Flight International articles from November 2004

Flight International archives from November 2004

Airbus expects co-operative dividends.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Airbus's choice of CAE as manufacturer for the first A380 simulator is not surprising given the two companies' co-operation agreement for Airbus-approved instruction to be provided by CAE's 13 training centres worldwide. Shrugging off the...

training David Learmount / Toulouse; A380 simulator ready for work; Training and flight testing to take off simultaneously.
November 2, 2004... Airbus will have an A380 full flight simulator (FFS) for pilot training already operating as the first test aircraft takes off for its maiden flight, reveals the manufacturer's vice-president training and flight operations support Jean-Michel...

Draft conclusions.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... n Cyclic rudder motions after the second wake vortex encounter turbulence encounter were the result of the first officer's rudder pedal inputs. The vertical stabiliser performed in a manner that was consistent with its design and...

INVESTIGATION David Learmount / London & Graham Warwick / Washington DC; Pilot and sensitive rudder criticised in AA587 report; NTSB says design must be modified and that airline's training also contributed.
November 2, 2004... American Airlines flight AA587 crashed in 2001 following the separation of the fin because of excessive rudder input by the first officer, with contributory factors being the sensitivity of the Airbus A300-600R rudder system, and "elements" of...

'Poor preparation' for flight.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... The report says pre-flight planning was carried out by the first officer alone because the captain was late. The pre-flight checklist was also curtailed following an interruption to cockpit procedure by the cabin crew chief. The report...

investigation Kieran Daly / London ; Air Algerie crash captain criticised; Investigators call for changes to airline's safety and training processes after 2003 fatal loss of Boeing 737-200.
November 2, 2004... Algerian investigators have strongly criticised the captain of the Air Algerie Boeing 737-200 that crashed fatally in March last year, and have recommended changes to the airline's safety and training processes. All but one of the 102...

expansion Brendan Sobie / Bangkok; Boom in South-East Asia as low-cost carriers vie for dominance.
November 2, 2004... Low-cost carriers in South-East Asia are racing to expand their fleets to keep up with surging demand and intensifying competition. Indonesia's Lion Air says it has leased five Boeing MD-90s to support expansion of its fledgling...

cargo Justin Wastnage / Seattle & Nicholas Ionides / Singapore; EVA leads 777 freighter interest ; Taiwan carrier could switch its order from -200LR passenger version as launch of cargo derivative of twinjet nears.(EVA Airways Corp.)
November 2, 2004... EVA Air has emerged as the leading candidate to launch Boeing's planned freighter derivative of the 777-200LR, which is set to get a formal go-ahead before the end of the year. The Taiwanese carrier - one of two customers for the passenger...

design; Lessor hits at plan for 7E7 engines.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Boeing's plans to have full interchangeability between the two engine types for the 7E7 have failed to impress the world's biggest engine lessor, writes Kieran Daly. Jon Sharp, who has built Shannon-based Engine Lease Finance (ELF) into a...

Delivery; Yemenia starts fleet upgrade with A330-200.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Yemenia has begun updating its long-haul fleet with the delivery of its first of two Airbus A330-200s leased from International Lease Finance (ILFC). The 277-seat aircraft are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700s and will join four A310s that are...

Eurocontrol claims change.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Head of the Eurocontrol director general's cabinet Jean-Jacques Sauvage says the agency is aware that the situation of air navigation service providers (ANSP) has changed and claims the agency is changing too. One of the main needs for change,...

navigation David Learmount / Brussels; CANSO calls for shake-up of Eurocontrol policies; Air traffic control association says structure creates conflicts of interest.(Civil Air Navigation Service Organisation)
November 2, 2004... Eurocontrol and its mandate should be restructured to make them more responsive to the needs of air navigation service providers (ANSP) as they are forced to change to meet the demands of the Single European Sky, according to the Civil Air...

fleet Renewal; QantasLink takes Jetstar 717s to replace 146s.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... QantasLink is to replace its ageing BAe 146 fleet with eight of the 14 Boeing 717-200s operated by Qantas's low-cost carrier Jetstar. The airline says eight 115-seat 717s will gradually replace eight 65- to 76-seat BAe 146s over 12 months from...

