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Aviation History
1980
1980 - 0563.PDF
GE unveils Derivative FLIGHT International, 23 February 1980 Spain to select fighter in March BEFORE the end of March, the Spanish Government is expected to announce selection of a new combat aircraft to replace Air Force F-4s and F-5s. A three-aircraft shortlist has been drawn up for the 160,000 million pesata (£1,060 million) programme: the General Dynamics F-16, Northrop F-18L, and McDonnell Douglas F-18A. The Spanish Air Headquarters has also begun a last-minute evaluation of the Dassault-Breguet Mirage 2000, although it is not known if this air craft has been formally included in the FACA (Futuro Avion de Combate y Ataque) programme. The Spanish Air Force requires an initial 72 aircraft followed by a further 72. The operational require ment has not been publicised but the traditional Spanish view is that military forces are solely for home defence and counter-insurgency operations. The Spanish Air Head quarters has frequently emphasised that the choice of aircraft will not be related to Spain's joining Nato. Four Nato nations already operate the F-16. The FACA programme is now at the stage of detailed financial negotia tions. Several Spanish electronics companies have been approached to determine their ability to supply radar system components. Of the competing companies, Northrop and Dassault have stakes in Casa and helped design and build the C.101 jet trainer. The Spanish Air Force operates 28 Mirage Ills, 40 Phantoms, 23 Mirage F-ls, with 48 more on order, and 28 F-5s. Check in, please AS part of our continuing effort to recognise our readers the world over and serve their interests, this issue is dispatched with a,special questionnaire form enclosed. Which sector of the industry do you work in? What are your responsibilities? Does your com pany operate an aircraft? Which of the aviation sectors covered by Flight interest you most? Every reader's answers to these questions will be welcome. Send them to Flight Inter national, Room 410, Dorset House, Stamford Street, London SE1 9Lu| England. Thank you. Small world ... The colour brochure, site plan and full booking details for the seventh Busi ness & Light Aviation Show, organised by Flioht International in conjunction with Aviation Magazine International at Grenoble, France, is now being printed and should be available within the next fortnight. GENERAL ELECTRIC has just shown the external shape of F101 Derivative Fighter Engine (DFE) being funded by the US Department of Defence as an alternative powerplant for the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and GD F-16. General Electric currently has a $100 million contract to build five engines for flight-testing. The F101 DFE reached 100 per cent power during its first day of tests on December 30 last year and achieved all planned performance levels in Commons approves BAe denationalisation BRITISH-BASED NDN Aircraft is week approved the Bill to turn British Aerospace into a public company with a proportion of private share holding. The Opposition immediately threatened to renationalise the com pany without compensation if Labour is returned to power. The Govern ment has stated that it wants BAe to remain as a single company and will continue to provide aid and sup port already committed to BAe pro grammes. Turboprop Firecracker under way BRITISH-BASED NDN Aircraft is developing a turboprop version of its two-seat Firecracker military trainer. Designated NDN-5, the new aircraft will be powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-25A engine, which has already been delivered to the company's Goodwood base. The airframe is 75 per cent com plete, and performance claims include a 307 m.p.h. maximum level speed, and climb rate of 3,700ft/min. Main change to the airframe is an increase in tail area, and gross weight has gone up from 2,8401b to 2,9501b. Ultimate load factor is 9g. An NDN spokesman says the company is involved in "significant negotiations" with three different licensees for Firecracker manufacture, with an option to build the turboprop version when it is type-certificated. 535 Fighter Engine 60hr of testing during January. Flight clearance is expected in the last quarter of this year followed by first flight in an F-16 in the first quarter of 1981 and in a Tomcat in the third quarter of 1981 The F101 has been designed to fit the mounting of the P&W F100 engine in the F-16 and to replace the longer mounting of the P&W TF-30 in Tomcat by means of lengthened forward and aft mountings. Planned thrust of the F101 is 26,000-28,0001b. Airline Accidents • A Redcoat Air Cargo Britannia crashed during a snowstorm nine minutes after taking off from Boston's Logan Airport on February 17. There were seven crew and one passenger on board, but only the flight engineer, who is critically injured, survived the accident. Several of the crew were ex- Royal Air Force Britannia aircrew, and the aircraft itself was ex-RAF. In an apparent attempt to make a forced landing the aeroplane hit two groups of trees, caught fire, and there were two major explosions. No one on the ground was hurt. The aircraft was returning from a UK Ministry of Defence contract flight to Belize, and had left Boston on February 17 bound for Shannon and London carrying computer components for a Galway company. The cause of the accident is not yet known. • An Air Zaire F.27, registration 9Q-CLP, crashed after take-off on a training flight from Ndjili Airport. All three crewmembers were killed in the accident, which happened on February 8. Installing Rumbold INTERIOR-EQUIPMENT designer and manufacturer L. A. Rumbold, which we omitted to list "Safety and Comfort—the airliner cabin" last week, operates from two factories: Seats—Old Oak Common Lane, Lon don NW10 6DX; telephone 01-965 4802, telex 935005. Galleys—Doman Road, Camberley, Surrey; telephone 0276 66456, telex 858250. The first picture showing the general arrangement GE FI0I Derivative Fighter Engine
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