All aerospace news – Page 1849
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Rotary Rocket starts construction of the first Roton parts
Construction of the first parts of Rotary Rocket's Roton commercial space vehicle is under way, kicking off an ambitious development schedule aimed at achieving initial flight tests by the middle of 1999. The first elements of the Roton, an unpiloted, unmanned, re-useable single stage to orbit (SSTO) launch vehicle, are ...
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Location of SOHO raises rescue hopes
Ground-based telescopes have located the European Space Agency (ESA)/ NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) rotating at 1RPM in its nominal "halo orbit" between the sun and the earth, raising hopes that direct communications can be restored so that the tumbling craft's solar panels can be repointed to the sun. ...
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X-38 faces crucial parafoil testing during September
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES NASA hopes to restart full scale free-flight drop tests of the X-38 crew return vehicle (CRV) as early as October, pending successful tests of a redesigned parafoil system in September. The X-38 is being developed as a "life boat" for crews of the International Space ...
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Scaled Composites takes HALO up to 12,000ft on first flight
Guy Norris/MOJAVE Scaled Composites' Proteus proof of concept, high-altitude, long operation (HALO) aircraft made a successful first flight from the company's Mojave base in California on 26 July. The all-composite, canard configured aircraft is one of the most bizarre to emerge from the Burt Rutan stable. Piloted by ...
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And now for something . . . completely different
The term 'survivor' may be sorely overused in the airline industry, but it remains the most appropriate description for AirTran Airlines, the product of a merger with the ill-fated ValuJet whose once-bright future ended abruptly in 1996 with a controversial crash in a Florida swamp. Not that there is ...
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AA/BA takes another step
American Airlines and British Airways describe the European Commission's preliminary ruling on its planned alliance as a welcome step forward, but legal experts believe the ambiguities and uncertainties of the ruling will only further prolong the approval process. Most carriers opposing the alliance protest that the number of weekly ...
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CLK charges unchanged
Despite the current focus on resolving the initial hiccups, the long-term success of Hong Kong's new Chek Lap Kok (CLK) airport lies in keeping charges down. Since its inauguration on 6 June, technical and logistical problems have caused long delays for passengers and freight forwarders. But while these ...
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Airline revolution gathers pace
When we launched Airline Business magazine 13 years ago, Carl Icahn had just taken over TWA; People Express was looking at acquisitions; Japan Airlines was losing its international monopoly; British Airways, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines were about to be privatised; Britain and France had signed a new air services ...
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Poles delay LOT sale
The Polish government says it wants to postpone the sale of state carrier LOT Polish Airlines until next year, following delays in foreign ownership laws. LOT is now likely to look for a foreign strategic partner after the appointment of an advisory team to aid in the airline's privatisation. ...
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A Herculean task
Never trust Greeks bringing gifts, so the saying goes. It is to be hoped that doesn't apply to Greeks receiving gifts. Where is Hercules when he's needed? Unless he or the ancient gods intervene and provide a timely miracle, Greek flag carrier Olympic will require another sizeable gift from ...
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Losses: What losses?
The airline industry is renowned, with few exceptions, for its poor returns. Indeed, airlines as a group actually destroyed value between 1992 and 1997, achieving a feeble 6 per cent return on invested capital - at least three percentage points below the 9 to 10 per cent cost of capital ...
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Policy stirs Tata's hopes
With the announcement of a new aviation policy by the right-wing Indian government, the civil aviation ministry has reopened the Tata Airlines file. Tata proposes that foreign institutional investors pay Rs 2.78 billion (US$65.5 million) for a 40 per cent equity stake in the airline, leaving Tata Industries with ...
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Thai unties foreign knot
One year since the flotation of the Thai baht sparked the Asian meltdown, the Thai government has amended the country's 1954 Aviation Act to allow foreigners to control up to 49 per cent of Thai Airways. According to transport and communications minister Suthep Thuagsuban, the move is proof of ...
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Japan's economy faces overhaul
Japan is facing a crisis of historical proportions. The dramatic fall in the value of the yen and the long-term decline in the value of the companies which make up the Nikkei stock market index are simply symptoms of far-reaching changes taking place in the way in which the country ...
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Startups look to citizen McCain
Last year it was the ticket tax; this year it's the Department of Transportation. The US majors have a new enemy in their gunsights and the atmosphere on Capitol Hill is bellicose once again. In 1997 the carriers that united in a campaign to abolish the 10 per cent ...
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Military Aircraft Directory: Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing
HARBIN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING (HAMC) Manufacturer PWR WS FL Max RF Max Kts/Mach H Max OC Max Pay. C P Max WLE E Y-12-II Turboprop utility ...
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Military Aircraft Directory: Pilatus Britten-Norman
PILATUS BRITTEN-NORMAN (PB-N) Manufacturer PWR Max TD WS FL Max RF Max Kts/Mach H Max OC Max Pay. C P Max WLE E BN2B-20 ...
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Military Aircraft Directory: ATR
AVIONS TRANSPORT REGIONAL (ATR) Manufacturer PWR Max TD Max TR WS FL Max RF Max Kts/Mach H Max OC Max Pay. C P E ...
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EDS at BA Engineering
EDS has won a 10-year contract for information technology support for British Airways Engineering's global operations. It will initially focus on Year 2000 compliance issues. EDS will also establish a laboratory for developing computer systems intended for the maintenance industry. Source: Flight International
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Space lease
Nordic Satellite's 15-Ku band Sirius 3 communications satellite, operating at 28° in geostationary orbit, will be leased for one year by Société Européenne des Satellites, Luxembourg, as a back-up for the Astra 2A, which is due be launched by Arianespace next month. Source: Flight International