All Systems & interiors articles – Page 809
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Maintenance: Europe and the CIS
Andrew Chuter/London and Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC, Data supplied by Air Transport Intelligence After a Farnborough air show at which airliner sales exceeding $20 billion were announced, any talk of recession seems like scaremongering. But the air transport industry is already bracing itself for the next downturn - the ...
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Lockheed Martin expands with Comsat
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Lockheed Martin has boosted its bid to become a turnkey commercial satellite communications service provider by agreeing to acquire Comsat for around $2.7 billion. Comsat is the US member of Intelsat and Inmarsat and the largest provider of space segment capacity for both international satellite communications ...
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Thomson embarks on major defence electronics revamp
Julian Moxon/PARIS Newly formed Thomson-CSF's defence electronics group is to undertake a major reorganisation in a bid to raise productivity and profitability and reduce costs. According to company president Denis Ranque, the measures have been designed to "-improve our range of products, systems, services and equipment and to maintain ...
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Enduring value
The Astra has been a steady, if not stellar, seller since IAI introduced the aircraft in 1985 as a long-range, high-speed, mid-size business jet. The design mated a stretched Westwind II fuselage with a new, low-set, swept wing featuring a cranked leading edge and supercritical aerofoil section. This increased both ...
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Security InVision
InVision Technologies says that its QScan QR500 hold baggage scanning system has passed US Federal Aviation Administration factory acceptance testing. Two units will be installed at two US airports later this year. Meanwhile, the firm's QScan QR160 cabin baggage scanning system has successfully completed a three-week field trial. The security ...
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FAA close to finalising Flight 2000
Emma Kelly/LONDON The US Federal Aviation Administration is to present its final plans for the revised Flight 2000 programme in December. Flight 2000, formerly dubbed Ha'laska, was intended to be the FAA's operational demonstration of integrated flight system capabilities in Hawaii and Alaska. The programme, based on ...
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AA/BA unveil 'world' alliance
Andrew Chuter/LONDON American Airlines and British Airways have finalised the first stage of their global expansion plans with an alliance that pulls the two carriers together with Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Canadian Airlines International. The group, which has been put together under the working title of "World Alliance", ...
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American IFE
American Airlines has selected Rockwell Collins' Total Entertainment System as the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for its new Boeing 777 fleet, with deliveries beginning in early 1999. The airline has also selected the US avionics manufacturer as the supplier of video monitor systems for 75 new Boeing 737-800s and 12 ...
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Boeing's tailless 'Super Frog' hops on to the drawing board
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Boeing has begun initial development of an advanced tailless, four-engined tiltwing short take-off and landing military transport using company funds. The company believes potential customers for the turboprop, which could be available within 10 to 12 years, include the US Air Force Special Operations Command, ...
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Regional jam ?
Paul Lewis and Graham Warwick/FARNBOROUGH The regional aircraft market has undergone a radical shake-up in recent years, during which time supply has been dramatically curtailed in the face of finite demand. The casualties have been numerous - Fokker, Jetstream and Saab to name a few. The market has shifted from ...
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ATR and Embraer to decide on 70 seater by year-end
ATR and Embraer expect to decide by the end of the year whether to launch new 70-seat size regional jet developments. At the same time, the companies are continuing to seek partners and jointly discuss a possible collaborative programme in what is fast becoming an overcrowded market. The Brazilian ...
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Fairchild Aerospace names 728JET risk share partners
Fairchild aerospace has admitted that, after months of talks with potential subassembly manufacturers on the 728Jet regional aircraft, it may end up having to build the aircraft structure itself. Despite that, the company was able to reveal several of its risk sharing partners in the programme at the show. ...
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Customers prompt 90-seat proposal
Bombardier is preparing to launch a 90-seat regional jet before its 70-seat contender has even flown because "...our customers are telling us they want such an aircraft," says chairman Laurent Beaudoin. "If we could have delayed them, we would, but they say they want a 90-seater." The company says it ...
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UPS tests ADS-B in Los Angeles area
United Parcel Service says it is carrying out ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) operational flight testing in the Los Angeles area using one of its Boeing 727s. The tests are being monitored by specialists from US avionics organisation II Morrow and the FAA Technical Centre. The trials began on 4 ...
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Matsushita and Honeywell form alliance
Matsushita Avionics Systems (MASC) is to form a strategic alliance with Honeywell. The tie-up combines the Japanese company's in-flight entertainment (IFE) technology with its US partners strengths in avionics, particularly communications. The link between Matsushita, an IFE market-leader, and Honeywell is in part a response to Rockwell Collins purchase ...
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UK carries out satellite guided approaches
The UK Civil Aviation Authority's National Air Traffic Services (NATS) successfully conducted the first satellite-based augmentation approaches using the Northern European Satellite Test Bed (NESTBed), according to Flight International's sister publication Air Navigation International. NESTBed, which has been developed by NATS to demonstrate the satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) concept, ...
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UK Government boosts space funds
The UK's new space minister, Lord Sainsbury, has announced a $17 million boost for navigation and earth observation programmes, including a 25% UK stake in work towards the development of a proposed European global satellite navigation system. Initial investment amounts to £5 million ($8 million), while a total of ...
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Messier-Dowty plans giant drop rig
Messier-Dowty, now wholly owned by Snecma, is to build Europe's largest landing gear drop test rig. The MEGA (Machine d'Essais pour Grands Atterrisseurs) is a $3 million project to assemble the rig in Toulouse. Entry into service is scheduled for early 2000. The rig will be sited at the ...
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WAAS is threatened as sole-means GPS falters
US airlines have tacitly accepted that global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) as a sole-means aid is not going to be approved, according to the US Air Transport Association (ATA). The trade body has appealed to the US Congress not to reduce funding for the global positioning system Wide Area ...
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Simulated hell
Peter Gray/FORT WORTH and WEST PALM BEACH It was a dark and stormy night. I was in the jump seat of a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter. We were in the cruise and all was well. Suddenly, all hell broke loose. One engine ran up quickly and went slightly over the ...