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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 2126.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT MAX KINGSLEY-JONES / TOULOUSE A380 weight-saving effort to focus on aluminium lithium Airbus shifts emphasis from composites as Etihad acquires four development aircraft Airbus is to focus its short-term weight-saving efforts for the A380 on greater use of aluminium lithium rather than composites. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the manufacturer has placed four of its five development aircraft with Etihad Airways once their test duties have been completed. The company decided earlier this month to increase the use of aluminium lithium in the freighter version, which is about to com plete its design definition phase ahead of its planned first flight in the first half of 2007. Airbus senior vice-president engineering A380 programme Robert Lafontan says the decision was taken earlier this month. "We will use it in the freighter and also the passenger aircraft," he says. Lafontan says Airbus has estab lished the weight-saving that the move will generate, but declines to reveal details, saying only that it will be "hundreds of kilos". He says the improvements will be incorpo rated into series production before aircraft number 35, which is about where the first freighter slots into the build sequence. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has confirmed that the recent order placed for four A380s will be fulfilled by early-build development aircraft. Airbus plans to dedicate five A380s to flight-test duties (MSN001, 002, 004, 007 and 009) - the first four for the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 certification effort and the last one, Airbus says aluminium lithium use will save "hundreds of kilos" on the A380 plus MSN007 re-engined, for the GE- P&W Engine Alliance GP7200 clear ance. While MSN001 will be retained for long-term testing needs, the other four will be reworked and delivered to Etihad in 2007. The first two Etihad aircraft (MSN002 and 004) are built to an early specifica tion and are heavier than the pro duction-standard A380s that begin with the fourth aircraft (MSN007). • Airbus chief commercial operator John Leahy says the company is "close to announcing a major mem orandum of understanding" for the A380, thought to be from China. IFE MAX KINGSLEY-JONES / LONDON Etihad selects Thales i-5000 Etihad Airways is to be launch customer for the Thales TopSeries i-5000 in-flight entertainment system (IFE) on the Airbus A380, with a deal expected to be signed by the end of the year. Industry sources say the airline recently became the first to select Thales for its A380s. Etihad confirms that it has informed Thales of its intention to equip its entire Airbus fleet (including A330s and A340s) with the system as well as its Boeing 777s, but is yet to sign a firm contract. Thales is competing with Matsushita Avionics Systems' eX2 IFE on the A380, with the latter claiming three customers, including Emirates. Etihad says it expects to firm up its commitments with Airbus for four A380s "by the end of the year", and will also finalise its engine selection soon. REPORT NATS set to move on incursions UK National Air Traffic Services (NATS) looks certain to push runway incursion prevention higher up its priorities list when its board has fully digested a draft report which reveals there have been 172 runway incursion reports in the past four years at the 14 UK airports where NATS is the air traffic service provider. NATS says this means an occurrence is reported every two weeks - an incursion rate of one per 50,000 aircraft move ments. But operations director Ian Hall says the potential sever ity of the consequences is the main motivator for accelerated action, not the incursion rate. Total UK runway incursion fig ures from the Civil Aviation Authority show a remorselessly upward trend from 1996 to 2003. The NATS study shows errors by pilots contribute to 63% of the incursions, errors by controllers to 21%, and by airside vehicle dri vers to 16%. The most common causes are non-standard radio communications; inadequate or out-of-date documents, charts or procedures; or poor airport lay out, markings and signage. NATS looks likely to adopt a straight-talking policy, warning airlines or airports of errors or shortcomings. Hall admits that, until now, there has been a ten dency to leave inadequate airport signage or surface mark ings to the airport to notice and sort out, and poor pilot radio telephony procedures to the air lines to detect and correct. PRODUCTION DARREN SHANNON / WASHINGTON DC Embraer cuts back two-year delivery forecast Embraer has slashed its two-year delivery forecast by 12% after a series of order cancellations and delays announced by several US customers. The revision drops 15 aircraft from the 160 previously planned in 2004 and 25 from the 170 deliveries forecast for 2005. The decision comes just a week after rival Bombardier reduced its own regional jet delivery schedule. In 2003, Embraer delivered 101 air craft - 47 fewer than the Brazilian company's original forecast. Last week's decision by American Eagle Airlines to cancel 18 ERJ-145 deliveries planned from July 2005 to February 2006, and the previous suspension of Embraer's 170 aircraft deliveries to US Airways, triggered the latest forecast revision. US Airways had received 22 of 85 Embraer 170s before the suspen sion. At the same time, Embraer has finally put Air Canada's previ ously announced order for 90 190 aircraft (45 firm, 45 options) on its books. Embraer has also confirmed Copa Airlines' order for 10 190s, plus 20 options. The announcement coincides with Embraer's third-quarter deliv eries schedule. In the three months to 30 September, it delivered 40 air craft and has delivered a total of 106 in the first nine months. www.fliqhtinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 26 OCTOBER - 1 NOVEMBER 2004 9
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