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Aviation History
1998
1998 - 1362.PDF
iJ*M>LIN£Z PW4098 snags may delay 777-300 GUY NORRIS/LOS ANGELES CERTIFICATION of the Pratt & Whitney PW4098-pow- ered Boeing 777-300 is expected to be delayed following the last- minute discovery of problems with the engine during testbed runs at the powrerplant maker's East I Iartford site in Connecticut. The engine "...was performing very well on the flying testbed", says Boeing, which was operating one of the five 777-300 test aircraft fitted with one PVV4090 and one PW4098. The powerplant - at 436kN (98,0001b) thrust the largest engine ever developed by the US engine maker - was removed in late April when the problems, thought to be related to unspecified issues with the stators and possibly die fan, cropped up on the ground test engine. The engine was certificated on schedule in March and was origi nally due to be cleared for opera tion on the 777-300 around late June or early July, with entry into service with Korean Air Lines planned for September 1998. Boeing believes airframe/engine certification will still be achieved "in the summer", but admits that the programme is "moving a little to die right", hi deliver)' terms, neidier Boeing nor P&W is clear what the impact will be as tiiere is some mar gin within die programme. P&W says the issues with the sta- tor blades emerged during endurance tests. • Fairchild Dornier gives the go-ahead to 428JET project ANDRZEJ JEZIORSKI/MUNICH FAIRCHILD Domic, is to launch the 42-seat 428JET programme at the Berlin International \ir Show (II.A) as the centre piece of a series of announce ments on its regional jet programmes. The company is also expected to reveal a stretch of the 90-seat 928JET and new potential cus tomers for the 728JET The launch of the 42/44-seat Fairchild Dornier 428JET - a stretched version of the current 30- seat 328JET-has been anticipated for some months. Now, sources close to the programme confirm that a programme launch will be announced formally at Berlin, and at the Regional Airlines Associ ation annual gathering in .Min neapolis on 19 May. Company senior vice-president for product development Earl Robinson confirms that various major announcements are planned, but declines to comment further before the show. The 55/90-seat 528/728/ 928JET family is expected to Plans for a larger 328JET have become a reality potential customers being revealed. One of the three is expected to be French 3 2 8JFT cus tomer Proteus, while another will be Eurowings, which confirms that it is interested in 30 aircraft from the 72 8JET family to replace its 2 7 A'l'R 42 and 72 turboprops, and 10 British Aerospace 146 jets. Eurowings stresses that diis is a "medium to long term require ment", and that fleet replacement is not anticipated before 2001 .The company adds that it is also inter ested in a 100-seater, and is looking at the Airbus A319M5, Boeing 717 and a new offering anticipated from Fairchild Dornier. The US-German manufacturer has already been examining a stretched 102-seat derivative of the receive a boost with a "statement of 928, but programme sources now confidence" in the programme say that the ILA show will see the coming from likely launch cus- announcement of a 110-seater certification following a month tomers, and three additional requirement from customers already interested in the 728JET family. This latest addition to Fairchild Dormer's proposed jet range is now informally being called the 1128JET Lufthansa CityLine and Crossair have expressed strong interest in the 728JET family, with poten- ii;il requirements for 60 air craft each, and an unnamed US airline has been expected to link up with these two on a launch onler. Sources close to die airlines now say that City Line and Crossair will confirm on 19 May their inten tion to be the programme's launch customers with a joint 120-aircraft order, worth $ 1.2 billion, plus up to 120 options. Deliveries are due to begin in mid-2001. A final pur chase decision will come later this year, subject to the approval of the airline boards. Robinson says that a powerplant decision for the 728JET is immi nent from a shortlist of the General Electric CF34-8D1, and the Pratt & Whitney Canada/Snecma SPW14. A decision on a flight con trol supplier is due this month. • The 3()-seat328JFT ison target for European certification in February 1999, with US later, according to Robinson. Aerospatiale secures big stake in Dassault Aviation JULIAN MOXON/PARIS THE FRENCH Government is to hand over its 46% stake in Dassault Aviation to Aerospat iale, marking the first in a series of moves by Paris to restructure its aircraft manufacturing sector in preparation for consolidation with Daimler-Benz Aerospace (Dasa), British Aerospace and, eventually, Alenia and CASA. The Government played down the significance of the handover, saying that the transfer formed part of a "correction" to the overall industrial constitution of Dassault Aviation and should be seen only as a "rapprochement" and not the start of a full blown merger of the two French companies. Never theless, the deal is expected to improve Aerospatiale's hand in negotiations with BAe and Dasa to create a single aerospace entity. Under the deal, both companies will remain separate entities, with state owned Aerospatiale absorb ing Dassault's military aircraft business, leaving family-controlled Dassault to concentrate on busi ness jets and electronics. The deal is expected to pave the way for its eventual merger with state owned Aerospatiale and a cut in the state's 100% stake in the group. For the moment, the French Government refuses to soften its stand against the privatisation of Aerospatiale, seen by its UK and German partners in Airbus Industrie as a necessary prerequi site to any full merger of the three national aerospace industries. Fhe two French companies say they will form a strategic commit tee to "...optimise their industrial, commercial and technological resources". Industry sources in Paris say that, in addition to bring ing subsidiary operations such as Dassault International and Das sault Falcon Jet into a civil-only Dassault Industrie, there are also plans made to withdraw Dassault Aviation's 4.34% stock market quotation. This stake will be passed on to Aerospatiale, which will increase its holding in Dassault Aviation to around 50%, with the rest of the company owned by Dassault Industries. J See Business, P22. 4 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 20 - 26 May 1998
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