Systems & interiors – Page 906
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ValuJet goes back to MDC and Boeing as Airbus waits
VALUJET HAS re-opened negotiations with McDonnell Douglas (MDC) and Boeing after failing to reach agreement with Airbus over the seemingly imminent sale of up to 25 A319s. The negotiations with Airbus, were expected to be sealed by the beginning of October, but appear to have foundered, primarily ...
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Glass flightdeck
The CL-215T cockpit has been substantially improved. Both pilots have electronic flight-instrument systems, while liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) show engine and systems data. Subtle changes have improved the aircraft's user-friendliness. New handgrips above the windscreen make it easier to reach the seat, and there are extra padded grips on the back ...
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ProLine 21 gives Raytheon jet avionics first
ROCKWELL-COLLINS' Pro Line 21 integrated avionics, launched on the Raytheon Premier I, is the first business-aircraft suite to have large liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). The Premier I has two 200 x 250mm pilot-side displays as standard, with options for third and fourth displays. Collins says that the ...
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Fibre-placement fuselage
PREMIER I FUSELAGES will be produced in two sections, which will be bonded together at the aft pressure-bulkhead. The skins are a sandwich of Nomex-honeycomb core between carbonfibre-reinforced plastic layers, formed on a wooden mandrel using automatic fibre-placement. First a bladder is slipped over the mandrel, then ...
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800XP deliveries
First deliveries of the improved Raytheon Hawker 800XP are scheduled for November. Nine 800XPs have been flown, and the first two aircraft are undergoing systems and interior installation. Source: Flight International
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Satellite wars
Establishing mobile telephone networks via satellite is proving fiercely competitive. Tim Furniss/LONDON THE INCREASINGLY competitive market of worldwide, anywhere-to-anywhere, mobile telephone systems is expected to have generated revenues of $26 billion by 2005, and have over 33 million subscribers by 2012. It is, however, a market likely ...
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Joining the FANS club
Qantas has been proving FANS equipment and refining procedures. Paul Phelan/SYDNEY/LOS ANGELES AIRLINE PLANNERS AND civil-aviation authorities understand the long-term benefits of future-air-navigation-systems (FANS) technology. Early unease among pilot unions over reduced separation standards and other aspects, however, suggests that some line crews may have been kept ...
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NASA starts on New Millennium project
Tim Furniss/LONDON NASA PLANS TO launch three interplanetary space missions before 2000, as part of a $100 million-a-year New Millennium space-technology validation effort. The first to be launched in 1998, will be built by Spectrum Astro at a cost of about $30 million. It is ...
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SIA expands 777 options
SINGAPORE AIRLINES (SIA) has widened its "Y aircraft" evaluation of the Boeing 777 to include the longer range -200 B-market and -300 stretch variants. The 777 is competing against the Airbus Industrie A330/340 for an SIA order for up to 17 aircraft. A final selection was due ...
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FANS doubters 'risk being left behind'
AIRLINES WHICH DO not subscribe to the future air-navigation system (FANS) risk being left behind as others reap the financial benefits resulting from the more efficient route structure and reduced delays the system will make possible. The warning came as the industry met for the Flight International ...
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Big three airframe builders demand IFE standard
THE WORLD'S three largest airframe builders have joined together to warn the in-flight entertainment (IFE) industry that it has to standardise hardware or face serious consequences. Airbus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas (MDC) executives shared a stage at the recent World Airline Entertainment Association conference in Amsterdam to give ...
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Air France recovery derailed by problems
Gilbert Sedbon/PARIS A NEW SERIES OF strikes, trouble with Algeria, and a 1.5% drop in traffic during the first five months of its current financial year to 31 March, 1966, are combing to derail Air France's three-year recovery plan. The twin aims of chairman Christian Blanc -to raise ...
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'Big three' plan for FANS as cost benefits emerge
THE BIG THREE aircraft manufacturers estimate that up to 2,500 of today's jet-powered airliners could potentially be equipped with Future Air Navigation System (FANS) datalinks, although they warn that the speed of implementation will hinge on proof of clear cost gains for airline customers. Boeing has led ...
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Lufthansa fares cuts upset Deutsche BA
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH DEUTSCHE BA IS considering complaining to the European Commission over Lufthansa's decision to slash fares on domestic routes. The move comes after the German flag carrier announced that it is replacing its low-priced Express concept with a new domestic service, introducing a fares ...
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Uncommon sense
IT MAKES FOR GREAT copy, but does it really make sense for two great business-jet manufacturers to distract attendees with an old-fashioned slinging match at their industry's most important annual event? The Gulfstream V and the Bombardier Global Express, when they enter service, will be far more ...
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Stop downsizing
Considerable barriers to rationalising airline maintenance remain. The answer lies not in downsizing but in upgrading training and systems, discarding outdated procedures and making facilities flexible, argues Scott Brandt.Airline maintenance has historically accounted for 9 to 13 per cent of an airline's operating costs. Maintenance cost per ASM varies throughout ...
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None the wiser
At a preliminary meeting to lay the groundwork for a quasi plenary session early next year, five members of the European Comité des Sages have begun a campaign to accelerate changes in European aviation policy. Mark Odell reports exclusively on the proceedings.Just when the European Commission thought it was safe, ...
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Voyage into cyberspace
Airlines are already taking their first tentative steps onto the Internet but remain uncertain over what type of product they should make available. By Carlos de Pommes, Steve Geller and Jens F Meyer.As the Internet continues its global expansion, cyberspace is becoming as big as outer space and the travel ...
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A breath of fresh air
After several wrong turnings on the bumpy alliance road, Sabena and Swissair are finally travelling together. In Brussels, Sabena chief executive Pierre Godfroid and alliance supremo Patrick du Bois discuss the prospects for the carrier with Trevor French.The irony is probably lost on Sabena chief executive Pierre Godfroid that almost ...
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Kiwi sold on Murphy's law
The traditionally difficult winter season could prove especially challenging for troubled US minnow Kiwi International. In August, the Newark-based carrier installed its fourth chief executive in seven months, and its competitive position in the eastern US is under threat from Southwest's planned entry into Florida. But CEO Jerry ...