Operating costs Paul Duffy / Moscow; Rising fuel prices dog Russia's thirsty airliners.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... The abundance of old, fuel-guzzling, Soviet-era airliners operating in Russia has dealt a severe blow to the region's airlines following the recent surge in fuel prices. With virtually no fuel surcharges permitted by Russia's regulators,...

Flightdecks; SIA weighs cockpit EFB advantages.(Singapore Airlines)(electronic flight bag)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Singapore Airlines (SIA) is to assess the feasibility of equipping its entire fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft with electronic flight bag (EFB) technology. Navigation data specialist Jeppesen revealed this in announcing a deal with the...

report Tolga Ozbek / Istanbul & David Kaminski-Morrow / London; Investigators blame THY crew for 2003 Turkish RJ100 accident.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Turkish investigators have attributed the Turkish Airlines BAE Systems Avro RJ100 fatal landing accident at Diyarbakir in January last year to the crew's mistaken identification of the airport's runway lights in poor visibility. All but five of...

competition HILKA BIRNS / CAPE TOWN; SAA will not be privatised, says government minister; South African flag carrier to remain state-owned, despite criticism from industry.(South African Airways)
November 2, 2004... South Africa's public enterprises minister, Alec Erwin, has made it clear South African Airways is not up for privatisation. "We'll keep SAA a state enterprise, but we will build it up so it is stable," he says. Erwin has told the Airlines...

people.(appointments)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... n Sally Geib has been appointed corporate secretary of Goodrich, a role she will carry out in addition to her existing function of vice-president and associate general counsel. Lycoming Engines has named Todd Stoner vice-president of sales and...

merger; Era and Tex-Air helicopter fleets join forces in $118 million deal.(Era Aviation Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Two major US helicopter operators will be merged after the acquisition of Era Aviation by Tex-Air Helicopters parent company Seacor Holdings. Drilling services company Rowan has agreed to sell Anchorage, Alaska-based Era to Seacor for $118...

acquisition; Re-engining specialist Soloy gets new owner.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... US aircraft conversion and re-engining specialist Soloy has been acquired by an investor group comprising helicopter industry executives and led by Papillon Airways chairman Elling Halvorson. The deal follows the death of company founder Joe...

amalgamation Julian Moxon / London; Snecma and EADS discuss space propulsion merger; Agreement aimed at improving efficiency and reducing costs could come in new year.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Snecma and EADS are holding talks on merging their respective liquid and electric space-propulsion businesses in the hope of stemming losses from the near-collapse of the satellite market. An agreement could come early next year, according...

maintenance Nicholas Ionides / Singapore; SIAEngineering sells TAECO stake.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Singapore Airlines (SIA) subsidiary SIA Engineering has sold its 5% stake in Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering (TAECO) to Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering (HAECO) for $7.5 million. Although it did not give a reason for the sale, the TAECO...

results Graham Warwick / Washington DC; Defence boosts third quarter for US industry.(aerospace industry)
November 2, 2004... Continuing strong defence sales and a recovering commercial market fuelled substantially improved third-quarter results across the US aerospace industry. Leading the top three aerospace primes, Boeing reported third-quarter revenues up 8%...

Fractional ownership; Avantair signs up 100th customer in two years.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... US fractional operator Avantair has signed its 100th share owner and taken delivery of its 13th Piaggio P180 Avanti twin-pusher turboprop. The Caldwell, New Jersey-based company exclusively operates the Avanti, and has a further 34...

engine noise; Hushkit rivals pump up the volume over Gulfstream installations.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Quiet Technology Aerospace (QTA) expected to complete its 25th Stage 3 hushkit installation on a Gulfstream business jet by the end of October, as rival Stage III Technologies entered the final stages of certification for its competing...

Modification Graham Warwick / Washington DC; Revised ZR package wins certification; Amendments allow Raisbeck to halve cost of Learjet 35/36 performance-improvement upgrade to below $100,000.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Raisbeck Engineering has received US supplemental type certification for its revised ZR Lite performance-improvement package for the Learjet 35/36. Modification of the first customer aircraft is scheduled to begin in mid-November. The...

Development Graham Warwick / Washington DC; AIR and TAM to build very light jet; Twinjet will be based on single-turboprop Epic LT.(Aircraft Investor Resources)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Aircraft Investor Resources (AIR) and its Tiblisi, Georgia-based manufacturing partner TAM, already working together on the single-turboprop Epic LT, have announced plans to develop a very light jet. The TAM-AIR Twinjet is based on the...

in brief.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... crashes kill 15 A Beech King Air 200 operated by NASCAR race team Hendrick Motorsports crashed on 24 October while making a second approach to Martinsville airport, Virginia in poor visibility, killing all 10 on board. Also on 24 October a...

