Newsdesk – Commercial

Airbus A310 Quickly Proves Its Reliability and Passenger Appeal:

After only three months in airline service, Airbus lndustrie’s new generation A310 twinjet is achieved an average technical dispatch reliability rate of 97.8 per cent. A total of 12A310s have now been delivered – six to Lufthansa and three each to Swissair and KLM Kuwait Airways and Nigeria Airways will also receive A310s this year and deliveries to other customer airlines will begin in 1984. Including the four long rangeA310-300s for Swissa1r, 108 A310s have been ordered by 17 airlines around the world.

DC-10-30ERs Proving Long Legged:

The ultra-long-range route, once the domain of the 747SP, is being challenged by the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30ER (Extended Range) trijet. Both F1nnair and United are operating the type over 6500 statute mile routes to the Orient from opposite sides of the globe. Meanwhile, the customer for, Swissair, is operating the type non-stop on its Zurich/Rio de Janeiro for an equivalent flight distance of 6450miles.MDChave meanwhile upped the range and performance quotas for their proposed MD-100 trijet following the project definition of the Rolls Royce RB211-600 and the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 series of engines These more powerful engines w,11 allow a higher fuel uplift in addition to enhanced fuel efficiency allowing several long-range versions of the MD-100. MDC is looking at a 270-seat aircraft of a 5600 nautical mile range, a 330-seater of a 5500 nm range and 387 passenger aircraft of 4500nm range. Top of the line will be an Extended Range version capable of 7000 nautical miles in addition to a variety of Comb, models that suit particular airline requirements A firm programme go-ahead for the theMD-100is expected by year-end which would have the type fly1ng in commercial service by 1988.

MDC Super 80 Wins Again:

McDonnell Douglas has spent much time in their efforts to lure the PRC national carrier, CAAC, into the Long Beach-based customer network. They have now succeeded with the formal purchase by CAAC of two DC-9 Super 82 (now designated MD-82) aircraft which MDC hopes will be the first order of many. CAAC has to date been a big Boeing customer and currently operate 707s, 737s and 747 aircraft backed up by a large fleet of British Trident jetliners and various Soviet-built second-level aircraft Meanwhile MDC are celebrating a prestigious re-order from American Airlines who have signed for an additional 13 aircraft, adding to the 20 Super 80s already on firm order American’s Super 80s are being used to replace Boeing 727-100 and some 200s on services where in the case of the former type the Super 80 is carrying 500/o more people yet burning 500/o less fuel per seat mile on a typical sector. Even over the 727-200 the Super 80 is carrying the same number of passengers while burning around a third less fuel. Swissair, who launched the Super 80 programme, are logging per-seat-mile fuel burn figures almost exactly the same as the Airbus A310. Locally, TAA is still very keen on the long-range Super 83 as a replacement for their twelve 727-200s and a possible purchase as a rollover deal for a dozen of the projected MD-90 (formerly known as the Super 90) which would replace the current fleet of refurbished DC-9-30s with a fuel efficient airliner in the 100/110- seat class.

Boeing sales on the Rise:

Boeing has reported sales of US$6134 million and net earnings of US$182 million for the first half of 1983. Comparable figures for the first six months of 1982 were sales of US$4484 million and net earnings of US$132 million.

Sales for the second quarter of 1983 were US$3145 million with net earnings of $US$92 million, compared with 1982 second-quarter sales of US$2395 million and net earnings of US$71 million.

Boeing Chairman Mr T. A. Wilson said the increased earnings in the second quarter and for the six-month period ended June 30 were attributable primarily to higher commercial jet transport sales, improved earnings on US Government programmes and a lower level of research, developmental and engineering expenses on new jet transport programmes.

