Flight International articles from July 2005

Flight International archives from July 2005

ANZ first to prepare A320 fleet for RNP approaches.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Air New Zealand (ANZ) is set to become the first airline to gain certification for its Airbus A320s to carry out near-precision approach procedures to required navigation performance (RNP) standards using area navigation (RNAV) systems. ANZ...

Staff to work for two airlines.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Air New Zealand (ANZ) Group plans to retain ANZ and Freedom Air as distinct brands, but wants to merge some of their backroom operations and have staff, including pilots and cabin crew, work across the two airlines. The plan is being put to...

CAA reveals how it will Euro-license ANSPs.(Civil Aviation Authority)(air navigation service providers)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... The UK Civil Aviation Authority has become the first agency in Europe to indicate how it intends to carry out checks to license air navigation service providers (ANSP). Licensing of European ANSPs will be law by the end of this year -- even...

Hurdles for the White Paper.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Mott MacDonald's director of aviation strategy, Laurie Price, says there are many factors that could influence or stall progress towards an improved UK airport infrastructure, as detailed in the government White Paper. These include: - lack of...

UK runway plans face long delay.(infrastructure to be provided )(additional runways )
July 5, 2005... Industry is being warned to expect a 10- to 15-year wait before the UK government's future aviation strategy produces even a timetable for action. The government is trying to develop a policy to enable the necessary infrastructure to be...

China promises EU aviation agreement talks.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... The Chinese government has pledged to enter talks on a possible European Union-wide aviation agreement after completing internal studies on removing nationality clauses from bilateral accords. Wang Ronghua, director general of the Department of...

EVA Air set to become second 777F customer.(Freighters)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... EVA Air is considering placing an order for 10 Boeing 777 Freighters, which would establish it as the second buyer for the type following Air France's decision to place a launch order for five last month. The order would be "in addition" to...

Go Air signs deal to add four leased A320s.(GATX)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Indian start-up Go Air has signed a lease deal with GATX for four A320s currently operated by Brazil's TAM. The aircraft, powered by International Aero Engines V2500s, will be delivered by early next year, say industry sources. These four...

Budget carriers in tie-up talks.(Jetstar Asia and Valuair)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Singaporean budget carriers Jetstar Asia and Valuair are discussing an alliance or merger in response to stiff competition and problems in securing route authorities from other Asian countries. The two carriers last week acknowledged they were...

SMEA gets contract to supply 787.
July 5, 2005... Malaysia's SME Aerospace (SMEA) has become an approved Boeing supplier following the award of a contract for 777 wing leading-edge sheet-metal parts from BAE Systems. SMEA says it will deliver 777 components to BAE's Prestwick facility from...

Three miss Australian deadline.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Australia last week implemented a new requirement for all commercial aircraft operating in the country to be fitted with enhanced ground proximity warning systems (EGPWS). The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) says three carriers missed...

Rolls-Royce moves V2500 work to Germany.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Rolls-Royce is to shift programme management, engineering and final build for its share of the International Aero Engines V2500 turbofan from its Derby, UK factory to subsidiary R-R Deutschland's site at Dahlewitz outside Berlin. The move forms...

Virgin to name US investors.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Virgin America's long-awaited unveiling of its US investors will take place this month, says minority shareholder and Virgin Atlantic Airways chairman Sir Richard Branson, writes Victoria Moores in Nassau. The US start-up should be ready to...

Met Office forecasts improved accuracy.
July 5, 2005... Communications specialist Sita has linked up with the UK Met Office weather service to provide a tool designed to enable more accurate flight planning. Airlines are being offered real-time, web-based graphical weather data related directly to...

Russia bans aircraft.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Russia banned all flights from 1 July by passenger aircraft not fitted with Kopsas-Sarsat emergency radio beacons, in line with a 1999 International Civil Aviation Organisation ruling. Every aircraft must have at least two beacons, which...

Thales seals FAA deal.(Federal Aviation Adminstration)
July 5, 2005... Thales is to continue as the US Federal Aviation Adminstration's main provider of instrument landing systems after winning a contract potentially worth $60 million to supply up to 300 ILS420 Category I/II/III systems over six years. The...

Airbus begins flight tests of A340 digital head-up display.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Airbus has started flight testing the Thales-developed liquid-crystal-based digital head-up display (HUD) in a bid to gain certification by the second half of next year. Thales has installed the system, known as D-HUDS, on board an Airbus...

