Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

 Kendell Orders Two More Saab- Fairchild 340s:

Wagga-based Kendell Airlines has ordered two additional Saab Fair- child 340 airliners. Kendell already has two such aircraft and is the first operator in the southern hemisphere of European/ American transport. Delivery will be in the first and third quarters of 1986 and both aircraft will be in a 35-seat configuration.

Kendell Airlines was established over 17 years ago and is today one of the most successful and experienced regional airlines in Australia. It is presently the only regional airline operating ‘super commuter pressurised aircraft in the class of the SF340. It carries approximately 100,000 passengers a year and is targetting for growth in the region of 25% per annum as it expands in new route structures radiating out at around one hour’s flight time from its Melbourne hub. An in-depth background report on the operation of Kendell’s SF340 was given in our June edition.

Air Traffic Growth Could Lessen Attractiveness of Hubs, Higher Frequency Airliners:

With the growth in airline passenger uplift expanding at a projected rate of 4 5% per annum over the coming ten years, ICAO officials are warning that major capital works programmes will have to be undertaken to accommodate the additional passenger traffic generated. In the US alone ICAO warns that emplanements will rise from 320m to 500m a year by 1995 requiring larger aircraft and a greater use in some cases of end-to-end sectors as opposed to the operation of large central hubs. The hub and spoke system is cost-efficient in airline terms on a per-seat productivity basis but when fifteen aircraft are all scheduled to depart at say, 8. 00 am then a problem arises that generally compounds as the morning and evening peaks progress.

Airbus see this as an ideal setting for marketing their A300-600 and the projected 330-passenger TA9. Boeing hope this will ultimately be a generator of 757 and 767 sales as opposed to smaller 150-seat class airliners while McDonnell Douglas will market the proposed 170-seat MD-89 aggressively which combines a proven airframe with new technology IAE V2500 engines.

In Australia, the problem will become acute in Sydney where TAA and Ansett both hub the vast majority of their eastern Australia flights. The situation will be improved marginally as new ATC equipment is installed around 1987 though the basic log jam of peak hour traffic won’t dissipate till a second airport is operational later in the century. Parallel scheduling also exaggerates this problem and creates traffic densities that are artificial and largely unnecessary in capacity terms at regional airports where a small number of daily services always arrive and depart simultaneously placing undue stress on the ability of the terminal area to cope with the traffic thus generated.

New Rolls-Royce Dart Receives Certification:

The latest variant of the Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop, the Mk 552, has achieved full CAA airworthiness certification The Dart 552 engine will initially enter service with Air Wisconsin on the Fokker F27 air- liner. Modification kits have been ordered by British Airways for their BAe 748 aircraft and by Air New Zealand, East-West Airlines and Burma Airways for their Fokker F27s. Further interest has been shown throughout the world and over 200 firm orders and options for the modification kits have already been received. The Dart Mk 552, rated at 2362hp, will give a 17% increase in dry power at take-off, a reduction in fuel burn of more than 10%, and up to 95% reduction in water-methanol consumption compared with the earlier Dart Mk 530 variants. The Mk 552 also continues to meet the inter-national noise and emission requirements.

The fuel savings have been achieved through the redesign of both centrifugal compressors giving a higher overall pressure ratio and a 5% improvement in efficiency. The three-stage turbine has been rematched with new nozzle guide vanes, new low-pressure blades and a modified cooling system.

Modification kits incorporating these improvements were available from July 1985 to upgrade existing Dart engines. These modified engines can be upgraded to Mk 552 ratings or left at the original lower ratings giving further fuel savings.

40 years after design work started on the Dart, more than 7,000 of turboprops have been sold worldwide, and more than 107 million hours of operating experience has been accumulated on this most famous of turboprops.

 Lufthansa Give Airbus One of Its Biggest Orders:

Lufthansa has given Airbus executives reason to smile with their re–cent $2bn order for Airbus aircraft. The German flag carrier has ordered 15 A320s and taken an option on a further 25. Additionally, it will replace its A30082 and B4 aircraft with 7 A300-600s with a further 3 on option.

