FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1982
1982 - 0003.PDF
[HLDUffifiT Europe—a power in space INTERNATIONAL Week ending 2 January, 1932 Number 3791 Volume 121 ISSN 0015-3710 Published in association with Aeroplane Monthly and Airports International by IPC Transport Press Ltd, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, England. World's first and only complete aeronautical weekly (g) Copyright IPC Business Press 1981 Founded 1909 Second-class postage paid at New York, NY, and additional entries. Editor David Mason Associate Editor Peter Middleton Assistant Editor Tom Hamlll Air Transport Editor David Learmount Air Transport editorial Chris Kjelgaard BSc Defence Editor Graham Warwick BSc Defence editorial Mike Gaines Technical Editor David Veluplllai BSc Technical editorial Richard WhitakerBSc General Aviation Cliff Barnett, Ian Parker BSc News Ian Goold, Julian Moxon BSc Production Editor Philip Jarrett Sub-editor Graham Cowell Art Editor Colin Paine Layout Dennis Baldry Pictures and Photography Stephen Piercey Technical Artists Frank Munger, John Marsden Publishing Director John Crookshank Editor-in-Chief J. M. Ramsden Advertisement Manager Trevor Barratt Assistant Advertisement Manager Colin Kllkelly Advertisement representative Michael Etmes Advertisement Sales Executive Sarah Beck Advertisement production Howard Mason US Advertisement Sales Manager Herb Salazar, IPC Business Press, US Advertising Sales, 205 East 42nd Street, New York 10017. Telephone (212) 867-2080. Telex 238327 Overseas advertisement representatives at back of this Issue Subscriptions Manager A. Walden Telephone England (0444) 59183 (UK and overseas sub scription rates and agents can be found in this issUe) Telephone 01-661 3320 (Advertisement Sales) 01-661 3267 (Advertisement Production) 01-661 3321 (Editorial) Telegram/Telex 892084 BISPRS G [ABC] Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations NEXT WEEK i^MPi^ilpBgHle;»3 e Flight's annual Military Flight Safety Review records major accidents to the world's military aircraft, e Structurally, General Dynamics F-111s will last into the next century. Their exceptional payload/ range capability may prove to be an ir replaceable asset, and Graham Warwick visits Fort Worth to look into this swing- wing strike fighter's future. O What is it like to fly a microlight? Johnny Seccombe provides the answers when he flies the Chargus Titan. WITH its test programme successfully completed, Europe's Ariane launcher is now set to challenge the American Space Shuttle in the potentially lucrative business of placing commercial satellites in orbit as a straightforward business ven ture. The fourth, and last, Ariane test launch, from French Guiana on December 20, was notable for the absence of drama—confirm ing the maturity upon which cus tomers have a right to insist. Confidence in that maturity was evident even before the fourth launch—not only from European countries whose Marecs A satellite was placed in orbit by Ariane, but from Intel sat, GTE, and Western Union, which have booked several launches with Arianespace in the next few years. These US com panies pay more for an Ariane launch than they would for one aboard the Shuttle. It is cheaper to go- by Shuttle at the moment because Nasa is anxious to subsidise commercial flights until 1985, to establish the concept of the re-usable craft. After 1985, Shuttle pricing is supposed to be on a strictly com mercial basis, but will it remain so, and for how long? Even now, the space launcher still symbolises national strength and pride. The American Shuttle protagonists cannot afford to be seen to be losing such a pres tigious market to Europe (or even to their own old-technology, throwaway boosters such as Atlas-Centaur and Delta). Like wise the French, who are the driving force behind Ariane, have never been slow to re arrange the conventional econo mics of business to suit their own nationalistic ends. This time next decade, will there be a "fares battle" in space to parallel the lunacy of the North Atlantic airline market today? Much will depend on the timing and demand for commer cial satellite launches. The cur rent Ariane launch schedule calls for four in 1982, five in 1983, and six or more per year after that. Over the next ten years that represents a significant per centage of total forecast demand for large commercial satellite launches. With that prospect before them, will the Europeans go for a discount pricing policy to gain short-term prestige, or have we really reached the era of the commercial space booster, as we did years ago with the communi cations satellite? Indications are that the con testants are squaring up for a straight commercial battle, and Europe genuinely believes that, with uprated Ariane, it can com pete on level terms with the Shuttle for the all-important geo stationary communications satel lite market. Here, the high-pay- load/low orbit capability for which the Shuttle was designed places it at a disadvantage, and it needs to carry an expendable extra stage to boost the satellite up to the high orbit characteris tic of geostationary craft. Europe is now a power in space. IN THIS ISSUE World News Air Transport Defence General Aviation Business Private BOEING 757: INTRODUCING THE BIG-FAN NARROWBODY Avionics Spaceflight Propulsion Industry International Straight & Level 2 3 6 9 10 12 25 26 28 29 30 Front cover: Boeing's first 757, due to be rolled- out on January 13, takes shape on the Renton assembly line. Our technical description, with cutaway, begins on page 12.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
