Newsdesk – Commercial

This will allow the Department to discontinue their loss-making hard copy computer printout system, while readers will have the added convenience of having the information in a more easily referenced form which is also portable.

Embraer Celebrate 15th Anniversary:

Embraer have recently celebrated their 15th anniversary. In what should be a shining example to Australia of what can be done with enthusiastic government support and investment, Embraer commenced operations back in 1969 with a handful of people anda basic plan. to licence-build Piper light aircraft.

Today, the vast organisation employs 7300 people in what is the largest aerospace facility in the southern hemisphere. Embraer have in that time delivered more than 3000 aircraft including more than 450 Bandeirantes, their best selling aircraft to date. Locally, Embraer are now represented by Aeromil which recently announced that it has secured paid deposits on three Brasilia 30-seat pressurised commuter aircraft.

 New Australian Company Buys Hovercraft:

Hovercraft is it a plane or a boat? That question was raised from no less than 38 State and Federal government departments before a transport category licence was issued to a new Australian venture named Hovertravel recently. Hovertravel will operate a Westland BHC AP188 from its Melbourne base serving communities along the shores of Port Phillip Bay. As we goto press the first unit was intended to have entered service while a second hovercraft will become operational in late 1985.

The Westland AP188 breaks new ground for hovercraft as it dispenses entirely with the traditional, and very expensive, aircraft turbo-props that powered previous hovercraft designs. By changing to marine diesels operating costs are reduced by as much as three quarters while acquisition cost per seat is lowered to the point where a hovercraft begins to be feasible for markets not previously worth evaluating. Scandinavian Air Services have purchased two AP188s and are running them on a shuttle service between Malmo in Sweden and Copenhagen airport. The direct link costs less than the previous airfare by DC-9, is quicker and has seen an increase in traffic of more than 100% in the year it has been operating. Whatever you call it, boat or plane, the new generation could well open up many new and innovative markets.

Provisional Air Transport Statistics Show Strong Increase in Traffic:

The latest provisional air transport statistics indicate that Australia’s domestic airlines are continuing to show signs of recovery in line with other sections of the economy.

Although airline activity declined up to the December quarter 1983, all performance indicators showed improvement for the year and the quarter ended June 1984, compared with the same periods in 1983. This was consistent with the improvement in most indicators for the quarter ended March 1984 The four key performance indicators are total tonne-kilometres, passenger-kilometres, passengers carried, and freight tonne- kilometres.

The signs of recovery from the poor performances of recent years are illustrated in the following table, which shows the percentage changes in total tonne-kilometres for the five quarters to June 1984.

The table compares each quarter with the corresponding quarter of the previous twelve months:

June Quarter 1983 -11. 7

September Quarter 1983 – 14

December Quarter 1983 – 0. 2

March Quarter 1984 + 5. 4

June Quarter 1984   +123

The June quarter also showed improvements against the previous June quarter in passenger- kilometres, which rose by 11. 3 per cent to 2424 million, freight tonne-kilometres which rose 20. 5 percent to 33. 5 million; and passengers carried which rose 9. 7 per cent to 2. 7 million.

More Jets Into Norfolk:

Following the necessary reinforcement and protection of the historic stained glass window in Norfolk Island’s St Barnabas Chapel, the DotA has approved Boeing 737 and occasional DC-9 freighter operations to the island. Up till now, Norfolk Island has been serviced by East West F28- 4000s out of Brisbane and Air New Zealand F27s out of Auckland. As the popularity of the destination increases Ansett will be able to upgrade to Boeing 737-200 aircraft as will Air New Zealand. Ad hoc charters using Boeing 727-100 and DC-9-30 aircraft have been approved providing their frequency does not exceed one flight every two months.

End of an Era as Electric Depart:

Australia saw the end of an era as Ansett farewelled its last three Electra propjets recently from Tullamarine. The three L. 188 Electras were sold for a reported $4 million with spares to TPI of Florida, USA. Ansett introduced the Electra into local service back in 1959 and was to continue Electra operations for another quarter of a century before the aircraft was withdrawn from freight operations earlier this year. Ansett’s Electras had each flown more hours than any Electras in the world with each aircraft logging over 45 thousand cycles.

