Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

The future of Shorts’ proposed FJX 50 seat regional jet airliner would be an integral part of any takeover negotiations. The British Government has announced it will recapitalise Shorts before it is sold. The company lost $US256min the year ending March 1988 and still has considerable debts to meet with continuing interest payments that were incurred as long ago as the sixties when the British Government cancelled the RAF Belfast transport programme.

Stretched 340 Ordered:

The 50 passenger stretched derivative of the Saab 340 commuter airliner has been formerly launched following the placement of an order for 25 (plus another 25 options) by the Swiss operator Crossair.

Crossair is the world’s largest operator of the 340 with 20 in service. Designated Saab 2000, the new aircraft features a fuselage stretched by 6. 2 metres, low revving six bladed propellers and a massive amount of power available from its two 5,500shp turboprop engines, probably General Electric GE 38s. This excess of power will give the 2000 a cruising speed of no less than 360 knots (414mph 667km/h), some 100 knots faster than current 50 seaters while using the same amount of fuel per air mile. Block times will drop accordingly. as will time to height.

Raspp Update:

The CAA’s Radar Sensor Procurement Programme (RASPP) is on schedule and it is hoped that contracts will be able to be signed by mid year.

The wide reaching programme, designed to completely update and modernise Australia’s ATC environment over the next three years, will begin with the fast tracking of primary control radars at Cairns and Coolangatta airports. It is hoped to have both these units functioning by around April 1990 and to have new primary radar established at Sydney by the end of the same year.

The RASPP programme includes the acquisition of 19 Monopulse Secondary Surveillance radars and 8 Primary Radar Systems. The latter is used at airports. themselves with an effective range generally out to 150nm while the MSSR actually serves to decode an aircraft’s transponder at a considerably increased distance than is possible with the primary radar. Secondary surveillance radar can then provide ATC officers with an accurate real time display of all aircraft within their zone of interest. Each blip deciphers such vital factors as heading, alti-

Centrespread

Marcel Dassault once emphatically stated, as only a Frenchman could, that if a plane looked good then it would also fly good’. The subject of this edition’s centrespread, Australian Airlines beautifully restored DC-3 Hawdon (VH-AES) is certainly no exception to this rule.

As we near the end of this turbulent century, it is fair to say that Donald Douglas’ Douglas Commercial model 3 will be without argument regarded as the single most effective aircraft to have been built since the Wrights took to the skies of Kittyhawk so long ago.

The DC-3, in its multitude of models and designations, became a major weapon in the allied victory of WW2, it then went on to open up a new world at peace to second level air transportation. Nations and communities that had never before enjoyed reliable civil air services now had the beloved DC-3. The Soviet Union built up much of its own fledgling internal air services via various DC-3 clones as did the world’s most populous nation, China.

No matter where you live, no matter what dialect you speak, you can be sure that this legendary aircraft pioneered reliable air services like no other before it or, for that matter, since. Hawdon launched a great Australian airline back in 1946, today she carries on that spirit of the airline she served then, now and in the future as a tangible part of Australia’s history, speed and identifier, data that Australian ATC presently does not have available to it in a real time mode.

Meanwhile, Cossor, AWA and Plessey have teamed to form the new Australian Pacific Radar consortium specifically to bid for the RASPP programme. Cossor will supply their already proven Condor 9600 monopulse secondary surveillance radar system, AWA will undertake the vital Australian Industrial Involvement aspects of the reportedly $75m value contract, while Plessey will offer their Watchman primary radar system. Hawker Pacific has, of course, a close relationship with Cossor and will provide resources to APR in the area of project management, development and management of the Australian Industry Involvement requirements as well as regional marketing services.

 Time Warp Time!

