Flight International articles from November 2006

Flight International archives from November 2006

A380 ready to take off on route-proving flights.
November 7, 2006... The Airbus A380 will set off on its technical route-proving programme next week, operating to 10 different airports in Africa, Asia, Australia and North America over four trips.The trials will begin from Toulouse on 13 November "to carry out...

ANZ rocked by Qantastie rejection.(Air New Zealand Ltd.'s proposal rejected by Australian Competition and Consumer Commission)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Air New Zealand (ANZ) has expressed dismay at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) preliminary rejection of its proposed alliance with Qantas, claiming the watchdog group's ruling is flawed.Star Alliance carrier ANZ says...

Volga-Dnepr pushes An-124.(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Russian outsize cargo carrier Volga-Dnepr has taken part in a conference within the federal agency on industry aimed at creating a controlling company to oversee resumption of Antonov An-124 Ruslan production.Volga-Dnepr is pressing to restart...

Failings prompt CASA to revoke Transair's AOC.(Civil Aviation Safety Authority)(Aircraft Operations Center)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has cancelled the air operator's certificate of Transair, the airline involved in the May 2005 crash at Lockhart River in Queensland - the country's worst civil aviation accident in 40...

Incursions by Continental and Alaska spark NTSB inquiry.(National Transportation Safety Board)(Continental Airlines)(Alaska Airlines)
November 7, 2006... US investigators have opened inquiries into two serious incursion incidents involving Alaska Airlines and Continental Airlines last month. In one incident, an Alaska Boeing 737 departed from the wrong runway at Seattle-Tacoma International...

Notams poised to enter digital age.(Federal Aviation Administration)(Eurocontrol)
November 7, 2006... Eurocontrol and the US Federal Aviation Administration hope to field a preliminary system for producing standardised, computerised notices to airmen (Notams) by 2010 in a move it says will provide "major benefits" for the aviation...

How the syllabus will work.(Marsha Bell)(Alteon)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Alteon's vice-president first officer programme, Marsha Bell, says the MPL programme aims, from the outset, to produce pre-selected first officers for individual airlines, rather than pilots competent to conduct a flight alone, which is what...

Alteon on course to validate MPL.(multi crew pilot licence)
November 7, 2006... Boeing's training business Alteon says its first multi-crew pilot licence (MPL) training course, with six cadet pilots from two Chinese airlines and six places yet to be filled, will inevitably be a validation process for the new training...

SAA aims to juice low-cost market with Mango.(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Mango, South African Airways' new wholly owned budget carrier, aims to bring affordable flights to the country's largely untapped low-income population that, until now, has relied heavily on bus and rail travel.Speaking at Mango's official...

Green groups challenge NOx limits.(nitrous oxide)
November 7, 2006... Two national air pollution control bodies are mounting a challenge to the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA), claiming that current nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions limits on aircraft engines do not set the technology bar high enough. The...

PIA forced to switch.(Pakistan International Airlines Corp.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has suspended Boeing 747 operations to Europe and switched to smaller Airbus A310s and Boeing 777s because of concerns expressed by European aviation authorities.The state-owned airline says it is no longer...

Vietnam aims to double fleet.(forecasts of Vietnam Airlines)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Vietnam Airlines has revealed ambitious growth plans and expects to more than double its fleet by 2015.The state-owned carrier has been expanding aggressively in recent years and now operates a fleet of 40 aircraft, comprising ATR 72s, Fokker...

Zurich adds ILS five years after fatal Crossair RJ crash.(instrument landing system)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Swiss air navigation service Skyguide has introduced a new instrument landing system (ILS) for Zurich airport's third runway, five years after a fatal landing accident prompted installation of the equipment.The new ILS will enable aircraft to...

Options stretched for 747-8I.
November 7, 2006... Boeing is leaving the door open to building the longer-range, short-stretch version of the 747-8 Intercontinental to meet Emirates' requirements, despite the fact that it has adopted a 5.6m (18.4ft) stretch of the freighter as the baseline for...

