Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

Crew training, product and route launches and overall scheduling has similarly been upset, costing airlines millions of dollars in forsaken revenue and additional internal maintenance and training disruption. Airlines to be compensated include Lufthansa, KLM, Qantas, BA, Northwest, United, JAL and Air New Zealand.

Meanwhile, the -400 ran into procedural turbulence during late May when the joint European airworthiness authorities (JAR) refused certification of the aircraft on the eve of its handing over to KLM and Lufthansa JAR refusal to issue a Certificate of Airworthiness on the -400 revolved principally around the design of control cables which run through the roofline of the jet but also under the floor of the upper deck at the forward end of the aircraft. JAR officials stated that this area required additional floor venting in the case of an immediate depressurisation. JAR concerns centre around the potential buckling that could occur in this area in a severe decompression, a result that could sever or inhibit the operation of cables and controls. JAR had in the meantime issued a temporary 90 day certificate while Boeing will make alterations to the basic design to accommodate JAR requirements Australian CAA airworthiness officials were not unduly concerned about the situation affecting local CAA certification of Qantas- bound 747-400s though welcomed any mods that would increase safety via the JAR inspired modifications.

V2500 Is Go:

After one or two minor hiccups during its development phase, the International Aero Engines V2500 new generation 25,000lb thrust turbofan engine and its first application, the Airbus A320-200 airliner, has been certified by the airworthiness authorities of France, Great Britain, West Germany and the Netherlands.

United States certification will follow during the northern summer. By the time these words are read V2500 powered A320s will be in service, meeting the target set when the engine was launched by the partner companies – Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, MTU, Fiat and Japan Aero Engines Corporation – early in 1984. Eight airlines have 105 V2500 powered A320s on firm order (plus 75 options), bringing the engine’s order book to a value of $US2bn. The first operator to put the V2500 into service is Cyprus Airways and the engine promises extremely low noise levels and lower fuel burn than its competitors.

Meanwhile, IAE is developing another more powerful version of the V2500 for airliners in the 150-180 seat category. Designated V2500A-5, the new model will produce 28,000lb thrust and will be aimed at the soon to be launched ‘stretched’ Airbus A320-300 and the proposed McDonnell Douglas MD-91/92 series. The manufacture of parts for development engines has already begun and first deliveries are scheduled for 1992.

Pacific Erops:

The US Federal Aviation Administration has given American Airlines approval to fly its Boeing 767s 180min from an airport, making it the first carrier able to offer transpacific flights from the US west coast in a twin engined airliner.

The decision means that American is now permitted to fly its 767s anywhere in the world provided the aircraft remain within three single engined flying hours of a suitable airport. The clearance is based on a specific airline, airframe and engine combination, in this case for American Airlines’ Boeing 767-200s with General Electric CF6-80A engines or 767-300ERS powered by CF6-80C2s.

 Fleet Expansion Led to Record Boeing Orders:

April was the single biggest month for jetliner orders in the history of Boeing. The total of 412 aircraft worth US$19. 42bn was also bigger in terms of orders than all but two full years of the company’s existence. In 1978 Boeing took orders for 461 planes and last year – the busiest to date-it added 636 new orders to its books.

Foreign carriers played the biggest role in the record setting month announcing 211 of the orders valued at an estimated US$11. 56bn. European customers placed 197 of these. Qantas ordered two additional 747-400s and three 767-300s. GPA Group Ltd of Shannon, Ireland and Chicago based United Airlines provided the impetus with their unusually large orders. GPA on April 18 ordered 182 Boeing jetliners. Then eight days later, United Airlines announced it was ordering 180 aircraft and taking options for another 190. United then ordered up to 32 767s a fortnight later.

Boeing officials say the recent focus on older aircraft has caused some speculation linking recent orders with a desire to replace older planes quickly. Knowledgeable observers have pointed out, however, that most airlines have been ordering new planes so as to handle the demands of growth and to protect existing market share rather than directly to replace their older planes. More than 70% of the new Boeing orders are thus dedicated to expansion rather than replacement of older aircraft, according to company records.