New Aircraft Altitude Separations Under Review:

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are investigating the feasibility of tightening the vertical airliner separation standards as used throughout the world. A recent study by ICAO indicated that less than one per cent of airliners wandered more than 300 feet from their assigned altitude. ATC and traffic volume problems over Europe and North America are now so bad that aircraft are often being assigned cruise Mach numbers for their trans-Atlantic journey. A relaxation of the vertical separation standard would allow many more aircraft to operate on the same airway once departure and arrival congestion was alleviated.

Boeing 747 Fleet Grows to 600 Aircraft:

Boeing’s 747 family recently achieved significant milestones with the completion of the 600th production aircraft Boeing holds orders for 635 of the 747 family. Orders include 46 of the -300 extended upper deck model Worldwide, 747s are flown by a total of 65 airlines and four non-airline operators.

The 747s have carried 520 million passengers since the first revenue flight in January 1970. The fleet has logged over 15 million revenue hours and covered 7500 million miles in revenue service. Schedule reliability of the fleet has averaged 97. 5 per cent in 1984 and current daily utilisation is about 10 hours per aircraft.

Since the aircraft’s first flight 15 years ago, the 747 periodically has incorporated new technological advancements and product improvements to help maintain its position as the world leader in its class.

Ten models of the aircraft have evolved, with payload capabilities ranging from over 600 passengers to more than 120 tons of cargo Passenger models now offer seating capacities from 331 seats (747SP) to a high-density seat count of 624 (747-300SR). The 7478 operate over scheduled flight segments from 68 nautical miles to 6513 nautical miles in range.

A number of improvements have contributed to the extended payload and range capabilities of the 747 today. Gross weights have increased from the original 710,000 pounds to 833,000 pounds. Fuel capacity has been expanded from 47,331 US gallons to 55,705 US gallons. Engine thrust has grown from 43,500 to 56,676 pounds.

The newest Qantas 747-300 boasts a 25 per cent reduction in fuel used per passenger, compared to the first 747-100 model.

IATA 1983 Figures Endorse the Growth Apparent Through 1984:

Figures recently released by IATA and ICAO (courtesy Air Transport World) confirm that scheduled careers saw a growth rate of 4. 8% in Revenue Tonne Kilometres (RTK) during 1983 as compared with 1982. This is the best level of recovery since 1979. In all, IATA carriers boarded 399,982,000 passengers on scheduled services in 1983, a 3. 2% growth on the previous year and more than 51% of the total world civilian uplift.

Locally, the following data is of interest Ansett (not including subsidiaries) uplifted 4,367,000 passengers, a drop of 8 1% on 1982 and representing an overall load factor of 71. 1%.

Ansett employed 7347 staff who each achieved a Tonne Kilometre per Employee (TKE) of 60,898, or up 5. 9% on 1982. Board- ings per employee were 595 while the average Ansett passenger journey was of 963 km duration.

TAA uplifted 4,301,000 passengers, a drop of 80% on 1982 for a load factor of 71 8% TAA employed 7825 staff who each achieved a TKE of 54,309, or up 1. 7% on 1982. Boardings per employee were 550 for an average journey length of 960 km.

East West uplifted 581,000 passengers, an increase of 23. 9% on 1982 for a load factor of 65. 4%. EWA employed 630 staff for a TKE of 46,761, up 17. 9% on 1982 Boardings per employee were 923 for an average journey of 544 km.

Qantas uplifted 2,087,000 passengers, 4. 0% less than in 1982 for a load factor of 59. 6% Qantas employed 11,407 staff who each achieved a TKE of 164,527, up 6. 6% on 1982. Boardings per employee were 183 while the average journey length was a phenomenal 6868 km. It is expected that the 1984 figures will see considerable growth on those of 1983.

