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Aviation History
1993
1993 - 0139.PDF
^ 9t elusion Zone in Iraq. The Turk ish commitment is due to be taken over by British Aerospace Harrier GR.7s in April and the plan was to give the Jaguar force a break from long detachments. The UK Ministry of Defence says that it "...wouldn't com ment on operational deploy ments". Potential targets for the Jag uars would be selected by the Forward Air Control teams de ployed on board the carrier HMS Ark Royal. The Ark Royal force, scheduled to arrive off the Bosn ian coast on 27 January, in cludes eight British Aerospace Sea Harriers. • Review reveals 'terrain' trend A nalysis of airline accidents in 1992 shows that there is a rising trend in the number of accidents and of fatalities re sulting from controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) over the last ten years, according to Flight International's annual re view of airline safety. In addition, the total number of all types of fatal accidents and resulting deaths has in creased annually during the first three years of the decade. The term CFIT describes accidents in which the pilot does not know impact with the ground is coming, or realises too late to prevent it. The figures show that, in 1983, there was a total of five CFIT accidents, causing 357 deaths. By 1992, the total figures were 21 accidents and 706 deaths, including four passenger jets with 451 deaths. The figures for all types of fatal accident show an increase from 35 accidents and 611 deaths in 1990 to 45 accidents and 1,422 fatalities in 1992. • See Airline Safety P 27 HEADLINES Eurocopter signs Mi-38 deal Eurocopter has signed an agreement with three leading Russian aerospace companies to develop the 30-seat twin-turbine Mil Mi-38 helicopter. Jean-Francois Bigay, the Franco/German group's chair man and chief executive, says that it will invest around Fr550 million ($100 million) in the project. The agreement, signed in Moscow on 18 December, 1992, but only revealed on 18 January, involves Russian aerospace com panies Mil, Kazan and Klimov building a 14t 30-seat helicopter with Eurocopter. The first air craft is scheduled for certifica tion in 1999. The helicopter will be devel oped at the Mil helicopter plant in Moscow. Klimov will be in charge of engine production and development, while Kazan will assist Mil in the development of the airframe, as well as taking charge of marketing the aircraft on the domestic market. Euro copter is responsible for the cockpit, avionics system and cabin interior, as well as market ing the aircraft for export. The partnership is aiming the Mi-38 at the same civil market as the Westland/Agusta EH101 and the yet-to-be-launched Sikorsky S-92. • An EH101 prototype on a flight test near the Italian AFB of Cameri crashed on 21 January. All four crew and technicians aboard the helicopter were killed, including chief test pilot Raffaele Longobardi. The heli copter, undergoing external noise-level tests, was making a low-level turn near the airbase when the incident occurred. The aircraft was the PP2 prototype, first flown in October 1987. • DASA demands more funding for Fokker BY DOUGLAS BARR1E IN MUNICH Deutsche Aerospace (DASA) has demanded an extra Dfl200 million ($110 million) from the Dutch Government to provide extra capital for Fokker, which it plans to acquire. The German company, which would match the additional Government investment, says that the capital is needed because of the continuing weakness of the airframe manufac turing market. The DASA demands came to light following a Dutch Economic Af fairs Committee meet ing on 18 January with DASA and Fokker officials. The committee meet ing was a closed hear ing to discuss the intended acquisition of the Dutch airframe manufacturer by DASA. Neither company will comment on the talks. DASA's desire for an addi tional cash injection is likely to run into Dutch parliamentary opposition. One source close to the negotiations says: "Parlia ment appears to be taking the stance that the contract should be signed first, then we can start to talk about strengthening Fok- ker's capital base." Officials from both companies on option since 1989, when it indicate that difficulties which placed an order for 75 Fokker emerged because of Fokker's ac counting methods have been re solved, and that the "due diligence" process is all but complete. 100s, with options on another 75. A further seven options are due to be decided on in July. As part of its pledge to cut spending, the airline has already Several additional hurdles, be- negotiated similar deals with sides resolving DASA's desire for Boeing and has cancelled its last further capital investment, have few MD-80 options with yet to be cleared. Fokker says: McDonnell Douglas, having "We are now waiting for other taken delivery of its 260th of that type late in 1992. American says: "We have struck a deal with Fokker in that, rather than just flat passing on options and turning them away, they've agreed to take that block of eight aircraft and move them to the end of the option line." • Construction of the first Fokker 70 prototype is well under way at Fok ker's Woensdrecht fac tory. The flight-test and certification programme is expected to begin with procedures to go ahead, over an official maiden flight on 1 Fokker 70 work gathers pace despite launch delay which we have little,, control. There will be a parliamentary debate, shareholders' and un ions' meetings and, finally, the European Commission." The weakness in the market has been emphasised in the last July. A ferry flight to Schiphol Airport is planned for 2 April. Fokker says that it believes that several customers are await ing the official go-ahead for the Fokker 70 before ordering the aircraft. This, in turn, needs few days by American Airlines' final agreement on the purchase decision to delay exercising its of 51% of Fokker by DASA. first block of Fokker 100 op- The Fokker 70 has the same tions. The delay affects the first fuselage as the Fokker 100, but eight aircraft American has held shortened by 4.6m. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 27 January - 2 February, 1993 5
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