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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 0045.PDF
LETTERS Bring back the TriStar SIR — It is indeed sad to note that the L-1011 TriStar has again been abandoned (Flight International, 28 November-4 December). In safety, this airframe has more than proven to be among the leaders. The design of the airframe would be difficult to fault. The trijet design is argua bly the optimum balance be tween efficiency and safety. With one other manufacturer producing widebody trijets it is incomprehensible that Lock heed failed to re-open the Tri- Satr production line at a time when demand for new aircraft is so strong. Lockheed cites costs of $1.5 billion as the deterrent to re opening the line, but with the L-1011 firmly established with a significant number of the world's major airlines, these costs must pale compared with the number of potential orders possibly lost to the MD-11. A re-introduced L-1011 would require, at most, more efficient engines and modern avionics to bring it back to the forefront of available widebody designs. Truly, every aircraft has its time but the L-1011, with upgrading, would still be a mar- Could an updated TriStar have had a ket leader ajid a very desirable aircraft. It would have been interest ing to know what response Lockheed would have received had it approached current L- 1011 operators regarding the availability of a fresh L-1011. It is equally important to note the resolve of many airlines to re main trijet operators despite the lack of choice. The conclusion is that good airlines appreciate the merits of a trijet — and a widebody trijet — in the current state of fuel and maintenance costs. It is even more surprising to note the decision of Lockheed given the decline of defence budgets recently. The L-1011 would have been a significant remedy for lost contracts. With the MD- 11 now complete, the TriStar has lost any advantage it had as the "other" trijet. But the Lock heed group also has a clear view as to what the TriStar needs to re-eri,ter the market, and it might be pleasantly surprised if it sought a response from the current L-1011 operators about a fresh airframe and some minor upgrading — especially those not yet committed to firm orders. Maybe current operators should approach Lockheed and discuss the possibilities. Alternatively, it might be best to let history run its course, taking the L-1011 with it, and this can be read as an ode to TriStar. It might not have been the rock, the symbol of effi ciency and safety, that this writer thought it was. Its design and capacity should be of bene- new lease of life? fit in the present world of avia tion, but maybe the L-1011 TriStar was just a lemon that had a lucky streak? That could be why neither the manufac turer nor operators seem intent on re-introduction. Whose loss is it anyway? S HENRIQUES SCHE1 (Taphelm) PO Box 1333 London Nil 3PP, UK Aer Lingus is overstretched SIR — Aer Lingus after its re cent expansion seems to be doing a U-turn now, letting off staff and selling up aircraft. Up to July, 1990, there was no sign from the management that the aviation section was incurring high losses. It is only now that we are told this is so, and serious cutbacks are neces sary. This, includes route cur tailment like the postponement, and possibly the cancellation, of -the proposed Los Angeles service. There can be no doubt that a lot of the present problems in which Aer Lingus finds itself are of its own making. It went hell-bent to drive Ryanair out of business by cutting the fares to ridiculously low levels on any route served by Ryanair. It also commenced services to-the vari ous provincial airports inv;. Ire land, served by Ryanair/with feeder service to Dublin, 'with onward connections to the UK and the Continent. The add-on fares for provincial points like Galway and Kerry have been as low as £10 return, which cer tainly could not be economic. It also incurred huge extra costs when British Midland came on the Dublin/London route by providing free meals and drinks to economy-class passengers. British Airways has not found it necessary to do this, but Aer Lingus has had the habit of following competition regard less of the consequences of cost. The meals on the cross-Channel route are said to be costing up to £4 million a year. Unfortunately, in Ireland we live on an island and are com pletely dependent on an effi cient and economic airline serv ice, which Aer Lingus does not seem able to provide. We think the best options left for its rejuvenation — since over the years it survived from crisis to crisis and certainly failed to grasp opportunities presented to it — would be for the Govern ment to privatise it, partially or entirely. This would enable the necessary capital to purchase new aircraft and also enable top-class management to be re cruited, which is necessary in the airline business today. THOMAS MCDONOGH Air Transport Users Committee 7 Clare Street Dublin 2, Ireland Acronym soup: the recipe SIR — Your item in Uncle Roger (Flight International, 28 Novem ber-4 December, 1991) on the formation of AACI by AOCI and ICAA was understandably con fused when it said: "AACI will represent AOCI and ICAA at ICAO and LATA". AACI will be the representa tive at ICAO and IATA, but it will represent itself because AOCI and ICAA will cease to exist, just as WEAA ceased to exist when it became a part of ICAA. For good reasons, AAAE stayed out of the remixing of the alphabet soup and will con tinue to exist on its own. I hope that clears up WHIHIH. WARREN GOODMAN Goodman Communications Spring Valley Road Ossining New York 10562, USA WHAT'S ON 9 January, 1991 Historical aviation film show. The London Society of Air-Britain, Holborn Central Library, 32-38 Theobalds Road, London WC1, 7pm. Contact: Charles Oman; tel: +4 (0444) 81 BIT. 24 January 1991 "Small satellites". RAeS astronautics group conference, Culham Laboratory, Didcot, UK. Con tact: Conference Office, RAeS, 4 Ha milton Place, London W1V OBQ, UK; tel: +44 (071) 499 3515. 29 January 1991 Ballantyne Memorial Lecture for Young People. RAeS avi onics systems group afternoon confer ence. Contact: Conference Office, RAeS, 4 Hamilton Place, London W1V OBQ, UK; teh +44 (071) 499 3515. 30 January 1991 Half day meeting "Technology for human powered air craft". RAeS human powered aircraft group. Contact: Conference Office, RAeS, 4 Hamilton Place, London W1V OBQ, UK; tel: +44 (071) 499 3515. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 2 - 8 January, 1991 4^
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