All Systems & interiors articles – Page 763
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Forecasts for 2000 - Environment
Green issues pose biggest industrial challenge David Learmount/LONDON Glimpses of how environmental issues will be handled in the future are visible in the Euro-US row about hushkits. Ostensibly, environmental concerns embrace purely the control of noise, emissions, and safety for those who live near airports. However, this debate ...
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Forecasts for 2000 - Airframers
Ultra-large aircraft and regional jets to move ahead, but production to slow Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Although 1999 promised some dramatic airliner developments, few came to fruition. But the stage has been set for key activities over the next 12 months - most notably in the ultra-large aircraft and regional-jet sectors. ...
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Forecasts for 2000 - Aerospace
The shape of the industry is changing radically Chris Jasper/LONDON The face of aerospace manufacturing has been transformed over the past few years by rampant merger activity, but in 2000, the industry may at last be prepared to take a breather as companies concentrate on extracting value from the ...
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Euro capacity plans sought for 8.33kHz success
Emma Kelly/LONDON Eurocontrol is urging member states affected by the implementation of 8.33kHz channel-spacing to provide details of their capacity plans for next summer to ensure the success of the programme and alleviate congestion in European airspace. The mandatory carriage of 8.33kHz-compatible airborne radio equipment came into effect above ...
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SAS board approves A330/A340 purchase
The SAS board has finally approved the Scandinavian flag carrier's long-awaited purchase of four A330-300s and six A340-300s to replace Boeing 767-300ERs on long-haul routes. The airline's selection of the Airbus types over the rival 777-200ER was revealed by Flight International in January, although the order was delayed until internal ...
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First Hughes 702 will be largest in orbit
Hughes Space and Communications' first HS-702 satellite was due to be launched on 21 December aboard an Ariane 4. The HS-702, which will be PanAmSat's Galaxy XI satellite, will be the largest commercial communications satellite deployed in orbit - equipped with 64 transponders (40 Ku-band and 24 C-band) and ...
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Airbus flying-wing studies
Alongside immediate plans on the A3XX, Airbus Industrie and its partners are looking at configurations that could lead to the introduction of radical airliner designs further into the 21st Century. The first of a series of meetings to consider future concepts took place in November at Airbus Toulouse headquarters. Airbus ...
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'Real estate in space' for ISS
Spacehab and Russia's Energia plan to build the first privatised commercial module for the International Space Station (ISS). Called Enterprise, the module will be used for commercial microgravity experiments and to host a studio for television and Internet broadcasts. The latter is expected to be in conjunction with an established ...
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In the front seat
Flight International samples Airbus' new flight desk technology for the A3XX Peter Henley/TOULOUSEAirbus Industrie has built up vast experience in the design and production of fly-by-wire commercial aircraft. A bedrock philosophy behind the consortium's ever-expanding family has been to achieve maximum commonality between cockpits. This means pilots can fly ...
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Crossair gears up for ATM-2000+
Andrew Doyle/SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS Crossair aims to become the first regional airline to have aircraft compliant with Europe's future communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) operating environment when it begins taking delivery of a fleet of 15 Embraer ERJ-145s in February. The carrier says it decided ...
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New PETAL partners will join in 2001
Swissair, Northwest Airlines and Honeywell (formerly AlliedSignal) are to join Europe's Preliminary Eurocontrol Test of Air/Ground Data Link (PETAL II) programme in 2001. PETAL II is Europe's groundbreaking validation of air-ground data links in operational air traffic control. The three-phase programme involves air traffic controllers and aircraft crew communicating ...
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Aeroflot agrees to lease six Ilyushin Il-96-300s
Aeroflot Russian International Airlines has signed an agreement with Ilyushin's finance arm to take delivery of six Ilyushin Il-96-300s on lease. Production of the 240-seat Il-96-300, powered by the Aviadvigatel PS-90A, has been running at a trickle at the VASO Voronezh plant, where unfinished aircraft have been stockpiled. ...
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Athens hub draws BA interest
Julian Moxon/PARIS British Airways is targeting Olympic Airways as a possible oneworld partner as part of a strategy aimed at developing the new Athens Spata airport as a major regional hub. The UK airline, which, through its consultancy arm Speedwing, has a contract to restructure Olympic in preparation ...
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Quality regulations push back Eaglet certification schedule
Euro-ENAER has pushed back certification of its Eaglet single-engined utility aircraft until the first quarter of 2000 because of the unforeseen demands of new European quality assurance regulations for general aviation aircraft. The fully composite two-seat Eaglet, originally set for approval in March, may become the first aircraft to ...
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Boeing secures deal for Skybridge launch
The Alcatel-led Skybridge consortium has selected Boeing Delta III and IV vehicles to launch half of its planned 80-satellite constellation from 2002, in a deal which is a major blow to Arianespace. Boeing will also take a "significant" financial stake in Skybridge, which will operate a high-speed broadband multimedia ...
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Nigeria continues rebuilding as privatisation looms
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Nigeria Airways has begun the next phase of rebuilding its network as it gears up for partial privatisation in early 2001. The airline has expanded its joint weekly services with British Airways between Lagos and London Heathrow from three to six frequencies, and introduced a dedicated Boeing ...
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Next-generation datalink held up
Efforts by the US Federal Aviation Administration to develop and deploy the next-generation digital air-to-ground communications system could be delayed by budget cuts, US aviation agency officials have warned. For now, controller pilot datalink communications (CPDLC), a key element of the FAA's "free flight" programme, remains on track despite ...
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Europe to define GalileoSat
The European Space Agency and the European Commission (EC) have signed a contract to launch the €20 million ($20.2 million) GalileoSat definition phase for the proposed Galileo satellite navigation system. By mid-December, the EC was also expected to sign four major contracts with industry on Galileo system definition. The ...
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Rocket science
NASA must be eagerly awaiting the New Year following its string of disasters in 1999. The US space administration, which has done so much for space exploration this century, is hardly ending it on a high note. The latest setback - the further delay of the crucial Hubble Space ...
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$100m Virgin deal launches System 3000
Emma Kelly/LONDON Virgin Atlantic has signed a $100 million letter of intent with Matsushita for the interactive in-flight entertainment (IFE) system supplier's new System 3000 hardware. The airline, expected to announce the deal later this month, is the first carrier to confirm a commitment to the fully interactive IFE ...