Newsdesk – Commercial

Pan AM to Sell Tristars:

PanAm is planning to sell its entire fleet of twelve Lockheed L1011-500 Tristar trijets by the end of 1983. The decision resulted from a move to cut many long-haul low-volume routes that were the domain of the -500 operation. PanAm will now rely on its Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-1O fleet for international and domestic high-volume services. In addition to the Tnstars, the carrier also is planning to dispense with at least thirteen of its thirsty Boeing 727-100 aircraft and two if its six 747 Freighters by 1983. Sale of these aircraft will raise PanAm’s sufficient capital to improve its debt-to-equity ratio from 2·1 to 1.25:1.

1981/82 a Slow One for Airlines:

Commercial aviation in Australia for the financial year 1981/82 grew in total tonne kilometres (combination of passenger, freight and mail tonne-kilometres) by 5.3%. For the year ending June 30, 1982 the TTK figure was 1054 as against 1002 for the previous year. In the number of passengers earned the growth was a minimal 0.8% while passenger kilometres increased by 4.9% though the June quarter did indicate a mild traffic resurgance though this was largely due to discount fares stimulating the market at the expense of yield. All major airports showed a positive growth in passenger movements except Adelaide and Canberra though both centres recorded gains in the June quarter as compared with the comparable quarter in 1981.

Saving Fuel With the Super 80:

Pacific Southwest Airlines of San Diego, California have claimed that their fleet of McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Super 80s has provided fuel savings of $7.7 m when compared to the amount required to power the same number of Boeing 727-200 over an equal number of hours. Since the carrier took delivery of its first Dash 80 the fleet has accumulated 15,385 hours and recorded an overall 200/o fuel saving over the previous 727-200 fleet. PSA recently increased their Dash 80 order from 13 to 27 aircraft

Qantas, Air Pacific Tie Knot for Another Five Years:

Qantas and Air Pacific have agreed to extend their seat-sharing arrangement between Australia and Fiji for another five years. This effectively puts on ice any aspirations TAA and Ansett had of obtaining the service In concert with the Fiji carrier. Qantas commenced the initial agreement on July 1, 1981, with Air Pacific leasing 120 economy seats and cargo space on each Qantas 747 service between Sydney and Nadi. So successful has the operation been that frequency has been increased from three to four per week.

Hush-Kits for Fokker F-27:

Fokker has completed a certification program for lower noise levels of the Rolls Royce Dart 7 Turboprops. These engines already comply with existing FAA and !CAO noise regulations. But thanks to the installation of hush-kits on the engines’ air intakes, the F27 will shortly meet even the most stringent regulations applicable to the latest Turboprop aircraft designs. As from late 1982, all new F27s will be fitted with hush-kits. Earlier flight tests performed by Fokker have already revealed that these hush-kits bring about a noise reduction during approach and taxiing of at least 6 EPNDB, without engine performance penalties.

Air Freight Gets off the Ground:

The arrival of the IPEC DC-9-30 freighter and Cargomaster’s L100 Hercules have ushered in a new era in Australian domestic air freight operations. Gordon Barton’s IPEC has been gnawing away at the night airfreight market for many years persevering with two Argosy freighters on their Bass Strait run. Now the company is able to completely restructure its night freight operations with the addition of an imported DC-9 freighter complete with a collared floor and large forward freight door. The DC-9 will replace both Argosy aircraft on the Melbourne/Launceston route, uplifting a maximum of 16 tonnes in place of the 13 tonnes capacity of the Argosy With its additional load-carrying capability plus the vastly reduced sector times the single DC-9 will effectively replace the two Argosys on this route with a planned uplift of 100 tonnes nightly. In turn the Argosy fleet with a third example being returned from operations in Singapore, will concentrate on the Melbourne/ Sydney/Brisbane/Townsville route enabling IPEC to expand their air freight operations in a manner not possible prior to the freeing of air freight from the two airline policy in 1981. The other landmark event was the August arrival of Bill Astling’s first Lockheed L100 Hercules for his specialist Cargomasters heavy lift outsize cargo operation. Unlike the IPEC and Ansett freight operations, Cargomasters does not operate to a schedule and will specialise in getting high-priority outsize cargos into relatively inaccessible locations. The second L-100 Hercules is scheduled to arrive in December

1981 a Safe if Unprofitable Year:

1981 may go down down in history as a financial disaster for the international civil aviation community but at least it was an exceptionally safe one. ICAO reports that the passenger fatality rate almost halved from the 1980 figures of 0.9 per 100 million passenger kilometres to only 0.4 for 1981 Similarly, the number of fatal aircraft accidents per 100,000 landings also dropped from 0.20 in 1980 to 0.17 in 1981. In 1981 there were 17 fatal accidents involving 365 passenger fatalities against 21 fatal accidents involving 812 passenger fatalities in 1980. This is quite an achievement considering the unusually bad winter experienced in much of the northern hemisphere, the effects of the PATCO strike in the latter months of 1981 and the general belief that many airlines tend to skimp on maintenance and safety-related operations in times of economic difficulty.

