All aerospace news – Page 1744
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Maintaining the margin
In the maintenance industry, the big are getting bigger Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC North America's maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry enters the new millennium in a healthy condition, having changed shape substantially in the closing years of the 20th century. In South America, recovering economies and increasing liberalisation of ...
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High power
The world's largest commercial communications satellite is in orbit Tim Furniss/LONDON Galaxy XI, the world's biggest commercial communications satellite, has been operating for PanAmSat in geostationary orbit (GEO) following its launch in December aboard an Ariane booster. Its purpose is to carry video and telcommunications services to North America and ...
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XIPS - efficient electric propulsion
The xenon ion propulsion system, or XIPS (pronounced "zips"), is the culmination of nearly 40 years of research into the use of electric propulsion as an alternative to conventional chemical propulsion on spacecraft. Also used on the HS-601 and high power 601HP models as well as the HS-702 satellites, ...
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key to listings
Licensed engineers numbers of licensed airframe/ engine/avionics engineers. Specialisation maintenance specialisations - airframes or engines. Approvals approval from major airworthiness authorities to conduct overhaul, repair, maintenance or modification work is indicated by the abbreviations: CAA UK Civil Aviation Authority; CAAC Civil Aviation Administration of China; FAA US Federal Aviation ...
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MD Helicopters severs last Boeing link
MD Helicopters has signalled a final separation from former owner Boeing with the $11 million purchase of its own production facilities and moves to begin the outsourcing of remaining subcontracting work. The new Dutch-owned manufacturer hopes to be able to double its output this year to 65 civil machines with ...
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TES programme resumes but BA says more work is needed
Emma Kelly/LONDON British Airways is resuming installations of Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems' Total Entertainment System (TES) on its widebody fleet after a temporary halt in the programme following initially disappointing seat availability figures. The airline claims improved performance of the TES, which is installed on 24 Boeing 747s and 777s, ...
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Airshow upgrade
United Airlines was due to start installing upgraded Airshow units on its wide-body fleet late last month. The moving-map display system was switched off for several months last year after irregular operation, believed to be heat related. The problem was due to the CD drive running continuously. A solution involves ...
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US Airways A330s get their P@ssports
Airbus Industrie has started to install Sony Trans Com's P@ssport interactive in-flight entertainment (IFE) system on the first of US Airways' A330-300s. Installation of the fully interactive IFE system on the A330 - the first aircraft to feature P@ssport throughout the cabin - follows the approval of the system's software ...
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CAA's hands are tied on foreign operators' safety standards
Peter Gray expressed the view that the UK Civil Aviation Authority should have a role in excluding airlines with a dubious safety history from operating in the UK (Letters, Flight International, 18-24 January). The CAA Safety Regulation Group [SRG] supports the contention that a strong safety culture is an essential ...
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ESA budgets for Ariane 5 updates
The European Space Agency (ESA) is allocating $545 million of its $2.13 billion 2000/1 budget to launchers, mainly upgrades to the Ariane 5. For the first time, the ESA budget also features funding for Europe's two-stage satellite navigation programme - the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System and Galileo. Much ...
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Canadians to be first civil S-92 Helibus users
Sikorsky has signed initial agreements to place its first civil S-92 Helibus helicopters with two Canadian operators. Nevertheless, the US helicopter company and rival EH Industries face a battle trying to break into the traditional turboprop airline market. Cougar Helicopters has signed a letter of intent to be the ...
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Agusta invites Bell into ERICA tiltwing study programme
Agusta has invited Bell Helicopter Textron to join its planned ERICA tiltwing study programme. It has also expressed interest in Bell's concepts for larger derivatives of the jointly developed Bell/Agusta BA609 tiltrotor. "We're interested in participating in further developments of the BA609 and we've invited Bell to participate in ...
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Whisper Jet to keep canyon quiet
A heavily modified, ultra-quiet version of the Sikorsky S-55, dubbed the Whisper Jet, has been unveiled by its Washington-based developer following certification by the US Federal Aviation Administration. Conceived and developed by Whisper Jet in conjunction with Florida-based Vertical Aviation Technologies, the initial version of the helicopter is entering ...
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Radio revolution
WorldSpace plans to operate three satellites providing digital-quality sound to portable receivers Tim Furniss/LONDON The next Ariane 5 launch in February will help to spread radio broadcasts across the world. One of the two satellites it will carry will be the AsiaStar, the second in the three-satellite WorldSpace constellation, which ...
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Tests of Australian aircraft show most suffer contamination
More than 90% of the grounded Australian piston-engined aircraft fleet tested are polluted with the ethylene diamine fuel contaminant. Tests are continuing on the rest of the 5,000 suspect aircraft. Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has issued an airworthiness directive calling for tear-down inspections of aircraft fuel systems ...
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Rotor-burst danger triggers Premier I controls revamp
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Raytheon has redesigned the flight controls of the Premier I business jet to prevent an engine rotor burst severing the links to the elevator and rudder. The redesign will delay certification by three months, to the end of June, says Raytheon Aircraft president Art Wegner. "The aircraft ...
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VulcanAir awaits delivery of first Zoche Aero diesel
VulcanAir was expected to take delivery of the first Zoche Aero diesel engine by the end of January for its VA300 utility aircraft. The VA300 is an upgraded Partenavia AP68TP-600 Viator, due for certification in 2002. The Viator twin-turboprop will initially be a testbed for the Zoche engine, with ...
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Eurocopter secures first US EC155 sale
American Eurocopter revealed a number of orders at the HAI show, including the first EC155 sale in the USA, made to Fred Drasner, co-chairman of US News & World Report. The European concern also announced the sale of two EC120s to the San Bernadino County Sheriff's Department, which will ...
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FAA opens door to helicopter IFR
Helicopter operators in the USA will have greater flexibility to operate in instrument flight rule (IFR) conditions after crucial amendments to rules just issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The changes reduce the ceiling minimum for helicopters from 600ft (185m) to 400ft and the visibility minimum for precision ...
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Order surge fuels Robinson's plans for expansion
Robinson Helicopter has booked orders for more than 170 R22 and R44 helicopters to be delivered this year, prompting the California-based manufacturer to begin a major expansion to its Torrance site and increase production of its four-place R44 from four to five machines a week. The move follows the ...