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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 2110.PDF
HEADLINES UK's Associated Aerospace signs Tay Rombac deal BY ERIC BEECH /Associated Aerospace has X\.signed a $1 billion contract with Interprinderea de Avioane Bucuresti of Romania for the supply of up to f 00 Tay-powered Rombac One-Elevens (Flight, 28 March-3 April). The UK lessor is confident that the recently an nounced contract secured by A J Walter to sell and lease Rombacs with hushkitted Spey engines (Flight, 11-17 July) will not im pinge on its deal. Associated Aerospace manag ing director Brian Kyme expects to take delivery of the first "green" aircraft from Romania by the end of next year, building up to ten a year by 1994. Associated has also signed a $200 million contract with Rolls-Royce for the supply of the first 50 shipsets of Tay engines. Referring to the A J Walter agreement, Kyme says: "We don't profess to be the sole resurrectors of the One-Eleven. Ours will be a different animal. I don't see a problem for us in the marketplace." Associated will work with Dee Howard and the AIM Group on the Tay re-engin- ing kit and the installation of a "glass" cockpit and new cabin interior in the One-Eleven. With funding negotiations still being concluded between Asso ciated Aerospace's merchant bankers and the Romanian authorities, Kyme declines to name the company's backers. He emphasises, however, that all the finance is in place. So far the company has about 12 airlines interested in placing orders. Associated says that the first 50 Tay One-Elevens will form a major part of its international leasing operations for the 1990s. A decision on the option for the further 50 One-Elevens will be taken as soon as production rates can be firmed up with the Romanians. Associated managing director Kyme is also still interested in acquiring another regional com muter aircraft. • Lockheed disputes 'default' BY JOHN BAILEY Lockheed is to appeal against j the US Navy's cancellation of the $600 million full-scale engineering development (FSED) contract for the P-7A maritime patrol aircraft, which was terminated after the Navy found Lockheed to be in default. The Navy cancelled the con tract on 20 July, citing delays in the development of two P-7 prototypes, which were orginally scheduled for delivery in April and December 1991. Lockheed had virtually suspended P-7 work during a protracted wran gle over responsibility for cost overruns on the programme, which the company claims were because of changes made to the Navy's original specification. Lockheed said that it would appeal against the terms of the cancellation, which allocate all responsibility for termination costs to Lockheed. The default ruling is one the harshest actions ever taken against a major de fence contractor, although chair man Daniel Tellep says: "We believe the Navy has no legal or contractual basis for default ter mination. We are confident that the appeal will be resolved in Lockheed's favour." Tellep says that the termina tion costs would be covered by the $300 million which Lock heed wrote off against the fixed- price FSED contract late last year, but adds that the company hopes to recover " . . .a signifi cant portion" of that sum by reversing the default ruling. Lockheed will also claim for work which the Navy requested beyond the terms of the original development contract. Lockheed was awarded the four-year contract to design the successor to its venerable P-3 Orion in January 1989, after successfully competing against Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. Lockheed was able to underbid its competitors by claiming that its design would share at least 30% structural commonality with the P-3, despite the larger payload and longer range requirements, and despite the previous award of the Update IV mission avionics package to Boeing. The Navy planned to buy 125 P-7s, worth about $5 billion. At the time of the FSED award, some specifications for design loads remained open, to be agreed later between the Navy and Lockheed. When the Navy presented its demands, however, Lockheed discovered that its existing design would not have the structural strength necessary to meet them (Flight Inter national, 29 November-5 Decem ber, 1989). They included a requirement that the aircraft should be able to withstand the stress of landing at its maximum allowable weight for every land ing throughout its life. The modifications required to meet these and other demands reduced structural commonality with the P-3 from 30% to about 5%, while the additional weight meant that the aircraft would not meet the Navy's payload/range goals. Lockheed took a $300 mil- P&W breaks into Eastern Europe Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has broken General Electric's big-fan stranglehold on Eastern Europe by winning an order for PW4000 engines to power three Airbus A310-300s scheduled for delivery to Romanian flag-carrier Tarom. All other East European carri ers with Western wide-bodies on order or in service, Aeroflot, Interflug, LOT and CSA, have specified the GE CF6-80C to power either Airbus A310s or Boeing 767s. The Romanian air line's decision continues a relationship first established with the P&WJT3Ds that power its Boeing 707s. Tarom will use its A310s on intercontinental routes in place of Boeing 707s or Ilyushin Il-62s. The aircraft are due for delivery in March and May of 1992 and February 1993. • SAS pilot had no licence The Swedish Criminal Pros ecutor is considering bring ing charges against SAS and one of its pilots who has been flying without a valid licence for almost six years. The pilot has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. The pilot was found to be flying without a valid medical certificate in December 1989, and SAS's doctor informed the Swedish civil aviation authority. It was also discovered that the pilot did not have a type rating for the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, which he had been flying as a co-pilot, and that his licence had lapsed in May 1984. In 1985 the pilot put in a request to the Swedish civil avi ation authority to extend his rating to include the DC-10. The authority in turn asked to see his licence and medical certificate. The pilot did not reply and the authority took no further action. In 1987 the auhority removed the application from its register. The pilot flew a total of 3,000h without a licence. He did pass all SAS's regular proficiency tests, however, and did not arouse any suspicions. SAS's head of flight opera tions, Johan Juhlen says: "It's not up to SAS to control pilot's li cences. That's for the [civil avi ation authority] ... it should have warned us". SAS has tight ened control since December last year, and now requires pilots to present their licences. According to the authority the pilot had attended a course of "re-habilitation" in the USA during 1985. According to sources close to the case, how ever, this "re-habilitation" was not for alcoholism as the Swed ish press has suggested. The criminal investigation is not likely to be completed until the end of August. • + FUGHT INTERNATIONAL 1-7 August 1990
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