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Aviation History
1983
1983 - 2043.PDF
WORLD NEWS Sikorsky bids direct BANGKOK Thai reports indicate that Sikorsky has offered a direct sale of five UH-60 Black Hawks to Thailand for $30 million. This offer undercuts the Pentagon's offer for four UH-60s by $3 million. The package offered by Sikorsky is for two standard UH-60s for the Royal Thai Army, two VIP configuration UH-60s, and a standard UH-60 for the Royal Thai Air Force. Spares worth $1-8 million would be included, to be paid for as drawn. Sikorsky would also train air and groundcrews, and provide ground support equipment and technical backup as part of the deal. Thailand had suspended negotiations for two Black Hawks "while the cost was further studied". Sikorsky's bid is seen as a positive reac tion to reports that Thailand was considering buying four Bell 214STs instead of the UH-60s. Standard Pentagon foreign military sales doctrine calls for a 5 per cent loading on contract price to cover the US Government's handling costs. Spacelab 1 flies this month PARIS Nasa and ESA have agreed to fly Spacelab 1 on the ninth Space Shuttle mission, now scheduled to lift-off on November 28. Four European experiments and three from America will experience unfavourable viewing condi tions as a result, but Nasa has offered to re-fly them free, in a compromise acceptable to all parties (Flight, November 5, page 1243). Nasa and ESA had been considering whether to delay Spacelab 1 until February 1984, when all the experiments could operate properly. Having changed the STS 9 Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs), whose suspect nozzle-linings forced the initial delay, Nasa is now confident of flying Shuttle later this month. Lift-off is scheduled for 1600 GMT on November 28, during a window which lasts just 14min. The landing at Edwards AFB is due almost nine days later, at around 07.41hr Pacific Time. Flight plan and crew are essentially unchanged (see Flight for October 22). The four adversely affected ESA experiments will be re- flown as follows; Grille Spec trometer and Waves in the OH layer as part of Nasa's Envi ronment Observation Mission in May-June 1985, Very Wide-Field Camera on Space lab 3 in November 1984, and Metric Camera on another Spacelab flight (so far undetermined). Rohrsecures UK listing LONDON Nacelle and thrust-reverser specialist Rohr Industries has become the second US company in a week to secure a shares listing on the London Stock Exchange. Lockheed brought its shares to market a week ago. Rohr has been prompted to the move by similar consid erations. The company places its engineering products with a wide range of international customers, and is anxious to become known to a wider public. 12 per cent of the stock is already held by one institu tional investor in Scotland. Rohr, based in Chula Vista, California, employs 7,500 people, down from 11,000 three years ago. Sales have stayed at the same level during that period and the company has transformed its business, mainly as a result of divesting itself of several loss- making non-aerospace activ ities including a costly bus manufacturing enterprise which is now the subject of $500 million litigation by the new owner, Grumman. During the recovery period, under new president and chief executive officer Harry Todd, trading has improved from a $1-4 million loss in 1980 to $24-1 million profit in 1983. The company's heavy interest charge of $19-5 million in 1981 has been cut to $6-5 million in 1983, pulling down the debt equity ratio from 1-76:1 in 1980 to 0-47:1. BA prepares for sale LONDON British Airways has made more profit over the first half of the year than initial esti mates predicted. The net figure for the six months ending September 30 is £162 million, the airline not being liable for UK tax because of losses brought forward. Airline turnover for the half year is £1,296 million. BA chairman Lord King predicts that the airline will achieve its £250 million net profit target for the year: "I would be disappointed if we did not achieve it". On the subject of privatisation he adds: "It is for the private sector to decide when they want it, but BA will be ready 11 months from now". He would like to see all BA equity being offered to potential investors, with no retention by the Government. # BA will not confirm reports that it expects an enthusiastic staff response to a buy out proposal. Lord King frequently makes it clear that he wants the company to be put on the market by October next year. Staff share-buying could secure this timescale. Embraer delivers AMX wings SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS Embraer has delivered the first set of wings to Aeritalia for installation on the proto type AMX tactical fighter. The wings were shipped to Italy on board a Brazilian Air Force C-130 Hercules. Embraer has a 30 per cent share in the AMX programme, including design, development, and fabrication of the wings, horizontal tail, air intakes, pylons, and exter nal fuel tanks. Aeritalia and Aermacchi share the remain ing 70 per cent. The first of six AMX proto types will fly in Italy in July next year. The fourth and sixth prototypes will be assembled and flown by Embraer, the first of these in 1985. FLIGHT MTERNATKXMl NEXT WEEK For buyers of working aeroplanes we look at some 80 different types of turbine aircraft available for business, corporate, and utility operation, from the Cessna 206 conversion to the Boeing 737. Cabin size, seating, weights, performance, and price are included. Slingsby's Firefly, the world's first certificated fully aerobatic GRP two- seateT, is assessed in Cliff Barnett's flight-test. JAL opts for P&W TOKYO Pratt & Whitney has notched up its 13th Boeing 767 sales success with the selection by Japan Air Lines of the JT9D-7R4 for the nine aircraft it ordered in late September. The order is worth almost $200 million. In choosing the JT9D, JAL retains powerplant commonality with its existing fleet of 43 Boeing 747-200s and two 747-300s. FLIGHT International, 12 November 1983 1267
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