Atlant-Soyuz adds two to Il-96T launch orders.
July 5, 2005... Atlant-Soyuz has joined Volga-Dnepr as a launch customer for the Ilyushin Il-96T four-engined widebody freighter. The Moscow-based carrier has placed a firm order for two aircraft with Ilyushin-Finance (IFK), under similar terms to the deal...

Forgeard sits firm in captain's seat.(Noel Forgeard )
July 5, 2005... One view of the accord which saw a senior executive team finally installed at EADS and Airbus just over a week ago is that it was a muddled compromise after a nine-month Franco-German wrangle. The deal has created a convoluted reporting...

Fuel-cell power takes off.(hybrid fuel-cell)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Aerovironment is claiming the world's first demonstration of a liquid hydrogen fuel-cell-powered high-altitude long-endurance unmanned air vehicle. The eight-engined Global Observer testbed is a one-third-scale version of a proposed 45-61m...

BAE dropped from ducted fan contest.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... One of three bidders has confirmed its departure from a competition to develop a 50kg (110lb) ducted-fan unmanned air vehicle for the US military. BAE Systems says the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has eliminated it from the...

Finland launches joint service plan.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Finland's defence force is exploring participation in international unmanned air vehicle development projects ahead of a [euro]100 million ($122 million) air force and army requirement for a new reconnaissance system. Collaboration will be...

Firefighters to assess role for UAVs.
July 5, 2005... The US Forest Service (USFS) this month plans to kick off a long series of demonstrations to investigate potential uses of low- to medium-altitude unmanned air vehicles in wildland firefighting operations. "We will operate UAVs," says Thomas...

General Dynamics reveals small bomb research.(Aeronautics Defense Systems)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems has unveiled a lightweight guided bomb that the company says may provide unmanned air vehicles with a low-cost alternative to using modified air-to-surface missiles during strike missions....

Joint centre of excellence agreed.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... The US Department of Defense is establishing a new joint forces unmanned air vehicle centre of excellence and a joint overarching integrated product team (Joint OIPT) to co-ordinate and oversee all future UAV applications and acquisitions. The...

Proxy propels Velocity towards SkyWatcher surveillance system.(Proxy Aviation Systems)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Maryland, USA-based Proxy Aviation Systems has unveiled an optionally piloted version of the Velocity Aircraft Velocity XL canard/wing kitplane as part of its SkyWatcher multi-air-vehicle surveillance system. The system is expected to comprise...

Automated refuelling system set for testing.
July 5, 2005... Flight trials starting in September are expected to take the final strides in a cautious lead-up to testing the first automated aerial refuelling system. By the end of next year, US military and industry officials hope to show that two manned...

Battlelab to include Spike in tactical platform experiments.
July 5, 2005... The US Air Force unmanned air vehicle battlelab has widened its experiments with armed tactical-sized platforms to include the US Navy/DRS Technologies-developed Spike low-cost miniature missile. Flight tests will be carried out in conjunction...

Chelton chief executive resigns.(Geoff Cooper)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Cobham is looking for a new chief executive for the Chelton Group of avionics and communications businesses following the resignation of Geoff Cooper, writes Helen Massy-Beresford. Cobham says that Cooper, who had been with the UK-based group...

Elisra teams with Ferranti to help UK expansion.(Elisra Electronic Systems Ltd. and Ferranti Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Israel's Elisra Electronic Systems has strengthened its campaign to secure increased electronic warfare (EW) business in the UK by creating an Oldham-based joint venture with Ferranti Technologies. Advanced EW Systems will provide development,...

Safran takes loss-making venture under its wing.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Safran has taken full control of loss-making French general aviation diesel-cycle engine manufacturer SMA Engines, allowing former partners EADS and Renault to withdraw from the joint venture. SMA was formed in 1997 by Snecma (which recently...

Hyde parks expertise with Amtri.(Hyde Group )(airframe manufacturing)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... UK-based aerospace manufacturer Hyde Group and design, engineering and research company Amtri have set up a joint venture to offer technical consultancy services promoting supply-chain efficiency in airframe manufacturing. The new company will...

Arinc extends datalink.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Arinc has extended its business-aviation datalink service to include aircraft equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics, with Bombardier's Challenger 300 super mid-size jet as the launch application. Arinc Direct services...

S-92 is 'too expensive' for HeliJet.(Sikorsky on acquiring the S-92 )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Vancouver-based HeliJet International has abandoned talks with Sikorsky on acquiring the S-92, deeming it "extremely expensive" and "the wrong fit" for its business, says Rick Hill, the helicopter operator's marketing and product development...