The A320s will be powered by IAE V2500 engines and will be configured to seat 8 passengers in first class and 126 in a business/ economy layout. Lufthansa, like TAA, is looking for a slightly larger aircraft than the present A320 and would most probably exercise its options on the stretched variant as soon as it was committed to production. The A320s will eventually replace Lufthansa’s fleet of 34 Boeing 727-2008.

The 7 A300-600s will be powered by GE CF6-80C2 engines and will be configured for 18 first, 63 business and 131 economy passengers. These aircraft will be used extensively in Europe and throughout Africa and the Middle East. Lufthansa is the eighth airline to order the A320 and brings firm orders and commitments for the type to 90 aircraft. It is also the fifth airline to order the advanced A300-600, of which 27 have now been ordered.

Boeing Designs New 747-400 With 7000-Mile Range:

Boeing is offering airlines an advanced version of the 747 airliner to be called the 747-400. The new -400 will use the same fuselage dimensions as the 747-300. The -400 will have increased range capability, a modern two-crew fight deck, better fuel economy, more interior configuration flexibility and reduced operating costs.

Fuel-burn improvement up to 9% better than the 747-300 will bring added productivity for carriers. An improvement of 13 to 15% is expected over the 747-200. Advanced engines- the Pratt and Whitney 4000, General Electric CF6-80C2 and the Rolls Royce RB-211D4D- rated at around 56,000 pounds thrust each, combined with the reduced empty weight, more fuel capacity and increased takeoff gross weight (up to 850,000 pounds) are the technological improvements behind the revenue-generating range of the 747-400.

The 900 nautical-mile increase over present 747s, extending beyond 7,000 miles with a full payload of 412 passengers, will make possible non-stop flights such as Singapore-London, New York-Seoul or Tokyo-Paris. The first 400 should roll from Boeing’s Everett, Washington, factory in the fourth quarter of 1987. After a year-long flight test series and FAA certification, it would be available for customer deliveries in late 1988.

A new flight deck with the 757/767 type cath- ode-ray-tube instrumentation will allow operation of the aircraft more efficiently by a two-member crew. The flight management system will feature many of the avionics components common to Boeing’s twinjet 757 and 767 aircraft, integrating dozens of operations into one efficient system Instrumentation, switches and lights will be reduced by about 50%, compared to the 747-200, through use of digital avionics and electronic instruments.

Aerodynamic improvements include tailored nacelles and redesigned struts for the new, advanced engines. In addition, wing tip extensions are being considered. Lighter aluminium alloys employed on the 757 and 767 will be used in the wing of the 747-400, bringing a weight saving of more than three tonnes. Additionally, carbon brakes and lightweight composite interior structures will bring the -400 weight down even further.

Passenger interior improvements include contemporary styling, integrated architecture, improved lavatories and increased “big bin” overhead stowage space. Interior flexibility will be achieved with variable configuration areas” which can easily be converted to meet changing market demands for business and economy-class seats. The 747-400 advanced-technology airliner is the eleventh model of the aircraft since the start of design work in early 1966. Boeing will continue to offer all currently available 747 versions for carriers wishing to add types common to their existing fleets

Airbus Industrie See Massive Sales Ahead:

Airbus Industrie forsee a tripling of the world’s passenger traffic over the next twenty years in addition to the sale of 9,100 jet airliners worth an estimated $US470 billion at 1984 values. These encouraging estimates are included in Al’s latest industry forecast which also predicts a doubling of the world’s jet fleet by 2004. Broken down into specifics. Al see a demand for 4,150 100-180 seat short to medium range single-aisle aircraft between now and 2004 and 3,650 aircraft in the short to medium range 200-600 seat market and a further 1,300 aircraft in the long haul sector Airbus hope to lay claim to a third of the twin-aisle market with their A300, A310 and eventual TA9 and TA11 aircraft while they also hope to capture a quarter of the 150-seater market with their A320. Fokker a

Fokker in Boomtime:

mainly enjoying a boom in commercial aircraft sales. The Dutch aerospace giant recorded firm orders on some 55 airliners in the first six months of 1985. Sales included 19 F278, 5 F28s, 21 F50s and 10F100s. Ironically, though they are in the dusk of their production careers the venerable Friendship and Fellowship are both nowadays attracting their strongest sales support for many years. Fokker also reached an important milestone recently with the sale of its 1,000th airliner, and F27 to Busy Bee of Norway.

