Editorial opinion – Page 18
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Opinion
OPINION: The dwindling pool of T-X bidders
Back in October 1986, the US Air Force was faced with a difficult decision. It had received seven responses to a request for proposals to build two prototypes for the advanced tactical fighter competition that ultimately yielded the Lockheed Martin F-22. In the wake of later industry consolidation, the USAF, ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Does being launch customer matter?
In a world where profit is king, it feels odd to see two airlines squabbling over a title that appears to carry no commercial advantage.
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Opinion
OPINION: Why tardy MRJ is worth waiting for
Defending the latest delay to its MRJ programme, Mitsubishi Aircraft official Yugo Fukuhara notes: “Building and certifying a new aircraft is a very complex process and includes a lot of challenges.”
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Opinion
OPINION: Will political change hurt aerospace?
The election of Donald Trump and the UK’s vote to quit the EU were the seismic political events of 2016. Often compared as popular revolts against liberal elites, big government and open immigration, the billionaire celebrity’s administration and Brexit are, in fact, sending their countries on very different courses. Each ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Two heads are better than one for take-off checks
Twenty-first century cockpits have a cancer and, so far, there is no cure. Performance calculation and data-entry errors are unpredictable, liable to arise under certain conditions, taking many forms, with differing origins, and they hide, sometimes undetected, in the mathematical complexity of preparation for flight.
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Opinion
OPINION: Sales are not the only metric of success
As Leonardo chief executive Mauro Moretti notes, the bulk of the company’s core defence and helicopter activities are concentrated in its “twin-pillar” domestic markets of Italy and the UK.
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OpinionOPINION: How to keep a Cold War veteran flying
According to an old tale, a fighter pilot who had been instructed to hold off from landing while a B-52 bomber made an approach with a defective TF33 quipped to air traffic controllers: “Oh no – the dreaded seven-engine approach”. On 4 January, this perhaps apocryphal story became reality, when ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Can aviation beat human frailty?
To people who like to fly, perhaps to most people, fear of flying seems such an irrational fear. As our annual report on airline safety shows, accident rates are very low and trending firmly downward.
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Opinion
OPINION: Aviation's environmental challenges are on the ground as well as in the air
Our special report in this issue is a good reminder that while flying aircraft may be the most prominent factor in aviation’s environmental impact, emissions from jet engines are only part of the problem. Fortunately, as our report highlights, solid progress is being made on terra firma. Airports are achieving ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Is Gulf carrier expansion finally at an end?
When Emirates recently announced a surprise 75% fall in first-half profit, group chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum blamed “increased competition and the sustained economic and political uncertainty in the world”. He added that “the bleak global economic outlook appears to be the new norm, with no immediate ...
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OpinionOPINION: Trump's unfriendly fire threatens F-35
In regular instalments of 144 characters or less, the incoming US president appears committed to publicly renegotiating the terms of major defence contracts.
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Opinion
OPINION: Commercial sales dip provides breathing space
It says a lot about the health of the commercial airliner business when a likely combined orders tally of just under 1,000 jets for Airbus and Boeing in 2016 will be looked on as decidedly average.
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Opinion
OPINION: Airlines still waiting despite seismic 2016
While 2016 will be remembered as a year of seismic shifts on the political landscape, the impact of these on the airline sector are still to fully filter through.
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Opinion
OPINION: Boeing feels the pressure on Air Force One
In Donald Trump’s first act as weapons buyer-in-chief, the incoming US president shocked industry by demanding the cancellation of the Air Force One replacement programme, citing “out of control” costs.
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Opinion
OPINION: Range matters for Middle East business jet buyers
Whether for business or leisure, for the ultra-wealthy of the Arabian Gulf, being able to fly without stopping to New York and other US East Coast cities is a major plus. There is currently one business jet able to perform such a task – the Gulfstream G650ER. As a result, ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Western fighter manufacturers can breathe easier
Western fighter manufacturers can breathe a collective sigh of relief as 2016 draws to a close.
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Opinion
OPINION: Why lawyers are the only WTO winners
Once again the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled on claims of illegal subsidies in the large aircraft market, and once again, both Airbus and Boeing are claiming victory.
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Opinion
OPINION: Boeing's aftermarket strategy will require new approach
By 2027, Boeing will be an aviation and aerospace aftermarket juggernaut, controlling as much as 20% of the global market, or twice the market share claimed by GE Aviation, the biggest player today.
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Opinion
OPINION: Canada's F-35 participation deserves scrutiny
Canada’s crazily protracted process to acquire a new fighter has been the subject of another unexpected plot twist, with its defence minister announcing a plan to order an interim batch of 18 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.
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Opinion
OPINION: Narrowbody backlogs vital to industry's financial health
For Airbus and Boeing, financial health over the next four years depends on two things: executing a historically steep ramp-up for single-aisle aircraft and keeping enough customers in the order book to justify that output hike in the first place.