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Aviation History
1986
1986 - 0002.PDF
WORLD NEWS Airbus prepares new challenge PARIS Airbus Industrie hopes to launch two new airliners by the end of this month, the TA9 and TA11, and so draw in on its target of equipping airline's fleet-wide, except in the feeder and 747 categories. Jean Pierson, chairman of the consortium, wants to announce a decision by Jan uary 27. The TA11 (likely to be dubbed A330 on launch) is the priority, and would be a 250-seat long-range four- engined airliner; the TA9 would be a 300-plus-seat medium-range twin. They would share a common wing, avionics, and control systems, and a fuselage cross-section common with current Airbus widebodies—hence the wish to develop the aircraft as a package. The consortium will be at a major marketing disadvan tage compared with Boeing until it can offer a "family" of airliner products, with its associated maintenance, oper ational, and support benefits. Extensive marketing work reveals that now is the time to add to the family. Pierson himself has done a great deal of travelling to potential cus tomers since taking over from Bernard Lathiere last year. The problem is to get partners and their governments to come up with the $2,500 mil lion needed for the project so soon after the large sums com mitted to the A320 pro gramme. It will be years before real returns start coming in. Booster hitch delays Shuttle KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE The launch of Shuttle mission QIC/Columbia was halted dra matically on December 19 just 4sec from main engine start. A new launch attempt will be made on January 4. One of two hydraulic power units in the right hand solid rocket booster (SRB), part of the critical thrust vector steering system, overheated and the count was cut off by the ground launch sequencer. Columbia's onboard com puter controlled the count down from T minus 31sec, working in tandem with the ground launch sequencer, and it was the latter system that cancelled the launch. Nasa does not class the incident as an abort. Nasa takes no chances with the SRBs. A serious mal function of one booster could cartwheel the Orbiter to disaster, as nearly happened during the launch of STS 8 in 1983, when a nozzle almost burned through. Both hydraulic power units on the SRB were to be replaced on the launch pad. Nasa decided to let the launch team take the Christmas and New Year break and to attempt a launch on January 4, an expensive gesture allowed them now that two launch pads are operational at Kennedy. Nine Shuttle launches were achieved in 1985, against the 11 planned, and with 61C moving into 1986, the target for this year is now 15 launches. BAe eyes Greece for ATP ATHENS ~ British Aerospace hopes to clinch sales of the 62-seat ATP in Greece following the signing of a deal with Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) for the production of parts for the HAI will produce the ATP's assemblies in a programme worth up to £11 • 8 million. Olympic Aviation, part of the Olympic Airways group, is expected to make a decision soon on a new aircraft in the 50-70-seat range for domestic services. Olympic Aviation is in the process of taking over all but six of the flag-carrier's domestic services as part of a Government-inspired shake- up, and will have a require ment for up to 15 aircraft in the ATP size range. Talks on further collabor ation with the Greek aero space industry are under way, including a package worth up to £56 million covering the manufacture of other aircraft components, machined parts, and new-technology projects. Airbus Industrie's TA11 would be basically an updated long-range A310 with new wings and four IAE V. 2500 engines. It would be aimed at long range thin traffic routes which are established or which could be developed given this type of airliner FLIGHT wmwxnoHAL NEXT WEEK Chris Birkett examines the air transport scene in Hong Kong, where three new carriers have expressed ambitions to establish international air lines. Tim Fumiss highlights Britain's largely unsung contribution to the exploit ation of space as the big gest communications sat ellite manufacturer outside the USA. Plus an Olympus 1 satellite cutaway by Flight artist Ira Epton. Ariane and Shuttle are not the only satellite launchers in the world, as revealed by Flight's launch vehicle directory, an essential companion to last year's* satellite directory. Rafale reminder for Dassault PARIS French defence minister Paul Quiles has told Dassault- , Breguet that it must "retain no illusions" that the newly unveiled Rafale aircraft will be bought by the French Air Force or Navy, reports Gil bert Sedbon. In a letter to Benno Claude Vallieres, president and director general of Dassault- j Breguet, Quiles points out I that Rafale is a demonstrator aircraft for testing new tech nology, and too heavy to meet the requirements of the Air Force and Navy. The services are looking for an aircraft weighing around 8 • 5 tonnes. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 4 January 198
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