The regional sales breakdown of the F27 is Asia 24%, Africa 14%, Europe 25%, Australasia 9% and the Americas 27%. Sales breakdown for the F28 jet is Asia 29%, Africa 16%, Europe 21%, Australasia 10% and the Americas 24% Overall production is basically about three to one in favour of the Friendship turboprop.

The Super Commuters Get Longer:

Not losing sight of the fact that some of the best airliners to date have been stretched beyond their original production marque, a number of companies in the immensely competitive third-level area have launched stretches of their existing aircraft.

DeHavilland Canada is proceeding at full speed with their Dash 8 300 which will seat up to 48 passengers and eat into the ATR42 and Fokker 50 markets in addition to reducing the per-seat operational costs of the basic Dash 8 somewhat. Shorts also released details of their 44/49 seater at the recent Paris Air Show. Pow- ered by two 1,500shp turboprops (a choice yet to be decided) the stretched 360 will have a cruise speed of 245kts carrying an 11,000lb payload over sectors of 250nm. Shorts claim that this will provide seat mile costs far below any of its rivals while having a substantial lift in cruise speed over the smaller 330 and 360 aircraft. The project is not being undertaken in concert with Embraer, as earlier reports indicated, though launch at this stage is not certain.

The Franco/Italian ATR group have also bit the bullet and are forging ahead with the ATR72, a 60/68 seat version of the ATR42. This will meet head-on with the BAe ATP and proposed, though presently un-launched, stretched versions of the Fokker 50. The ATR72 will be in airline service by 1988 and could well be the type Air Queensland has optioned alongside its firm orders for the smaller ATR42. Other types mooted for possible stretching are the Saab Fairchild 340 and the CN-235.

Boeing 747 Blocked Exits Creat- Ing a War of Words:

Following an FAA approval to block off the No. 3 overwing emergency exits on the Boeing 747 a war of words had raged between groups opposed and for the controversial decision. In the USA, no carrier has yet decided to undertake the modification while the National Transportation Safety Board (roughly equivalent to our BASI) has publicly stated that it does not think the removal of the exits is appropriate for the safe evacuation of the aircraft.

Benefits of performing the modification is that it gains the carrier an additional 12 economy class seats in addition to saving weight in the local airframe structure. Though Qantas aircrew safety teams decided in principle in 1984 to approve such a modification the airline has opted for overwing exits aboard its latest 747-300s. A number of 747 operators are already operating without the exit though and it is believed a dozen more are planning to perform the modification through 1986.

Boeing, and the FAA contend that safety is not prejudiced as the 90-second evacuation requirement can be ably met with these two exits being sealed, even with passenger densities as high as 500 persons.

While it is not the place in a news column to give opinions, it is hard for this writer, who has experienced a debilitating injury aboard an aircraft, to be totally enthusiastic about the imminent removal of emergency exits aboard what is the world’s largest passenger plane. Being amongst four hundred or so terrified people of a dozen or more different nationalities, many injured, some critically, in a smoke and perhaps fire-filled cabin is hardly the same as a clinical evacuation of people in the mood in an aircraft manufacturer’s hangar.

 Callsign Change:

Aircraft radio callsigns are to be changed soon from registration numbers to flight numbers. The new system, already used for international flights, will assist in electronic flight data processing to be introduced for air traffic services.