GA manufacturers drive towards record results.(General Aviation)(Cessna Aircraft Co.)(Bombardier Inc.)(Raytheon Aircraft Co.)
November 7, 2006... Bulging orderbooks are fuelling ever higher deliveries as general-aviation manufacturers continue their drive toward record results. Shipments rose almost 19% in the first nine months, to more than 2,840 jet, turboprop and piston aircraft,...

JetBird takes partner for German market push.
November 7, 2006... Swiss on-demand air-taxi developer JetBird has formed a strategic partnership with German aviation industrialist Conrado Dornier in a move designed to build the credibility and awareness of the JetBird brand and establish a foothold in Germany,...

Kollsman aims to extend EVS reach to retrofits.(enhanced vision system )
November 7, 2006... Kollsman, infrared sensor supplier for Gulfstream's pioneering enhanced vision system (EVS), is moving into the retrofit market with plans for supplemental type certification (STC) on other business jets and commercial aircraft. The move comes...

NTSB slams FAA for air taxi lapses.(National Transportation Safety Board)(Federal Aviation Administration)
November 7, 2006... The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has lambasted the Federal Aviation Administration for the second time in the past 12 months for its failure to exercise safety oversight in the Part 135 "air taxi"on-demand charter sector...

EADS tightens grip.(Fabrice Brgier)
November 7, 2006... Like once-indulgent parents whose patience with the wayward antics of their offspring has been exhausted, EADS's board of directors will in future keep a much closer watch on the everyday operations of Airbus. After years of operating...

Hubble bubble.
November 7, 2006... NASA has learned - perhaps relearned - a lesson during the saga of the Hubble Space Telescope: that its role as a research organisation is to inspire, and not only discover and develop. Scientists led the campaign to restore a cancelled repair...

Give this licence a chance.(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... There is more to the multi-crew pilot licence training system than meets the eye. It looks like a fast-track way to move from zero flight time to the right-hand seat of a commercial jet or fully crewed turboprop. Speed is good for nations such...

Six vie for UK's Project Listener.(Defence Procurement Agency's tender for BAE Systems PLC, General Dynamics UK and Lockheed Martin UK Ltd)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... The UK Defence Procurement Agency has issued an invitation to tender (ITT) to six companies bidding to meet a potentially ?100 million ($190 million) Project Listener requirement to "find, fix and track" time-sensitive mobile ground targets for...

Canada silences Skylark UAVs in Afghanistan.(unmanned air vehicles)
November 7, 2006... The Canadian army has grounded its newly acquired Elbit Systems Skylark I hand-launched unmanned air vehicles from use in Afghanistan after a spate of unidentified failures. The order comes just weeks after the UAVs entered service, and affects...

China shown new missiles.(Kh-31PK air-to-surface missile)(R-27 long-range air-to-air missile)(Tactical Missile Corporation)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... China is being offered Russia's latest-generation Kh-31PK air-to-surface missile (ASM) and a passive homing variant of the R-27 long-range air-to-air missile to equip the country's Sukhoi Su-27/30 fighters, writes Vladimir Karnozov in...

Raytheon 'cockpit' to tackle UAV mishaps.(Unmanned aerial vehicles)(Raytheon Aircraft Co.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... SAFETY GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DCWith only 10% of spending on unmanned systems going towards ground equipment, and a significant proportion of air vehicle losses blamed on operator error, Raytheon has tapped into the gaming industry to...

Volvo floats military engine R&D plan as budgets shrink.(forecasts of Volvo Aero Corp.)
November 7, 2006... Volvo Aero has briefed the European Defence Agency (EDA) on the concept of a pan-European military engine research initiative which, it says, would help ensure the future for all the major engine makers in the face of shrinking defence...

IAI steps up bid to boost US presence.(Israel Aircraft Industries)(united states )(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Partnering Arie Egozi / Tel AvivIsrael Aircraft Industries (IAI) is negotiating joint-venture agreements with US companies in a bid to strengthen its presence in the nation's lucrative unmanned air systems market. It plans to sign an agreement...

