Editorial opinion – Page 22
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Opinion
OPINION: All hands on deck as Toulouse battles A350 backlog
At the halfway point of the year, three-quarters of the 50 A350s which Airbus planned to deliver in 2016 had still to be handed over.
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OpinionOPINION: Cracks appear as Airbus, Boeing workloads mount
There is no other way to describe it. The second quarter of 2016 marked a modern low-point in the history of the Airbus and Boeing duopoly.
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OpinionOPINION: Could instability threaten Turkey's F-35 ambitions?
Turkey’s first Lockheed Martin F-35A is scheduled to be delivered in 2018. So, in roughly a year to 18 months, normal protocol dictates staging a roll-out ceremony inside its assembly hall in Fort Worth, Texas, where US government dignitaries will lavish praise on one of the programme’s earliest supporters and ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Ownership change gives SR Technics fresh focus
Abu Dhabi’s investment fund Mubadala had been trying to sell SR Technics for years. And when a deal was finally disclosed, the buyer’s identity came as no surprise either. China’s HNA Group has closed in on shareholdings in a host of airlines and aviation service businesses, including Swissport and GateGroup.
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Opinion
OPINION: F-35's Farnborough debut a welcome lift
It was still possible at the Farnborough air show in 2014 to speculate whether the Lockheed Martin F-35 programme would survive the decade.
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OpinionOPINION: Is A380 rate cut beginning of the end for superjumbo?
At Farnborough, the Airbus A380 was once again a sight to behold as it manoeuvred almost silently, almost balletically through its aerial routine. More than a decade after its air show debut at Paris, the world’s largest airliner remains a whispering wonder of European engineering, as impressive as the Boeing ...
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Opinion
OPINION: TransAsia crash report's psychological warning
Popular wisdom enshrined in an old maxim on cockpit crises lists the most useless things in aviation as “altitude above you”, “runway behind you”, and “a few seconds ago”.
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Opinion
OPINION: Farnborough shows how UK remains aerospace pioneer
The UK may lack an independent aircraft-building industry these days, with the famed constructors of the early jet age long gone or subsumed, but its aerospace industry continues to be a major global player.
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Opinion
OPINION: How will UK aerospace fare, post-Brexit?
Most of UK aerospace – along with the rest of industry – campaigned against it. But on 23 June the people spoke, and after more than four decades of membership, the nation will begin negotiations to leave the European Union. The 52% to 48% vote surprised pundits and has claimed ...
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Opinion
OPINION: India's small step towards airline reform
In a world where over-regulation of the airline industry is the norm, India still managed to go the extra mile with its 5/20 rule.
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OpinionOPINION: Can Airbus bear weight of A400M Atlas?
By all rights, the Airbus Defence & Space A400M should be a soar-away success story in both the domestic and export markets – but at the moment the programme is looking dangerously vulnerable.
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OpinionOPINION: Pratt & Whitney right to innovate with geared turbofan
In the late-1980s, Pratt & Whitney had a flash of inspiration. Reduction gears for gas turbines already existed, but the only reliable gearboxes for airliner-sized engines were the size of houses. If P&W could scale down the gearbox into a package weighing less than 150kg, they could change the industry.
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Opinion
OPINION: Why Red Arrows have put safety first for Farnborough
For the first time in living memory, next month’s Farnborough air show will not be able to call on the awe-inspiring aerobatic skills of the pride of the Royal Air Force: the Red Arrows. A shining icon of the UK’s aerospace prowess, the team will be performing only a number ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Counting the cost of H225 grounding
How do you calculate the cost of an accident? Beyond, that is, the simple, unquantifiable human tragedy of the event.
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OpinionOPINION: Can MC-21 restore Russian pride?
Some 25 years after the fall of communism, Russia’s aviation industry remains globally competitive in fixed-wing combat aircraft and military helicopters. But despite more than two decades of investment and dedication, its once-mighty airliner industry is, at best, a global afterthought, ranking far below post-Cold War upstarts in Brazil and ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Harbin closure is harsh Legacy for Embraer
Late in 2002, and after much industry anticipation, Embraer confirmed an agreement with AVIC to build ERJ-145s in China – and Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry was born.
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Opinion
OPINION: Is Airbus caution right approach for 'A350-2000'?
Enthusiasm for ambitious projects seems to be in short supply in the commercial aircraft industry.
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Opinion
OPINION: Business jet makers hit by values slump
Business aviation is not burdened by the uncompromising rules of economics in the way its commercial cousin is. While airline bosses fret about their equipment’s operating costs and depreciation rates, a business jet – especially a privately-owned, top-end model – is an aspirational product, where brand values may matter more ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Has industry been unfair to Bombardier?
It was 1994, and Airbus was already becoming more than a mere nuisance to Boeing. Tensions spiked at the Farnborough air show, when then-Boeing president Ron Woodard accused his opposite number at Airbus of lying: “I’ve watched him and his nose does grow when he talks.” Airbus repaid the Pinocchio-themed ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Is aviation close to environmental breakthrough?
As a solution to our energy and pollution crises, open-rotor aircraft engines have long been akin to nuclear fusion – promising, but 30 years away. But as our special environment report in this issue reveals, breakthroughs may be imminent.