All aerospace news – Page 1846
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USAF plans further manoeuvre vehicle tests
Further drop tests in the US Air Force Space Manoeuvre Vehicle (SMV) programme are planned, including a suborbital rocket engine boosted test flight in 2001, following the successful first drop-test of a 6.7m-long flight test vehicle on 11 August (Flight International, 19-25 August). A fully developed operational SMV would provide ...
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Spare module
Russia's Khrunichev company has revealed that it has built a back-up Control Module for the International Space Station (ISS) in case the prime module is lost in a launch failure when the ISS programme kicks off with a Proton flight on 20 November. The backup module could be used later ...
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WAAS funding freeze
The US Senate Appropriations Committee has blocked further funding for the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), and seeks Federal Aviation Administration reassurance that the WAAS is guaranteed as a sole means of navigation, that the signal continuity issues have been solved and that the cost-benefit ratio of the programme exceeds ...
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Beluga ferries ISS components
An Airbus A300-600ST Beluga has been contracted to assist NASA with the transportation of components for the International Space Station (ISS). The Beluga, which is operated by the consortium's cargo airline division, Airbus Transport Inter- national, transported an 18,200kg (40,000lb) Mini Pressurized Logistic Module between Alenia Spazio's plant in Turin, ...
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FAA turns safety spotlight on 747 fuel pumps
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Boeing 747 fuel pumps are to be subjected to additional compulsory checks because excessive wear, which could cause arcing leading to fire, has been discovered. The US Federal Aviation Administration is taking a rigorous view of the issue in light of the July 1996 Trans ...
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IAI negotiates to set up Moscow maintenance centre
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) is in negotiations with Russian airline Transaero to set up a maintenance centre at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. The Bedek division of IAI has been maintaining Transaero's fleet of Boeing 757s and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s since 1993, with Bedek technicians performing line maintenance in Moscow. Heavy ...
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El Al attempts to block plans to open Israeli freight market
Arie Egozi/TEL AVIV El Al is trying to foil an Israeli Government plan to open up the country's air cargo market to another local carrier, claiming that the move would threaten its revenue as it prepares for privatisation. El Al is the only Israeli airline with a licence ...
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KAL asks for 747-400 deferrals
Paul Lewis/SEOUL Korean Air (KAL) is asking Boeing to defer delivery of three 747-400s in 1999 in return for maintaining next year's acceptance schedule for three 777s. Fellow cash-strapped South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines has also opened negotiations with the US manufacturer for the return of a $140 million deposit ...
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Workshop
-HeavyLift Engineering has been contracted by Sabre Airlines to provide "full technical support" for the airline's new Boeing 737-800. The first aircraft entered entered service with the airline recently. -Sabreliner's Goodyear Arizona-based subsidiary Dimension Aviation, which recently had its contract to convert McDonnell Douglas DC-10s and MD-11s to freighters terminated ...
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Aviation Sales agrees to purchase
Growing US spares group Aviation Sales (AVS) has emerged as the buyer of Triad International Maintenance (TIMCO), in a move which adds widebody work to its expanding aircraft maintenance portfolio. AVS will pay $70 million for TIMCO, which was put up for sale by its parent, Primark group, which ...
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Cold war logic ?
Ousting 40 Russian and Ukrainian engineers from the USA after suspending Boeing's licence to participate in an international satellite launcher project smacks of a return by the US Administration to outdated insular industrial and technology policies founded on national economic and security interests. Ironically, though, the State Department's decision to ...
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Deepwater contract winners will be named shortly
Study contracts for the US Coast Guard's Integrated Deepwater System re-equipment programme are scheduled to be awarded within the next two weeks, according to bidders. Just three of the four bidders are expected to move forward into the first phase of the programme to replace the Coast Guard's Deepwater ...
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Japan stalls on trainer choice
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Japan's impending selection of a new basic trainer aircraft is now scheduled for the end of August, as the Government once again hesitates to grasp the politically contentious issue of choosing between a cheaper off-the-shelf foreign contender or continuing its traditional policy of supporting the domestic aerospace ...
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Stretching a stretch
Guy Norris/SEATTLEBoeing's newest version of its 767, the -400ER, is unusual for two main reasons. It is the first widebody airliner to be stretched for a second time, and it is the first Boeing commercial jet design ever to directly involve Douglas Aircraft engineering input, thereby marking a milestone ...
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Commercial aircraft of the world
Part 2:the large airliners New models and increasing production are in prospect as the millennium approaches, but the manufacturers are taking heed of the warning signals that a slowdown is in prospectMax Kingsley-Jones/LondonData Tables/Air Transport Intelligence Large airliner production will break all records this year as the market moves towards ...
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Record breaker
Dave Higdon/OSHKOSH More than ever before, the annual convention of the US Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) personified a major trade show - without sacrificing its traditional role as a fly-in and air show. Retitled Air Venture Oshkosh '98, the ...
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Economic booster
Tim Furniss/LONDON Development of an improved version of Japan's H-2 booster is a reflection of the country's determination to cut the production costs of its satellite launchers, to enable it to compete in the growing commercial launch market. Japan will not know how successful this bid is until 2001, ...
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Raytheon prowls for more co-branding deals
Raytheon Aircraft is to end its King Air marketing agreement with luxury car manufacturer Jaguar after one year, as planned, but is considering similar "co-branding" deals involving its piston-powered aircraft. The manufacturer says the marketing tie-up has been a success, with all but one of 12 Jaguar Special Edition ...
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Boeing deliveries
Boeing has begun delivery of 45 MD 600N light single-turbine helicopters to the US Border Patrol, to replace Hughes OH-6As. Under a $71 million contract, the company will deliver nine aircraft a year. The low noise of the MD600's NOTAR tailrotorless anti-torque system was a major factor in the Border ...
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NASA's Pathfinder solar-powered wing soars to 80,000ft
NASA's Pathfinder Plus solar-powered, remotely piloted flying wing reached an altitude of over 80,000ft (24,400m) on a 6 August test flight from Hawaii. The flight, which lasted for almost 15h, paves the way for testing the Pathfinder's successor, the Centurion, a solar-powered unmanned air vehicle which is designed to reach ...