Editorial opinion – Page 14
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Opinion
OPINION: Boeing backing is vote of confidence in Reaction
For Britain’s storied but oft-embattled high-technology community there was good news last week, in another vote of confidence for Reaction Engines, the Oxfordshire engineering firm developing a radical air-breathing rocket engine that enthusiasts have billed as a “new Whittle moment” – harking back to the 1930s and Frank Whittle’s invention ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Has the glamour gone out of aviation?
As our special Training and Development Guide observes, the aviation enthusiasts who tend to run the sector may struggle to understand that, nowadays, hordes of talented young people are not beating down the doors to land jobs in their industry. Recruitment is a challenge, even for exotic, glamorous and desirable ...
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OpinionOPINION: Can Embraer maintain rhythm with Boeing pact?
Embraer has, believe it or not, its own anthem. The lyrics talk about how Brazil’s aerospace industry is a vital part of defending the homeland: its blue sky, the emerald green forests and the Amazon river.
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Opinion
OPINION: Brexit offers no upsides to airlines or passengers
Since 52% of voters opted for Brexit nearly two years ago, the UK's government and regulators have been beset by multiple headaches.
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OpinionOPINION: A320 has repaid faith of Airbus - and governments
There has been a lot of buzz around the single-aisle sector recently, with several significant production milestones following one after another.
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OpinionOPINION: New Kangaroo Route could put spring in Qantas's step
Nostalgia for the post-war Kangaroo Route – flown in multiple leaps on Lockheed Constellations – and chief executive’s Alan Joyce’s eloquence about “breaking the tyranny of distance” ensured the debut of Qantas’s direct service from Perth to London gained arguably more global media coverage than the launch of even longer ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Continued EASA membership is vital for UK aerospace
To put it bluntly, whatever the rights and wrongs of Brexit, leaving the European Aviation Safety Agency as well as the EU would be an act of supreme folly for the UK.
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Opinion
OPINION: Boeing must heed 787 lessons for NMA success
Boeing's annual report for 2004 – the year the 787 programme was launched – reads like a time capsule of a very different company. That year the manufacturer reported a "strong" net cash flow, totalling $3.5 billion. Operating margins had "improved" significantly compared with 2003, rising to 3.8% of operating ...
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Opinion
OPINION: It may be ageing, but U-2S could be more relevant than ever
On its first overflight mission of the Soviet Union 62 years ago, the Lockheed U-2 was tracked for the entire mission.
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Opinion
OPINION: 737 will be a hard act to follow
When the first A320 was handed over three decades ago this month, few – Airbus included – would have put odds on deliveries reaching 1,000 aircraft, let alone the 8,000-mark recently passed.
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OpinionOPINION: Why Rolls-Royce must hope class is permanent
Rolls-Royce, so long a byword for engineering excellence, is currently struggling to maintain its image as a finely-calibrated machine.
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OpinionOPINION: Airbus to play long game with A330-800
On the face of it, the Hawaiian Airlines widebody campaign was Airbus's to lose. It was the incumbent supplier with a powerful presence in the Pacific airline's fleet across both single- and twin-aisle sectors.
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Opinion
OPINION: F-35 cost issue is solvable, but needs fixing fast
Some time in the next several weeks or months, the Lockheed Martin F-35 programme will pass a historic milestone. The system development and demonstration phase that began 17 years ago appears poised – barring any unforeseen showstoppers – to conclude by the end of summer. The aircraft, engine, simulators and ...
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Opinion
OPINION: 6X promises much, but Dassault needs customer patience
Dassault hopes it has finally put the nightmare of its much-delayed and now axed 5X programme behind it. By launching a replacement version of the ultra-wide business jet, chief executive Éric Trappier says it will offer something even better.
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OpinionOPINION: C-130J's success gives hope to A400M
Twenty years ago, Lockheed Martin made its first delivery of a C-130J to launch operator the UK Royal Air Force, following a troubled development and testing programme which was very much at odds with its chosen moniker: “Super Hercules”.
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OpinionOPINION: Qatar Airways must choose wisdom over hubris
If anyone thought Qatar Airways chief Akbar Al Baker, eight months into a Gulf blockade on the carrier, might choose to adopt a more diplomatic tone while addressing the international press, they must have been barking.
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OpinionOPINION: Are air taxis on a ride to nowhere?
Don’t waste your money on a new car. Studies on the economics of taxi services built around autonomous electric-powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft – so-called eVTOLs – make compelling reading. Basically, cost per passenger mile looks like undercutting helicopter rides by an order of magnitude – and even makes ...
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OpinionOPINION: Why Saratov An-148 loss is cautionary tale
Russia's rich literary history includes the short verse Gvozd i Podkova, in which a city falls to invaders because the blacksmith did not have a nail with which to shoe the defending commander's horse.
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OpinionOPINION: Can contract revision rescue A400M?
One year ago, Airbus chief executive Tom Enders put the future of the company’s flagship military project on the line, by demanding crisis talks with its European customers for the long-troubled A400M.
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OpinionOPINION: Who will lose out in NMA engine battle?
How long can a duopoly of large commercial aircraft manufacturers sustain a triopoly of engine suppliers? We may find out the answer later this year.