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Aviation History
1988
1988 - 2031.PDF
^f "IF fi& Heathrow rail link Norman calls in receiver Interest in buying British general-aviation manufacturer Norman Aeroplane has been expressed by several parties following the appointment of receivers early last week. Price Waterhouse has appointed two receivers to manage the busi ness, which is continuing to manufacture aircraft against the prospect of sales. Some 76 employees were immediately made redundant on July 26, but about 40 remain. The company had been run by Desmond Norman, one of the founders of Britten-Norman (manufacturers of the successful Islander) and the developer of the Firecracker turboprop trainer and the Fieldmaster agricultural aircraft. Norman Aeroplane had also been preparing the four-seat Free lance utility aircraft (picture, above right) for certification. The company was set up in South Wales with assistance and Government money provided through the Welsh Develop ment Agency (WDA). In 1985, some £2-3 million was raised in a private placing of shares to enable the company to bring the Fieldmaster and Freelance to production. Six Fieldmasters, four Firecrackers, and two Free lances had been built. Its predecessor, NDN Aircraft, had developed the Firecracker for Hong Kong company Aircraft Development and Sales (ADAS), and certifica tion was achieved in May 1979. Completion of Firecracker work, which included manu facture of three aircraft (the type was shortlisted for the Royal Air Force trainer requirement), provided funds for NDN to continue Fieldmaster devel opment. This began in 1979 with financial support from ADAS and the British Tech nology Group, which contri buted £900,000. During 1984, NDN com pleted the Freelance prototype, which shared certain character istics with the earlier Britten- Norman Nymph. Just three years ago, Norman Aeroplane was established with almost 60 per cent of the ordinary-share equity being taken by WDA and other investors. ADAS took 12-8 per cent of the 'A' ordinary-shares, the balance being held by directors. In 1985, sales and pre-tax profit projections spoke of almost £10 million sales by mid-1990, yielding £1-5 million, although the directors did not consider it appropriate to forecast profit ability. As development of the two aircraft continued, Norman Aeroplane raised further funds through share issues in 1986 and 1987. The Welsh Develop ment Agency declined to increase its interest after taking more shares in 1986, although it holds about 17 per cent of the £5-1 million issued shares. Other investors at the 1985 placing include investment and security trusts, a local authority pension fund, and various private clients. Norman Aero plane chairman Robert Holder declined to comment and managing director Desmond Norman was unavailable. proposed London's Heathrow Airport is to have a new £190 million direct rail link to central London. The project, planned jointly by British Rail and the airport owners BAA, is to be fun ded largely by the private sector using some of the state-owned railway's existing track. First services should begin in 1993. The proposed service is being modelled on the successful Gatwick Express rail link, and should take only 17 minutes from Paddington railway station to Heathrow's Terminal One. The BAA/BR project was chosen by the UK Department of Transport (DTp) after a number of different proposals had been submitted. The con sortium must now provide the DTp with detailed plans before final approval will be given. Transport minister Paul Channon has also commis sioned two studies into the need for improvements to the road system to Heathrow. The whole area around south-west London suffers from exceedingly heavy road traffic congestion, and the minister is aiming to improve surface mobility. Manchester Airport, the third-largest in the UK, is push ing the Government to approve its own proposed rail link. Manchester handles about 9 million passengers a year, but has waited more than a year for approval. Manchester points out that London Stansted has secured the go-ahead for its rail link despite handling only one million passengers a year. AS.30 Laser is operational Already in service with the French Air Force on Jaguar, Mirage F.l, and Mirage 2000 aircraft, Aerospatiale's AS. 30 Laser missile recently com pleted its technical evaluation phase with a direct hit at the Landes test centre in south-west France. Fired from a Jaguar equipped with a Thomson-CSF Atlis designator pod, at a range of over 10km, an altitude of 70m, and a speed of 585kt, the missile scored the direct hit on the centre of the target. More than 500 AS. 30 Laser missiles are now on order, and the weapon has been exported to Egypt and Iraq for their Mirage aircraft, and is offered on the F-16 or Tornado. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 6 August 1988 11
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