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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 1377.PDF
RUSSIAN AEROSPACE *97 Air Ukraine closes on Western fleet AIR UKRAINE expects to introduce the first of at least five Western-built airliners later this year as it seeks to replace its fleet of ageing Soviet-built aircraft. According to Sergey Gonch- arenko, corporate secretary of the Kiev-based airline, contracts are expected to be concluded soon with Airbus Industrie and Boeing which will lead to the introduction of three Airbus A3 20s and two Boeing 767-200ERs this year on interim leases, to be replaced within two years by firmly ordered aircraft. "We requested tenders for the purchase of the aircraft and our selection of A320s and 767s was declared on 5 May," explains Goncharenko. He acknowledges, however, that final negotiations have yet to be completed. The original prices proposed by the manufacturers were "high", says Goncharenko, but a tendering process resulted in more-competi tive pricing. He adds that Airbus and Boeing could not deliver new aircraft until 1999 and 1998, respectively, and so the airline requested that the two manufactur ers source a similar number and type ofaircraft for lease in the inter im. A decision on expanding the fleet will be taken once the airline has built up operating experience. Air Ukraine, which was formerly the Ukraine division of Aeroflot during the Communist era, oper ates one of the largest fleets of Russian aircraft, with over 200 air craft now in service. Goncharenko describes these ageing aircraft as "obsolete", with over 70% of their design life consumed. He considers that there is an urgent need for new aircraft, explaining that the sight of these 30-year old Russian "mon sters" among Western airliners is like the "last of die Mohicans." Despite the move towards the Western products, Goncharenko does not rule out the acquisition of new-generation Russian airliners such as the Tupolev Tu-204 and Ilyushin 11-96. He says that their pricing must be more competitive, and points out that to a Ukrainian airline, a Russian airliner is as "for eign" as a Western product. 3 FAA warns on joint Russian certification THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration has warned that progress towards a US- Russian bilateral on aircraft certifi cation has been halted by confusion over which bodies will be responsi ble for airworthiness under the new Russian Air Code, and continuing problems with quality control at production plants. "The FAA has been ready for the past year to complete its technical assessment, but the Russian resolu tion of the remaining obstacles to a bilateral agreement has taken a great deal of time," says Mary Cheston, FAA manager - interna tional airworthiness programmes. A key issue is over the failure of the new Russian Air Code to spell out which body would have overall authority for airworthiness issues. Instead, the code refers to "special ly authorised bodies". The Aviation Register of the Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) is now responsible for air worthiness, but the new Federal Aviation Service, formed in August 1996, also has rule-making powers for air operators. The Air Code has also been crit icised within Russia. "This is a very bad code," says Yuri Maleev, pro fessor of aviation law at Moscow State University. He had been brought in as an advisor, but even tually walked out because of the lack of detail in the legislation. The code will now be put before a committee of Government experts, who have until September to draw up a commentary on its implementation. Maleev believes that, in practice, much of the detai led working of the code will lie in these amendments. Valentin Sushko, chairman of the Aviation Register, concedes that blame for certification delays to the bilateral now lies with Russian industry, highlighting the failure by manufacturers to demonstrate to the FAA that the necessary quality- control systems were in place. He says that the FAAs "shadow" certifi cation of the Ilyushin 11-103 could have been signed off in 1996, but for quality-control issues at MAPO Loukhovitsy. • Ilyushin II-96T flies for first time THE ILYUSHIN I1-96T freighter had its maiden flight on 16 May at the VASO Voronezh produc tion plant. The aircraft, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW2337 engines and equipped with Rockwell-Collins avionics, was flown for 2 lmin. It has now been ferried to the Zhukovsky flight- test centre where it will be flight-tested leading to type certification by the end of this year. Aeroflot- Russian International Airlines is due to take delivery of the first aircraft in 1997, with the second freighter to follow in 1998, together with the first II- 96M passenger aircraft.The $75 million aircraft are being part-funded using export- credit guarantees worth $ 1 bil lion from the US Exim bank. NEWS IN BRIEF • AVIAROSS IL-96 Russian domestic cargo char ter airline Aviaross is plan ning to acquire three Ilyushin Il-96-300s using loan guar antees promised by the Russian Government. The Moscow-based airline oper ates two Antonov An-32s. The guarantees for roubles 4 trillion ($695 million), which are due to be approved in mid-July, are intended to back the acquisition of 3 8 air craft for Russian airlines. • QUIET TU-154 Tupolev is offering an upgrade and modernisation programme for its Tu-154. Rybinsk Motors, which makes the D-30KU engine powering the Tu-154M, has developed a modification which it claims reduces fuel consumption by 4-5%. The company is also developing a low-emission combustor, and a Stage 3 hushkit for the engine. Although it acknowl edges that the silencer equip ment adds weight and reduces economics, Rybinsk says that the kit will enable the maximum take-off weight and flap setting limi tations to be removed. • CFM ON IL-76 CFM International's presi dent Gerad Leviac says that the company is working with Ilyushin to re-engine the II- 76 with the CFM56 engine. Leviac says that the plan to re-engine the 11-86 with the CFM56 has foundered on the inability to arrange funding. • AN-38 DELIVERY The first production An tonov An-3 8 regional turbo prop is to be delivered to lead customer Vostok Aviation of Khabarovsk in June for oper ational proving trials. The airline is expected to take a further seven An-38s by the year 2000. The AlliedSignal Engines TPE3 31-powered aircraft recently received Russian certification. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 28 May - 3 June 1997
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