The change is to be restricted to first and second-level regular public transport operations. After a period of assessment is expected to be extended to include all flights using flight numbers. Meanwhile, site preparation has been completed at 21 ground stations for the Aviation Communications Satellite System. Installation of the first electronic satellite equipment will start at the Canberra Airport station in mid-September. All manned stations are expected to be completed by the end of March next year.

General Electric CF6-50 Engine Sets New On-Wing Life Record on Lufthansa 747:

A General Electric CF6- 50E2 engine has established a new world record for high bypass turbofan on-wing life by operating for 16,705 flight hours aboard a Lufthansa Boeing 747-200 without a shop visit.

The CF6-50 engine was installed new on the 747 aircraft, which was delivered to the airline in December 1981. Since then, the engine has accumulated 4,125 engine cycles; the only maintenance done on-wing was for conditions detected through routine borescope inspection.

Eighty-eight CF6-50 engines have now achieved more than 10,000 flight hours without requiring removal for a shop visit.

General Electric CF6 engines are currently flying on more than 700 aircraft operated by 82 customers. The engine family has accumulated more than 41 million engine hours installed on Airbus Industrie A300 and A310, Boeing 747 and 767, and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Series 10 and 30 aircraft. Dispatch reliability stands at 99. 9 percent, with a . 01 per 1,000 hours in-flight shutdown rate and a shop visit rate of 25 per 1,000 hours.

Boeing 737-300 Exceeds Manufacturers Goals:

The Boeing 737- 300, recently ordered by both Ansett and TAA, is exceeding its design goals, claims Boeing. In the first six months of operation the aircraft has recorded fuel burns 75% less per seat kilometre than the Boeing 727-100, early build DC-9 Series 10s and 20s and Fokker F28- 1000s. The -300 has also recorded an excellent 99. 1% despatch reliability, even better than the -200 while the long legs of the -300 are allowing it to operate on sectors formerly not available for a small twinjet.

The -300 is also proving extremely quiet in operation and complies fully with the very strict ICAO FAR 36 Stage 3 and ICAO Annex Chapter 3 regulations. TAA will be receiving the first -300 with an EFIS cockpit at a time when there will be more than 100 737-300s in revenue service.

Rolls to Be Royce Privatised:

Major aero engine manufacturer and well-known car builder, Rolls Royce are to be privatised as a long-term aim of the British government’s policy of having off-state-owned concerns. Rolls has been state-controlled since its technical bankruptcy in 1971 (though the care building division always remained in private ownership) and the government hope to have it back into private ownership by 1988. British Airways, now free of its long-running Laker law suit, will be officially privatised next April while Shorts of Belfast are slated for sale by 1988.

London Gets Its Stolport

London has at last got the official nod for a Stolport The 1000m single runway situated at Canning Town only fifteen minutes by cab from the commercial centre of London will introduce an entirely new concept of inter-city shuttle service that could ultimately change the face of business travel within Europe and North America. Primary operator at the London Stol- port will be Brymon using a fleet of DHC Dash 7 aircraft in 50 seat configuration. Brymon estimates the time saving flying the Dash 7 on the London to Paris sector will be at least an hour compared with conventional jet travel out of Gatwick or Heathrow.

Brymon are now seeking to establish a Stol- port near the commercial centre of Paris to further reduce the journey time while additional Stolport links would also take in Rotterdam, Brussels and Amsterdam. Brymon claims Dash 7s would save significant time on all these sectors.

NASA Study Future Supersonic Airliner:

For years now NASA have been deeply involved in continuing research aimed at eventually developing an SST in co-operation with American industry. The latest pro-nouncement on the programme was that an aircraft seating 250 passengers and capable of cruising over 5,500nm at Mach 2. 7 appeared to be feasible before the end of this century. Furthermore, the aircraft would have aircraf mile cost specifics substantially lower than the present Concorde SST, which was essentially a product of nineteen-sixties technology.