Orders for 39 jet transport, including 13 707 military derivatives, were announced during the second quarter, bringing the total announced orders for the six-month period to 45. Announced orders for the first six months of 1982 were for 33 jet transport, including four 707 military derivatives

It Had to Come Dept!:

Since the first ‘Pong’ game emerged in the early seventies the effect that video games have had on society at large is quite dramatic. Bending to the attraction of the video microchip CP Air is planning to hire out portable video game consoles as in-flight entertainment on flights between Vancouver and Amsterdam, a sector generally known for its younger travellers CP Air will charge $ 3 for the nine hour module rental and the unit will be used with headphones in areas not serviced by the inflight movie. The sets, which felt over the dinner tray, will be used in a three-month test to determine whether the concept is viable.

What Aerospace Exports Mean to the USA:

The foreign exchange a nation earns from its exports is paramount to the financial well-being of that nation. Strong exports mean not only more jobs at home but a stronger local currency and lower domestic interest rates, which as we well and truly know goes hand in hand with a vibrant economy Therefore it is not surprising to learn from a recent study by Chase Econometrics Data Corp that for the US, a one billion dollar increase in aerospace sales in one year adds the equivalent of 44,000 Jobs. to put that into perspective it would roughly be the equivalent of 10 to 11 new Boeing 747-300s being sold in one year In addition to this the study also indicated that over the following eight years an additional 148,000 man-years of labour would be created In supporting those aircraft with spares and technical assistance. The report also cited the additional funds being pumped into the domestic economy via consumer spending and taxes paid by the wage earner. Taken in this context it is easy to see why the high-tech, high-value products of aerospace, whether military or civil, represent such an important sector of a developed country’s economy.

Aluminium Makes a Comeback:

Just when you thought that tomorrow’s plane would be made out of anything but traditional aluminium, the traditional aircraft metal is set to make amajor comeback The British Alcan company launched all-new aluminium lithium which is 10%lighter than existing alloys and slightly stronger, allowing weight savings of up to 20% in future aircraft using the new alloy The American company, Alcoa, has also launched Alithal1te which Is essentially the same as Al-Li and Boeing, in particular, are planning to use the new alloys to some extent in preference to composites due to their lower cost, existing tooling capabilities and a fully trained workforce used to working with aluminium.

Indonesia Orders 748s:

Bouraq Indonesian Airlines, the fast-expanding domestic carrier, has placed a repeat order with British Aerospace for six 748 twin turboprop aircraft, it was announced at the Paris Air Show This latest order, worth US$50 million including spares, increases the Bouraq fleet of 478s to sixteen aircraft. Founded in 1970, Bouraq is now the largest privately owned airline in Indonesia. With the addition of the new 748 aircraft, the company will further expand its already considerable route network. Sales of the British Aerospace 748 have now reached 365 aircraft to 79 different operators in 50 countries.

Japan Aerospace Show on Again:

Japan, this October, again hosts its Japan International Aerospace Show The nine day show runs from October 29 through to November 6 and will feature a presence by more than one hundred aerospace companies Held at Gifu air base, near Nagoya, this will be the seventh presentation of a show which ranks fourth behind Paris, Farnborough and Hanover in crowd-drawing appeal.

Sudden Death for the SUD?

What’s a name, you might say. Well, Boeing and Sikorsky certainly realise that an incorrectly named aircraft can present considerable marketing troubles. Boeing was quick off the mark last year with the media launch of their new 747-300 which was initially referred to as SUD, denoting logically Stretched Upper Deck. Amidst red Seattle faces it was then changed to EUD for Extended Upper Deck and finally at last year’s Farnborough to a more fitting-300. Boeing apparently overlooked that the initials SUD is a standard international mortuary expression for ‘Sudden Unexpected Death’ and 1s are usually scrawled upon a tag on some poor unfortunate’s toe! Certainly, -300 stands a better chance in the future! Another name story belongs to Sikorsky who named their successful S.76 helicopter the Spirit. All is very well in New York, London or Singapore except that in much of the third world, particularly in Africa and the central Americas, Spirit had nasty connotations akin to voodoo, ghosts, goblins and all the very things that sent us under our beds as children. Exit Spirit and enter straight S 761!