While delving through AA’s research library recently the Editor came across a book of true enlightenment-a 1973 copy of PanAm’s World Guide This wonderful travellers encyclopedia of just over a thousand pages contains data on visiting Australia that is simply too good not to reflect on. Indeed the ravages of more than a decade and a half of inflation are obvious in some of the prices quoted. For instance, a cab from KSA to the CBD is listed at a frugal $2, or if you feel inclined you can hire a limo for just $2. 50 more! This will no doubt take you to a hotel of the then standard of the Menzies, Gazebo or the Wentworth where a single room will set you back the princely sum of $11, or $14 for a double. Today you could add a zero to the end of that and you might just be getting somewhere close! The Guide also lists the cost of a Scotch in an up-market bar at around 300 to 40c while a litre of wine will cost $1. 20. We might also add that at that time, the American visitor had to part with SUS1. 28 to buy just one Oz Dollar times have changed!

Bae Sets Records Too:

British Aerospace’s Civil Aircraft Division had a bumper year in 1988, selling a total of 137 aircraft valued at $US1. 5bn.

Heading the list (on numbers sold) was the evergreen BAe 125, which in its Series 800 form is dominating the medium size corporate jet market to the cost of its competitors. In 1988 41 were sold, bringing the 125 total to 724. The 146 regional jetliner sold 40 copies (bringing its total to 149), the Jetstream tally increased to 237 with 38 sold in 1968, two 748s were ordered (total 379) along with 16 of its stretched and re-engined derivative, the ATP.

A recent order for the 146 was received from Ansett New Zealand, which has contracted for five Series 300 aircraft just three months after it placed an initial order for two 146-2008. Ansett New Zealand will now standardise its jet fleet on the 146.

This latest order from the TNT/Ansett Group brings to 35 the number of 146s on firm order for its various operations. Of those Ansett WA has or will receive 5, Ansett New Zealand 7, Ansett Air Freight 2 and TNT’s rapidly expanding European freight operation 21.

Asta’s Through:  Maintenance Break

Aerospace Technologies of Australia’s maintenance division, ASTA Aircraft Services, has been awarded US Federal Aviation Authority Foreign Repair Station Approval. This important award allows qualified and approved employees of ASTAAS to certify all maintenance performed on Boeing 747 aircraft registered in the USA. The company is currently performing maintenance work on Continental Airline’s 7478 under a three year contract and has applied for Australian CAA certification which will enable it to work on Australian registered aircraft.

Canadair’s Commuter on Way:

The Canadair RJ regional jetliner, a 44 passenger stretched derivative of the Challen- ger corporate jet has received its first order.

A Memorandum of Understanding covering 6 firm orders and 6 options has been signed by West German operator DLT, a Lufthansa affiliate. Canadair requires a total of 50 orders. and options before it will commit itself to the project and the company is confident these will be achieved in the near future following visits to Montreal to inspect the mock up by representatives of 25 North American and European carriers. Official project launch was expected at presstime.

Meanwhile, 1988 proved to be a good year for the Challenger programme with 23 aircraft delivered bringing the total in worldwide service to 182. Of these 83 are Textron Lycom ing engined Challenger 600s and the remainder (66 601-1As and 33 601-3As) are powered by GE CF34 engines.

Ial/Tnt Link:

Israel Aircraft Industries and the TNT group are planning a number of cooperative ventures which will enable the Israeli company to gain a foothold in markets up until now unavailable to it.

According to IAI, “the aim is to form some kind of commercial and industrial alliance between the two companies”. Australia and South America being the regions in which the alliance is particularly interested.

Initial discussions centred around equipping the fleet of BAe 146s TNT has on order with Israeli avionics, various joint ventures in the electronics field and one of TNT’s divisions becoming the Australian agent for the Astra corporate jet.

Ansett’s Record:

Ansett WA has been setting utilisation records in its use of the British Aerospace 146-200.

For the year ending in October 1988, the air- line’s first two 146s recorded 7,207 flight hours between them, an average daily rate of 9. 9 hours per aircraft. One of the aircraft recorded 670 hours in the months of June and July 1988, the equivalent to 4,020 hours per annum or 11 hours per day.

Dhc Production Up:

De Havilland division of Boeing Canada will more than double production during 1989.

In all some 71 aircraft are scheduled to leave the company’s Downsview, Ontario factory, all of them Dash 8s following the end of Twin Otter and Dash 7 production in 1988. Of that total, 54 will be Dash 8-100s and 17 Dash 8-300s with the first delivery of the latter version having been made in February.

