FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1991
1991 - 1313.PDF
LETTERS TQMS makes up for slow start SIR — Your editorial "Half the story" (Flight International 3-9 April, P 3) is aptly titled. Your readers deserve to know the full story. 1 would not quarrel with your assertion that Douglas Aircraft "...had been allowed to soldier on for too long with outmoded management and antiquated production" during the 1970s and 1980s. 1 would only add that the same thing could be said about other McDonnell Douglas divisions — and most of American industry. Your editorial suggests erro neously, however, that the total quality management system (TQMS) introduced at Douglas in 1989 was to blame for losses in the MD-80 programme. The truth is that this pro gramme, which lost substantial amounts of money through most of the 1980s and was behind contract schedule on production in 1986, 1987 and 1988, achieved record profita bility in the second half of 1990 because of increased production and improved productivity. The programme earned $93 million in 1990 compared with a loss of $37 million in 1989. Douglas Aircraft and other McDonnell Douglas business units underwent substantial re organisations in 1989 to imple ment TQMS. This had a disrup tive effect on the workforce and a negative impact on short-term earnings. Our commitment to TQMS is for the long term, however. As the MD-80 programme demon strates, total quality manage ment has begun to have a posi tive impact on our performance. MICHAEL BURCH VICE-PRESIDENT, PUBLIC RELATIONS McDonnell Douglas PO Box 516, Saint Louis MO 63166-0516, USA The opinions expressed in these pages do not necessarily represent those of the Editor, Flight International cannot undertake to publish letters without name and address and reserves the right to select or edit letters. Airbus A340 could meet European military-transport needs Recruit A340 for Europe's forces SIR — I have been interested to read some of the comments expressed in Flight International about future European and RAF transport-aircraft requirements and would make suggestions of my own. Firstly, the RAF — and other European air forces — will be looking to replace their anti submarine-warfare and strate gic-transport aircraft in the near future and, over a longer time scale, the tanker and airborne- early-warning/airborne.-warning and-control-systems fleets. As most of these aircraft are de rived from civilian models, the obvious answer would be a mul- tirole military derivative of the Airbus A340, which could meet these differing requirements in the same way that the Boeing 707 airframe does. The A340 would also provide fleet com monality within Europe and offer the prospect of a multina tional force. If a decision to use the A340 was made now, I am sure that the Nimrods, Atlantics and early Orions could soldier on and, at a later stage, the Victors, VClOs and Sentrys could be replaced. Secondly, tactical-transport requirements should be met by the European Future Large Air craft (FLA), but the rewinging of the C-130 Hercules — as suggested by a previous corre spondent — should be executed quickly to extend the lives of these aircraft until FLA is ready. Finally, there is an obvious need in Europe for an outsize cargo carrier. The only viable option here is the C-17, perhaps engined with Rolls-Royce RB211-535s. It could be made part of a binding memorandum of understanding with the USA that any C-17 purchase be offset by a purchase of the derived A340 or participation in FLA. The A340 is almost ready and once commercial certification is obtained, an aircraft could be released for military trials and any necessary modifications. FLA and its predecessors have been discussed for too long and should now be put into full development (the C-17 is al ready funded). In the light of recent defence reviews and the Gulf War, the need to spend money wisely is all too obvious. The need to replace ageing aircraft is becom ing critical, however. The VC10 and the Victor are more than 30 years old and the origins of Nimrod, Orion and Sentry go back even further. Let us now take the difficult decisions and make the most of the excellent aerospace products that Euro pean industry is capable of pro ducing. C A DIXON 44 Lushington Road Ringlestone Maidstone Kent ME14 2QS, UK WHAT'S ON The 39th Paris Air Show 13-23 June, Le Bourget, Paris, organised by GIFAS; tel: +33 1 47 235 556. International Sjtiace Development Conference 22-27 May, Hyatt Regency Hotel, San Antonio, USA C >n Beatrice Moreno, San Atitorno Space Society; tel: +1 (512) 925 7974. SAMPE International 1 m Symposium 22-23 May, f" in the 1990s — a Global Concern. Contact: Nanci Hawley, PO Box, 2459, Covina, CA 91722; tel: +1 (818) 331 0616. Soyal Aeronautical Society 23 May, The Contributions ol Po»; to Jet Propulsion lecture; 28 M June, Aviation Law and its Impact 6n Management course, Southampton, UK, tel (0703) 701707, 30 O p ' — I !iLh s* „rn!ltu t I ture. Contact: Conference Office, RAeS, 4 Hamilton Place. London W1V OBQ, UK; tel: +44 . 3515; fax: +44 (071) 499 6230. University of Birmingham Air Squad ron 24 May 50th 4nm\ei ion Dinner. Contact W Park Grange, Somerset Ru . . ton, Birmingham B15 2RR; tet: +44 (021) 454 2098. Leningrad Balloon Fiesta 24-2 £175 per balloon entry. Contact Cameron Balloons, St jo Bedminsier, Bristol, UK BS3 AH, tel +44 (0272) 637216 or fax +44 (I', 661168. Air Fete "91 2">-26 May - Force Mildenhall, Suffolk UK, 1 by the US Air Force. Tel: +44 (0638) 513341, Auster Pilot Club 25-27 ' . national Auster Pilot Club fly-in to Old Warden. Tel: +44 (076727) 288. Remote Sensing from Satel nar, 29-31 May, Paris; 5-7 June, Lon don; 10-12 June, Munich Coi SAL RSS Seminar. "virions !louse. Suite M9, Southampton Row, tontfoii WC1B 4EF; tel: +44 (071) 404 3341; fax: +44 (071) At -, >03 Airline Business Conference 3C&31 May, Beyond Bilaterals — new direc tions in global air transpo lions, Scandic Crown Hi ft Brussjsfcc Contact: Jane Lyall-jack F'l • Ltd, 75a Grove Lane, Camberwell, London SE5 8SP, tel +44 (07II 7459; fax: +44 (071) 252 7469. 17th Molson Canadian London Inter national Air Show 1-2 June, Theme, Military Helicopters arir:Sfjecid :lljs.- sion Aircraft, London Ontario Air port, Canada. Contact: Tom Walsh, tel: +1 (519) 659 3298. ,,., .„„„ International Gas Turbine; and 'Aero- Engine Congress and Exposition 3-6 June, Orange County Convention/ Civic C itii Orlmuo r'uli USA tel: +1 (404) 847 0072. Institute of Aviation Safety 2-14 June, 38th Intl. Course in Acci \ li Prevention and Investigat Institute of Technology. Stockholm, Sweden; tel: +46 (11) 19.20 20. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 22 - 28 May, 1991 37
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