Winning friends.(air transportation industry)
November 2, 2004... Europe's air travel industry is threatened with being smothered to death quietly. Making the consumer its champion is the best way to resist Transport is a perennial headache for western European governments. Business needs it, people want...

procurement; Fifth refueller for India.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... A senior Indian air force delegation travelled to Tashkent, Uzbekistan this month to procure a fifth Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refuelling tanker. The multirole Il-78 MKI tanker/transports are being manufactured at Tashkent Aircraft Production...

surveillance Stephen Trimble / Washington DC; US Navy races for ACS deadline; Service misses joint briefing with US Army as it struggles to complete process to join Aerial Common Sensor.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... The US Navy is scrambling to gain approvals within the Pentagon bureaucracy to formally join the US Army's Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) programme by the end of this year - but time is running short. Army officials blamed a no-show by their...

trainers Shyam Ravindran / New Delhi; India's HAL moots plan for advanced trainer.(Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.)
November 2, 2004... Hindustan Aeronautics is already looking beyond its forthcoming deliveries of the HJT-36 Intermediate Jet Trainer by submitting a proposal to the Indian air force for a new-generation Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT). HAL designers say the...

contracts.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... n Honeywell is to supply the UK Royal Air Force's nine Lockheed TriStar tanker/transports with multifunction radar displays under an agreement with Marshall Aerospace. Israel's BVR Systems has received a $1.5 million contract to integrate its...

tests; Solo Eurofighter checks in.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... After completing a 65min checkout flight on 22 October, the Eurofighter consortium is closer to delivering the first single-seat production aircraft to an operational unit. Eight twin-seat Eurofighters have been delivered to training squadrons...

airlift STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHIngTON DC; US Army clashes with USAF on transport need.(US Air Force)
November 2, 2004... A plan to dramatically improve the US Army's fixed-wing airlift capability has prompted a high-level showdown with the US Air Force. Army aviation officials contend they have an immediate need to replace 43 ageing Shorts C-23 Sherpas with...

uavs Justin Wastnage / Rome; Falco prepared for system tests.(unmanned air vehicles)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Italian avionics specialist Galileo Avionica is to start tests of the onboard systems of its Falco medium-altitude, medium-endurance, piston-engined unmanned air vehicle early next year, after completing platform qualification late last month....

modernisation; India seeks upgrade for Mirage 2000s.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... The Indian air force is considering upgrading its fleet of Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters in the light of an increasing mishap rate involving the type. The service lost three of the French-built aircraft between 23 September and 12 October,...

reconnaissance Peter La Franchi / London; USA studies new roles for UCAVs; J-UCAS operations office plan could see future UAV fleets for armed forces being standardised for multiple operations.(unmanned combat air vehicles)(joint unmanned combat air systems)
November 2, 2004... The US Department of Defense's new Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) operations office is studying adding homeland surveillance as well as traditional airborne reconnaissance as long-term missions for unmanned combat air vehicles...

unmanned systems STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC; Little Bird enters fray.(Boeing Co. unveils Unmanned Little Bird)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Boeing's official unveiling of the Unmanned Little Bird (ULB) - a modified MD 530F helicopter - signals a new challenge to the selection of the Northrop Grumman RQ-8B Fire Scout by the US Army and US Navy. Boeing has presented the ULB as...

air defence STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC; MEADS enters next phase with $500 million cost rise; Programme adds expanded requirements from German, Italian and US governments.(Medium Extended Air-Defence System)
November 2, 2004... A $3 billion contract launching a 108-month development and demonstration of the Lockheed Martin-led Medium Extended Air-Defence System (MEADS) incorporates a restructuring costing $450-$500 million. The cost increases reflect expanded...

demonstrator Peter La Franchi / London; Alenia begins building Sky-X UCAV; Manufacturer to assemble only one example of unmanned combat air vehicle, with advanced designs set aside.(Alenia Aeronautica)
November 2, 2004... Alenia Aeronautica has begun assembly of a single flying version of its revised Sky-X unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) design but acknowledges some technical difficulties have emerged. Alenia is also continuing talks with Dassault...

