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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 1229.PDF
H EADLINES ufacturers". Airbus is looking for a thrust range of 156kN- 200kN in the new engines. Ziegler is of the opinion that THE General Electrics (GE) 375kN -420kN GE90 ultra- high-bypass-ratio turbofan should be resized for the A340 application. "The GE90 is much too big for the A330 — we only need 75,0001b [334kN] of thrust for the heaviest growth version of the A330," he said, "but we'd like to see the tech nology in a smaller engine." Bob Conboy, general manager commercial engine programmes at GE confirms the talks: "GE is working with Airbus on a pre- design basis to identify the thrust requirements for a growth A340 where thrust re quirements exceed the 34,0001b of the current CFM56 family". Pierson sees a potential mar ket for about 270 A340s — or 1,200 engines, including spares. Many of these will be powered by CFM56s, so the engine man ufacturers may find they cannot justify development of a new engine for a single application. • Rolls-Royce is to cut its work force by a further 3,000 by the end of this year. The company announced 3,000 job cuts ear lier this year. By the end of 1991, employee numbers at the engine builder will have shrunk to 28,000. The helicopter engine factory at Leavesden is to be closed by the end of 1992, with design and production transferred to Bristol and other sites. Sir Ralph Robins, the com pany's chief executive, blames the cuts on defence cuts, a reduction in spares business and the recession. • American reveals Heathrow plan American Airlines says it will be operating 104 flights a week into the UK by August. The US carrier says it antici pates no problems in obtaining the necessary London Heathrow Airport slots. In June the carrier launches services on the three UK routes it has acquired from Trans World Airlines for $445 million and begins to adjust schedules on others. On 1 July American starts Chicago-London Gatwick. A month later it will move the Chicago and Miami services to Heathrow and begin operations on the newly acquired Boston- and New York Newark- Heathrow routes. The same day it launches its New York JFK- Manchester schedule. Flights from Los Angeles to Heathrow will not start until 20 July, when the first New York JFK-Gatwick services also gets underway. American says it would start the services earlier but is lim ited by equipment shortages. It will mostly use Boeing 767s on the routes, but needs time to upgrade some of its 767-200s to extended-range status. Because of new aircraft deliveries there will be no need, says the US carrier, to cut service on other routes as a result of opening the new UK routes. From 1 July American's UK operations will total eight flights a day into Heathrow and the Los Angeles schedule will add a ninth. Gatwick Airport will receive three daily services, Manchester two, and Glasgow one. • Galvin urges Italian airbase completion BY ERIC BEECH Completion of the Crotone airbase in southern Italy is vital to the defence interests of the Atlantic Alliance, according to Gen John Galvin, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Speaking in Rome at a confer ence on the future of European security, Galvin's plea was aimed at influencing US Con gress, during its current review CAN AD AIR ROLLS OUT RJ 100 Canadair rolled out its Regional jet on 6 May. The maiden flight of the Regional Jet Series 100 was scheduled to take place as Flight International went to press. The 50-seater airliner will start its 12-month certification programme in June, with first deliveries in 1992- Socata in JPAFS talks with Sabreliner France's Socata is in talks with US training specialist Sabreliner over a possible joint bid for the US Air Force/Navy Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) with the Aero spatiale subsidiary's TB.31 Omega. Both companies con firm that discussions are taking place but say that no agreement has yet been reached. The JPATS requirement calls for the supply of a total training package, which Sabreliner could be well placed to provide be cause of its experience in mili tary flight training. The US company holds the Undergraduate Naval Flight Of ficer contract but is facing a legal battle with competitor Flight International. The US Small Business Administration has ordered the Navy to transfer the contract, which it says was incorrectly awarded. Sabreliner says that its Per- ryvale, Missouri, major modifi cation and maintenance centre has the potential to provide an assembly line for the Omega. Only one other JPATS team so far announced — the Lock- heed/Aermacchi/Hughes group ing offering the Italian MB.339— has identified a train ing partner. The Omega is the develop mental Turbomeca TP319-1A2- powered version of the tandem- seat, piston-powered Epsilon used by the French Air Force. of next year's defence budget, and NATO defence ministers, who are scheduled to meet at the end of May. The enlargement of Crotone, to house the US Air Force's 401 Tactical Fighter Wing, was initi ated after the Spanish Govern ment evicted the Wing from its base at Torrejon. The cost of the move was to be met by the NATO infrastructure pro gramme, to which the USA con tributes 28%. It was this contri bution that US Congress was last year unwilling to make until NATO ministers re affirmed their need for the base. The NATO summit in Lon don last July heralded the start of a strategic review by the Alliance following changes in the threat from the Soviet Union. The fifth draft of this review is now almost complete and will be discussed at the NATO de fence ministers' meeting in Brussels between 28 and 29 May. According to Galvin, NATO's operational concept sees a move away from the Cold War's gen eral defence plan to a new framework of general security guidelines. Galvin also reaffirmed that the US Navy's Sixth Fleet, al though reduced in size, would continue to be based in the southern Mediterranean. It would still comprise one carrier battle group. D FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15-21 May, 1991 5
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