the Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The aircraft lost hydraulic pressure on approach to the runway at Edwards AFB, California, after the 5h 22min flight on 30 May. The landing gear ...
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Multi-role machine
Peter Gray/SINGAPORE Eurocopter has brought two completely new turbine helicopters to the market in the past two years: the light single-engined EC120 and the light twin-engined EC135. Before putting pen to drawing board to design a new light twin, Eurocopter asked operators what they wanted. Later, during development, ...
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Southern skirmish
Doug Birch/JOHANNESBURG Six years ago, South Africa deregulated its domestic airline network, allowing private carriers to challenge the long-standing monopoly of South African Airways (SAA) for the first time. The market is in the process of setting down after this upheaval, but it is clear that the new competition ...
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Safer skies
Kevin O'Toole/JOHANNESBURG Fears about air safety over Africa are not new, but a year ago the issue hit the headlines worldwide, following pilot complaints that air traffic control (ATC) was either inadequate or simply absent over much of the continent. An image painted by the media was one ...
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Datalink weather set for GA cockpits
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Weather graphics and other flight information could be widely datalinked to the cockpits of general aviation (GA) aircraft by year-end if a US Federal Aviation Administration initiative runs to schedule. The FAA believes the Flight Information Services (FIS) digital datalink will improve GA safety by ...
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Regulators get tough on Canada's taxi operators
Canadian air taxi operators have been presented with a list of 71 recommendations designed to improve safety by a task force set up by air transport regulator Transport Canada. The Safety of Air Taxi Operations (SATOPS) task force was set up in January 1996 following a Transport Canada review ...
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Messier-Bugatti tests power by wire
Ian Sheppard/LONDON Messier-Bugatti has installed a prototype electro-hydraulic actuator (EHA) in an Airbus Industrie "iron bird" test rig at Aerospatiale's Toulouse systems development centre, as part of an industry drive to replace cumbersome hydraulics with electric cables. The EHA is a key technology for all electric, or power ...
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TTS offers three-dimensional trainer
A three-dimensional (3-D) "spatially representative environment" has been introduced by Thomson Training & Simulation (TTS) for its flight management systems trainer (FMST). The system was initially developed for Continental Airlines Boeing 737-500 and 757-200 training. The FMST is the only such device to use the same software as that ...
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Airline group slams EU satellite plans
The Association of European Airlines (AEA) has reacted angrily to European Union (EU)plans to push ahead with the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS) despite vocal airline opposition on the grounds of the probable high user costs. In an angry letter dated 22 May, AEA president and Lufthansa chairman ...
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Boeing faces 'risk' on 737 production
Paul Lewis/SEATTLE Boeing admits that production of the Next Generation 737 is still the group's "biggest problem", but remains confident that it will still have delivered around 550 aircraft of all models by the end of the year. The company declines to comment on reports that continued problems ...
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Damage leads to checks for Concorde elevons
David Learmount/LONDON A British Airways Aerospatiale/British Aerospace Concorde elevon which sustained damage during supersonic flight has been sent to the UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) for a strip-down and detailed inspection. BAe has been given an undamaged elevon for extensive non-destructive testing. BA says that examination ...
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Cathay rethinks 777-200 fleet
Paul Lewis/SEATTLE Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways plans to review the future use of its four Boeing 777-200s, following the introduction of the stretch -300 into service. The carrier is also disposing of an initial two surplus Boeing 747-200s to Virgin Atlantic Airways in an effort to rationalise types and ...
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Bombardier remains bullish on 70-seat turboprops
Bombardier flew the second de Havilland Dash 8-400 regional turboprop on 26 May from its plant in Downsview, Ontario. The aircraft is expected to join the first -400 at Bombardier's flight test centre in Wichita, Kansas, within a few weeks, according to the company. Despite having booked only 32 ...
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BA income slips, but analysts forecast recovery
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON As had been predicted, British Airways saw profits slip after a troubled year which included a damaging cabin crew strike. The fall was less than expected, however, and optimism is growing among financial analysts that the worst of the bad news is now over. The final ...
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Boeing defines 747-400X
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Paul Lewis/SEATTLE Almost 18 months after cancelling the 747-500X/ 600X programmes, Boeing has finally settled on a firm design configuration for the next version of the 747-400, which could be in service in less than three years. The long awaited move increases the maximum take-off ...
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Dassault Electronique prepares to rival AlliedSignal's EGPWS
Ian Sheppard/LONDON Despite delaying certification of its ground collision avoidance system (GCAS) until September, Dassault Electronique is still confident that the system will head off AlliedSignal's market domination with the enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS). The French company, now allied to Thomson-CSF, is flying the GCAS on ...
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Cerberus upbeat on fire detection
Cerberus Guinard is confident it can still increase its share of the fire detection market, bolstered by recent safety legislation, despite losing the contract for the Boeing Next Generation 737 to Kidde Technologies. The French company claims that, although its system is more modern, the fact that Kidde could ...
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BA creates jobs
British Airways is to create 15,000 jobs over the next three years, representing a 25 per cent increase in staff. Some 3,400 jobs will be for cabin crew, 2,100 for customer services, 400 for pilots and 1,100 for telephone sales staff. Source: Airline Business
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American to bed US rival
Karen Walker Caution is the key word in the American Airlines and US Airways alliance proposal, but some wonder whether early tiptoeing might lead to a full merger further down the road. The two airlines describe their marketing alliance as 'broad and innovative', but provide few other details. By ...
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Hold your horses!
Jackie Gallacher Close your eyes. Now open them. Like magic the alliance picture has changed again. In fact the speed of airline alliance courtships in 1997-8 is beginning to make pinning down an accurate image of the major groupings a bit like trying to capture fairy dust. Has the ...