FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1996
1996 - 2939.PDF
LETTERS Smiths'work on Beech Mkll Sir — Peter Henley gives a very positive view of the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System-winning Raytheon Beech Mkll trainer in his flight test (Flight International, 2-8 October, P30). Our only regret is that Smiths Industries' contribution is not mentioned — the programme will provide us with SI 00 million-worth of business. Mr Henley seems to think that all the avionics come from AlliedSignal, but, although the bigger primary flight display and the horizontal-situation indicator are AlliedSignal's, most of the surrounding flat- Where will new instructors emerge? Sir — You report that a private consortium has won the UK Ministry of Defence contract to run ah initio helicopter-flying training for the next 15 years flight International, 9-15 October, P14). In the "appointments" section (P62) there is a half-page recruitment notice placed by the same consortium for a variety of qualified helicopter-instructor positions. The application of simple logic gives rise to a potentially difficult situation. If the Royal Navy, Army Air Corps and Royal Air Force do not train helicopter aircrew, why do they need qualified instructors? If not it follows that the armed service will not train and employ qualified instructors. If, then, the pool of service-trained instructors becomes dry, from where then do civilian contractors recruit their instructors? There appear to be two options. Firstly, recruit military- qualified instructors, who are non-UK nationals — a novel concept, and one which appears to have national-security implica tions. Secondly, contractors can train their own instructors from retiring line-helicopter aircrew. Smiths instruments in Beech Mkll panel displays are those of Smiths Industries. RICHARD BAYLISS PUBLIC RELATIONS EXECUTIVE Smiths Industries London, UK Has this been built into the costings of this particular privatisation? Will we still be considering the options in, say, 15 years' time? JULIAN PAGE Coventry, Warwickshire, UK Who 'd set foot on a pilotless aircraft? Sir — It is common knowledge that the technology for pilotless passenger-aircraft has been in existence since the mid-1940s, but has anyone asked the flying public whedier they would fly on such a vehicle? Everyone I have asked has answered "No", including my 12-year-old son, who is heavily into electronic and computerised gismos. They all feel that they could not rely on the judgment of a "pilot" hundreds, or even thousands, of miles away if an emergency should occur. I feel sure that many a disaster has been averted by die quick thinking, adrenaline-charged reaction of a pilot who has acted on pure instinct when faced with a potential disaster. How would a Youth Training Scheme graduate, for example, earning £16,000 a year, operating ten aircraft from his sanitised, air- conditioned, office react when faced with a multi-engine flame- out? I expect he or she would put it down to "computer error". Incidentally, I am a technician, not a pilot. DF ROBERTS Kempston, Bedfordshire, UK Facing up to the consequences Sir — I would never wish to set back die cause of aviation safety, but I find it amusing that my colleagues are reluctant to report when things don't go according to plan, unless all is "de-identified" and they are granted freedom from disciplinary action. These chaps are only too willing to file a report when someone else falls below standard. As highly qualified professionals, eager to reap their just rewards, should they not also be men enough to face the consequences of their actions? N ADAMS Hong Kong A bi-plane Airbus could be an answer Sir — When considering the merits of the shoulder-mounted wing over the more "convention al" low-wing design (Letters, Flight International, 18-24 September, P49), I cannot help thinking that simple aesthetics will decide the outcome. Ask which is the "nicer" aircraft — the Boeing 747 or the Lockheed-Martin C-5A, and I am sure that most people would opt for the 747. Putting that aside, I would suggest a compromise solution. Build the future large Airbus aircraft widi both wings. Mount the engines between the upper and lower wings and join the wingtips to form a box section. The result would easily fit in the 80m (260ft) box, so airport ramps and hangars need not be altered. A catchy slogan for the marketing men might be "Go bi-bus". I wonder if it will catch on? RAPEACOCK Berlin, Germany WHAT'S ON IATA 52nd Annual General Meeting 4-5 November, Geneva, Switzerland; 8th International Revenue Management Conference 12-14November, Los Angeles, California, USA. Contact: Leanne Donohue; tel: +41 (22) 799 2757; fax:+41 (22) 799 2674. EuroMilcomp 1996-Military Computing Systems 4-5 November, Nice, France. Contact: Jacqueline Baron, Business Manager, Nexus Information Technology, Nexus House, Swanley, Kent BR8 8HY, UK; tel: +44 (1322)660070; fax:+44(1322) 661257; email: EuroMilcomp® nexusmedia.co.uk. Airshow China '96/Airport China '96 4-5 November, Zhuhai, China. Contact: The Executive office of Organizing Committee of Airshow China '96; tel: +8610 (465 3105; fax: +8610 (465) 3104. Heli-Asia Civil and Military Helicopter Exhibition 5-7 November, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Contact: Shephard Conferences & Exhibitions Sdn Bhd, International Sales Office, 111 High Street, Burnham, Buckinghamshire SL1 7JZ, UK; tel: +44 (1628) 604311; fax: +44 (1628) 664 334. The Progress and Direction of Distributed Interactive Simulations 6-7 November; Virtual Manufacturing 20 November, London, UK. Contact: Conference Office, The Royal Aeronautical Society, 4 Hamilton Place, London WW 0BQ, UK; tel:+44 (171) 499 3515; fax:+44 (171) 493 1438. International Naval Defence Technology 7-8 November; Airborne Electronic Warfare 14-15 November; Military Avionics 2 5-26 November, London, UK. Contact: H Silver & Associates, 2nd Floor, Africa House, 64- 78 Kingsway, London WC2B 6BD, UK; tel: +44(171)413 0936; fax: +44 (171)413 0937. Civil Aviation in China: the 21 st Century 6-8 November, Zhuhai, China. Contact: Summit Organiser, Aviation Industries of China; tel: +86 (10) 6401 3645; fox:+86 (10) 6401 1632. Schedule Co-ordination 99 & Exhibition 7-14 November, Vancouver, Canada. Contact: Milan Nenadovich; tel: +41 (22) 799 2807; fax: +41 (22) 799 2684. Aircraft Finance 7-8 November, New York City, USA Contact: Conference Co-ordinator, Management Circle, 150 E 58th Street, 18th Floor, New York, New York 10155, USA; tel: +1 (212) 355 1500; fax:+1(212)355 4045. Flight Crew Training Conferences 1996: Use of Simulation and CBT in Aviation Training; CRM and Human Factors r"?.-18 November, Orlando, Florida, USA. Contact: Conference Secretary, Four Forces Events, 15 Brenkley^VVay, Blezard Business Park, Seaturn Burn, Newcastle upon Tyne NEB 6DS, UK; tel (int'l): +1 (44) 191 217 0277; (USA) 1800 468 8105; fax (int'l): +44 (191) 217 0163; (USA) 1800 342 7527. The opinions on this page 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 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 30 October - 5 November 1996 47
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