Pilatus sets sights on CMC enhanced vision for PC-12s.(Pilatus Business Aircraft )(CMC Electronics )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Pilatus Business Aircraft plans to begin delivering PC-12s equipped with a CMC Electronics enhanced vision system (EVS) providing improved situational awareness in January next year. The US arm of Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft is the...

New York seeks quieter Teterboro.(Teterboro airport )
July 5, 2005... Just weeks after a court upheld the ban on Stage 2 jets at a Florida airport, the operator of New York's busiest business-aviation airport is proposing to ban noisier and larger aircraft. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has...

Aviaxess expands with AS350.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... French helicopter charter specialist Aviaxess has expanded from Paris, opening Toulon as a base for the south of the country. The Paris Porte de Sevres heliport-based company has added a Eurocopter AS350B2 Ecureuil at Toulon Hyeres airport,...

Brazil to seal Mirage 2000 deal.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Brazil will conclude the interim purchase of 10 Dassault Mirage 2000C fighters and two Mirage 2000B trainers during president Luiz In.cio Lula da Silva's visit to France in mid-July, according to Brazilian air force sources. The Brazilian and...

Pave Hawk upgrade.(Sikorsky UH-60P Black Hawk )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... South Korea has launched a $30 million contest for a vendor to supply kits to upgrade four Sikorsky UH-60P Black Hawk utility helicopters to the HH-60P Pave Hawk combat search-and-rescue configuration. Industry sources say BAE Systems, Israel...

Chilean F-16?first flight.(first flight )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... The Chilean air force's $900 million F-16 programme has passed its first flight milestone, with Lockheed Martin conducting the fighter's first post-production check-ride. Santiago's first three of 10 F-16C/D Block 50 aircraft are scheduled for...

RAF to form new UAV trials unit.(UK Royal Air Force)(Unmanned aerial vehicles)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Increasing UK Royal Air Force interest in persistent surveillance systems to replace its English Electric Canberra PR9 photographic reconnaissance aircraft has led the UK Ministry of Defence to establish a new operational demonstration effort...

Canada shelves CF-18 missile plan.(warfare suite )
July 5, 2005... Canada's Department of National Defence (DND) has decided not to acquire a new short-range air-to-air missile (SRAAM) as part of a C$2.1 billion ($1.7 billion) upgrade to its Boeing CF-18 Hornets, but is to start the procurement cycle for...

Lockheed boosts Common Missile prospects.(Joint Common Missile)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Lockheed Martin's Joint Common Missile (JCM) programme has won several victories in its six-month campaign to survive a threat of termination. US House appropriators have approved a measure that would restore about half the funding the...

IAI and Boeing ready to meet Seoul's AEW&C requirement.(Israel Aircraft Industries)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... South Korea about to issue new tender for long-delayed E-X aircraft programme South Korea will next week hand Boeing and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) a new tender for the purchase of four airborne early-warning and control (AEW&C)...

Russia eyes Il-96-400 as tanker.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Russia could acquire an in-flight refuelling version of the Il-96 in its 2006-15 procurement plan, says Ilyushin director general Viktor Livanov. "A feasibility plan for developing and manufacturing a tanker based on the Il-96-400T is being...

Eight line up to compete for Singapore trainer.(Raytheon )
July 5, 2005... Eight companies are preparing bids for a Singaporean tender seeking a new fleet of leased trainers for its basic pilot training course in Western Australia. Singapore earlier this year shortlisted the Aermacchi M311, Embraer EMB-314 Super...

Spain to place first export order for Taurus missile.(Taurus Systems)
July 5, 2005... Just weeks after its lengthy courtship with MBDA progressed to the signature of a bilateral agreement on its integration into Europe's leading missile house, EADS's LFK subsidiary has secured its first export sale of the Taurus KEPD 350 cruise...

Mi-28N tests.(flight tests )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Russia's air force began flight tests of the Mil Mi-28N attack helicopter last month, says the service's commander-in-chief Vladimir Mikhailov. With the fourth and fifth production Mi-28Ns now in build, he says: "I am sure we will give the...

Seoul search.
July 5, 2005... South Korea plans finally to move forward this year with a handful of military aircraft acquisition programmes for which manufacturers have been competing for years without any results. Western manufacturers are sceptical that contracts will be...

Bell takes steps to keep new twin-turbine quiet.
July 5, 2005... Bell Helicopter is designing its Model 429 to meet stringent noise limits that would allow the light twin-turbine helicopter to be used for sightseeing flights over US national parks. The drive to reduce noise has resulted in the change to an...

