Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

The other pacing factor is that the GE36 UDF engine from General Electric is rated at 25,000lb thrust and is not expected to be able to exceed 28,000lb thrust in developed versions. A 170/180 pax aircraft would require an engine of greater power than GE are presently capable of providing in a timeframe that would see certification by 1992/93.

The problem now for Boeing is that it risks damaging potential long-term 757 sales if it builds a propfan airliner of similar capacity. On the other hand, it has given McDonnell Douglas a head start in the propfan sales war as MDC will definitely have its first propfan MD-80 derivative, the MD-91 in service by 1992 with the larger 150/160 pax MD-92 in service less than two years later. Both will also be substantially cheaper than the 7J7 owing to their being derivatives of an existing proven design.

Airbus are also overjoyed with the announcement of the delay as it effectively increases the potential A320 sales book by a considerable margin as that aircraft is due to wear airline livery next April. Airbus will also now concentrate on developing the long awaited stretched version of the A320, an aircraft that will undoubtedly prove more popular than even the standard A320 in the longer term if history is any judge.

To combat the negative side of the 7J7 delay, Boeing is to now increase marketing efforts for their hot selling 737 series and may look to increase monthly production rates from the already record setting 17 to as much as 20, to further lower per unit costs and enhance delivery availability of the popular twinjet. A massive order is also in the wind for the 757 from the Texas Air group and this too may assist this aircraft to a higher production rate which in turn would reduce its cost and thus make it more marketable.

Most observers agree though that whatever happens, Boeing must not rush the development of the 7J7 as it will be the first of a long line of proplan type airframes that the company will be committed to for at least the next quarter century.

Texas Air Sign Massive Commuter Order:

The Texas Air Corporation literally made Embraer’s and ATR’s day recently when they announced plans to re-equip their numerous regional feeders with common types.

The winning aircraft were the 30 seat Embraer Brasilia and the 42 seat Aerospatiale/ Aeritalia ATR42 though some of the later deliveries may be for the stretched ATR72. Texas Air has signed for 20 Brasilias with an additional 30 optioned and 16 ATRS with 34 more on option. All of the aircraft will be delivered before 1990 and will equip Bar Harbor Airlines, which now incorporates PBA, Rocky Mountain and Britt. Texas Air is still evaluating aircraft in the 19 seat market though with Bar Harbor being a big Beech 1900 operator, it is felt that additional orders for this aircraft will be forthcoming.

Airbus Looks Abroad for Additional Resources:

The European Airbus Industrie consortium is looking abroad for additional industrial partners to broaden its marketing reach.

Primary target is America where Al has had in-depth discussions with Lockheed, Rockwell and McDonnell Douglas. MDC and Airbus spoke at length through last year regarding a possible tie-up providing one or the other would drop their competing MD-11 and A340 projects. Neither manufacturer in the end took the bait and both these programs are now fully launched for an entry to service during the early nineties. In the meantime, it is believed that Airbus and MDC officials are still warm to the idea of MDC becoming involved on the A330 twinjet project.

Meanwhile, Lockheed are most enthusiastic about the prospect of building components or assembling whole airframes at its vast and very much under utilised ex-Tristar facility at Palmdale. Similarly, Rockwell is desperately looking for extra airframe work following the run down of the B-1B bomber programme during the latter course of next year. Whatever happens. Airbus is looking to cement closer industrial relations with the US aerospace industry as a long-term goal to broaden its multinational horizons and to project a less threatening image to the US.

Meanwhile, in the crystal ball department, Airbus Industrie has released its official airliner market projection study for the twenty years covering the 1988-2005 period. The in-depth analysis takes in data from a vast number of sources and suggests that in this period Al will deliver some 2,280 aircraft, or a third of the types available in the A320 class and upwards. Ál foresee deliveries of 900 A320s, 480 A300/ A310s (as against 460 sold till mid-’87) and some 900 A330/340s. Airbus breaks this down to 400 A330 twinjets and 500 of the long-range four engine A340. As at July this year, Airbus had taken firm orders on 740 aircraft with total commitments exceeding 1000. Deliveries stood at 375 to 68 customers worldwide.

Asian Aerospace Conferences Looking Good:

If you are going to the Asian Aerospace show in Singapore next January then don’t forget that it is also the venue for a number of highly informative specialist aviation conferences.

A total of seven such conferences will run in conjunction with the five day air show, which again will be Asia’s largest and best run aerospace event. Conference topics will include airport development, new technologies, force modernisation, air freight and satellites and space. All will be addressed specifically to the region and no doubt will also provide attendees the unique opportunity to develop potentially viable business contacts for the future.

A number of aircraft will also be performing daily at the show with the possibility of one of the RAAF’s new Pilatus/HdH PC-9s not being discounted as we closed for press. Australian industry will be well represented at Changi and our next issue will bring you a special preview of the AAAI member companies that will be helping to produce export dollars for Australia via their seeking out new overseas markets for Australian expertise and products. Don’t miss it!