A Great Month for de Havilland Canada:

September 1984 was certainly a great month for de Havilland Canada. In the period DHC signed orders against 31 aircraft including 18 Dash 88, 11 Twin Otters and two Dash 78. Valued at over $US240 million, 23 of the 31 aircraft are destined for export while the total represents more than double the entire 1983 sales figure.

Inwards Duty-Free a Major Safety Breakthrough:

The Federal government has approved the introduction of inwards duty-free shopping at Australian international airports. This is a major breakthrough for passenger safety and convenience as the presence of hundreds of bottles of duty-free alcohol aboard an aircraft must always constitute a safety hazard in the event of an emergency. An average one litre bottle of spirit can not only become a lethal projectile in the event of a survivable crash but once broken its contents can be inflammable. With several hundred bottles loosely secured aboard the average incoming 747, the overall potential for injury is enormous in the event of emergency. By being able to purchase what are generally considered heavy and inconvenient-to-carry bottles at the actual destination, air safety will have taken a step forward.

US airline Traffic Growth Continues:

Representing what is excellent news for the airline and airframe industry, US major airline traffic continued its strong growth through August when an increase of 76% was posted. This was the fifth consecutive month of substantial increases while August represented the best single month to date. Overall system load factor stood at 65. 7%, slightly better than the same period last year. Yield has increased on most sectors though the inevitable northern winter discounting will be aggravated to some extent this year by the expansion of People Express, Northeastern and Braniff which is now going into discount travel follow- ing several lean months since its rebirth earlier this year. The industry growth leader (RPMs) was Continental with a growth of 39. 8% (which tended to reflect upon its poor situation during 1983) while USAir and Delta also showed their consistent strength with growth of 18. 8% and 12. 7% respectively.

November a Big Month for Aviation in Australia:

November was certainly a big month for aviation in Australia. Demonstration tours were conducted with the DHC Dash 8, Dornier 228 and the Dassault Falcon 200 corporate jet. Essendon hosted the first-ever GAA-sponsored Aviation Expo, and hats off to them for getting the GA industry together in such a workable fashion. In the same week Qantas flew in its first new 747-300 to help celebrate its 64th birthday and the RAAF rolled out its first locally assembled MDCF-18 Hornet, twenty-one years after the first flight of a GAF-assembled Mirage III. And just to top that off the RAAF welcomes the arrival of the first of 10 new Update II P-3C Orion LRMP aircraft at Edinburgh.

Douglas Planning to Develop New Models:

McDonnell Douglas has shown in recent months a clear intention to remain in the commercial airline business Hughes Helicopter, who were tagged to move from Culver City to Long Beach and occupy much of the plant now used for the MD-80 line are instead to base in Mesa, Arizona at an entirely new facility. This will leave Long Beach to remain the home of Douglas Aircraft in addition to being the manufacturing base through the later eighties for the MDC T-45 Hawk for the USN and the massive C-17 heavy lifter for USAF Military Airlift Command.

Long Beach will also be home for a new generation of DC-9 derivatives that will be designated the MD-87 and MD-89. The MD-87 is a shortened fuselage MD-80 that will seat typically 130 passengers at 32 inch pitch all-economy, its nearest market rival is the Boeing 737, falling as it does squarely between the-200 and -300 models in capacity. The MD-87 will however have a very long range profile and will be powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-2178 of 20,000 lb thrust as used on the larger MD-82. The other derivative will be a stretched (yes, stretched again!) MD-80. This ultra-long aircraft will be designated MD-89 and will seat up to 173 passengers and be powered by two CFM56 or IAE V2500 turbofans MDC claim the MD-89 will burn around 27% less fuel per seat mile than the already fuel-frugal MD-80 Both the-87 and -89 will be available by 1989.

Meanwhile the DC-10 line, which recently received an order for six aircraft from Federal Express and is kept alive by the USAF KC-10 Extender tanker programme, is looking like re-emerging with what MDC term the MD-11X. The standard body aircraft is essentially a DC-10-30 with a restyled interior, built of aluminiumlithium, revised three-man flight deck and powered by new generation P & W 4000 or GECF6-80C2 engines in the 60,000 lb thrust class. This would give a 277-seat aircraft of 6500 nm range for about two-thirds the cost of a 747-200, claim MDC. A stretched version would also be available that would typically seat 331 passengers and be capable of operating out to 6000 nm. MDC are presently discussing both MD-11 models with a number of airlines and only need a handful of orders to launch the project.