Let Your Ears Have Wings:

In answer to a few inquiries from monitors of the airband who are obviously dial-twiddlers, Robert Bell informs me that the reason most of the VHF and HF frequencies making up his exclusive articles are not in strict numerical order is that he wanted them listed as close as possible in order of importance to jet airline traffic.

On re-inspection of the articles, you will find Bob has listed frequencies for VHF under CONTROL, APPROACH, DEPARTURES, the TOWER somewhere in the middle, and Flight Service always at the bottom, as they have the least to do with Jet Airline Traffic on VHF.

As for the HF listings, stations of particular interest to Australian Monitors were given precedence in the batting order, with the least interesting relegated to the latter end of the pack.

DC-8-71 Enters Service:

Delta Airlines has expressed satisfaction with the first of thirteen CFM56-powered Series 71 DC-8s to have returned to service with the US carrier. Delta are using the 212-passenger DC-8-71 to augment Tristar routes in addition to some short-haul high-density sectors. Delta are claiming the converted aircraft is slightly more economical than a 767 on a 1000 mile sector and some 25% more fuel efficient on a seatmile basis than the 727-200 and 20% over the original DC-8-61. Meanwhile of the 94 aircraft slated for modification, several will be equipped with long-range underfloor tanks capable of giving the aircraft, in corporate configuration, a range of 10,000 statute miles. This would result in the greatest range capability of any civil aircraft, and all for a price tag of around twenty million dollars.

General Electric CT7 Turboprop completes150hourendurance Run:

General Electric’s new CT? The Turboprop engine power unit has successfully completed a 150-hour endurance test run. The post-test calibration run substantiated that all engine power and fuel consumption specification requirements were met with sizeable margins, while a hot section teardown has shown that the ‘hardware is in excellent shape ‘ The 1600-2000 SHP Class new technology CT? is scheduled for FAA Certification late next year. It has been selected for two new aircraft – the CASNPT Nurtanio CN235, and the Saab/FairchildSF340. These 30-40 passenger commercial transports will enter service in 1984-85

Challenger Makes an Impact:

The sale of the first Canadair Challenger 600 in Australia has certainly boosted the distributor’s hopes of having at least twelve such aircraft registered locally by 1990. The Avco Lycoming-powered Model 600 is due for delivery this December to an unnamed company The Challenger with primary interest locally will be the Model 601 which is powered by General Electric CF34 turbofans offering a 22% increase in thrust while greatly reducing the takeoff roll, enhancing payload/range equations and allowing an additional 400 nm of additional range through reduced fuel burn. Challenger 601 is also equipped with winglets and will be available locally during 1984. Meanwhile, a new carrier, Canberra Airlines has won DoA approval in principle to operate first class jet services from Canberra to Townsville, Darwin and Perth using two Challenger 600s and hopes to become operational by mid-1983.

Boeing Reports First Half Sales, Earnings:

Boeing today reported lower sales and net earnings for the first half of 1982. Sales were $US 4484 million and net earnings were $US 132 million. Comparable figures for the first six months of 1981 were sales of $US 5191 million and net earnings of $US 284 million.

Boeing chairman, Mr T. A. Wilson, said the lower earnings for the six-month period ended June 30 were attributable primarily to significantly lower commercial Jet transport deliveries – 47 fewer 727s and 17 fewer 747s, a continued high level of research, developmental and engineering expenses on the 7571767 and 737-300 programs, and lower interest income.

The decline in earnings on commercial programs was partially offset by substantially improved sales and earnings on US Government programs.

Mr Wilson said profitability in the airline industry continued to be adversely affected by the lagging economy, severe competition, and high interest rates and operating costs.

These factors coupled with the uncertainties associated with the US Export-Import Bank and the proposed modification of the ‘safe harbor’ leasing provisions of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 had caused a substantial reduction in the level of airline orders for the new jet transports.

The combination of these economic and political factors was also causing airlines, in some cases, to defer deliveries or cancel aircraft already on order, he added.

First Fokker F28 MK 4000 for Airlines of Western Australia:

Perth-based Airlines of Western Australia has taken delivery of its first Fokker F28 Mk 4000 twin turbofan. The F28, which arrived in Australia mid-July will service Airlines of Western Australia’s extensive route network in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Although designed for a maximum passenger capacity of 85, Airlines of Western Australia will operate the F28 with 75 seats, which is considered more appropriate for Western Australia’s longer flights and local conditions.

