All news – Page 7918
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News
Kalitta sells off MGM Grand Air
CONRAD KALITTA HAS sold a majority interest in the former MGM Grand Air to charter operator Front Page Tours, which will operate the airline as Champion Air. Kalitta, which purchased the assets of MGM Grand Air from billionaire Kirk Kerkorian in December 1994, will retain a 20% stake in Los-Angeles-based ...
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Piper comes out from Chapter 11
PIPER AIRCRAFT emerged from bankruptcy on 10 July, when the court approved the company's sale to its creditors and an investment firm for $95 million. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Dimeling, Schreiber and Park has taken a 50% stake in New Piper Aircraft, with creditors receiving 25%. Piper filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy ...
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Ecuatoriana sale
The Ecuadorian Government will sell 50.1% of flag carrier Ecuatoriana on 27 July through the local stock exchange. A further 24.9% will be sold through the stock exchange within 180 days of privatisation. The Government will keep a 25% stake in the airline, which is debt-free with assets of $15 ...
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USA advances Loran C phase-out
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA THE USA HAS brought forward the date for phasing out the Loran C radio-navigation system from 2015 to 2000, a move strongly opposed by the general-aviation (GA) community. The US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is lobbying for the system to remain operational at least ...
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Twin Commander launches rebuilds
TWIN COMMANDER Aircraft (TCAC) has introduced a programme to rebuild 690-series Twin Commanders to as-new condition. Two "Renaissance Commanders" have already been sold and a restored aircraft will be exhibited at the US National Business Aircraft Association convention in September. The factory-authorised rebuild is the latest in a ...
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Lockheed Martin takes on Argentinian service depot
LOCKHEED MARTIN formally assumed management for the former Argentinian Government-run Area De Material Cordoba aircraft factory and maintenance depot on 1 July, as part of its agreement to upgrade 36 McDonnell Douglas A-4M Skyhawks. Eighteen A-4Ms will be upgraded in Cordoba by the new company, LAASA (Lockheed Aircraft ...
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Airlines finalise Stuttgart plans
EUROPE'S AIRLINES are finalising their plans for maintaining services to Stuttgart Airport, Germany, ahead of the partial closure of the airport at the end of July. British Aerospace 146s and Avro International Aerospace Avroliners will be the only jet-powered passenger aircraft able to be operated to and from ...
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European ground-handling controversy intensifies
Julian Moxon/PARIS THE EUROPEAN Parliament has come under conflicting pressures from aviation bodies over the liberalisation of ground handling at European airports. At stake is the entire range of air- and land-side ground-handling operations, ranging from ramp, baggage and passenger handling, through to aircraft servicing and ...
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Door falls from American Eagle ATR 72
INVESTIGATORS ARE examining a cabin door which fell from an American Eagle ATR 72 shortly after take-off from Chicago O'Hare International airport on 10 July. A flight attendant sitting in the jump seat beside the door was saved by a passenger who grabbed her arm. Other passengers then ...
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American and JAL make cargo pact
AMERICAN AIRLINES (AA) and Japan Airlines have agreed "the industry's first significant air-cargo alliance", says the US carrier's cargo division. Under the agreement, AA Cargo will act as a general sales agent for Japan Airlines in 14 states in the USA and 26 countries in the Caribbean and ...
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Japanese search for FS-X price reduction
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE JAPAN'S DEFENCE Agency (JDA) is pressing FS-X fighter programme contractors and suppliers for lower prices, to achieve an overall reduction of 20% in the aircraft's production cost. The move is intended to counter the Japanese yen's rapid appreciation against the US dollar. Recent currency ...
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Mitsubishi reveals AAM-3 configuration
JAPANESE DEFENCE MANUFACTURER MITSUBISHI has released configuration details of its AAM-3 short-range infra-red (IR)-guided missile which entered production for the Japan Air Self-Defence Force in 1990. The missile, shown carried on an FS-X wing-tip launch rail, resembles the AIM-9 Sidewinder in general configuration, but the cruciform canards are distinguished by ...
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Helios launch is a success
THE HELIOS 1A intelligence-gathering satellite was launched into polar orbit aboard an Ariane 40 booster, from Kourou, Guiana, on 7 July. The French/Italian/Spanish satellite is part of a $2 billion programme which includes ground stations and the Helios 1B, to be launched in 1996, giving Europe its first ...
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Westland plans to replace Lynx blade-assembly part
Douglas Barrie/LONDON A CRITICAL PART of the Westland Lynx main-rotor- blade assembly is being replaced on a precautionary basis, with the UK manufacturer admitting to being "confused" over the underlying cause of a fatal Lynx accident in September 1994. The loss of a British Army Air ...
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Shuttle change
Lockheed Martin intends to conduct all Space Shuttle processing work at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, including the work now being completed under subcontract by Thiokol, which stacks the solid-rocket motors it manufactures and mates them to the external tank. Northrop Grumman will also be affected by the decision. ...
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JADC targets YS-X development
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE JAPAN AIRCRAFT Development (JADC) expects to launch full-scale development of its proposed 90- to 110-seat YS-X twinjet by the end of the 1996 fiscal year. According to JADC senior managing director Shinya Kobayakawa, work will need to begin by late 1996 or early 1997 ...
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Embraer signs marketing deal with PZL
EMBRAER HAS signed a co-operation agreement with Polish manufacturer PZL-Warssawa-Okecie. Details are still being worked out, but the memorandum of understanding covers marketing of PZL general-aviation aircraft in Brazil and the sale of Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia regional airliners to Poland. Under the agreement, Embraer's light-aircraft subsidiary Neiva will ...
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Baltic first for Boeing 737
ESTONIAN AIR HAS BECOME the first Baltic states operator of a Boeing 737 with the entry into service of a -500 series aircraft on 12 July. The aircraft went into service between the Estonian capital of Tallin and Amsterdam, Netherlands. A second 737 is due for delivery by November. ...
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Hexcel and Ciba-Geigy to form composites unit
HEXCEL AND Ciba-Geigy have signed a letter of intent to combine their composite-materials businesses. Under the $220 million deal, Ciba's Composites division would become part of Hexcel, and the Swiss-based pharmaceutical and chemical group would take a 49.9% stake in the combined company, which will have annual sales of more ...
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FAA completes Cat III GPS flight-tests
THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration has completed flight-tests to determine the feasibility of Category IIIb automatic landings using the global-positioning system (GPS). Results from flight-tests by E-Systems and Wilcox, in June and April, respectively, are being analysed. The results are expected to be released by September. The tests ...