Rebel Air Expands:

Australia’s most successful DC-3 operator of late, Rebel Air of Sydney, have expanded their fleet with the purchase of ex-Setair DC-3 V H-MIN. ‘Mike India November was, like Rebel Air sistership VH-PWM, an ex-Connair aircraft and will not take long to get back into full airliner configuration,’ stated Bill Pike of Rebel Air Rebel Air specialises in DC-3 charter tours, chicken and champagne flights and the occasional uplift of bulky freight. The company has also diversified with the purchase of a Cessna Agwagon which will operate in the aerial agriculture role out of Trang1e, NSW.

Shorts 360 Breaks Into the Australian Market:

Fast-growing Murray Valley Airlines has been so impressed with their Shorts 330that they have ordered three new 360 36-seat airliners for their Victorian commuter operations. MVA are headquartered at Mildura and with their new Shorts fleet will be able to cater for a passenger uplift in 1984 of 100,000 passengers. The new 360s will join four 330s already operating in Australia with three airlines, including Wings, Sunstate Airlines in Queensland and MVA. This latest order raises e total 360 orders and options to 50 aircraft and the first MVA aircraft Is expected to enter service during October.

111 a Candidate for Tay Re-Engining Programme:

Rolls Royce’s new Tay turbofan, which already Is slated for Guff. stream’s G-IV and Fokker’s stretched F28, will also be offered as a retrofit for the BAC 111. The 111 is an ideal candidate for re-engining with the Tay which burns 15% less fuel than the standard Spey, is substantially quieter and provides improvements in payload range and field performance under all conditions. The 111 has already been cleared for an airframe life of 85,000 hours and 85,000 cycles and with more than 160 111s in airline service plus an additional 40 incorporated government use there exists the market for a considerable retrofit program. The two RMF VIP share relatively low time units and with re-engining would have a maximum range out to 3500 nm providing ground for their retention in the fleet till the turn of the century. Programme go-ahead is planned for next autumn and the first retrofitted aircraft would complete certification by mid-1986. There is also the possibility that the Romanian production line might shift to the Tay engine which would in effect give an aircraft of similar medium-range capabilities as the 146-200.

New Designation for Douglas Aircraft:

Aircraft in the McDonnell Douglas Super 80 twinjet family are being redes1gnated as MD-80s, it was recently announced by the Douglas Aircraft Company Division of McDonnell Douglas.

The name change provides a consistent family identity for the present and future commercial airliners, using the letters MD for McDonnell Douglas with numerals to designate different series of aircraft and model variations in each series. The Super 81, Super 82 and Super 83 will become MD-81, MD-82, MD-83. All are variants of the original MD-80 (or Super 80) design, with each distinguished by differences in gross weight, engine thrust and range Future versions of the same basic 150-passenger class airframe will carry successive numeral designators in the 80 series. The Super 80 series evolved out of the successful DC-9line of twinjets.

A new 100-125 passenger twinjet now being offered to airlines as the Super 90 will become the MD-90 series, with successive numbers identifying variants as they are developed.

Use of the MD- designation for commercial aircraft was introduced by Douglas last year in connection with the MD-100 advanced wide cabin tn-jetliner which Is now In advanced design and on offer to airlines around the world.

Boeing 757 Range Extension:

Boeing’s higher gross weight version of the 757 is now capable of flying a maximum passenger uplift of 186 in mixed configuration a full 4590 statute miles with reserves Boeing have been continually reducing the empty weight of the aircraft while reducing fuel burn from the Rolls Royce RB211-535C has also aided range extension. Certificated gross weight is now up from 220,000 lbs to 240,000 lbs and with the addition of later generation RR RB211-535E4 and Pratt & Whitney PW2037 engines fuel burn is again expected to be reduced by five to seven per cent. First flight of the higher gross weight 757 with both types of the new engines is expected next autumn for certification in October 1984.

