Op-Ed Columnists – Page 16
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Opinion
Comment: Defence review, or strategic error?
What are the long-term implications of the UK's decisions to axe its carrier strike and maritime patrol aircraft capabilities?
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Opinion
Comment: It's a style thing
Price, performance and after-sales service all figure into the mix when it comes to choosing between brands. But what really makes the sale is raw, sexy good looks
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Opinion
Comment: The nuts and bolts of the plastic fanatic
Aerospace manufacturers have long been convinced of the benefits of lightweight, aerodynamic composite materials, but engineering has proved problematic.
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Opinion
Comment: Short ride on a spaceplane
The term "space tourism" does not always bring to mind positive images. Think chequebook astronauts who dream of going boldly without actually having to compete intellectually with the terrifyingly well-qualified crew who fill the seats on real space missions
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Opinion
Comment: Zero hour for helicopter safety improvement
Now, five years after the International Helicopter Safety Team launched its historic attempt to transform global rotary-wing safety performance, it has assembled the necessary critical mass of data on which to base intervention strategies
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Opinion
Comment: Speed – a question of money
When Mel "Mad Max" Gibson visits a lonely desert mechanic in search of serious horsepower, a sign above the door sums it all up: "Speed is a question of money - how fast do you want to go?"
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Opinion
Comment: Do it or rue it
Aviation has a golden opportunity to set itself challenging but achievable targets for emissions reductions. If it doesn't act now, enviromental activists may force change on the industry
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Opinion
Comment: Destruction still means death
One reason military electronics cost a bomb compared with civilian gadgets is that military equipment has got to operate reliably in vastly more hostile environments than a living room or a Starbucks
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Opinion
Comment: Probing investigation
Air accident investigation in Europe will still be carried out by national agencies, but a new EU law requires them to be much more accountable. This is no bad thing
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Opinion
Comment: Endlessly fighting yesterday's battle
True to all expectations, the World Trade Organisation ruling last week on Europe's claim that Boeing receives "illegal" subsidies was a victory for Europe. And, it was a victory for the USA.
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Opinion
Comment: Would Europe flounder again if the ash cloud returns?
European aviation need not suffer from organisational confusion the next time its skyways are choked with ash - assuming regulators and airlines can learn to embrace risk
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Opinion
Comment: Of steady sales and plunging profits
An aphorism of the corporate world holds that turnover is vanity, margin is sanity. In other words: grow sales all you want, it's profits that count.
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Opinion
Comment: The revolution starts now
US defence contractors are tightening their belts as Washington makes it clear that economy is the big gun in budgeting. After a decade of rampant growth, some trimming is in order
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Opinion
Comment: Buy American
With pressure on US military spending putting defence company accounts under strain, big contractors are looking for new markets - and Washington is keen to lower export barriers
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Opinion
Comment: Airframers aren't the only later arrivers
In-flight entertainment and connectivity vendors don't do well with deadlines. Like major airframers, they often agree to overly ambitious delivery schedules, only to end up missing the mark by many months or even years.
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Opinion
Comment: Oh, what a lovely war
Fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has been the making of an unmanned aircraft industry whose products have become frontline essentials. The prospect of peace poses serious dangers
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Opinion
Comment: Trade tussle's big winner?The lawyers
If a successful compromise is one that leaves everyone equally dissatisfied, the World Trade Organisation must be delighted with its handling of the US-brought case on Airbus subsidies.
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Opinion
Comment: Pilot licences should be invalid unless accompanied by full training performance records
The Colgan Air accident at Buffalo has certainly shaken up US thinking about what makes - and keeps - an airline pilot competent.
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Opinion
Comment: Time to pay for safety
As last week's fatal crash in Colombia sadly highlights, fast-growing Latin America needs to recognise that failing to invest in airport infrastructure and staff training costs lives