Airship First:

Airship Industries has made history with its Skyship 600 model becoming the first airship to receive type certification from the US Federal Aviation Authority.

What about the Goodyear and other airships, we hear you ask? While the FAA has in fact issued previous airship type certificates (in 1935 and 1948) these craft were originally built for the US Navy and their type certificates were based on the Navy’s approval of the designs. The Skyship 600 approval is the first gained from scratch and opens the way for the company to achieve significant market penetration in the United States.

Tay One-Elevenset:

The Dee Howard company’s prototype installation of Rolls-Royce Tay engines on a BAC One-Eleven airliner is scheduled to make its first flight next month after a lengthy design and development period A pair of 15,100lb thrust Tay 650s will re-place the aircraft’s usual 12,550lb thrust Speys and will offer substantial reductions in fuel consumption and noise along with better airfield, hot/high and payload/range performance. Backed by British Aerospace, the first conversion is on a BAC 111-400 airframe and certification is planned for Apnl next year.

Certification of the stretched 111-500 with Tay engines will follow in October 1990 A large proportion of the One-Eleven fleet is quite young in terms of cycles, particularly since the very strong basic airframe has a potential life of 105,000 cycles. Most of the 230 One-Elevens built by BAC remain in airline and corporate service while new airframes are still being manufactured by Rombac in Romania with assistance from British Aerospace.

Big Orders Continue:

The recent spate of large orders for commercial transport aircraft appears to be continuing unabated with the placing of two huge orders late in April. The first was from leasing giant Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA), the Irish firm, which ordered no fewer than 308 jet airliners worth $US16. 8bn.

The order was for 30 Airbus A320s, 24 Airbus A330/340s, 92 Boeing 737s, 50 Boeing 757s, 40Boeing 767s, 64 MD-80s and eight MD-11s.

The order brought to a staggering 819 the total number of aircraft on order for or already delivered to GPA, worth collectively over $US30bn.

Other big leasing companies also have large numbers of aircraft on order. ILFC has 319 aircraft in service or on order or option including 205 firm orders scheduled for delivery between this year and 1995. The company already has 80 aircraft delivered. Like GPA, ILFC’s fleet will contain a mix of all the major types. Of the 205 aircraft on firm order, 94 are Boeing 737s of various models, 25 are 757s and 15 767s, seven 747s, 11 MD-80s, five MD-11s, seven Fokker 100s, 10 A300/310s, 23 A320s plus eight A330/340s make up the balance.

Not far behind is Australia’s Ansett Worldwide Aviation which has either on its books or controls the deliveries of some 200 aircraft. These figures make an interesting contrast with some of the airline fleets. One of the largest, United, has 600 aircraft in service or on order while TWA and Lufthansa each have about 200 Just a few days after GPA placed its massive order, United Airlines signed a $US15bn contract with Boeing for 180 aircraft with a further 190 on option. Comprising 120 7378 (plus 130 options) and 60 7578 (plus another 60 options), the order was the largest ever placed by an airline and, naturally, was Boeing’s biggest. In the first five months of this year, the value of Boeing’s order book reached $US26. 8bn, greater than the whole of 1988 which was itself a record year. Boeing’s backlog is some 1,500 aircraft excluding options- and the next available delivery slot is believed to be well into the 1990s.

More Freighters:

A report prepared by Boeing has predicted that orders for new all cargo air freighters will average, more than $US2bn per annum between now and the year 2005 The total market for specialist freighters will actually be much larger than even that, but a fair proportion of the demand will be met by the conversion of older passenger aircraft, the report says. In 1987 most areas of freight operation recorded substantial growth when compared with 1986. In the USA the amount of growth was 15. 6%, on transpacific routes it was 21. 5%, between the USA and Europe 14 8%, between Europe and the Far East 15%, within Europe 12% and between Europe and Latin America 12%. Similar rates of growth have been recorded in 1988.

