All news – Page 7642
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USN PC-9 plan
The US Navy plans to buy or lease two Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainers, "or equivalent aircraft", to use as chase aircraft for the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor flight-test programme. The aircraft will be required for five years beginning in April 1997. The Navy is calling for a level-flight speed ...
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Boeing on target for 777-300 assembly
Boeing is on target to begin major assembly of the 777-300 in late March 1997 after achieving the 25% product-definition milestone at the start of June. The milestone means that one- quarter of the design information needed for parts and tooling have been released to manufacturing for fabrication ...
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Garuda and Boeing strike a deal on outstanding orders
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE GARUDA INDONESIA has reached an agreement with Boeing to cancel and defer outstanding orders for 15 747-400s and 737-400s, in exchange for 17 new 737-300/500s. As part of the renegotiated deal, Garuda will swap one of its six unfilled 747-400s orders for five ...
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Atlanta Olympics will host Free Flight
DEMONSTRATION OF A helicopter-transportation system at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia in July and August has been extended to include fixed-wing aircraft. Two general-aviation aircraft, a Cirrus SR20 and a Mooney 201, will be used as airborne platforms to test signal strengths of the global-positioning system ...
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French independents join forces for competition
Julian Moxon/PARIS French independent airlines AOM and Air Libert, are moving closer to an accord which may see the two carriers form an alliance to compete with the Air France Group. A deal could be signed by the end of June. The two have been ...
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Global Express is readied for flight
Graham Warwick/MONTREAL BOMBARDIER IS conducting flight-test readiness reviews on the first Global Express long-range business jet. The first flight is on schedule for September, says Bombardier Aerospace executive vice-president, engineering, John Holding. Final safety-of-flight reviews are planned for late August. Final assembly of the second of ...
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Hughes and MMS share Astra 2 satellite dealy
Tim Furniss/LONDON MATRA MARCONI SPACE (MMS) has broken a virtual monopoly by Hughes Space and Communications by being awarded half of a contract from Luxembourg's Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES) to supply the new-generation Astra 2A and B digital television and radio direct-broadcast satellites. The ...
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Reutlinger lays down cost goal for Sabena
Herman de Wulf/BRUSSELS SABENA PRESIDENT Paul Reutlinger has laid out details of the new cost-cutting targets and fleet rationalisation being demanded by new partner Swissair in a bid to bring the Belgian carrier back to profitability by 1998. Reutlinger says that Sabena needs to shave ...
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Japanese to launch Kawasaki OH-X scout helicopter in 1997
Paul Lewis/TOKYO The Japan Defence Agency (JDA) plans to begin production of the new Kawasaki OH-X scout helicopter in 1997, with an initial order for four machines. Funding for the first four production aircraft will be included in the JDA's budget request for the fiscal ...
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DC-XA is flown twice, on consecutive days
THE MCDONNELL Douglas DC-XA re-useable single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) launch- vehicle demonstrator and precursor to the X-33, had its second and third test flights on 5 and 6 June. The 26h launch turn around, impressed NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin, who comments: "We are going to replace the Shuttle with this". ...
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Ariane enquiry
The Ariane enquiry board, set-up to determine the cause of the loss of the first Ariane 5 on 4 June (Flight International, 12-18 June, P4), will also investigate qualification and acceptance test procedures and recommend corrective actions. The findings, of the board are expected to be published on 14, July. ...
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Inflatable antenna
The Space Shuttle STS 77/Endeavour's Inflatable Antenna Experiment is being pressurised to its full 14m diameter on three 28m-long struts from a Spartan free-flyer during the ten-day mission (Flight International, 5-11 June). The next mission, the STS78/Columbia is poised for a lift-off on 20 June carrying the Life and Microgravity ...
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Aerospace sees the future with Explorer
Andrew Doyle/LONDON New software developed by Computervision to enable manufacturers to "visualise" the database information, which defines their products could dramatically reduce the cost of aircraft development, according to the UK computer company. The firm's Optegra Explorer has been developed with Rolls-Royce and Shorts, along ...
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PW206 to power Bell 427
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The PRATT & WHITNEY Canada PW206D turbo-shaft engine has been selected by Bell Helicopter Textron to power its new light twin, the Bell 427. The 450kW (600shp) PW206D was chosen over the Allison Model 250-C22+ and the Turbomeca Arrius 2 to power ...
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Jet plans acquisitions to boost core-business resources
JET AVIATION IS in talks to acquire K-C Aviation's Transportation Services (KCTS) and Jet Professionals subsidiaries. Agreement is expected in the next 60 days, with the two companies about to enter due-diligence investigations. K-C Aviation says that it is selling the transportation-services companies to free up resources to ...
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Cranfield to tackle gas-turbine degradation with new software
CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY of the UK has developed software to help aircraft operators identify factors which cause engine performance to degrade. Called Pythia, the system is designed to build a modular, computerised, model of a gas-turbine engine, using a Windows-based graphical user-interface. The software, then analyses ...
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USAF 'broke orders' on CT-43 disaster flight
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC THE US AIR FORCE says that the 3 April Boeing CT-43A flight to Dubrovnik, Croatia, which crashed killing US Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown and 34 others, took place in breach of orders. The airport's, approach procedure had not been approved by ...
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ValuJet to reduce maintenance contractors
Karen Walker/ATLANTA VALUJET AIRLINES, in response to criticism from the US Federal Aviation Administration is to cut the number of outside maintenance contractors it uses. An interim report, by the FAA on ValuJet's maintenance and safety procedures, highlights discovered since the Atlanta, Georgia-based airline came ...
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FAA tackles runway overruns
A DEVICE DESIGNED to stop runway overruns is to be installed at New York's JFK International Airport following successful testing by the US Federal Aviation Administration. During the tests, which also involved the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at the agency's Atlantic City technical centre, ...
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BA franchising forays into South Africa
BRITISH AIRWAYS' franchising operation has made its first non-European foray, signing an agreement with South Africa's leading independent airline, Comair. The franchise, which starts on 1 October, sees Comair remaining independent with no BA equity investment. Southern Africa is an important market for British Airways, and Comair, ...