NASA stated that specific fuel consumption could be reduced by 20% while the use of ligh- ter materials would see an SST with a gross takeoff weight of around 445,000b. Laminar flow is actively encouraged and if this, and new engine technologies are successful then an ultimate range of future SSTs could be extended to 8,000nm.

Simultaneous Landings Trials Prove Successful:

Procedures designed to enchance the movement of traffic at Australia’s busiest airports were introduced on July 8.

The procedures, which are extensively used overseas, permit simultaneous landings on intersecting runways, under certain conditions. Trials have been conducted at Sydney and Brisbane Airports In the first hour of the recent trial in Brisbane, 48 minutes of fuel was saved through reduced holding, indicating the potential cost saving to the airline industry. The system also provides for greater efficiency of airline operations and increased effectiveness of Air Traffic Control.

Initial investigation of the procedures began in 1982 as a result of serious congestion problems at Sydney Airport. The positive response of the airline industry indicates the procedures will significantly reduce delays and enhance the movement of aircraft at the heavily utilised airports currently operating to capacity.

 British Airways to Upgrade Its Rolls Royce Engines:

British Airways is to upgrade its entire inventory of Rolls Royce engines to a more fuel-efficient, higher power rating as part of a major upgrade of its 747 fleet. BA operates 12 Rolls-powered 747s in con- junction with 16 older Pratt & Whitney JT9D-powered 747s. Only the Rolls-powered aircraft will be modified as the others are to be eventually replaced by 747-400s which will most probably also be Rolls-Royce-powered.

Rolls Royce will be performing the upgrade which effectively converts the basic RB211- 524C2 engines to D4 status allowing an increase in thrust from 51,600lb to 53,110lb in addition to a fuel burn reduction in excess of 10% By upgrading its engines BA will now be able to operate its 747s on longer sectors at higher operating weights.

• GE CF6-80c2 Awarded FAA Certification:

The first of the new generation ‘big jets, the General Electric CF6-80C2 has been awarded FAA Certification. The Certification programme was carried out on the engine producing between 50,000lb and 59,000b thrust in various marques though a more powerful version producing up to 62,000lb thrust will eventually be Certificated. The new engine will be on offer for the 747-300 and -400, the Boe- ing 767-300 including the Extended Range versions and Airbus Industrie A300-600 and A310-300 aircraft.

Thai International will receive the first of its four CF6-80C2-powered A300-600s in September while Air India will begin using the combination from April next year. General Electric and Rolls Royce are presently working together on further growth versions of the -80C2 though Rolls themselves will still offer the 56,000 thrust RB211-524D4D on the Boeing 747-400

World Jet Fleet Ageing:

According to figures recently released by IATA, the world jet fleet is ageing. This is influenced by the recession of recent years dramatically cutting back the advance orders for many of the new generation aircraft in addition to many carriers realising the value in updating older types for longer service lives than originally envisaged by both manufacturer and operator alike. Examples of this are the strong used market in DC-9 and early build 737 aircraft, re-engined DC-8, small parcel configured 727-100 aircraft and ongoing refurbishment of DC-10, 747 and L1011 aircraft to meet the needs of established and emerging carriers alike.

According to IATA the average age of the international jet fleet in 1984 was 10. 8 years, an increase of 7 months over the 1983 figure. Additionally, some 400 of the 3,707 aircraft listed were more than 18 years of age as at the end of 1984. Since January 1980 though more than 600 DC-8 and 707 aircraft have been retired from regular operation, their roles being taken over by second-hand wide bodies and the new breed of longer ranging twinjets.

Financial Results Improved for de Havilland:

De Havilland Canada’s 1984 year end results have outlined a marked improvement in the company’s performance over 1983.

The company realized an operating profit, returned to a position of positive net worth, doubled aircraft deliveries and recorded an 80% gain in sales revenues during the 1984 reporting period.

The results are more favorable than had been forecast for the company. An operating profit of $11 million was achieved in 1984 while the previous year showed a $39 million operating loss. Sales totalled $204 million up from $122 million and export sales alone grew by more than $80 million for the year.