Systems & interiors – Page 876
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Faster future
Dornier's aircraft range faces changes. Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH THE 30-SEAT DORNIER 328 turboprop, which was first flown in December 1991, has always been a problem for its manufacturer, Oberpfaffenhofen-based Dornier Luftfahrt. While its performance, compared with that of its rivals, is impressive, the 328's 335kt ...
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Sound of silence
THE UK GOVERNMENT has decided that the absolute noise limits for airliners leaving London's three major airports should be reduced by up to 3dBA. This action, it says, will reduce noise for airport neighbours at little cost to the airlines - "only" 12% of departures of the heaviest-laden Boeing 747s ...
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Pros and cons of low/mid wings
Sir - The concept of the omnibus owes more to tradition than to talent; if a design works, there is no need to change it. Airbus Industrie aircraft - and Boeing airliners - are low-winged, so Airbus, with its A3XX, abjures the main advantage, which a clean-sheet approach has over ...
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Polish Government considers Swidnik SW-4 purchase
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH THE POLISH MINISTRY of the Interior could become the launch customer for the PZL-Swidnik SW-4 light helicopter, which is due to be flown for the first time within weeks. According to the company, Polish interior minister Zbigniew Siemiatowski has told Swidnik that he wants ...
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Behind the screens
Karen Walker/ATLANTA NEW TECHNOLOGIES are bringing new ways of entertaining and informing passengers while they fly, as well as helping them to use their time productively. The resulting changes in services, which might routinely be offered to passengers in the near future, could have most impact ...
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Dornier sets jet date
FAIRCHILD DORNIER could launch a turbofan version of its 30-seat Dornier 328 next month, with development of a stretched 50-seat turbofan to follow in mid-1997 after an eight-month definition phase. The turbofan development, an alternative to the long-awaited turboprop stretched-version of the aircraft, has already been deemed ...
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Heading out west
The Ilyushin Il-103 trainer is being aimed at Western markets Paul Duffy/Moscow With Russian certification now awarded, and with US Federal Aviation Administration certification expected shortly, the Ilyushin Il-103 trainer has become the pathfinder with which manufacturers wish to bridge the void between East and West on ...
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Highly rated
Is cross-crew qualification delivering its promises? David Learmount/LONDONPaul Phelan/CAIRNS AS AIRLINES AND regulators start to gain experience with cross-crew qualification (CCQ) training and mixed-fleet flying (MFF), its potential is becoming clearer. Cathay Pacific Airways, with its unique Airbus Industrie A330/A340 MFF operation, now has 55 complete ...
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BAe's asset management effort reaps return with more deals
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON BRITISH AEROSPACE says that its aggressive drive to limit losses from the group's extensive turboprop leasebook is beginning to produce results, with a series of new deals including the first sales of Jetstream J31s. BAe Asset Management Turboprops (AMT) announced plans to step up ...
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Lucent to test smart helicopter quieting
Use of smart materials to reduce helicopter rotor noise is to be studied by Lucent Technologies and Sikorsky Aircraft, under a three-year, $13 million contract sponsored by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Lucent is a new subsidiary of US telecommunications giant AT&T, and its Bell Laboratories research-and-development ...
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A coming of age
The powerful Trent 800 is carving out a big slice of the engine market for Rolls-Royce. Guy Norris/LOS A little over a year from now the world's longest jet airliner is due to fly from Everett, Washington. Powering the first flight of the Boeing 777-300 will be Rolls-Royce ...
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Air New Zealand poised to take a 50% stake in Ansett airline group
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS AIR NEW ZEALAND (ANZ) has finally concluded an agreement to take over TNT's 50% stake in the Ansett airline group, ending a round of negotiations which has dragged on for nearly 12 months. ANZ will pay A$325 million ($257 million) for the stake, ...
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ATN team to be led by AlliedSignal project
ATN SYSTEMS, the industry consortium created to develop the Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN), has picked an AlliedSignal-led team to develop the network "router". The team will provide the avionics and ground system equipment needed to support routing and operation of data communications services over the ATN. Working ...
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BA optimistic on open-skies
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Airways chief executive Bob Ayling is hopeful that the US/UK open-skies negotiations will be back on track by the end of September, despite the breakdown in the latest round of talks. Doubts were raised over the state of relations between the two sides ...
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Boeing launches 757 stretch
BOEING IS going ahead with its long-awaited 757-300 stretch variant after negotiating "a proposal" for up to 24 aircraft with the German charter airline, Condor Flugdienst. The deal covers firm orders worth $875 million for 12 aircraft (formerly designated the -300X) and 12 options. Boeing says: "The order ...
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Orders boost Douglas
TWIN AND TRI-JET orders, worth potentially up to $710 million, have been revealed by McDonnell Douglas (MDC). The announcements were timed for Farnborough as part of MDC president Harry Stonecipher's continuing crusade to rebuild confidence in MDC's Douglas Aircraft division. Some $365 million of the package is made ...
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Samsung makes offer for Fokker
SAMSUNG OF South Korea has made an offer to receivers to purchase the bankrupt Dutch aerospace manufacturer Fokker. Industry sources say that South Korean interest has firmed up in recent weeks, and a tentative offer has been made. Russian manufacturer Yakovlev is also continuing to discuss a possible ...
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Boeing reveals details of '747-look' -700X
FIRST DETAILS of Boeing's proposed 747-700X design reveal a "747-look" concept with the first change in the fuselage cross-section since the baseline 747 was designed in the 1960s (Flight International, 4-10 September). Boeing Commercial Airplane Group president Ron Woodard says: "The design of our 747-600X will allow for ...
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AI(R) and Bombardier vie for regional-jet market
THE BATTLE TO dominate the regional-jet market is set to intensify, with Aero International (Regional) (AI(R)) and Bombardier preparing to launch new 70-seat aircraft within the next nine months. AI(R) has unveiled plans to begin full-scale development of its proposed AI(R) 70 twinjet by mid-1997. The first prototype, ...
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Purification unit
Meggitt Aerospace Components has designed what it says will be the lightest ozone converter for cabin air purification in Boeing 747 aircraft. The 4.5kg unit incorporates design modifications to improve air flow and is fully interchangeable with all current 747 converters. Source: Flight Daily ...