Goodbye Concordski:

Russia’s SST, the Tupolev Tu-144, dubbed in the west as Concordski, has officially been grounded for all time. The Concorde look-alike first flew in 1968 and despite years of development only served commercially, on a courier run between Moscow and Alma Ata, for a mere six months before being withdrawn from service as too expensive to operate. Sadly the Tu-144 will be best remembered in the west for its massive accident at the 1973 Paris Air Show Though this was as a result of pilot mishandling, the accident achieved exactly the opposite impression Moscow set out to achieve with an open demonstration of their SST’s capabilities Aeroflot have now decided to ground the troubled jet once and for all.

Rolls and Pratts See Big Engine Market Ahead:

Arthur Wagner, president of Pratt & Whitney, has predicted that there will be more than 4000 commercial jetliners built between now and 1995. This market will be worth at least $178 billion in 1985 dollars and will require in excess of 10,000 engines Meanwhile, Rolls Royce see even greater growth with sales of 5000 such aircraft which will use engines worth $50 billion dollars Rolls estimate half the market will be with the large 50,000 lb class turbolan, about a quarter with 40,000 lb class engines and the remainder with engines such as the CFM56 and the Tay.

CFM International Receive 1000th Engine Order:

Sales of the CFM56 ten-tonne class highly-pass turbofan have now exceeded 1000 units. About a third of the total production to date has gone to the CFM56-2 which powers Series 70 DC-8 and Boeing KC-135R aircraft. This engine is rated at 22,000 lb thrust and in more than 750,000 engine flight hours has achieved an impressive 99. 9 per cent dispatch reliability. More than 70 CFM-powered DC-88 are now in service. Meanwhile the CFM56-3 powered Boeing 737-300 has just gained FAA Certification and the -4 engine, of 23,700 lb thrust, is opted for the Airbus A320. Of the 1000 engines ordered to date, 580 have been delivered while CFM see a total market for the engine exceeding 4000 units by year 2000.

US Airlines Enjoy Record Year:

1983 has been a record year for US domestic airlines according to the US Air Transport Association The year ended with an uplift of some 318 million passengers, about thirty times the comparable uplift in Australia. Despite the proliferation of new carriers, which have increased from 36 interstate airlines in 1978 to 123 today, air safety was also excellent with not one passenger fatality from June 1982 through to May 1984 The ATC predict that 1984 will be another record year with as many as 330 million passengers boarding flights in the period.

International Air Transport Turn-Around:

Civil aviation turned the corner in 1983, according to a recent report by IATA. Initially predicting a loss of $500 million for 1983, IATA confirm that the world’s civil carriers instead turned a profit in the region of $300 million. Generally growth was minimal, and in some markets negative, during the first quarter of 1983 but by the northern summer, a substantial turnaround was in progress that was seeing increases in the order of 15% on some routes. Both passenger and freight traffic have boomed in recent months while the major carriers operating to and from Australia reported unparalleled loadings for the July/ October period Both Qantas and British Airways flew virtually full payloads during the period while growth over the previous year was estimated as at least a third better.

 Last Boeing 727 Rolls From Factory:

The last 727 built rolled from the Boeing factory and into history at 10. 51 a. m on August 14. It was the 1832nd built.

The 727-200F (Freighter) was delivered on September 18 to Federal Express to begin a service life of more than 20 years.

It is possible, though not certain, that this aeroplane will be the last 727 in revenue service when it is finally retired early in the next century.

The original flight test crew waved from the cockpit windows of the 727 as it was towed from the factory near the end of the rollout ceremony -much as they had on February 9, 1962, just before the first takeoff from Renton Airport near Seattle.