Airshow Attendance Increases Despite Recession:

The Paris Air Show for 1983 may have been held in the worst year for business since the Second World War yet the attendance was up considerably on the previous record, set in 1981. Professional visitors to the ten-day show topped 115,000 of which 28,000 were from outside France – this is around 10% up on 1981. The NASA Shuttle 747 mother craft complete with Orbiter Enterprise also helped boost public attendance which this year surpassed 700,000. There were 1008 exhibitors representing more than 30 countries while more than 200 aircraft were on either static display or participating in the daily air display. For those with diaries, the 1985 Paris Air Show gets underway on May 31, 1985, and runs through to June 9, Farnborough 1984 will run from Sunday 2nd September for one week. For further details on Farnborough ’84 contact the SBAC, 29 King Street, St. James, London, SW1Y 6RD, England.

Interested in Aviation Art?

The Pathfinders, a voluntary group of Qantas air and ground crew, dedicated to fundraising activities in aid of the Royal NSW Institute for Deaf and Blind children, are hosting a display by noted aviation artists. The display will be situated at the Commonwealth Bank building in Martin Plaza, Sydney and will be open to the public from Monday 26th September until 7th October. A worthy cause and certainly a display of interest to all aviation persons.

Firsts for Airbus and Pratt & Whitney:

July 8th was an important day for both Europe’s Airbus Industrie and America’s Pratt & Whitney aero-engine group For Airbus it marked the first flight of their A300-600 and for Pratts 11 was the first flight for their 56,000 lb thrust JT9D:7R4H1 The A300-600 encompasses the technical innovations of the smaller A310 combined with the proven airframe of the established A300 Minor fuselage modifications also allow the -600 to accommodate two additional seat rows boosting passenger capacity by up to sixteen while improved aerodynamics via a drag reduction programme and the use of new technology engines has lowered fuel consumption by up to 15% over earlier models of the A300 series. The first of the Pratt-powered aircraft will be operational with Saudia by April next year while the first -600 powered by General Electric CF6-80C2 engines will fly in early 1985 prior to certification and delivery to Thai International later that year.

Singapore Airlines Fleet Reequipment Plans Make Boeing/ Airbus Smile:

Singapore Airlines’ policy of rolling over its aircraft every six to ten years has certainly boosted the flagging order books of both Boeing and airbus. Announced at the Paris Air Show was SIA’s 15 billion dollar order for a total of six Airbus Industrie A310s, four Boeing 757 and six Boeing 747-300 aircraft. The Airbus order actually includes two former A300ordersnowconverted to the smallerA310 while the 757 order breaks a two-year drought for this promising airliner Whether or not Boeing and Airbus will make a profit on the deals is questionable though as the name of the game nowadays is to keep the line open rather than lose sales and have to close an entire aircraft programme. Another aspect of this sale, and most recent sales of new airliners is the now unquestioned buy-back deals offered airlines on their trade-in aircraft SIA will dispose of five of its A300S, two of which have not even entered service, two 747-200s and the three remaining SIA DC-10·30s to Boeing who will now be in the unusual position of selling new Airbuses. Airbus will take back three of the oldest A300s.

Common Type Rating Granted for 757 and 767 Pilots:

The US Federal Aviation Administration has cleared the way for pilots to fly both of the new-generation Boeing twinjets, the 757 and 767, after passing a type-rating test for either of the airliners. The ‘common type rating’, as it is called in the industry, will yield operational and safety-related advantages to airlines operating both types. It was made possible because of the close similarity of the 757 and 767 from pilots’ point of view. The FAA has stated that the dual type rating approval represented an ‘industry-first’ since it applied to a wide-body airliner, the 767, and a standard-body type, the 757. Other different type of aircraft require separate FAA-type ratings awarded after specialised training In each type. Boeing estimates that in addition to the practical advantages to the airlines of being able to schedule pilots on either airplane for improved productivity, the savings In capital costs of simulators and recurrent training for common-rated pilots over the pilots qualified in a single type would be substantial in a fleet made up of both 757sand 767s Delta Airlines, which will receive its initial 757 In October 1984, will be the first to operate both the 757 and 767 The commonality between the 757 and 767 for pilots is the result of a determined Boeing design and development effort since 1979. The two types have virtually identical flight deck layouts, pilot view from the cockpit, and, airplane performance and handling characteristics