All news – Page 6887
-
News
Muscular Malibu
Dave Higdon/WITCHITA In developing the Meridian, a turboprop derivative of its Malibu high-performance piston single, New Piper Aircraft is counting on the fact that customers will find the transition to turbine power both attractive and manageable. To test this premise, Flight International evaluated the Malibu turboprop conversion developed by JetProp ...
-
News
Mini-missile to take away
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Weapons a fraction of the size of today's munitions are being considered by the US Air Force to increase the firepower of the planned Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and smaller unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) that might follow. Internal weapons carriage, when required for stealth, limits the ...
-
News
Ion cruiser
Tim Furniss/LONDON NASA's Deep Space 1 (DS1) spacecraft is being propelled to its rendezvous with an asteroid by an ion propulsion system, the first use of such a system in the history of interplanetary exploration. The DS1, which was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 24 October, is the first ...
-
News
Airbus steps up its efforts to market A319 Corporate Jet
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Airbus Industrie is to dedicate up to 12 A319 delivery positions a year to its Corporate Jet, in a bid to convince customers that it is serious about the business aviation market. The European consortium has booked commitments for 12 aircraft since launching the A319CJ ...
-
News
Eurocopter achieves sales boom in US market
Off-shore operator Tex-Air Helicopters has purchased 11 Eurocopter helicopters for use in the Gulf of Mexico. The Houston, Texas-based company will take delivery of six AS350s by year-end, and seven EC120s will arrive next April. The aircraft will be used on contracts for Amoco and other oil companies. The ...
-
News
US aircraft deliveries accelerate by 50%
Aircraft shipments by US general aviation manufacturers in the first nine months of the year increased by more than half, with deliveries of piston-powered aircraft almost doubling over those of the same period last year. The US General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) says that piston aircraft deliveries increased by ...
-
News
Sikorsky schedules December date for first Helibus flight
Ramon Lopez/WILLIAMSBURG The first flight of the Sikorsky S-92 Helibus medium-weight helicopter is now planned to take place in late December, three months later than expected, says Randy Oliver, Sikorsky's S-92 flight test director. Delivery of the first of five prototypes of the twin-turbine helicopter, the ground-test vehicle ...
-
News
Dassault first
The first of 38 Dassault Falcon 2000 business jets for Executive Jet's NetJets and NetJets Europe fractional ownership programmes is in completion, and will be delivered in January. Zimex Aviation is appointed a Falcon authorised service centre. Source: Flight International
-
News
Socata's diesel range kicks off with petrol prototype
Andrzej Jeziorski/SEOUL Socata has begun construction of the first prototype of what will eventually become a range of diesel-engined aircraft. The French manufacturer hopes to fly its MS250 Morane light single at next year's Paris air show in June. The prototype of the four/five-seat Morane will have a ...
-
News
Czechs finish agricultural spray for low-cost Zenair
Czech Aircraft Works has completed installation of a spray system on the Zenair CH701 light utility aircraft. The resulting CH701-AG, being offered at an introductory price of $48,500, can reduce the cost of aerial application by 75% over other agricultural aircraft, Zenair claims. The two-seat, all-metal CH701 is also available ...
-
News
Lithuanian fleet boosted with Saab
Lithuanian Airlines is to boost its Saab turboprop fleet with the lease of two Saab 2000s from the manufacturer's leasing division. The two aircraft, which were previously operated by Deutsche BA and France's Regional Airlines, will arrive at the Lithuanian national carrier's Vilnius base this month, joining two Saab ...
-
News
Gathering clouds threaten European open skies deals
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Julian Moxon/PARIS Any prospects of an immediate UK-US open skies agreement have disappeared, following the confirmation by British Airways that it is postponing its plans for a full-blown strategic alliance with American Airlines. Meanwhile, France is pressing ahead with implementing its bilateral aviation agreement with the ...
-
News
France moves on Euro integration
Julian Moxon/PARIS Senior French Government and industry officials have given the clearest indication yet that France is moving to meet the conditions imposed by the UK and Germany to create an integrated European aerospace industry. Contacts between Aerospatiale, British Aerospace and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa) have "intensified" during recent ...
-
News
PIA ponders
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is considering the acquisition of three "white-tail" Boeing 747-400s as part of its evaluation of new long-haul types to replace its ageing 747-200s. Source: Flight International
-
News
UK seeks to get on board US maritime UAV programme
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The UK is seeking to join the US Department of Defense's vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicle (UAV) demonstration programme. The move is part of a restructuring of its role in the trilateral Maritime UAV (MUAV) project, which it is conducting with Germany and the ...
-
News
Lufthansa holds China talks as SIA prepares to be a Star
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE Lufthansa is in talks with three airlines in a bid to extend the Star Alliance into mainland China, according to Jürgen Weber, chairman and chief executive of the German airline. Early talks on a potential Chinese partnership are under way with Air China, China Eastern Airlines ...
-
News
Eurocopter seeks partner for tiltrotor
Julian Moxon/PARIS Eurocopter is seeking to develop a 15/20-seat civil tilt-rotor and says that it is now looking for European partners to invest in the project. The Franco/German company says that while the eight/nine-seat Bell BA609 civil tiltrotor "presents no direct competition in the short term", there is a need ...
-
News
UK's Beagle 2 Mars lander gets initial approval
The European Space Agency has approved the go-ahead for the Mars Express orbiter mission. The launch, scheduled for 2003, will include a UK-built lander if funds can be raised to develop the spacecraft. The lander, called the Beagle 2, would be the most high profile UK space project since ...
-
News
Carriers unite for airframe standard
Several leading international airlines have agreed to study the possibility of standardising aircraft configurations to cut the costs associated with customisation. Introducing the initiative in Washington DC on 5 November, United Airlines chairman Gerald Greenwald said: "Standardisation can save airlines a lot of money." Customisation adds 3-4% to aircraft ...
-
News
Ariane breaks launch record as rival Sea Launch falters
Tim Furniss/LONDON Three Ariane boosters were launched in a record 23 days when, on 28 October, an Ariane 44L carried the first European-manufactured satellite built for a US customer. At the same time the rival Boeing-led Sea Launch has lost two more satellites from its launch manifest. The ...