Swidnik sets sights on UK approval.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Polish manufacturer PZL-Swidnik is to start flight tests leading to European certification of its SW-4 Maluch single-engine multi-purpose helicopter on the back of its first export order from a UK-based company. The 455shp (335kW) Rolls-Royce...

Joint study gives green light to Anglo-Irish 'single sky'.(multinational functional airspace block (FAB))
July 5, 2005... Europe's first multinational functional airspace block (FAB) created under the Single European Sky (SES) plan could come into being in 2008-9, says a study commissioned by the UK and Irish civil aviation authorities. The plan for an Anglo-Irish...

Thales turns to Seoul.(joint ventures of Dodaam Systems )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Thales is to form a joint venture with South Korea's Dodaam Systems to pursue domestic and international military simulation equipment and services business. The agreement covers co-operation on technology and the possibility of Thales...

US Army drops ERJ-145 for ACS.(Aerial Common Sensor)
July 5, 2005... In a dramatic U-turn, the US Army and Lockheed Martin have dropped the Embraer ERJ-145 as the platform for the Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) after deciding it is not big enough to perform the mission. They have begun the process of selecting a...

D-Jet to have G1000 avionics.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Diamond Aircraft has selected Garmin's G1000 integrated avionics for the D-Jet personal jet, deliveries of which are to begin early in 2007. The G1000 is already available in Diamond's DA40 piston single and DA42 twin, as well as Cessna and...

Navy RQ-4As poised to fly in Iraq.
July 5, 2005... The US Department of Defense and US Navy are discussing the possibility of an immediate operational deployment of the USN's two Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned air vehicles to support US Marine Corps operations in Iraq. The first of...

LAN's new A318s could be powered by PW6000.(LAN Airlines )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... LAN Airlines of Chile has emerged as the latest potential launch operator for the Pratt & Whitney PW6000 version of the Airbus A318 after ordering a further 25 Airbus narrowbodies. The carrier will take the aircraft as a mix of A318s and...

McNerney takes helm at Boeing.(James McNerney)
July 5, 2005... Market confidence in Boeing soared late last week after the appointment of former 3M and GE Aircraft Engines chief executive James McNerney as president and chief executive. The move came within days of the announcement by Airbus majority...

Agency to buy Soyuz capsules.(US Iran Non-proliferation Act )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... NASA is preparing to buy Russian Energia Soyuz-TMA launches to fulfil its obligation to provide emergency crew return from the International Space Station (ISS) from April 2006. A US-purchased Soyuz must dock next April if NASA is to have its...

Gibraltar dispute could scupper finance treaty.(Cape Town Convention )
July 5, 2005... Spain is blocking European Union ratification of a global treaty that could save the aviation industry $5 billion a year because of its sovereignty dispute with the UK over Gibraltar. The Cape Town Convention is aimed at reducing risk for...

Discovery to fly, but NASA fails to meet three CAIB safety demands.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)(Columbia Accident Investigation Board)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... NASA administrator Mike Griffin says Space Shuttle Discovery will be launched on 13 July, despite the agency not meeting all the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's (CAIB) 15 safety recommendations. Griffin says the Discovery/STS114 flight...

Melting point.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... A problem I haven't seen addressed in the abundant literature about the all-composite fuselage and wing structures of the Boeing 787 is the following: in case of a crash followed by violent fire, might ensuing toxic fumes/vapours (and melting...

Filling the?skill bucket.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Frank Caron (Flight International, 7-13 June) poses the perpetual question of pilot education and the airline pilot recruitment focus on the one-dimensional criterion of flying hours on type, for recruitment as a three-dimensional office...

Can cameras capture FOD?(foreign-object damage )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Brian Matthews suggests cameras can solve foreign-object damage (FOD) problems (Flight International, 24-30 May), but I have my doubts because: -.Someone will have to go out and remove the FOD anyway; -.they would need to work in all weathers,...

747 succeeded without R-R.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Fred Insole (Flight International, 7-13 June) complains that US engines "nearly bankrupted Boeing's 747 and its success was due to Rolls-Royce". Utter rubbish. The RB211 bankrupted Rolls-Royce, not nearly, but literally. The 747 was a success...

trainingCabin crew crackdown is a waste.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... The UK Civil Aviation Authority has recently ruled that cabin crew cannot teach crew resource management (CRM) to pilots and vice versa. Why? It seems that the case for CRM has yet to be made in a sufficiently compelling fashion and so some UK...

