Editorial opinion – Page 18
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Opinion
OPINION: A380 risks becoming a white elephant
In Paris, the Airbus A380 is once again being wheeled out to perform its flying display in the skies above Le Bourget.
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OpinionOPINION: Why orders slump won't hurt Paris air show
If Airbus’s outspoken chief salesman John Leahy is to be believed, the Paris air show might not bring the expected rush of mega-deals that we have become used to during a bumper era for commercial aircraft orders. But with record backlogs in hand, such a slowdown would not be a ...
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OpinionOPINION: Why Gulf discord is problem for whole region
Just at the point when the Gulf carriers had been trying to demonstrate solidarity in the interests of pursuing a common agenda, the whole united front has spectacularly imploded.
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OpinionOPINION: Should P&W be gearing up for patent battle?
Another engine patent war is brewing on the horizon. Rolls-Royce has plans to offer its UltraFan to Boeing for the proposed New Midsized Aircraft (NMA). But the UltraFan contains a power gearbox: a technology that Pratt & Whitney asserts is protected under a generic patent for a geared turbofan engine.
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OpinionOPINION: Can Russia make the MC-21 a sales success?
Even as the MC-21’s wheels lifted from the runway at Irkut’s aviation plant, hardly anyone outside Siberia knew that Russia’s most advanced passenger aircraft had been scheduled to fly.
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Opinion
OPINION: President Trump's first budget maintains status quo
It is best not to assign too much meaning to US government budget requests these days, as Congress has failed to enact a defence appropriations bill since 2015.
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OpinionOPINION: Why Stockholm must dig deep for defence
It is astonishing to think that at the height of the Cold War, the world’s fifth-largest air force belonged to non-aligned Sweden.
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OpinionOPINION: Can airframers beat supply chain vulnerability?
Like a game of industrial Whac-a-Mole, Airbus and Boeing have conquered one embarrassing behaviour – long-delayed new product introductions – just as customers grow increasingly nervous about another emerging problem: supply chain breakdowns.
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Opinion
OPINION: Family focus under fire at Bombardier
After years of costly stumbles, Bombardier finally seems to be moving in the right direction, especially since the hiring of Alain Bellemare as chief executive in February 2015.
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Opinion
OPINION: The C919 is a tale of dreams and destiny
When the Comac C919 took off into an overcast Shanghai on 5 May, guests at the first flight ceremony burst into cheers and applause. Suppliers and Comac employees hugged and congratulated each other on a job well done, having just witnessed China's aerospace dream take flight.
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Opinion
OPINION: Norway H225 crash probe raises troubling questions
Within the careful language of air accident investigation reports, it is rare to find much in the way of direct criticism; here safety recommendations take the place of finger pointing.
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Opinion
OPINION: Boeing's CSeries trade complaint lacks credibility
In perhaps the most back-handed compliment one manufacturer can pay another, Boeing feels so threatened by the Bombardier CSeries that it has filed a formal complaint with the US government.
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OpinionOPINION: Can Uber's VTOL air taxi plan take off?
By 2020, electric-powered flying taxis will be able to pick up passengers from a crowded city centre, then zoom over the traffic at 150mph to a destination across town or perhaps in a leafy, quiet suburb.
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Opinion
OPINION: Why the MRJ should be at Le Bourget
Mitsubishi Aircraft’s new president has surprised many an industry watcher by unveiling a plan to bring the company’s troubled MRJ90 to the Paris air show in June.
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OpinionOPINION: JMR-TD delays could slow US Army's high-speed rotorcraft effort
It has not been a great week for the US Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme.
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Opinion
OPINION: Supersonic business jets will be industry's risk
What price speed? That – as much as technology or the lack of it – will determine if a supersonic business jet reaches the market. Several start-ups have unveiled concepts, led by Aerion, a 10-year veteran of the sector, though still to cut metal. Boom Technology and Spike Aerospace are ...
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OpinionOPINION: Why BA is putting premium on seat upgrade
Who would be the chief executive of a legacy airline like British Airways?
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OpinionOPINION: Can Typhoon storm to further sales?
It was, as chief executive Volker Paltzo put it, a very special day as the Eurofighter consortium delivered its 500th production example of the Typhoon in Turin.
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Opinion
OPINION: Polish Tu-154 obsession does nothing for air safety
Poland’s government harbours an unhealthy resentment over the presidential Tu-154 crash in Smolensk, now manifesting itself as a delusional farce.
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Opinion
OPINION: Charleston debut breaks with 101 years of history
After 101 years of history, the choreography of a first flight event for a Boeing commercial aircraft seems rather routine. The telemetry truck is stationed at an appropriate location, the Boeing-owned Lockheed T-33 chase plane taxies by and takes off and then the new model or sub-model completes pre-flight checks ...