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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1701.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT ENTERTAINMENT IFE systems prepared for A380 test In-flight entertainment (IFE) sys tem manufacturers Matsushita Avionics Systems and Thales are undertaking extensive test ing for their new IFE systems ahead of delivering equipment to Airbus early next year for flight testing on A380 test aircraft, writes Emma Kelly. Airbus has selected Matsushita and Thales to supply their eX2 and TopSeries i-5000 systems, respectively, to equip 550-seat flight-test aircraft MSN002 and MSN007 for A380 testing in 2005. The other major IFE system supplier, Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems, is not sup plying its eTES. Tommy Dodson, vice-president and general man ager, says Rockwell's eTES development schedule did not meet "a very aggressive Airbus schedule for new IFE systems offerability". Chris Lundquist, Matsushita general manager product plan ning and business development, says the manufacturer has reached the red-label equipment stage with eX2 - a development of its market-leading System 2000, 3000 and 3000i hardware. A 550-seat system test unit will be operational at Airbus's Hamburg plant in October, mir roring a test rack at Matsushita in Lake Forest, California. Matsushita has orders for the eX2 from three carriers, includ ing Emirates as the only announced customer with an order for its A380-800s and A340-600S. Thales recently passed a test hurdle when Airbus approved a prototype of its i-5000 - the lat est member of its TopSeries IFE family. A 550-seat test system is up and running at Thales' Irvine, California, laboratory, says Joe Patti, director of marketing. Both systems provide sub stantial weight, size and power consumption savings on earlier generation interactive IFE sys tems. SEE FEATURES P28 Derived from the Be-200 amphibian, the Be-310 would incorporate a passenger cabin and up to 102 seats STUDY VLADIMIR KARNOZOV /GELENDZHIK • Beriev eyes land-based airliner version of Be-200 Derivative would have three-abreast seating for 102 passengers and 2,100km range Beriev is evaluating the develop ment of a conventional land-based passenger derivative of the Be-200 utility amphibian that could seat up to 100 passengers. Designated the Be-310, work on the project started earlier this year in a bid to find other applications for Be-200 production tooling at NPK Irkut's IAPO plant in the event that the baseline amphibian does not attract sufficient orders. Russia has placed orders and options for up to 15 of the amphib ians for use in fire-fighting, search and rescue and emergency evacua tion roles. The land-based version would have a high degree of com monality with the twinjet amphib ian, inheriting the wing, empen nage, Progress D-436-series engines and major onboard systems. It would have a conventional fuselage instead of the flying-boat hull of the Be-200. While retaining the Be-200's cabin length and height of 18m (59ft) and 2m, respectively, the Be-310 derivative's modified fuse lage enables the floor width to be increased from 2.5m to 3.1m, allow ing for three-abreast seating. With a maximum take-off weight of 42,000kg (92,5001b), the Be-310 would have a range of over 2,100km (l,140nm) with 102 passengers in high-density layout, or 74 in a two- class cabin. A lower-capacity, VIP ver sion would have a range of 5,000km. The sleeker fuselage would enable maximum cruise speed to rise by 27kt (50km/h) to 405kt and maximum altitude would increase by 6,600ft (2,000m) to 32,800ft. Beriev general designer Victor Kobzev says feasibility studies for the Be-310 are under way, but there are no plans yet for production. The previously proposed 16-seat Be-32K and larger Be-132MK regional aircraft have been shelved after failing to attract customers. SEE DEFENCE P14 AND GENERAL AVIATION P21 EXPANSION LEITHEN FRANCIS / SINGAPORE China Northern signs A320 deal China Northern Airlines is adding 23 Airbus A320 family aircraft on lease from International Lease Finance (ILFC) to replace its fleet of Boeing MD-82s and MD-90s. It has already taken delivery of the first four A319s and will receive a further seven in 2005, says Airbus. The remaining 12 will be either A319s or A320s, of which six will be delivered in 2006 and six in 2007, says the manufacturer. All 23 air craft will be powered by International Aero Engines V2500 engines. China Northern president Zhou Yong Qian says: "The introduction of the new Airbus aircraft on a large scale will rationalise our fleet, reduce maintenance and training costs and increase passenger com fort." The airline says the A319s and A320s will eventually replace its fleet of 26 MD-82s and 14 MD-90s but it is unclear when this will hap pen because China Northern is still negotiating to sell the MD-82s to ILFC and has been unable to secure a buyer for the MD-90s. "We are trying to find airlines in the USA to purchase MD-90s," the carrier says. It also says it tried unsuccessfully to get Boeing to buy back the MD-90s. Other aircraft in China Northern's fleet include eight Airbus A321s, six Airbus A300-600Rs and some small turboprops. The carrier is part of the China Southern Airlines Group. 10 14-20 SEPTEMBER 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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