Nordic threat to JSF programme.(Joint Strike Fighter )
November 7, 2006... With the USA expecting the first international Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) partners to sign up for the Lockheed Martin F-35 production programme later this month, Denmark and Norway could be poised to delay their decisions on participation until...

Volvo Aero lands new contract for F136 work.
November 7, 2006... Volvo Aero's Norwegian operation has won an initial $1.7 million contract from General Electric to make forward and aft high-pressure (HP) compressor cases for the alternate F136 engine in development for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike...

Sabena eyes contract.
November 7, 2006... MAINTENANCE AIMEE TURNER / AMSTERDAMThe new owners of stricken French maintenance, repair and overhaul company Sogerma will attempt to win back vital military maintenance work that it lost to Portugal when the contract comes up for renewal....

USAF lays out X, Y and Z of tanker replacement strategy.(united states Air Force)
November 7, 2006... With the schedule for renewal of its aerial refuelling fleet spreading over five decades, the US Air Force is planning three separate tanker replacement programmes. After the initial 179 aircraft to be purchased under the KC-X programme, the...

Yak-130 to lose pilot.(unmanned combat air vehicle)(Yakovlev Design Bureau Joint Stock Co.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Russia's Yakovlev design bureau is developing unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) and unmanned reconnaissance platforms based on its Yak-130 advanced jet trainer, as well as pursuing the high-speed Voron (Raven) multipurpose system.A design...

full tilt ahead.
November 7, 2006... With the V-22 Osprey entering military service next year and the civil BA609 progressing towards certification, tiltrotor pioneers Bell Helicopter and Boeing are stepping up work on the next frontier - the Quad TiltRotor (QTR) heavylift...

still the sick man.
November 7, 2006... Last year's financial and operating performance for the world's top carriers demonstrated in the starkest terms possible the aching gulf between the haves and the have-nots. The broad canvas shows that the have-nots are the US majors, while the...

Canberra urged to buy firefighter.(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Opposition politicians in New South Wales are calling on the Australian federal government to buy or lease a permanent firefighting helicopter because the bushfire season is starting earlier each year. Australia has to wait for the wildfire...

SuperCobra in the air.(air force technology used for the new military aircraft)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... The all-metal SuperCobra has a maximum cruise speed of 175kt Evektor has flown its VUT100-131i SuperCobra high-performance light aircraft for the first time from its Kunovice, Czech Republic base. The all-metal four-seater is powered by a 315hp...

London moves to clamp down on helicopter noise.(Darren Johnson)
November 7, 2006... London, UK-based helicopters could face tighter operating restrictions after the publication of a study by the city's council, the London Assembly, into the effect of rotary-wing noise in the capital. The report was commissioned in response to...

Jabiru seals Brazil deal.(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Jabiru Brazil has begun constructing a facility in Maric?, Rio de Janeiro, to assemble the J100/200/400 series designed by Australian light aircraft and engine manufacturer Jabiru. Airframes will be shipped from Australia to Brazil under an...

Flybe plans fast Connect transition.
November 7, 2006... The BA Connect brand will disappear early next year, once Flybe completes the acquisition of British Airways' regional arm, announced last week. The new owners plan to rapidly phase out the BA Connect fleet and replace the aircraft with...

Quandary over partnerships.(Boris Alyoshin)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Business Howard Gethin / MOSCOWRussia's future direction for a strategic partnership in aerospace appeared to be at a crossroads last week, with ministers making overtures to both Europe and China. The head of the Russian Federal Agency for...

Emirates weighs up fleet options.
November 7, 2006... Emirates is undertaking a major evaluation of fleet upgrade options following the two-year delay to its Airbus A380 order, in a move that could see it roll over its A330 fleet with new aircraft.The airline's president Tim Clark says the...

