All aerospace news – Page 1944
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Malev boosts share sale
The Hungarian Government is to sell off another 39%of Malev as the privatisation of the flag carrier goes into its second phase. Alitalia, which acquired 30%of Malev in the initial privatisation four years ago, may also have to sell its stake. The sale to Alitalia, and of another ...
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MD 600N ticket close
The delayed US certification of the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) MD600N is expected early in May. MDHS has raised the rotor minimum speed and moved the tail-thruster exit to on top of the tailboom to eliminate blade strikes on the boom caused by rotor droop during control reversals at ...
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US carriers enjoy profits hike
Overall profits from the major US airline groups continued to forge ahead in the first quarter of 1997, shrugging aside the hike in fuel costs and re-imposition of the 10% federal ticket tax in early March. The leading airlines made a combined profit of over $750 million, more ...
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Maersk steers Estonian Air to profits in 1999 as traffic rises
Estonian Air, now managed by Denmark's Maersk Air following 1996's privatisation, is forecasting proÌts by 1999 on the back of a steady increase in passenger traffic, helped by its new Western-built aircraft ßeet and the development of regional routes from the Estonian capital, Tallinn. Borge Thornbech, who was ...
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Cathay's mixed fleet cuts costs of crews
Cathay Pacific Airways claims that mixed-fleet flying on its Airbus Industrie A330s and A340s has yielded crew-cost savings of up to 25%. The Hong Kong-based airline is a world leader in two-engine/four-engine mixed-fleet flying. Capt John Bent, Cathay's flying training manager (policy), says that, following the initial costs ...
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Two UK freight carriers prepare for widebodies
HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, and Hunting Cargo are working towards the introduction of widebodied freighters later this year to meet possible express-parcels carriers' requirements and their own needs. HeavyLift is finalising plans to introduce two Airbus A300B4 freighters this year, while Hunting says that it is considering the acquisition ...
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Lufthansa 747 'Classic' digital cockpit retrofit is certificated
The first Boeing 747 "Classic" to be retrofitted with a digital cockpit has been certificated by the German civil aviation authority. The aircraft, an ex-United Airlines 747SPbelonging to the Brunei royal family, was modified by Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany (Flight International, 26 June-2 July, 1996). It has ...
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Breath of fresh AI(R)
When Aero International (Regional) (AI(R)) was formed in January 1996 from the regional-aircraft businesses of Aerospatiale of France, Alenia of Italy and British Aerospace, its declared policy was to manufacture and market a family of complementary regional aircraft. That family now includes the Jetstream 41 turboprop (with 29-30 seats), the ...
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A return to business
With confidence in the UK economy on the rise, it seems fitting that the 1997 European Business Air Show (EBAS) should be hosted at London's Stansted Airport for the first time. The sixth annual EBAS will run from the 13-15 May, and will feature all aspects of business aviation. "EBAS ...
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Sharing the loads
The utilisation by major carriers of regional airlines with low cost bases to operate low-volume, short-haul feeder services is a concept that has been established in North America since the 1980s, but has only recently caught on in Europe. British Airways was the first European carrier to conclude a franchise ...
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Wankel examines multi-fuel engine
German engine manufacturer Wankel Rotary is studying the development of a multi-fuel rotary engine for aircraft and helicopter applications. Wankel says that the variable installation position (VIP) engine will be able to run on avgas, kerosene, diesel, natural gas, methanol or hydrogen, and will offer substantial weight savings ...
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FAA re-issues Teledyne crankshaft AD
A PROPOSED airworthiness directive (AD) requiring replacement of the crankshafts in some 10,000 Teledyne Continental 360-and 520-series piston engines has resurfaced, with the US Federal Aviation Administration citing an abnormally high failure rate. The original July 1993 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) was strenuously opposed by the US ...
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NASA has five options for next Discovery mission
NASA has selected five proposals for detailed study as candidates for the next mission in the low-cost Discovery series of interplanetary spaceflights, to be launched in 2002. One or two of the five proposed spacecraft will be selected next October for full development. The five new ...
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First US-Russian spacewalk is completed in ISS rehearsal
Cosmonaut Vasily Tsiblyev and astronaut Jerry Linenger conducted the first Russian/US spacewalk on 29 April, working outside the Mir 1 space station for 4h 57min in a rehearsal for the joint walks required during the assembly and operation of the International Space Station (ISS). The spacewalkers deployed two ...
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United Airlines prepares 747SP for SOFIA programme
The former United Airlines Boeing 747SP earmarked for conversion to NASA's SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy) project has been ferried from United's San Francisco maintenance base to Waco, Texas, for modification by Raytheon E-Systems. The aircraft was brought to San Francisco in mid-February from Las Vegas, Nevada, ...
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Crash grounds BK117S
The US Federal Aviation Administration has grounded Eurocopter BK117s until the tailbooms can be inspected for fatigue cracks. The move follows the crash of Colgate-Palmolive's corporate aircraft on take-off in New York on 15 April, killing one passenger. Since then cracks have been found in three more helicopters. ...
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Clinton stymied by vested interests
Sir - Why cancel the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F22, McDonnell Douglas F18E/F, or even the Joint Strike Fighter, purely to accelerate delivery of the Bell-Boeing V-22 tiltrotor? (Flight International, 23-29 April, P18). I had wondered why certain US politicians had been trying to make out that the F18E/F "-didn't ...
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GE maintenance business challenged by P&W moves
Pratt & Whitney is seeking to combat General Electric Aircraft Engines' growing dominance of the powerplant maintenance market with the launch of its own scheme to secure a major slice of the business. The US engine maker is offering airlines a "thrust-manager" deal covering the entire life of ...
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Slater slams Miami ruling
In his first major decision as US secretary of transportation, Rodney Slater has overturned a controversial ruling on the financing of a new terminal at Miami, which would have set a precedent on the raising and use of airport funds. Slater's action reverses a March decision by a ...
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The new jet set
Long acknowledged as a quiet revolution, the issue of regional jet aircraft service was catapulted into the public domain when the potential American Airlines pilots strike became a staple feature of the evening news. Yet the operation of moderate-sized jets seating between 50 and 90 passengers, including the Canadair Regional ...