All Systems & interiors articles – Page 816
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News
FAA prepares to clear MD 600N improvements
The US Federal Aviation Administration is expected to "sign off" on a performance improvement programme for the Boeing MD 600N helicopter by the end of July. The year-long effort will result in clearance for take-off and landing at 7,000ft (2,130m) density altitude at all-up weights of up to 1,750kg ...
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AASI hastens production climb
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Advanced Aerodynamics & Structures (AASI) is completing final assembly of the third Jetcruzer 500 pusher turboprop and has already amassed more than 50 flight-test hours on the second prototype. "Test flights are indicating better performance in terms of climb and cruise speed than we anticipated," ...
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WorldNav communications unit to become ACARS successor
Honeywell has launched its own communications management unit (CMU), catching up with competitors AlliedSignal and Rockwell Collins and filling a gap in the company's WorldNav product suite. Honeywell expects the CMU, which complies with the latest ARINC 758 standard, to succeed the current airborne communications addressing and reporting system ...
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ARAC advises caution on fuel tank safety improvements
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC An aviation industry advisory group led by Boeing and Airbus Industrie says the US Federal Aviation Administration should continue to investigate cost-effective ways to enhance fuel tank safety on in-service and new airliners while ordering the changes for new aircraft designs. Six months ago, the ...
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EC aims to be at the helm of global navigation
The European Commission (EC) has responded to calls from the airline industry and other bodies and accelerated efforts to define a future European global navigation satellite system (GNSS-2). While existing plans for an interim satellite-based system, the European geostationary navigation satellite system (Egnos), remain in place, the EC is ...
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Star Alliance aims to build on Asia-Pacific links
The global Star Alliance is moving to consolidate its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, with some small but critical bilateral co-operation agreements and approvals either being finalised or close to be being concluded. Founding Star partner Lufthansa has announced a code-sharing agreement with Air New Zealand (ANZ) on routes ...
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Boeing gets go-ahead for CALCM upgrade
Boeing has won a $5.5 million development and production contract to develop and deliver retrofit kits to upgrade AGM-86C conventional air-launched cruise missiles (CALCMs) to Block 1A standard. Block 1A includes an eight-channel global positioning system receiver with navigation and guidance enhancements and an adaptive, anti-jam, antenna array designed ...
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TrunkLiner programme is scrapped
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE China has scrapped the Boeing MD-90-30 TrunkLiner programme less than a month after the collapse of AE-3IX co-development negotiations with Airbus Industrie Asia, delivering a double blow to the country's once bold aerospace ambitions. Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) has instructed Boeing's Long Beach plant to ...
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Routes
-Sabena will introduce jet services on its Brussels to London City service on 13 September, replacing the existing Bombardier Dash 8 with an Avro RJ85 on one of five daily flights. ++ Swissair will cease flights to Philadelphia at the end of October. The airline will offer connections via New ...
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BA reviews low-cost, long-haul plans after Flying Colours sale
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON British Airways appears to have scaled back plans for its low-cost, long-haul franchise partner Airline Management (AML). The rethink follows a change of ownership for Flying Colours, the charter carrier which has been providing AML with cabin crew and management. AML was set up a year ...
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Virgin Express aims for Ireland
Ian Sheppard/LONDON Brussels-based low-cost carrier Virgin Express will this month apply for a Republic of Ireland air operator's certificate (AOC). This will see the airline establish a new base in Ireland at a fraction of the cost of operating from Belgium. The airline says it has no intention ...
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News
Weather briefing
Weather Services International is planning to launch an Internet-based weather briefing system for pilots. The new international service will be announced at the Farnborough air show in September and will become operational shortly after. The product will enable pilots to access weather data via fixed and wireless telephone systems, thereby ...
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SAirGroup seeks to buy stake in Germany's LTU
In a fresh twist to the restructuring taking place in the increasingly aggressive German charter market, Swissair parent SAirGroup has entered negotiations to buy a 34.7% stake in German charter carrier LTU. The stake is held by Westdeutsche Landesbank, which has been ordered to sell by Germany's competition watchdog, the ...
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MMS wins Eutelsat Europesat contract
Eutelsat has awarded Matra Marconi Space (MMS) a contract to build the Europesat 1B communications satellite. The craft will be based on an MMS Eurostar bus and will be placed in a geostationary orbit at 29íE, the second of two orbital positions used by the European satellite communications organisation. ...
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GPS takes over US non-precision flying
Operators at US provincial airports and airfields will soon be able to use satellite navigation equipment to carry out non-precision approaches for which distance measuring equipment (DME) and automatic direction finders (ADF) are now used. The Federal Aviation Administration has given notice that it will approve the new procedure ...
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AlliedSignal dispute Beriev Be-200 claims
AlliedSignal has refuted claims by Beriev that it is responsible for new delays to the maiden flight of its Be-200 twin-turbofan amphibian. The Russian company had alleged that non-arrival of avionics from AlliedSignal, coupled with funding shortages, had stopped the aircraft making its first flight. The absence of the ...
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Western Michigan University jets ahead with plans to acquire 737-400 simulator
Western Michigan University plans to acquire a Boeing 737-400 flight simulator and to offer a jet orientation course as part of its ab initio airline pilot training programme. Based at Battle Creek, Michigan, the University's International Pilot Training Center is training cadets for Aer Lingus and British Airways. Eight ...
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Swissair goes ahead with Stansted response
Swissair plans to fly three times a day between Zurich and London's Stansted Airport from October using 126-seat Airbus A319s, countering the growing threat from UK no-frills carriers such as easyJet and Go. Stansted-based British Airways subsidiary Go has applied for slots to launch services to Geneva from October ...
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Boom continues for Airbus and Boeing
A surge of narrowbody business kept the order boom going for Airbus and Boeing over the first half of 1998, although both will be watching for signs of a slowdown in the second half, when the full impact of the Asian recession is likely to be felt. The two ...
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GE faces new big-jet problems following fires
General Electric is investigating engine fires on CF6 and CFM International CFM56-7 engines that occurred within days of each other in the USA. It is also probing the cause of an inflight shutdown of a GE90 in mid-Atlantic. An American Airlines Airbus Industrie A300-600R suffered a fire in its ...