RNP procedures win FAA approval.(required navigation performance)(United States. Federal Aviation Administration )(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... The US move towards a performance-based navigation system has taken a step forward with Federal Aviation Administration approval for Delta Air Lines to use any required navigation performance (RNP) approach procedure in the USA. Also,...

India plans manned mission.(Indian Space Research Organisation)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair has presented manned spaceflight plans to the Indian prime minister, Man Mohan Singh. The plan proposes to send an Indian astronaut into space in a capsule launched by the...

US team wins MAV contest.(micro air vehicle)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... A team from Brigham Young University of Provo, Utah has won the second US-European micro air vehicle (MAV) competition.This is the second time a US team has won the annual competition, which this year required the MAVs to travel between...

ICAO inspectors audit Nigeria's safety again.(International Civil Aviation Organisation )(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... air transport david learmount / londonInternational Civil Aviation Organisation inspectors arrived in Abuja, Nigeria last week to carry out an aviation safety audit - the second check the nation has undergone since ICAO set up its Universal...

Aer Lingus: 'Reject bid'.
November 7, 2006... Aer Lingus's directors have issued shareholders with a detailed response to Ryanair's takeover offer, in which they urge them not to sell to the Irish budget carrier because its offer is "ill-conceived, contradictory and anti-competitive".Aer...

P&W gears up for CFM parts run.(CFM56-3)
November 7, 2006... air transport Guy Norris / StavangerPratt & Whitney is completing design and development work on the first set of alternative parts for the CFM56-3, and plans to begin test runs in an engine in January.The engine maker, which announced its...

Quiet Spike sonic boom mitigator tested on F-15 at Mach 1.2.(Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Gulfstream's patented Quiet Spike sonic boom mitigator has been flown supersonically mounted on a Boeing F-15 operated by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, California. The multi-segment, telescoping boom was flown at Mach 1.2...

BWB model tests begin.(Boeing Phantom Works)(blended wing body )(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Boeing Phantom Works is ground-testing its X-48B unmanned blended wing body (BWB) demonstrators at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The two 228kg (500lb), 6.4m (21ft)-span vehicles will fly at speeds up to 120kt (220km/h) and altitudes up...

Aero Vodochody's new owner casts doubt on L-159 contracts.
November 7, 2006... Representatives of Penta, the new owner of Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody, have voiced doubts about whether talks its current managers have held with potential buyers of the L-159 advanced jet trainer will ever result in production...

China, Russia in engine tie-up talks.(Aleksandr Vatagin)
November 7, 2006... airSHOW china VLADIMIR KARNOZOV / ZHUHAIRussia's Klimov is looking at the possibility of joining forces with Chinese industry for the joint development of next-generation engines for fighter aircraft, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles, says...

Turning gold into straw.(Airbus S.A.S.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Airbus is suffering from acute reverse alchemy, in turning gold into straw. French finance minister Thierry Breton called it a "European success" - then, vowing to "defend this model", contradicted himself by failing to realise that successful...

Prove me wrong, Airbus.(Airbus S.A.S.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Flight International highlights the consequences of the Airbus A380 delay when you should be castigating the causes.Designing and developing even a giant jetliner isn't inherently difficult, it's complicated because we make it so. The dispersed...

Plan for doomsday.(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... I am in agreement with Petros Kronis (Flight International, 24-30 October) regarding the Helios Boeing 737-300 accident, when the autopilot flew 115 passengers and six crew to their deaths. The aircraft manufacturers must take some...

Time to take regulation control.(European Aviation Safety Agency )(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... A united European aviation authority makes sense, but it must be one where all the members have the same understanding of the regulations (Flight International, 17-23 October). The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) does not make its...

Captain, earn your salary.
November 7, 2006... I have a better suggestion than Petros Kronis's "program the autopilot" to address the problem of cabin pressurisation. Tell the captain and co-pilot to stay on the job and check how the pressure plan is going at, say, 6,000ft (1,830m). In...

