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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 0063.PDF
AJIi fli, FAA changes its mind on 747 conversions RAMON LOPEZ/WASHINGTON DC THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration admits that it has made a mistake in approving modifications by GATX Airlog, which turned ten Boeing 747 pas senger aircraft into freighters, and it has proposed an airworthiness dir ective (AD) severely restricting cargo weights. The FAA is seeking comments from affected cargo air carriers and GATX Airlog before imposing the weight restrictions, pending planned modifications to correct unsafe conditions. The ten 747-lOOFs and 747- 200Fs are operated by American International Airways, Evergreen International, Polar Air Cargo and Tower Air. The affected cargo car riers have until 4 March to suggest alternatives to the restrictions out lined in the AD, published on 3 January in the Federal Register. After determining that the main- deck floor and the structure which surrounds the main-deck side cargo-door are inadequate, the FAA Evergreen's freight capacity will be hit by 747 problems says that it can not delay issuing the proposed AD as requested by GATX Airlog. The aircraft-refurbishment com pany had sought to hold up the rule-making action until a correc tive modification had been devel oped, designed and approved. The FAA has ruled, however, that delaying the AD "...will be inap propriate since the level of risk associated with these unsafe condi tions, including the potential for total loss of the aircraft, is so great that a delay cannot be justified". In effect, die AD would limit payload to 54,480kg, from a maxi mum of 99,880kg, pending aircraft floor and fuselage strengthening. The FAA says that the affected operators have indicated that they will remove the ten aircraft from service by 31 January. Since 1988, the aviation agency has approved several supplemental type certificates (STCs) allowing ageing 747-100/200 passenger air craft to be converted into freighters. The first STC allowed addition of a main-deck side cargo-door on the 747-100. The second STC fur ther modified the aircraft by adding a cargo floor. In 1994, the FAA allowed GATX Airlog to con vert 747-2 00s from a passenger configuration to a special freighter configuration. The FAA now says that the STCs approved by the Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office were "...based on an incorrect finding that the design was identical to the previous FAA-approved modifica tion of the Model 747 special freighter". The ten modified 747s have logged more than 83,OOOh without incident, and two of them have survived traumatic incidents. In one case, an Evergreen aircraft lost an engine when it encountered severe turbulence while leaving Anchorage. The modifications which concern the FAA were not involved, however. • India turns down three domestic carriers' plans for expansion THE INDIAN Government has rejected the expansion plans of domestic carriers Jet Airways, Skyline NEPC and Sahara Indian Airlines. It is believed that the rejection was on the grounds that the airlines had failed to utilise earlier approvals to import aircraft. In the meantime, another Indian domestic carrier, Jagson Airlines, is reconsidering plans to acquire two Dornier 328s and is switching its attention to the acquisition of two Hindustan Aeronautics HS.748s. Purchase of the new 328s would have proved too large a financial burden for the carrier, in spite of its rapidly expanding turnover and growing profit. • Iran poised to finalise two Russian deals T RAN IS REPORTEDLY nego- -Ltiating to buy 12 Tupolev Tu-154 airliners, and is also plan ning to establish a production line for Ilyushin II-114 turboprops. A contract signature is "immi nent" says a report in the journal, Iran News, in which the Iranian ambassador to Moscow, Medhi Sa fari, confirms the deal. He adds that the 11-114 production line could be operational "within a year". Rumours that an II-114 production line is destined for Iran have been circulating for several years. The three-engined, 164-seat, Tu- 154 would almost certainly be for domestic use only, since the aircraft would not comply with Stage 3 noise regulations now in force at most international airports. It is unclear whether the aircraft will be operated by flag carrier Iran Air or by one of the nations smaller carriers. Iran has been attempting to buy Western aircraft to upgrade its age ing airline fleet. Earlier efforts to acquire Boeing 737s were blocked by US trade sanctions implement ed against Tehran. • Delta warns on CRS charges DELTA AIRLINES has war ned computer-reservation- system (CRS) operators to cut CRS distribution charges to air carriers or face losing the business to emerging alternative electronic and ticketing systems. "Continued rate increases will only encourage Delta and other carriers to implement practices designed to minimise or eliminate the distribution of their product through CRS," says the US carrier. The latest round of increases has raised its CRS annual distribution costs to over $250 million, it adds. Delta says that CRS operators have ignored its concern. Over the years, CRS vendors have taken advantage of the fact that airlines and other participants could do lit tle to control CRS expenses. "If we should be unsuccessful in our efforts to reduce our distribu tion costs through dialogue, we will have no choice but to minimise the distribution of Delta's product through CRS," Delta says. • WORKSHOP • GAMCO DEAL Gulf Aircraft Maintenance (GAMCO) has signed a deal with American Trans Air to undertake a D-check, ageing- aircraft modifications and various other tasks on one of the US airline's 15 Lockheed L-1011 airliners. The 28-day maintenance work will start at GAMCO's Abu Dhabi International Airport hangar on 3 February. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 10 - 16 January 1996
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