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Aviation History
1987
1987 - 0071.PDF
Vayudoot reports Do.228 engine failures NEW DELHI Indian regional carrier Vayudoot reports an abnor mally high number of engine failures on its Dornier 228s. Dornier says there have been 16 failures in the last six or seven months. The aircraft have not been grounded but Dornier and engine manu facturer Garrett are investi gating the problem. Garrett engineers were in India last week to investigate the specific incidents and general operating procedures. "No specific causes have been pinpointed yet," Garrett says, although three or four of the failures were probably bird- The TPE.331-5 engines, like the airframes, are now made under licence by Hindu stan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Powerplants for Vayudoot's first Do.228s were shipped over complete from Garrett, but subsequent models were assembled by HAL. HAL is now increasing the number of components it manufactures itself. Vayudoot operates ten Do.228s and flies to some remote areas in northwestern India. Garrett says that the operating environment may be contributing to the failures. The Indian Coastguard also flies HAL-made Do.228s, but has reported no powerplant failures. Dornier says engine failures have occurred on the oldest aircraft in Vayudoot's fleet. The first five of its aircraft were built by Dornier and were delivered in 1984 and 1985. These have accumu lated 14,500hr in 16,800 flights. The engine has clocked some 36 million hr in service worldwide and is running at 17,500hr between removals. Vayudoot also reports that a passenger door on one of its Do.228s opened in flight on March 30. The Indian civil aviation authorities are investigating the incident. The aircraft was cruising at 6,000ft when a cockpit warn ing light came on, Dornier says. The copilot went to investigate, satisfied himself that the door was closed, and was going back down the aisle when he felt a rush of air. The 13 passengers on board were told to come to the front of the aircraft. It landed safely with no casualties. Dornier ruled out an acci dental opening if the door was closed, locked, and main tained according to instruc tions. But it has issued a report to other European operators. There have been no other incidents of this kind, it says. Vayudoot is the only one of 38 operators to have experienced engine problems. • Taiwanese carrier Formosa Airlines has ordered two Do.228s with options on another three. One was deliv ered last month and the second follows in June. Formosa already flies one Do.228 on its domestic routes. The optioned aircraft, if taken up, will be used on a commuter service between Hong Kong and China. Momen Air in Saudi Arabia has also ordered a Do.228 with another on option. The Riyadh-based airline runs charter and commuter oper ations in South-east Saudi Arabia. Dornier is now quoting the price of its turboprop twin in dollars instead of Deutschemarks after losing money on exchange fluctu ations. The 19-seater costs $2-75 million. The switch to dollars will be good for US sales, Dornier says. It is negotiating reorders from Precision Airlines, its largest US customer so far. A320 gets its livery While the first Airbus Industrie A320 is already airborne and testing, the second is almost complete on the production line at Toulouse. Here the British Caledonian livery is visible, but the other side of the aircraft is painted in Air France colours, thus illustrating the type's first two customers who will take delivery in spring next year. This airframe will join the test programme in about a month's time. AIR TRANSPORT MARKET PLACE A new airline, Berlin Regional, has ordered two British Aerospace Jetstream 31 turboprop regional air liners for £5-6 million ($9 million). Delivery is scheduled for this month. It is to operate from Berlin's Tegel Airport to Basle, Brussels, Copenhagen, and Geneva. The airline is UK registered to comply with regulations for serving West Berlin. Canadian Airlines has ordered six Jetstream 31s with options on six more for a commuter carrier it is to establish. The aircraft will operate out of Toronto starting in May this year. Finnair has ordered two McDonnell Douglas MD-lls with options on two more, for delivery from October 1990. The aircraft are initially to operate on the Helsinki- Tokyo route and then on the Helsinki-New York-Los Angeles-Seattle service. Swedish regional airline Salair has ordered two Saab SF.340s, and placed options on two more. The contract is worth about $13 million. When delivered in September 1987 and August 1988 the aircraft will operate from Linkbping to Stockholm and Gothenburg. Brockway Air of Vermont, a Piedmont commuter, has also ordered five SF.340s with options on five more. Deliveries will begin in May this year. International Lease Finance Corp (ILFC) has sold two 17-year-old Boeing 737-200s to an "investors' group" for $18 million. The aircraft are leased and oper ated by Continental Airlines. China's Civil Aviation Authority has bought Racal- Milgo data communications equipment to upgrade its computer reservation system. It is from Racal's commu nications management series and will be the first manage ment network system in the country. The system is to be based in Hong Kong (where the reservation ser vice computers are based) and will link hotels, airport counters, and the airline's ticket offices in major Chinese cities. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 11 April 1987
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