FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2000
2000-1 - 1119.PDF
'Matched pair' Trents move closer to final design phase GUY NORRIS/LOS ANGELES ROLLS-ROYCE is close to completing the preliminary design phases of die Trent 600 and 900 engine programmes as it pre pares to begin the final design of borii as a "matched pair" over the next four months. Leading the way by roughly two months is the Trent 600 for the Boeing 767-400ERX and 747X. Detailed design of the 68,0001b- 72,000lb-thrust (300-3 20kN) engine is to start in November, with up to six development engines expected to be involved in the 15- 16 month programme. R-R is dis cussing with Boeing the possibility of flight testing a Trent 600 on a 767 testbed, possibly in combina tion with an existing powerplant. The first engine will be tested in May 2002, well in advance of the construction of the initial 767- 400ERX, which is not due to enter manufacture until the following February. Engine certification is set for July 2003, giving a two month margin before the start of the aircraft's eight-month flight test programme. The engine will enter service in April 2004, if the Trent 600 is selected by launch cus tomer Kenya Airways over the General Electric-Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance GP7172 -detailed design of which is not scheduled to begin until March. Detailed design of the Trent 900 for the Airbus A3 XX is set to begin in January, with first engine to test scheduled for February 2003. Like the virtually identical Trent 600, of which die 900 is a slightly scaled up version, die certification pro gramme is due to run to around 16 months and will involve six devel opment engines. Certification is set for May 2 004, with entry into service expected around October 2005. Rolls- Royce expects to clear die engine to 80,000lb thrust, but will offer it derated to 68,0001b thrust for the A3XX-100,70,0001b for the high er gross weight, 560t version and 75,0001b thrust for the 583tA3XX- 100R extended range and -200 stretched versions. The engine maker says talks widn Airbus over a possible increase in fan diameter could be finalised "within weeks." Charles Cud- dington, executive vice president airlines at Rolls-Royce says "...we are discussing it with Airbus, and clearly we don't know if it is die end of it from their point of view." The Trent 900 is currendy based around a 2794mm (1 lOin) diame ter fan, but die company says talks now revolve around a 2946mm diameter fan (Flight International, 12-18 September) "as die best way to match dirust requirements and noise." The fan change, which would increase bypass ratio to slightly over 8:1, would also entail changes to the core including revi sions to the low pressure turbine. • Rolls-Royce says operating time for its triple-shaft engine family, first pioneered with the original RB211 for the Lockheed L-101 lTriStar, have exceeded 100 million hours. • Pelikan Blue expands for new European services ment's Cessna 421 Golden Eagle. After carrying out various non-air line operations such as pilot train ing and air taxi flights, Pelikan acquired two Let 410s earlier this year enabling it to start weekly flights from Podgorica and Tivat to Bari, Italy, and Banjaluka, Bosnia- Herzegovina. Another flight to Bari and a Podgorica-Skopje ser vice have recently been added. Dragan Ivancevic, owner and chief executive of Pelikan, says diat purchase of two 100-seaters will enable his company to expand its scheduled network throughout Europe and will also provide more capacity for charters. Ivancevic says that he does not aim to undergo major expansion: "Two Let 410s and two 100-seaters will be enough, along with some 60 employees." • Pelikan Blue Line - aiming to buy two 100-seatjets SALINGER IGOR/PODGORICA PELIKAN BLUE Line, the Montenegro-based regional which started airline services earlier this year, plans to undertake a major fleet upgrade by die middle of next year. The airline is flying scheduled and charter services from Podgorica and Tivat using two 19- seat Ayres Let 410 UVP-E turbo- props, but aims to introduce the first of two 100-seat jets by mid- 2001. The Lets are also occasional ly used on charters for Montenegro Airlines or on cargo flights. Privately owned Pelikan, based in Podgorica, was founded in 1997, initially operating an Aerospatiale Gazelle helicopter, a Cessna 172, a Piper Warrior and the govern- ROUTES ++ Malaysia Airlines has been given permission by the Indian Government to begin services to the southern cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore and to increase weekly frequencies to Mumbai and Delhi. Sources say the airline was encouraged to open the new ser vices by the Indian Government. Air India has also signed a code- share agreement with Malaysia Airlines to operate flights to the west coast of America. ++ FedEx Logistics subsidiary Caribbean Transport Services has intro duced an Airbus A300-600F cargo flight between Puerto Rico, Dallas and Los Angeles. ++ Virgin Express will discontinue all opera tions from London Stansted Airport this winter, focusing on Gatwick and Heathrow. ++ Vanguard Airlines has expanded its Kansas City hub with a new non stop service to Los Angeles, com mencing 12 October. ++ Royal Air Maroc will add a third weekly flight between London Stansted and Marrakesh from November. ++ Air Canada will begin a daily Vancouver-Shanghai service on 21 November, using a Boeing 767- 300. ++ Delta Air Lines is to dis continue flights to Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan, from Portland, Oregon, from 1 April, replacing them with daily New York Kennedy- Tokyo and Los Angeles-Nagoya ser vices. ++ Lufthansa will begin a daily Airbus A340 service between Frankfurt and Denver and Phoenix on 25 March, also adding a daily Munich-Los Angeles Boeing 747- 400 flight. ++ US Airways plans to begin a daily Boeing 767-200 ser vice between Philadelphia and Brussels on 9 May, subject to gov ernment approval. It will also intro duce new Caribbean services on 12 November, launching daily flights between Philadelphia and Aruba and Santo Domingo and between Charlotte and St Thomas. ++ China Southern Airlines has begun a Chicago/Shanghai Boeing 747-400 freighter service. The flights are an outbound service from the USA only and will use the new Shanghai/Pudong International Airport. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 26 September - 2 October 2000 13
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
