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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 0522.PDF
HEADLINES Second Trent 777 returns to Seattle after testing THE SECOND Rolls-Royce Trent 800-powered Boeing 777 was expected to return to Seattle on 1 March after undergo ing 91 route sectors with Cathay Pacific Airways. Boeing is striving to achieve early extended-range twin-operations (ETOPS) clear ance for die aircraft. By the end of February, the Trent 777 had undergone almost 200 of the 1,000 ETOPS cycles required for full clearance and, on 28 February, received its type cer tificates from the US Federal Aviation Administration and Euro pe's Joint Aviation Authorities. At 400kN (90,0001b) thrust, the Trent 800 becomes the world's most powerful certificated engine after a test effort involving more than 550h over 180 flights. The engine itself was certificated early in 1995. Boeing and R-R test engineers are, meanwhile, tackling a fan-gen erated "buzz-saw" noise which is affecting die Trent 777, particular ly on take-off and climb-out before and during cutback. The buzz-saw noise evaluation is very similar to the problem met during the earlier test flights of the Pratt & Whitney PW4087-powered 777. • NEWS IN BRIEF • DESERT DASH 8s Saudi Aramco has ordered three Bombardier de Hav- illand Dash 8-200s to support oil exploration and produc tion operations in Saudi Arabia. Deliveries will begin in July, and the aircraft will be convertible to medical-evac uation, cargo, cargo/passen ger orpassenger configuration. The aircraft will be operated in temperatures of more than 50°C, and on to gravel and sand runways under 1,000m (3,000ft) long. In cargo con figuration, the Dash 8 will carry containerised or pal letised freight. It will seat 21 in combi configuration and 29 in an all-passenger format. Thai Airways plans fleet shake-up over five years PAUL LEWIS/SINGAPORE THAI AIRWAYS International is to purchase 21 new jet- powered airliners and dispose of 31 older aircraft, under a five-year fleet-rationalisation plan approved by its directors. The carrier's 1996-2000 long- term plan calls for a reduction from 14 to six baseline aircraft types and a corresponding cut in the number of different engines from 11 to six. The 21 new aircraft to be ordered consist of five additional Airbus A300-600Rs, four A3 30s (either -300 or 200s), two Boeing 747-400s, three 737-500s and one - 400. In addition, Thai has re affirmed its previously announced intention to purchase six stretched Boeing 777-300s. No official decision has been announced on the choice of engines, but it is understood the A300-600Rs and 747-400s will be powered by General Electric CF6- 80s, the A3 30s by Pratt & Whitney PW4168S and the 777-300s by Rolls-Royce Trent 800s. The four 737s will be equipped with CFM56 engines. The airline plans to raise the reported 143 billion baht($5.7 bil lion) needed for the new fleet through a combination of internal funds, loans, issuing 200 million new shares and selling off 31 older aircraft. Thai's board has asked Airbus and Boeing to take responsibility for disposing of the older types. Airbus has been asked to find a buyer for Thai's seven A300B4s and two A310-200s, while Boeing will have to dispose of two 747- 300s and three McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30ERs. Six Thai CF6-50-powered 747- 200s have already been sold to Langdon Asset Management for $123 million and, more recently, two 737-200s to Shaheen Air International of Pakistan for $16.7 million. Other aircraft up for sale include four British Aerospace 146-300s and four ATR 42/72s. The planned new purchases, together with outstanding orders, will increase Thai's overall fleet size by three, to 76 aircraft. Its fleet of six different types will consist of 14 747-400s, 14 777-200/300s, four McDonnell Douglas MD-lls, 12 A330s, 21 A300-600/600Rs and 11 737-400/500s. • Recorder reveals clue to 757 crash AFAULTY AIR-SPEED indi cator has emerged as a possi ble factor in the 6 February crash of a Boeing 757-200 in the Caribbean which claimed 189 lives. Dominican Republic accident investigators, aided by the US National Transportation Safety Board, say that data from the recently retrieved cockpit-voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) revealed problems with the captain's air-speed indica tor. The crew of the Birgenair air craft, which was bound for Germany on a charter flight, "...were talking about discrepancies in air-speed readings," says Boeing. The Dominican authorities reveal that the FDR showed 335kt (620km/h) indicated airspeed (IAS) when the stall-warning stick-shak er activated at 7,300ft (2,200m), but stalling speed is somewhere near 130kt IAS, depending on the aircraft's weight and configuration. The stick shaker operated for 83s before the aircraft crashed, indicat- . WA j^^^^spfa^.. *!?- t"*Hi|T' • 'A. Early indication are that 757's air-speed indicator malfunctioned ing that the pilots failed to recover the aircraft from the stall. Boeing says: "At this point, there is an indication of discrepancies in air speeds." A company source adds: "We are looking at those things that could cause that sce nario to occur." These include malfunction of the pitot tubes, of which the 757 has three. The CVR indicates that the co-pilot was call ing the speeds during the take-off run, implying that he was the non- flying pilot on that flight. • A 28-year-old Boeing 737-200 (OB-1451) of Peruvian carrier Faucett Airlines crashed on a 29 February Lima-Arequipa domestic flight, killing all 117 passengers and six crew on board. The aircraft crashed at 8,200ft in mountains on the approach some 8km (4.3nm) from Arequipa, the airline says. The accident took place at 20:15 local time in rain and mist, with thunderstorms reported in the area, but the airport was accepting other flights at the time and oper ating normally. • See Air Transport, Pll. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 6 - 12 March 1996
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