Bigger Brasilia:

Brazil’s Embraer is studying two new variants of its successful Brasilia 30 seat commuter airliner, both with more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada turboprop engines and one with a stretched fuselage providing extra seating capacity.

The first project combines the standard fuselage with PW100-62 engines which would provide the aircraft with a maximum cruise speed of 350 knots (648km/h) at 27,000 feet, some 50 knots faster than the existing Brasilia and a speed which means the aircraft will match jet block times over shorter routes.

The stretched Brasilia is 20 feet (6 metres) longer than the standard model allowing an increase in the maximum passenger capacity to 42 or 45 along with increased cabin stowage space and improved galley and toilet facilities. An increased wing span and as yet unspecified P&W Canada powerplant completes the major specification.

Embraer holds some 350 orders and options for the Brasilia and production is running at 51 per annum.

 Tcas on Trial:

The Bendix King company has begun international flight testing of its Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II). The tests will last six months and will be conducted in a British Airways Boeing 737 in co-operation with the airline and the British Civil Aviation Authority. In addition, the system has been installed on the US Federal Aviation Authority’s own Boeing 727.

The FAA and the CAA will analyse the data acquired during the test period. The basis of TCAS II is its MOPS 6 logic which is less susceptible to “false outs’ caused by an intruder suddenly levelling out from a high rate of climb. It will tell pilots to reverse their avoidance manoeuvre or to increase the rate of climb or descent if the intruder aircraft is manoeuvring during the encounter. McDonnell

Stretched MD-807:

Douglas is investigating yet another stretch of its DC-9/MD-80 series of airliners in an attempt to provide a medium range rival to the Boeing 757. The 757 can carry a maximum of 239 passengers in an all economy class configuration while the MD-80 is restricted to 172 passengers in a 30in pitch charter layout. The proposed stretched MD-80 would probably be powered by two IAE V2500 engines and would still seat slightly fewer passengers than the 757, mainly due to its five abreast compared to the Boeing’s six abreast.

V2500 Okay:

Any problems encountered during the development of the IAE V2500 for the Airbus A320 which may have pointed to its future being in doubt seem to have been dispelled thanks to recent orders. Firm orders for 50 A3208 and a similar number of options have recently been placed by Braniff and GPA, the Irish based leasing organisation (refer Sales).

All aircraft will be powered by V2500 engines. The powerplant has thus far comple- ted some 350 hours of testing in an A320 test- bed. Certification is close to being achieved and the A320/V2500 combination is already. demonstrating itself to be the quietest in its class by a useful margin.

A Great Year for Atr:

1988 was the Franco/Italian ATR consortium’s best year yet with deliveries of 48 aircraft. The 64/72 passenger ATR72 had its first flight on October 27, 1988 with 18 customers to date ordering 94 aircraft. At the end of 1988 the total ATR family had logged 323 orders from 42 different customers.

UK Traffic Growth:

As if they didn’t have enough capacity problems already, the British Airports Authority has predicted that the number of passengers passing through UK airports will double by the year 2005. At the moment some 62 milion passengers pass through British airports each year. The BAA’s prediction assumes that more passengers will travel in fewer (and larger) aircraft, and bases its figures on a less than 50% increase in aircraft movements.

Boeing’s Record Year:

Boeing maintained its position as the world’s number one supplier of airliners during 1988 when record firm orders for 636 aircraft worth $US29. 6bn were recorded. Topping the list was the 737 with 344 ordered during the year then the 757 (161), 767 (82) and 747 (49). At the beginning of 1989 Boeing’s order backlog stood at a staggering 1,107 aircraft valued at $US51bn.

Of the other jet airliner manufacturers, McDonnell Douglas sold a healthy 203 MD-80s and 43 MD-11s, Airbus recorded firm orders for 116 A3208, 24 A310s, 21 A300s, three A330s and a similar number of A340s, British Aerospace sold 40 of its increasingly popular BAe 146 regional jetliner and Fokker received firm orders for 32 F100s.