Blue Origin sets date for tourist RLV trial flights.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Blue Origin, formed by billionaire Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, plans to begin flight testing a fully reusable launch vehicle (RLV) from Culberson County, Texas in the fourth quarter of 2006. The RLV will have a propulsion module that uses...

NASA plots cargo CEV.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... NASA is planning for an unmanned cargo version of the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), able to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) after the Space Shuttle is retired in 2010. After 2010, the USA will not have a cargo vehicle...

India consolidates co-operation with Europe.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed an agreement to provide instruments for India's first Moon probe, Chandrayaan-1. The 525kg (1,150lb) spacecraft is to be launched by India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in 2007-8 and placed into a...

Titan hitch leads to SpaceX switch.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is switching its first and second payloads around due to another hold-up caused by a delay to the US Air Force Lockheed Martin Titan IV launch from a neighbouring pad at Vandenberg AFB, California. The...

UAV aims to detect forest fires.(unmanned aerial vehicles)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Flight tests of technology for a potential forest fire-detecting unmanned air vehicle will begin in the next 10 weeks from a French air force base at Salon-de-Provence, southern France. Infrared and electro-optical sensors for the role will be...

All-composite fuselage faces tests.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Dassault-designed carbonfibre-foam honeycomb structure ready to be fitted with windshield and bulkheads An 80%-scale composite Dassault Falcon business jet fuselage section was transferred to a Toulouse rig on 1 July for static, fatigue and...

Micro unmanned air vehicle takes to the air, but may need redesign.(Fanwing)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... A micro unmanned air vehicle (MAV) weighing 60g (2.12oz) and with a 200mm (7.9in) wingspan has been flight tested by its developer Fanwing. The prototype completed short "hops" last year. Like larger versions of the design, the Fanwing uses a...

Scramjet modelling tools 'must change'.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... European supersonic engine researchers completed a Mach 2 scramjet study last month and concluded that combustion in a super-fast airstream is similar to that in spark ignition engines and that computational models must change. The similarity...

Virgin looks for staff.(Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Virgin Atlantic is to hire 1,500 staff over the next 18 months as part of its expansion plans. Around 1,100 cabin crew positions need filling, 150 based at London Gatwick and Heathrow airports, including engineering positions, and 100...

EconomicsOutlook variable as industry weathers mixed fortunes.
July 5, 2005... Industry and economic experts gave mixed reports on the future state of the market at the Flight International Recruitment Forum at the Paris air show, which means a variable outlook for jobs over the coming years. Economist Bryan Finn,...

Quality hits recruitment.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... Lack of quality candidates is one of the most serious problems affecting recruitment, reveals a Flight International survey of employers. Fifty-six per cent of respondents cite an absence of good-quality candidates as the top factor affecting...

over the Horizon.(active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar)
July 5, 2005... The next big step in US military radar technology will this week be put under test. The subject is a five-element-by-five-element subpanel of a low-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, but it is unusual in that it also...

ICAS loses Alaska cargo conversion contract.
July 12, 2005... Taiwan's Inter-Continental Aircraft Services (ICAS) is looking for a new launch customer for its Boeing 737-300/400 cargo conversion programme after the termination of a five-aircraft contract with Alaska Airlines. Alaska last week awarded a...

Pilot did not report dangerous descent.
July 12, 2005... An Atlas Air Boeing 747 captain has been criticised by investigators for carrying out a badly managed descent that became dangerous, then for failing to report it because the aircraft had recovered a normal profile by the time it reached final...

Emirates receives modified Airbus freighter.(Emirates Airline)(Airbus A310-300 )(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Emirates has taken delivery of its first converted Airbus A310-300 freighter from EADS Elbeflugzeugwerke (EFW) in Dresden. The aircraft, the first of three on order, will be operated by the Dubai-based carrier's cargo division, Emirates...

DC-10 mishap closes airport.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Bangladesh's Chittagong airport was forced to close to international flights for several days last week after a Biman Bangladesh Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 skidded off the runway while landing on 1 July. Arriving at 08:52 from Dubai,...

Germany aims for Single Sky profit with ATC launch.(air traffic control)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... German air navigation service provider (ANSP) DFS has announced an early move to prepare for the business opportunities presented by the Single European Sky (SES) and compulsory licensing for European service providers. It has launched an...

Chinese college seeks Cessnas.(Civil Aviation Flight University of China; Cessna Aircraft Co.)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... The Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC) has begun using the first of six new Cessna Citation CJ1s for advanced pilot training and is in talks with Cessna to acquire about 40 primary trainers. CAFUC, also known as the Civil...