Anz Gets Another Boeing:

To cope with rapidly expanding growth, Air New Zea- land has leased a fourth Boeing 767.

The aircraft was originally delivered to the Brazilian airline Varig in 1985 and will remain in that carrier’s livery while flying for ANZ. The lease on this aircraft extends till late 1988 when the aircraft will return to its original owners, Braathens of Norway. At this time a substitute aircraft will be leased till ANZ receives an additional 747 in late 1989.

 Growth, Growth, Growth:

Virtually every aerospace-associated company these days is enjoying healthy profits, both here and abroad.

Australia’s own TNT scored a 51% increase in net profit for the year ended June 30 1987 when the diversified international transport giant recorded a net profit of $A152. 6m. TNT is just half of the Ansett empire and, along with the vast resources of Rupert Murdoch, gives some indication of the capital base that these two entrepreneurs can call on to further develop their combined aviation interests.

The newly privatised Rolls Royce has also reported good tidings with an increase in profit for the first half of the year from £119 to £152. Turnover also surged from £784 to £899 reflecting the great success of the commercial engine division this past year with its RB211 and Tay turbofans.

Meanwhile, British Aerospace also saw turnover increase in the same period from £1443 to £1895 though a slight decrease in trading profit was experienced.

On the airline front, Lufthansa has seen growth of over 14% in freight and 10% in passenger uplift for the first six months of this year. The carrier has carried 8. 8 million passengers in the period and over 350,000 tonnes of cargo, a world record.

Also booming is traffic on the world’s greatest airbridge the North Atlantic. IATA reports that provisional estimates place growth at 18% over a depressed 1986 with scheduled services alone carrying over ten million passengers between the old and new worlds.

Though the second hall of the year looks good, IATA warned that with 40 carriers plying this route, yields are still too low and average load factor is barely 67%.

British Airways Launch the Rr- Powered 767:

British Airways has become launch customer for the Rolls Royce powered version of the 767 twinjet with an order for 11 767-3008 and options on a further 15.

The new twinjets will supplement the ever growing BA 757 fleet on UK domestic Super Shuttle and European services. BA has also ordered an additional 3 757s to bring their fleet to 34 of type.

BA Chairman, Lord King, said that the primary choice of the 767 against the competing Airbus A300-600 was that the Boeing aircraft could be offered with Rolls Royce RB211 engines. BA has a long association with this engine and now operates over 300 such engines aboard its Lockheed Tristar, 747, 757 and now 767 fleet. The other factor cited was that there was a large degree of training, support and spares commonality between the 757 and 767 types, this in the long term could effect savings of up to 10%. BA’s first 767 will enter service late in 1989 with all aircraft being delivered by mid 1992.

Meanwhile, the airline has also stated that it will make a definitive decision on which aircraft will replace its Tristars (and presumably the DC-10s of BCal). Fighting it out are the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and the Airbus A340. Rolls are working with MDC to get the RB211 aboard the MD-11 trijet which if history is anything could well place the Long Beach manufacturer in the box seat for an order expected to eventually reach at least two dozen aircraft.

BA has also to address the smaller end of its market as its large fleet of leased 737-2008 will need to be replaced by more fuel efficient and possibly larger types during the early nineties. Favoured for this very large order will be the Boeing 7J7, 737-300 and -400, the A320, and the MO-92. Linking in with the Tristar replacement, both Airbus and McDonnell Douglas could offer a very favourable buy of smaller aircraft if their lead wide bodies were selected, a situation which for once would work against the BA 737s being replaced by yet another Boeing product. BA also operates a large fleet of ageing BAC111s, an aircraft that British Aerospace would dearly love to replace with their BAe 146.

New Versions of Rolls Royce RB211 Engine Redesignated:

New versions of Rolls Royce’s RB211 family are to be given simpler designations.

The RB211-524D4D, with 58,000lb thrust, which has already been ordered to power long- range Boeing 747-400 airliners by British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, will now be known as the RB211-524G. The 60,600lb thrust version, selected as the powerplant for British Airways’ new Boeing 767 twinjet fleet, is now designated the RB211-524H.

The 65,000lb RB211-700 that Rolls Royce is studying for the trijet and high gross weight twinjet markets becomes the AB211-524L. This engine would have a thrust growth potential to around 73,000lb.

Because these engines are based on the RB211-524 core, all variants will continue to use the -524 designation.

Boeing 747 Sets Weight Lifting Record:

A Boeing 747-300, powered by GE CF6-80C2 engines, set a weight lifting record recently while performing routine noise level certification trials for the FAA.

The aircraft, the first of two destined for Thai International, took off from Glasgow, Montana with a gross weight of 871,000lb (395,083kg). The previous record for a commercial airliner was 840,000lb (381,248kg) which was also set by a 747. By comparison, the USAF’s largest airlifter, the C-5B Galaxy, has taken off at a maximum gross weight of 841,000lbs (381,475kg).