New year nod for stretched ARJ21.(ARJ21-900)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... developmentChina's AVIC I Commercial Aircraft (ACAC) expects to launch the programme for the ARJ21-900, the stretched version of the ARJ21-700 regional jet, next year.ACAC president Zheng Qiang says he expects approval for the ARJ21-900 "early...

Harbin wins Y-12F orders.(Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corp.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Harbin Aircraft has received five orders for the new Y-12F, a light twin-engined transport aircraft it hopes to start manufacturing by 2010.The company said at the Zhuhai show that detailed design would be completed by July 2007, and the first...

Manufacturers circle for China's helicopter boom.
November 7, 2006... Domestic and foreign helicopter manufacturers are looking to boost sales and increase production rates in China, which is likely to become the worth's largest growth market in the civil sector.One report released in Zhuhai last week by AVIC II,...

Local trainers set for evaluation.(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Shown for the first time at Zhuhai, Hongdu's supersonic L-15 has been undergoing flight tests since MarchChina's two competing indigenous advanced trainers are set to enter evaluation, with the air force due to make a decision late next...

Xian details MA60 improvements.(Xian Aircraft Co.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... upgradeXian Aircraft is making further improvements to the MA60 and has set a timescale for introducing a freighter variant, as studies into a new-generation 35- to 70-seat turboprop emerge."We plan to install new-generation equipment such as...

Shaanxi assembles Y8-F600.(Shaanxi Aircraft )(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Shaanxi Aircraft is undertaking final assembly of the first batch of Shaanxi Y8-F600 test aircraft and expects the freighter variant to be certificated by the end of next year. Shaanxi vice-president Liu Bin says the Y8-F600's first flight will...

India boosts GSLV with hot-fire test.(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... In a major boost to India's launch vehicle development programme, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully hot-fired its indigenous cryogenic upper stage for 50s on 28 October. This will replace the Russian-supplied upper...

Orion could have integrated seat and suit.
November 7, 2006... NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle could have an integrated seat and spacesuit, says deputy associate administrator for exploration operations Michael Foale. The four- to six-crew Orion is to have couch-like seats and studies are ongoing as...

NASA approves 2008 Hubble repair mission.
November 7, 2006... NASA's overwhelmingly popular decision to mount a Space Shuttle mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope will affect the agency's plans for the Orion crew exploration vehicle (CEV). Expected in 2008, the SM-4 servicing mission by orbiter...

A cutting edge organisation.(Lockheed Martin Corp.)(Company overview)(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Lockheed Martin was formed in 1995 with the merger of Lockheed and Martin Marietta. The US-headquartered company employs 135,000 people worldwide on advanced technology projects such as JSF and Orion. It is principally engaged in the research,...

Quick facts.
November 7, 2006... HQ: Bethesda, Maryland, USA with operations in more than 50 countriesMarket capitalisation: $36.5 billionEmployees: 135,000 Openings: 3,100 US graduate recruits for 2006Staff attrition: 4.5% (2005) Pay: starting graduate salary $50,000-$55,000

Why US defence giant gets top marks from students.(Leslie Chappell)(united states )
November 7, 2006... Lockheed Martin has made a big push to boost its appeal to US undergraduates, particularly engineering students. It has stepped up university-targeted recruitment, increased leave and improved its mentoring programme. The new approach seems to...

Who it wants.(Brief article)
November 7, 2006... Lockheed Martin says it continues to see high demand for students in technical disciplines, particularly engineering and computer science. The most common majors of graduates joining the company are computer science, systems engineering,...

Hover higher.
November 7, 2006... With foreign wars and natural disasters bolstering demand for military and paramilitary rotorcraft, manufacturers are enjoying their healthiest business for several decades. In Europe, a new generation of helicopters is entering volume...

Certification looms large for A380.
November 14, 2006... Reeling from the double blow of further production delays announced last month and last week's shock order cancellation by FedEx Express, Airbus is determined to send a positive message to the market by securing A380 type certification by...

