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Aviation History
1981
1981 - 1595.PDF
RIGHT International, 30 May 1981 Europe and the USA to discuss subsidies THE USA and the EEC countries plan to hold discussions next month to search for ways of cutting export credit subsidies on airliner sales. The negotiations will run in parallel with talks currently being held in Paris on reducing subsidies on other capital goods exports. The USA is understood to be par ticularly keen on ending the highly competitive airliner financing battle now being waged by Eximbank and European state treasuries, mainly over Boeing and Airbus sales. The Reagan Administration has proposed an $800 million cut in Eximbank lend ing for the next financial year, and although Congress has reduced this figure, the Bank is still expected to have $500 million less available for cheap overseas loans. Since airliner sales accounted for more than half of Eximbank's loans last year, the con sequences of the cuts to the US air liner manufacturers-notably Boeing— could be very serious. But Airbus may press its members' national governments to maintain the pressure, as the Beagan cuts would give it a distinct sales advantage over the Eximbank-aided US manufac turers. Unlike the USA, Europe has little or no parliamentary check on export credit subsidies. US manufacturers also fear that the new Reagan-appointed Eximbank chairman, William Draper, may divert resources away from the large com panies in order to help the exports of smaller concerns. This could have a significant effect on US airliner sales even if Eximbank's budget is not cut. 1589 Swissair crews oppose A310 decision SWISSAIR pilots oppose the carrier's plans to operate Airbus A310s with two-man cockpit crews (see World News last week). But no action is so far proposed. Europilote; through whom the pilots have spoken, says it deplores Swiss air's action in making a crew- complement decision before the US Presidential Task Force on the mat ter issues a judgement. This is due in late June. The union sees the air- lime's action as an attempt to influ ence the Task Force verdict. As we go to press, the US inquiry is hear ing evidence from the Air Transport Association. The ATA, which argues for two-man crews, says that a funda mental difference in safety standards between two- and three-man crew aeroplanes would have been manifest by now. VFW prepares to transport the first Airbus Industrie A3I0 forward fuselage to the Aerospatiale assembly line at Toulouse. The fuselage section was flown to Toulouse by Super Guppy on May 9 for mating to the Aerospatiale-built cockpit on May 11. Seven days later the whole front fuselage was mated with the Aerospatiale!MUB-built centre-section (see Flight for May 23, page IS3I). Current plans see the MBB-built rear fuselage added on July I, with the BAe-made wings being fitted at the end of August Soviets object to 11-62 search SOVIET journal Vozdushny Transport reports an official Russian Foreign Ministry complaint to the US Em bassy following a four-hour delay to Aeroflot's Washington - Moscow 11-62 flight on May 12. The note alleges that US officials surrounded the air craft minutes before passengers were For F-5G, read Tigershark Tiger II and adopts the flattened "shark" nose profile developed to im prove high-angle-of-attack stability. NORTHROP'S F-5G single-engined ex port fighter will be christened "Tiger- shark" at next week's Paris Show. The name reflects both the parentage and appearance of the F404-powered fighter. The F-5G is a minimum- change development of the F-5E/F Pan Am may sue UK for losses PAN AMERICAN warns the UK Gov ernment that it may sue for losses caused by continuing disruption of its services during the civil service pay dispute. Short, frequent strikes by air traffic controllers and customs officials have led to delays and cancellations in the airline's services, and Pan Am sent telexes to the UK Trade Secre tary and other officials suggesting that it may have to take legal action. The American flag carrier does not put a figure on its losses, but says it cannot afford, "even in part," losses caused by the dispute. Assurances are requested that action to resolve the disruption is being taken. Also at the Paris Show, Northrop will outline the F-5G avionics options avail able to customers. These range from full, all-weaither equipment with ad vanced pulse-Doppler, track-while-scan radar down to a basic variant with an improved Emerson Electric radar, probably the APQ-159C pulse-Doppler set. Hughes and Westinghouse are proposing F-5G radars. due to board and forcibly ejected the crew from the aircraft. It claims that instrument panels in the cabin were removed, and items of baggage thrown to the ground and opened. Some items were later said to be missing. The complaint goes on to claim that diplomatic privilege rights were not observed, and that the only ex planation given by the US customs officials was that the action was taken because of orders from "higher up". But the US State Department says that it was a simple case of suspected contraband smuggling. The "contra band" turned out to be technical items that were not prohibited for ex port and have now been returned. A Times picture shows a Soviet offi cial making a complaint. Flight be lieves that official to be Yuri Lugovoi, general director of the Soviet Central Directorate of International Air Com munications. MacCready plans Paris-London attempt PAUL MacCready's solar-powered aircraft, Solar Challenger, has reached an altitude of 11,500ft over Shafter Airport, California, as final testing for a planned Paris-London attempt reaches completion. Piloted by Janice Brown, on May 15, the flight lasted 6hr 35min. The aircraft will be taken to Cormeilles- en-Vexin in France around June 7 for a flight later in the month. Take-off will be from Pontoise, Paris, but the landing site in London has not been chosen, although Croydon Airport is favourite. The Solar Challenger can fly with broken cloud cover, but several attempts may be necessary before a successful crossing is made. Plans call for the aircraft to cruise at up to 35 m.p.h. at altitudes between 12,500ft and 13,800ft. An account of Solar Challenger's development is planned for an early issue.
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