 CN-235 Capacity Boosted:

The Casa Nurtanio CN-235 supercomputer has had a capacity boost from 36 seats to 44. The boost comes from redesigning the interior and relocating freight compartments, the galley and toilet areas. The CN-235 is a collaborative effort between CASA of Spain and Nurtanio of Indonesia. CASA produce the wing centre section, forward and centre fuselage, landing gear and inboard flaps while Nurtanio are responsible for the outer wings, ailerons, outboard flaps, rear fuselage and empennage. Both prototypes have now more than 200 hours and Certification is hoped for late in 1985. Order book is healthy at 111 units though these are primarily made up of captive Spanish and Indonesian military and civil operators

Buying Big:

There is nothing like abundant oil to create a requirement for an elaborate VIP flight. Kuwait, Nauru (with phosphates), Oman, Saudi Arabia and more recently Brunei have all developed hitherto unimaginable personal VIP jet fleets. The tiny oil-rich state of Brunei, north of Borneo, has in recent weeks purchased a 747SP to augment its fleet of a Gulfstream Ill, two Boeing 727s, a Sikorsky S-76 and an MBB Bo105. The aircraft all belong to the Royal Flight of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah who obviously aims to do a lot of travelling in the years to come!

Air Brunei is also contemplating expansion beyond Singapore with routes planned to Europe and the Middle East Presently the small carrier operates a fleet of three Boeing 737-2008 and a BAe 748. Evaluation is currently being undertaken on the acquisition of a medium-range aircraft of larger capacity than the 7378 in the 757, A310 and MD83 class.

Paris Air Show Tour:

Tours to Farnborough and Oshkosh are fairly common these days so it is good to see that an enterprising Australian is now offering a similar airshow tour for the 1985 Paris Salon Paris really is the premier international air show, the last show attracted a quarter million visitors, 200 aircraft and 1008 exhibitors representing 30 countries, while it is also held in one of the world’s most fascinating cities. John Phillips of 15 Playford Street, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, has put together an excellent tour that will depart Australia next May and cost in the region of $4000. The tour will include visits to the numerous museums etc. along the way and also include a private coach with guide, in addition to quality accommodation. If you have been wanting to visit a major air show and have never got around to it, then this could well be your opportunity to make the trip of a lifetime.

Boeing’s New used Aircraft Division Takes Off:

Eighteen months ago Boeing thought it a good idea to form a specialised used aircraft group in order to move some of the trade-ins the company was accepting on new Boeing sales. Initially, it was thought that most used aircraft would be destined for the Third World but time has proven that this was not so. An increase in rollover orders and a surge in demand for second-hand airframes not only led to big business for the new division but virtually all the airframes were sold to North American airlines.

Today the used aircraft division at Boeing. Seattle is tasked with the job of providing “interim lift’ for clients in addition to arranging a liaison between the 80 Boeing commercial representatives in putting together a complementary deal that sells new Boeings. Qantas’ experience with its 747s are a classic example of how carefully maintained aircraft not only attract the top dollar but also sell very readily. President of the used aircraft organisation, James Blue, quotes that they would “just love to get all those Ansett and TAA 727s, we could sell them overnight Food for thought! Boeing not only sell Boeings though. In recent months they have sold DC-10s, DC-9s, Lockheed Tristars and have even taken delivery of new Airbus A300s and A310s for resale. The group offer full maintenance back-up and work in close harmony with the engine manufacturers, additionally Boeing Wichita can overhaul and modify aircraft as required by the new customer

Federal Express for Australia?

The US-based small package pioneer, Federal Express, is looking at extending its operation to Australia. A feasibility study is presently under way as part of an extensive programme to expand international operations Federal Express was formed in 1972 by Fred Smith on the basis that there existed a market for trans-porting small packages between cities on an overnight basis. This thesis won him low marks at college where he studied economics but did not stop him investing his family’s savings in setting up FedEx with a fleet of Dassault Falcon 20 jets. Today the Falcons have gone to make way for a fleet comprising six DC-10s, with six more on order, 15 727-200C8, 38 727-100Cs and 30 Cessna Caravan I aircraft which are also on order. So large is the volume of mail served each night that FedEx is now looking at bypassing its Memphis hub in favour of direct flights between the major centres.

