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Aviation History
1992
1992 - 1306.PDF
HEADLINES Indian launcher succeeds at the third attempt In its third flight, India's Aug mented Satellite Launch Vehi cle (ASLV-3) has successfully placed a 106kg Stretched Rohini satellite into a 450km orbit on 20 May. Two earlier launches ended in failure. The ASLV, developed partly with technology from the new Prithvi surface-to-surface mis sile, has been designed to test various technologies to be used in the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and the Geo synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and for low-earth orbit scientific and technical missions. The mission has taken on added importance after the USA decided to cut off trade with Indian and Russian space agen cies for two years in response to the $200 million deal between the two countries by which Rus sia provides India with cryo genic engine technology. The USA claims that the deal violates the Missile Technology Control Regime (Flight International, 20- 26 May). • EC to propose new restrictions BY JULIAN MOXON IN BRUSSELS T he European Commission (EC) is to propose five new directives on aircraft emissions and noise. If successful, the move would tighten existing leg islation considerably, and could have an affect engine purchase decisions for aircraft entering service after 1995. The action follows what some observers considered to be the failure last December of the In ternational Civil Aviation Organisation to agree on suffi ciently tougher standards. Its Committee on Aviation Envi ronmental Protection (CAEP) cut emissions by 20% and left noise levels as they are. "We hoped CAEP would work, but they sat on their hands and did nothing," says one observer. Three of the directives are understood to have been gener ated by the environment direc torate (DG XI), the other two coming from DG VII, the trans port directorate. The two directorates have agreed that the five directives USAF GROUNDS YF-22A PROTOTYPE The US Air Force does not intend the Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics YF-22A prototype to fly again after it crashed on 25 April at Edwards AFB, California, even though the aircraft is relatively undamaged and is standing on its undercarriage. The aircraft crashed on the second of two low approaches to the base during a test flight to gather data for the E-22 engineering and manufacturing development programme. Data from the YF-22's telemetry and flight test recorders are being used for the USAF's investigation of the accident. should be pre sented as a package. The directives would increase the stringency of the existing Chapter 3 noise legislation, re quiring aircraft to have noise levels at least 3dB below the current standard; require a further 20% reduction on the emissions level set by CAEP, mak ing a total of 40% below the current standard; introduce a common Euro pean technique for airport noise mon itoring; introduce a Sun sets for rule to prevent housing moving closer to air ports as aircraft become quieter; and introduce penalty charges for operators whose engines do not cut emissions by at least 20%. The proposals will be presented to member states in June, and it is expected that the Commission will receive the documents for mally by the end of the year. Before they become law, the directives will have to be pre sented to the European Parlia ment and passed by the Council of Ministers, and may be changed substantially as a result. The EC has the backing of several influential groups, how ever, including the airports' rep resentative body, Airports Associations Council Interna tional, which called the CAEP meeting "very disappointing". polluting aircraft The EC believes that the avia tion industry is not responding adequately to environmental concerns, even though advances in technology on such items as double annular combustors, cut ting emissions by up to 60%, will soon be introduced on new CFM56 and International Aero Engines engines powering the Airbus Industrie A320s. The next CAEP meeting will be in 1995 at the earliest, and a final EC decision may be de layed until then. The EC move, which could affect 23 countries in western Europe, is bound to influence airlines as to their choice of engine. As one industry source said: "Who would gamble a large order that the legislation will not be approved?" • US weak at home but strong abroad US airlines report continuing weak traffic on domestic routes for April compared with 1991, but vastly improved inter national figures. The Air Transport Association says overall traffic for the first four months of 1992 is up 6.5% on 1991, but stays 0.9% below the same period in 1990. Do mestic traffic is down 1.1%, but international traffic is up 34.1%. In April domestic traffic was actually down 4.8%, and average load factors stood at 58.5%. In ternational traffic, however, was 23% greater than for April 1991, and available seat kilometres were up 27.4%, resulting in an average load factor of 64.7%. A rare exception is the bur geoning Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, which reports April revenue passenger kilometres up by 33.4%, and says that it plans further aircraft purchases this year to cope with increased de mand in California. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 27 May - 2 June, 1992
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