trainer Brendan Sobie / Singapore; T-50 almost ready for customers to evaluate.(Korea Aerospace Industries to test aircraft)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) plans to complete flight envelope testing for the T-50 advanced trainer by the end of this month, freeing up the aircraft for evaluation by potential export customers. Industry sources say Israel expressed...

procurement Stephen Trimble / Washington DC; Refurbished UH-60L offered to US Army for light utility.(Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. bids for refurbishing helicopters)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Sikorsky is planning to compete for a US Army requirement for a light utility helicopter fleet with a lower-cost version of the UH-60L. Freshly marketed as the LUH-60 Black Hawk, the helicopter uses the UH-60L engine and transmission, a UH-60M...

jets surge.(regional airlines)
November 2, 2004... With the An-148 heralding a new era in the CIS, the Embraer 170 entering service and China's ambitions on the march, large regional airliners are flourishing Ian Goold / LONDON The arrival of the Embraer 170 in airline service earlier...

helicopters; New fleet for Airlift Northwest.(acquires helicopters from AgustaWestland)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Seattle, Washington-based emergency medical services provider Airlift Northwest is acquiring four AgustaWestland Grand and two A109 Power helicopters. Airlift will use the new helicopters to replace its existing A109MKII fleet.

Deliveries Brendan Sobie / Singapore; First civil Dhruvs head for India and Israel.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) is set to begin deliveries of the civil variant of its Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH) early next year, with operators in India and Israel lined up as launch customers. Chief test pilot C D Upadhyay says...

Avionics ; Garmin's GPS WAAS cleared for approaches.(GARMIN International receives global positioning systesm wide-area augmentation system certification)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Garmin International has received the first certification of a GPS wide-area augmentation system (WAAS) receiver providing instrument landing system (ILS)-like precision approach capability. The panel-mounted receiver has been approved for...

Investigation Emma Kelly / Perth; R22 probes reveal rotor fatigue; Australian and Israeli investigations uncover similar faults following two fatal crashes of Robinson helicopters.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is working with the Israeli ministry of transport in the investigation of two similar fatal crashes of Robinson R22 helicopters attributed to the loss of a main rotor blade in flight. The...

Upgrades; Safety given prominence in light aircraft.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Safety enhancements feature strongly in product upgrades announced by light-aircraft manufacturers. Cessna is to install seatbelt airbags on its piston singles beginning with January deliveries. Amsafe's aviation inflatable restraint system...

Briefing.(airlines)
November 2, 2004... 757 bows out Termination Boeing has delivered the 1,050th and final 757 twinjet, to Shanghai Airlines. More than 1,030 757s remain in service. The first example of the type was handed over to the now defunct Eastern Airlines in December...

General Aviation; Quest for approval.(Quest Aircraft)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Quest Aircraft expects its 10-seat Kodiak utility turboprop to receive US Federal Aviation Administration Part 23certification in early 2006,following its first flight on16 October. The company is expanding its Sandpoint, Idaho facility to...

Business; Snecma and Sagem hold merger talks.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... French engine manufacturer Snecma is in merger talks with telecoms and systems and equipment group Sagem. Sagem's board approved the proposal last week, while Snecma executives will meet this week to discuss the two-stage merger, which...

Defence STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC; Boeing and Sikorsky prepare to capture Little Bird for ARH; Companies forming alliance to meet USArmy's post-Comanche reconnaissance need.(Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.)
November 2, 2004... Boeing and Sikorsky are in the formative stages of building a new alliance to compete for the US Army Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) programme, potentially recreating the team behind the cancelled RAH-66 Comanche. Both have...

Air Transport David Learmount / Brussels; Europe 'cannot meet slot demand' ; Lack of airport capacity will stifle industry: Eurocontrol.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Consumer demand for air travel in Europe by 2025 will exceed airport capacity by 3.5 million flights a year, according to Eurocontrol head of business division data information and analysis Conrad Cleasby. Speaking at an airport operations...

Defence Stephen Trimble / Washington DC; US Army is told to identify art ofthe possible in vertical heavylift.
November 2, 2004... Outlines of a plan to develop a new vertical heavylift aircraft that can haul 18,100-22,700kg (40,000-50,000lb) up to 800km (430nm) are due to be submitted this week by the US Army to top aides to undersecretary of defence for acquisition...

