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Aviation History
1999
1999 - 3163.PDF
HEADLINES GE uses Learjet experiment to plot unusual T-38 engine upgrade path GUY NORRIS/LOS ANGELES GENERAL Electric plans to certificate an upgraded CJ610 engine in a Learjet 20 as a means of offering the same conver sion to the US Air Force for more than 500 Northrop T-38 Talon trainers. This will be as an "off the shelf procurement. The unusual plan, thought to be one of the first of its kind, follows extensive revision of US Defense Department procurementpolicies. It will give GE the added benefit of a qualified commercial upgrade programme. The T-38 update will tackle "corrosion issues" in the air craft's J85-5 engine, a military ver sion of the early Learjet powerplant, as well as provide a substantial life extension. "It will NEWS IN BRIEF • MEXICO LONGRANGERS Mexico's Attorney General's Office has ordered 24 Bell 206L-4 LongRanger heli copters for use in anti-drug missions. The $35 million deal calls for the first four machines to be delivered by December and the remaining 20 by next September. The new 206s, assembled at Bell's base in Montreal, Canada, will be fitted with aerial spray equipment and operate with three Bell 407 helicopters ordered earlier in the year. • JAPANESE FIRST Japan Airlines (JAL) sub sidiary J-Air has become the country's first airline to order regional jets, with a deal for two Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet Series 200s. The Hiroshima-based airline, which operates five British Aerospace Jetstream 31s, will receive the two 50-seaters in November next year and in March 2001. dramatically reduce the number of parts, and opportunities, for corro sion," says the engine maker. GE is funding the development of the upgrade package, which cen tres on a spooled compressor rotor. This will replace the original eight- stage compressor, which consists of a conventional disc and spacer assembly, with an all-new com pressor. The upgraded compressor has identical dimensions. An engine upgrade could sharpen the T-38's training talons The GE-funded programme is being undertaken "in anticipation of a commercial procurement by the USAF", says the company, which plans to flight test the upgrade on a Learjet in early 2 001. The test effort is expected to lead to the award of a supplemental type certificate (STC) from the US Federal Aviation Administration. Although this will theoretically enable Learjet operators to take advantage of the longer-life engine upgrade, GE says it "won't be aggressively marketing it". The STC will be used as the platform for the "off the shelf procurement of the upgrade by the USAF. The engine upgrade supple ments USAF structures and avio nics improvement programmes for the twin-engined T-38. • Continental boss hits out at Airbus A340/ETOPS campaign CONTINENTAL Airlines chief executive Gordon Bethune has hit out at Airbus Industrie over its advertising cam paign promoting the safety of four- engined aircraft versus twins on Pacific routes. In a letter to Airbus managing director Noel Forgeard, Bethune accuses Airbus of exploiting "the unfounded fears of the travelling public on the four-engine versus two-engine safety issue". He adds: "The fearyou promote does nothing for the reputation of your A320/A330 [twinjet] series aircraft or the millions of passen gers trusting in the many operators of your earlier A3 00 and A310 air craft as they cross the Adantic on a daily basis." Bethune's rebuke is the latest twist in the war of words between Airbus and Boeing over the exten sion of extended-range twin opera tions (ETOPS) on the Pacific, which is backed by Boeing. The US Federal Aviation Administration is expected to extend ETOPS approval for the 777-200ER to 207min within the next few weeks. Airbus points out that it was a pioneer of ETOPS and says the advert was placed in good faith. Bethune, who is an ex-Boeing executive, urges Airbus to drop its campaign, saying the debate "should remain within an audience informed on the merits - not the unfounded fears of millions of pas sengers who safely fly every day on reliable twin-engine aircraft". Continental is introducing 777s on new, long range ETOPS routes and will likely be a candidate for future extended transpacific ETOPS. Bethune adds: "Although we do not operate your equipment today, it makes it more unlikely that we put our confidence in you or your products after witnessingwhatyou do to your current customers." • British Midland gets ready for Star sign BRITISH MIDLAND (BM) is poised to sign to with Star Alliance after agreeing to a two- week period of exclusive negotia tions with Lufthansa. BM has been veering towards one global group ing after another for months. BM says its "proposed agree ment" with Lufthansa would see the German major acquire a 20% holding in the airline currently held by its Star partner SAS, thus reducing the Scandinavian carrier's stake in BM to 20%. The UK air line would then join Star, bringing with it access to the UK market. BM's decision comes as a blow to the new Air France/Delta Air Lines alliance, which had tried to recruit it. The so-called "Wings" alliance had also wooed the airline, with KLM reported to have offered to take an equity stake. Oneworld partner British Air ways reacted angrily to the deal, claiming BM enjoys capacity and pricing privileges in the London market, and that these and BM's slots will be exploited by Star. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 27 October - 2 November 1999
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