Qantas to Establish $20 Million Boeing 767 Training Facility:

Qantas is investing more than $20 million in training equipment to prepare its pilots, ground engineers and cabin crew for the introduction in 1985 of the advanced Boeing 767ER (Extended Range) aircraft.

The new facilities will allow Qantas to train staff to exacting standards, while overcoming the need to send many employees to the United States for training by Boeing. They will also be available for training staff of other airlines.

The equipment was ordered following a world-wide assessment of the latest training aids to determine the best available, and will be installed in the Flight Operations Training Centre at the Qantas Jet Base, Sydney. Major items are a flight simulator, a ground maintenance trainer and a door trainer. Qantas plans to have its flight simulator fully operational for pilot training by next August, shortly after the arrival of the first two of its six twin-engined 767ER aircraft.

New Versions of BAE 146 Planned:

British Aerospace recently announced further development plans for its family of 146 regional jetliners which include a stretched Series 300, seating 120 passengers, and freighter versions of the Series 100 and 200.

The 146-300 is aimed at meeting a growing need among many major airlines for an aircraft of this size which can efficiently permit increased service frequencies on their short-haul routes. British Aerospace has, therefore, launched this version into the design and engineering phase with first flight planned for 1987 and deliveries commencing early 1988.

The 146-300 will complement the existing 80-seat Series 100 and the 100-seat Series 200 aircraft. The high degree of commonality between the three versions allows airlines to consider a ‘mixed-fleet’ approach to their varying traffic needs without the usual disadvantages. The new 146-300 will have a fuselage 10 ft 4 ins (3. 15 m) longer than the existing Series 200 aircraft and will provide standard seating for 120 passengers, or some 130 in high density tourist configurations.

To accommodate the increased weight, modifications to the wing aerodynamics and to the Avco Lycoming ALF 502 turbofan engines will be made. The outer wings will embody new technology derived from current BAe work on developments of Airbus and the engines will be uprated to generate maximum efficiency larger sized aircraft.

In response to firm demands from the marketplace- place it has been decided to make available a freighter version of the 146. The very low noise signature of the 146, the world’s quietest jet airliner, allows it to undertake the night movements which are so important to the air cargo industry. The cabin volume resulting from the long parallel section fuselage and 11 ft 2 ins (3. 42 m) internal diameter will allow the 146-200 Freighter to carry six standard 108 in x 88 in (2. 74 m x 2. 23 m) pallets with space for an extra half pallet. Minor modifications to the standard floor permit a maximum freight payload of 22,000 lb (10 tonnes) and the floor stressing will allow a maximum individual pallet load of 6000 lb (2. 7 tonnes).

Boeing Reports Increased Earnings for First Nine Months of 1984:

Boeing has reported sales of $US7027 million and earnings from current operations of $US266 million for the first nine months of 1984. For the comparable period of 1983, sales of $US8398 million and earnings of $US257 million were reported.

Sales for the third quarter of 1984 were $US2198 million with earnings of $US86 million, compared with 1983 third quarter sales of $US2264 million and earnings of SUS75 million.

During the third quarter 10 airlines announced orders for 55 jet transports valued at approximately $US2. 4 billion. In the comparable period last year, orders for 72 airplanes were announced with a value of $US2. 8billion.

During the first nine months of 1984, Boeing delivered five 707s, eight 727s, 38 7378, 10 747s, six 757s and 25 767s for a total of 92 airplanes compared to six 707s, nine 7278, 63 7378,16747,20757s and 47767s, a total of 161 airplanes, for the same period last year. Current schedules call for the delivery of two 7078, 22 737-200s, seven 737-3008, six 7478, 12 7578 and four 767s during the remainder of 1984.

Sales to the US Government in the first nine months of 1984 totalled $US3056 million, SUS515 million higher than the comparable period of 1983. Growth in military programme sales is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. Based on current schedules, sales for 1984 are projected to be in the SUS10 billion range.