Defence Howard Gethin / Moscow; Russia set to axe Kamov Ka-50/52 helicopter.
November 2, 2004... The Russian government has cut all funding for development of the Kamov Ka-50/52 attack helicopter from its 2005 budget, in a move which is likely to spell the end for the troubled programme and confirm selection of the Rostvertol Mi-28N for...

air transport Andrew Doyle / Toulouse; Qatar to kick off A350/7E7 battle; Carrier discusses order with Boeing but expects counter-proposal from Airbus, and also considers additional A330s.(Qatar Airways)
November 2, 2004... Rapidly expanding Middle East carrier Qatar Airways is preparing to place its next major aircraft order in a competition expected to pitch Boeing's 7E7 against the proposed Airbus A350. Chief executive Akbar Al Baker says the airline is...

Defence Brendan Sobie / Singapore; Sikorsky S-70 leads pack in Singapore naval competition.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Singapore is engaged in a final round of negotiations for the acquisition of six naval helicopters and will begin evaluations this month for the purchase or lease of about 10 training helicopters. Manufacturers expect Singapore will choose...

in brief.(China to launch space solar telescope)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Titan images NASA's Cassini Saturn orbiter flew to within 1,200km (745 miles) of the moon Titan on 26 October, almost grazing the atmosphere at a speed of 6km/s, returning the closest-ever images and providing data for the European Space...

navigation Radhakrishna Rao / Bangalore; Raytheon asked for GPS help.(global positioning system)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... India has completed technical discussions with Raytheon about setting up India's Gagan regional GPSaugmentation system for civil air traffic management, says Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair. However, Raytheon...

Commercial flights Andrew Doyle / Mojave; Virgin wants more seats in space; Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites asked to configure SpaceShipOne for seven or nine passengers to 'help the economics'.
November 2, 2004... Sir Richard Branson has asked designer Burt Rutan to study the feasibility of increasing the size of the Virgin Galactic sub-orbital spacecraft to accommodate up to nine passengers. Under initial plans unveiled in September, Rutan's Scaled...

Joint venture Radhakrishna Rao / Bangalore; Boeing and Indian Space pursue communications satellite deal.(Indian Space Research Organisation accords with Boeing Satellite Systems)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Boeing Satellite Systems have reached a broad agreement to jointly develop and market 2t-class commercial communications satellites for third countries, says ISROchairman G Madhavan Nair....

Materials Emma Kelly / Perth; Australian researchers to get under the skin of 7E7; CSIRO project could see sensors built into Boeing twinjet to monitor fatigue and cracking.(Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Boeing is funding a project designed to lead to the development of a self-monitoring aerospace vehicle skin that could be used on the company's 7E7 programme. The research contract is with Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial...

Record attempt Andrew Doyle / Mojave; Fossett asks for fuel-dump system.(Steve Fossett)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Steve Fossett has asked Scaled Composites to retrofit a fuel-jettison system on to his GlobalFlyer aircraft in case his solo round-the-world record attempt has to be aborted at an early stage. The unrefuelled turbofan-powered global...

protection Rob Coppinger / London; Alcore develops aluminium to foil composite lightning problem.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Alcore is developing an aluminium foil designed to prevent composite aircraft fuselages sustaining damage from lightning strikes. While lightning energy can be relatively easily dissipated to the ground in aircraft with conventional aluminium...

prototype; Israel works on wake warning.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... A prototype onboard wake-vortex warning system could be ready for testing in three years through co-operation between Israel and the European Union, writes Arie Egozi. The potential hazards of wake vortices place limits on the number of...

Simulating business experience on the way.(CAE to open new business aviation training center)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Simulation and training provider CAE has announced the opening of a new business aviation training centre in the USA. To be located in New York or New Jersey, the centre will open by the middle of 2006. It will house six full-flight...

Working week.(Airbus North America Sales Inc. join forces with Boeing Co.)
November 2, 2004... Focus on pilot training Airbus and Boeing unite to create an upset recovery training aid Airbus and Boeing have teamed up to try to raise awareness of how pilots should deal with loss of control incidents, one of the main causes of...

talking; italian.(Finmeccanica S.p.A. to acquire AgustaWestland)
November 2, 2004... Finmeccanica's 100% acquisition of AgustaWestland will strengthen its efforts to challenge the European dominance of EADS-owned Eurocopter, and potentially boost its prospects in the US market CRAIG HOYLE / LONDON Rationalisation of...