Post-approval flight testing.(product development of aircraft)(Brief article)
November 14, 2006... Between the target certification date for the Trent 900-powered A380 of mid-December and the planned entry into service of the aircraft with Singapore Airlines in October 2007, Airbus plans to perform a series of additional tests.MSN002 will...

Battle continues to cut weight from airframe.(product development)(Brief article)
November 14, 2006... Airbus is continuing the battle to strip weight from the A380's airframe and acknowledges that at service entry, the manufacturer's empty weight of the aircraft will be about 2% (nearly 5t) greater than specification, which is 243.2t."The main...

Italians plot to take ATR control.(Alenia Aeronautica S.p.A., Avions de Transport Regional)(Brief article)
November 14, 2006... strategYPier Francesco Guarguaglini, chief executive of Alenia Aeronautica parent Finmeccanica, is keen to take complete control of the Toulouse-based ATR joint venture, which the two companies founded 25 years ago and of which EADS still owns...

Alenia plans European SSJ centre.(partnerships)(Brief article)
November 14, 2006... partnership Max Kingsley-Jones / MoscowAlenia Aeronautica plans to create a major sales operation - probably headquartered in Toulouse - that will handle international sales and deliveries of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ), as well as worldwide...

Regional revamps revealed.(product development)(Brief article)
November 14, 2006... Bombardier has revealed further details about the proposed CRJ900X and Q400X regional aircraft, which are being designed to seat 98 and 90 passengers, respectively. The CRJ900X centre fuselage barrel section will be extended forward by 1.58m...

Defendants acquitted over 1992 Air Inter crash.(aircraft accidents)(Brief article)
November 14, 2006... ruling DAVID LEARMOUNT / LONDONCriminal charges hanging over six defendants since the 1992 crash of an Air Inter Airbus A320 on approach to Strasbourg, France have been lifted. The court at Colmar, near the Vosges mountains in which the...

CSeries receives composites boost.
November 14, 2006... Bombardier has revealed new details about the redesigned CSeries airliner, which it still hopes to launch, possibly in 2007, revealing that it has adopted an all-composite wing for the proposed 110- to 130-seat aircraft.The CSeries, along with...

'High-level group' to review regulation system.(future of aviation regulation )(Brief article)
November 14, 2006... Having analysed the issues raised at a 20 September conference on the future of aviation regulation in Europe, Commissioner for Transport Jacques Barrot has just announced the creation of a "high-level group" to carry out a strategic review of...

EASA steps up recruitment drive.(European Aviation Safety Agency)
November 14, 2006... The European Aviation Safety Agency could be about to resolve its recruitment woes by lifting its second-language requirement and increasing pay in a hiring drive being targeted at senior UK aviation regulators.The move comes in the wake of a...

FAA misses accident target.(Federal Aviation Administration)(Brief article)
November 14, 2006... The US Federal Aviation Administration says it has missed its own accident fatality reduction target over the past three years.Highlighted by FAA auditor KPMG as part of a wider procedural review, the aviation regulator says it failed to meet...

MAS 777 engine sheds debris after take-off.(Malaysia Airline System Bhd.)(Brief article)
November 14, 2006... A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER was forced to return to Stockholm Arlanda after take-off when debris emerged from the No 1 Rolls-Royce Trent 800. There were no flightdeck alerts during the 3 November incident, but the crew dumped fuel and...

NATS provides pilots with mobile phone alternative.(National Air Traffic Services)(Brief article)
November 14, 2006... Following a rise in the number of aircraft suffering total loss of communication with air traffic control in its flight information regions (FIR), UK air navigation service provider NATS has advised pilots how to use mobile telephony to report...

SAA prepares to grow A340 fleet.(South African Airways)
November 14, 2006... South African Airways (SAA) is looking to acquire more Airbus A340s to keep up with soaring demand for its long-haul services, but sees no near-term requirement for the ultra-large A380.Chief executive Khaya Ngqula says SAA's fleet of 21 A340s...