A second F28 Mk 4000 will be delivered in December next and it is the airline’s intention to gradually re-equip its existing fleet of seven smaller Fokker F28s Mk 1000 with larger and upgraded Mk 4000s.

Shorts Break Into Asian Market:

Shorts of Belfast have broken into the Asian second-level market with the sale of four 330 airliners to Thai Airways Company, a domestic carrier of Thailand. The 330s will replace aged BAe 748 aircraft on certain routes and will provide a feeder service into the carrier’s route structure. Thai claim that they will cut yearly fuel bills by 48% while transporting the same number of passengers by using the fuel-frugal 330s. The 330 also offers attractively low initial and maintenance costs while at the same time providing full cabin passenger appeal such as a full galley, toilet, low cabin noise and hostess service. Thirty-three airlines in 14 countries have now placed orders and options for 11O 330s of which 88 have been delivered. Since 1976, when the type first entered service, 330s have carried more than seven million passengers during some 320,000 hours of commercial flying.

Bae 146 Performance Exceeds Expectations:

Five BAe 146 feeder liners have now completed 600 hours of test flying and have shown that the aircraft will substantially beat its original performance targets. Test results indicate significant gains in takeoff and climb performance and in fuel burn.

The improvements are partly due to the efficiency of the wing, whose clean aerodynamic design generates very high hft, and partly to the performance of the Avco Lycoming ALF502R-3 turbofans. These are demonstrating better fuel economy at all heights than forecast and are confirming the predicted low noise levels.

Production of the BAe 146 1s building up steadily at Hatfield where the first 109-seat 146-200 made its first flight recently. In addition to the five development aircraft already flying, one aircraft is being prepared for high-intensity route proving and another is being equipped in readiness for sales demonstrations, scheduled to start towards the end of the year.

Pre Owned Aircraft No Joke:

The number of large commercial aircraft on the second-hand market is nearing plague proportions following the demise of large carriers such as Laker and Braniff. At mid-year, it was anticipated that there would be more than 250 jet airliners on the market including 60 Boeing 747s, or 10% of the total 747 fleet. The number of DC-10 and L1011 trijets on offer stood at 80, a decrease in percentage terms due to the number of DC-10 operators who in the past year have seen their payloads slip to the point where it was more efficient to operate the smaller trijet over a long route than a 747.

737 Still in Hot Demand:

Southwest Airlines of Texas has ordered three more Boeing 737-200 airliners for delivery in 1983. Southwest currently flies 33 of the 737-200s and has an additional nine on order. The carrier also has purchased ten Boeing 737- 300s, a re-engined derivative of the 737-200. The 737-300s are scheduled for delivery in late 1984. The Southwest order brings to 1005 the total number of 737s ordered, of which 886 have been delivered to 109 airlines of the world.

Boeing 767 Certificated for Commercial Service:

The new-generation Boeing 767 has been approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration for commercial service. It is the first all-new Boeing airliner to be certificated since the 747 in December 1969.

Certification of the new 211-passenger, fuel-efficient airliner follows more than 1600 hours of developmental flight-testing and FAA certification trials with 767s powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4 turbofan engines and analysis of data accumulated in compliance with the latest Federal aviation regulations covering certification of new airliners.

The airliner was FAA-approved for takeoff at a maximum gross weight of 300,000 pounds. In the course of testing, the 767 also demonstrated to the FAA sound levels at or below the stringent limits set out in the latest government noise regulations.

United Airlines, the kickoff customer for the 767 program, took delivery of the first of its 767s in August and has announced it will start service in September. Ansell Airlines has ordered five and will take delivery of its first 767 at the end of November.

Total of 173 Boeing 767s have been ordered by 17 airlines, of which 25 will be delivered by year-end.

Longer Legged DC-9 Super 80:

The US FAA certificated a higher gross weight version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Super 80. Maximum takeoff weight has been increased by 2500 lb to 149,500 lb allowing a range extension of 500 nm which now means that the new model can operate at maximum payloads out to a range of 2000 nm. Further MDC studies are in hand to take the Super 80 out to 160,000 lb which will satisfy the need for some European charter operators to fly the aircraft over sectors as long as 2400 nm with 150 passengers and baggage.

Saab-Fairchild 340 Nearing Rollout:

The first Saab-Fairchild 340 twin-turboprop regional airliner and executive aircraft will roll out of the new Saab-Scania civil aircraft plant in Linkoping, Sweden, October 27 this year. The first flight is scheduled to take place in early 1983.

The two marketing entities, Fairchild Swearingen of San Antonia, Texas (responsible for North America) and Saab-Fairchild HB of Linkoping (other parts of the world) report firm orders and paid options for 111 aircraft, 86 airliners and 25 executive aircraft Of the total, 53 will go to the North American market and 58 to other parts of the world.