Aermacchi Murdo Morrison / milan ; Part of the (new) family.
November 2, 2004... When Aermacchi's M346 advanced jet trainer prototype took off on a demonstration flight from the company's Varese factory last month, there was no mistaking the influence of Italy's dominant aerospace company in the ceremony. Guest of honour,...

Alenia Aeronautica Murdo Morrison / Rome ; The power of partnering.
November 2, 2004... Finmeccanica subsidiary Alenia Aeronautica has won a leading position in the fighter, transport and aerostructures markets by partnering some of the world's biggest aerospace primes, including Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing, Dassault, EADS and...

Waking giant.(Finmeccanica S.p.A)
November 2, 2004... Italy's dominant aerospace company, Finmeccanica has gone from state-owned industrial conglomerate to privately run aerospace and defence player in a few years. But can it turn a flurry of acquisitions and strategic alliances into shareholder...

growing; ambition.
November 2, 2004... From Piaggio in the north to Vulcanair in the south, there is more to Italy's aerospace industry than Finmeccanica, even if you have to look hard to find it Murdo Morrison / Rome & Justin Wastnage / Milan, Turin & Somma Lombardo ...

Defence electronics justin wastnage/rome ; Building up business.
November 2, 2004... When Finmeccanica recently restructured internally, re-grouping its defence electronics companies under one co-general manager, for many in the company the move was overdue. The group has consolidated its electronics businesses once before,...

empire; building.(Finmeccanica S.p.A)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... Finmeccanica's transformation from ailing giant to one of Europe's biggest defence contractors and major player in the global helicopter and aerostructures markets has confounded sceptics who not long ago wrote off the then state-owned...

Space Rob Coppinger / Naples; Italy's space industry consolidates position.
November 2, 2004... Italy is the European Union's third largest space nation, and a founder member of the European Space Agency (ESA) with a budget last year of around g800 million ($992 million) drawn from transport and defence accounts as well as Italian space...

Piaggio Aero Industries ; Pushing Italian style.
November 2, 2004... Like a designer suit or motor scooter, Piaggio Aero Industries believes its "made in Italy" tag works wonders when it comes to marketing its P180 Avanti twin-pusher turboprop in North America. The fact that its president - Piero Ferrari -...

vulcanair rob coppinger / naples; Building a business.(Vulcanair L.L.C. to certificate aircrafts)
November 2, 2004... Naples-based manufacturer and refurbisher Vulcanair aims to bring two new general-aviation aircraft to market in the next 12 months.The company's goal is to certificate its VF600 single-turboprop cargo aircraft and a diesel-powered version of...

aeronavali rob coppinger / venice; Shifting of balance.
November 2, 2004... Italian maintenance and modification specialist Aeronavali's long association with Boeing and former McDonnell Douglas products mirrors that of Alenia Aeronautica, its parent within the Finmeccanica family. But the balance could be shifting, as...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
November 2, 2004... heavylift rockets USA should use Russian launcher It is discouraging that all the options being considered for heavylift rockets capable of launching the sizeable payloads necessary for returning men to the Moon involve being...

Air Transport; ATA files for Chapter 11.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... US low-cost carrier ATA Airlines has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and plans to sell its operations at Chicago Midway airport and slots at two other airports to AirTran Airways. Meanwhile, low-cost start-up Independence Air is...

In Brief.(Brief Article)
November 9, 2004... Simulator supply CAE is to supply China Eastern Airlines with a convertible Airbus A330-200/A340-600 full-flight simulator equipped with CAE's Tropos visual system in early 2006. It will be the first to be convertible between the A330 and...

deregulation; Canada looks at policy.(Brief Article)
November 9, 2004... Canada is reviewing its airline policy, which puts restrictions on foreign ownership of domestic carriers. Air Canada chief executive Robert Milton, who has been calling for a unified North American aviation market for two years, supports the...

Power controls absolutely.(Brief Article)
November 9, 2004... Although all the flying controls were completely useless, Capt Eric Gennotte appreciated he could control pitch with thrust. After the missile strike, he stopped the climb by reducing power, creating a nose-down pitch moment. But any...