 F100 Problems:

Fokker’s new and fast selling airliner, the F100, has had a temporary ban on the use of its automatic braking system placed on aircraft in service with KLM, the only airline to have the auto brake option fitted to its aircraft.

The ban follows a recent landing accident to a KLM aircraft at Geneva Airport and although the specific reasons for the accident had not been released at the time of writing, it appears improper brake use was to blame. Fokker has discovered that if insufficient pressure is applied to the brakes during the landing roll the two discs can mesh against each other instead of working in unison. The result is considerably reduced stopping power.

KLM has also cancelled four of its original order for ten Fokker 100s following failure to come to an agreement on compensation payments for severe delivery delays. Originally, the airline was to have had all ten aircraft in service last year but so far only two have been delivered with four more scheduled to arrive by the end of 1989.

Boeing Joins Csiro:

Boeing and Australia’s CSIRO have entered into a research agreement which will see the two organisations enter into various advanced technology research and development programmes.

The object of the exercise is both to benefit Boeing’s product interests and to lead to business activities in Australia which fulfil Boeing’s offset obligations to the Australian government. The Joint Research Effort will be conducted primarily by the CSIRO with support from Boeing with approximately $11m to be spent over a three year period.

 British Aerospace Launches Jetstream 41 Airliner:

British Aerospace has announced the go-ahead for a $US200m programme to build a new 29 seat, pressurised airliner – the Jetstream 41 Powered by two Garrett TPE 331-14 turboprops, Jetstream 41 will be built at the British Aerospace Prestwick factory in Scot- land, alongside the Jetstream 31 airliner. First deliveries are scheduled for the latter half of 1992 The Jetstream 41 programme has been launched with two risk sharing partners-Field Aircraft Ltd whose East Midlands facility has been responsible for the completion of Jetstream 31s, and Pilatus Aircraft Lid of Stans, Switzer- land, which will build the fins and tailplanes, with associated control surfaces and the flaps and ailerons. Component suppliers are also being invited to join the programme on a risk- sharing basis.

Jetstream 41 will be built at Prestwick on a joint assembly line with the Jetstream Super 31 and, at its peak in the mid 1990s, a combined programme of 55 aircraft a year is planned. Of these, 35 aircraft will be Jetstream 41s. First flight of the Jetstream 41 is planned for mid 1991, with deliveries commencing at the completion of a year-long flight development and certification programme. British Aerospace, which has already received Letters of Intent and expressions of interest for nearly 100 Jetstream 41s, is planning to add about 500 jobs to the existing Prestwick workforce of 2,000 The company’s market forecasts show that between now and the year 2000 there will be a requirement for 2,300 airliners in the 15-40 seat size band. Jetstream 31 and Super 31 already account for 46% of the market for 19 seat, pressurised airliners.

Old Airliner Regulations:

A US Federal Aviation Administration task force has introduced mandatory modifications to ensure the safe extended service life of three types of older Boeing jetliners.

Issued in the form of Airworthiness Directives, the modifications cover a total of 161 specific areas on the Boeing 727, 737 and 747 when they reach certain operational milestones. The task force has recommended 74 modifications for the 727 when they approach approximately 60,000 flights, 56 for the 737 when they reach approximately 75,000 flights and 31 for the 747 at the 20,000 flight mark. The apparent discrepancy between the 727/737 and 747 figures are explained by the fact that the smaller airliners complete many more flight cycles (ie: pressurisations) per flight hour than the long haul 747. Special research into corrosion protection and prevention is also continuing, with recommendations expected next month.

Newer aircraft will have to incorporate fewer modifications as many will have already been built into these aircraft when they were manufactured. At the moment, only four 737s, thirteen 727s and fifteen 747s have reached the nominated number of flights and in five years time the numbers will have increased to only 38, 93 and 84, respectively, according to current estimates.

Congestion Set to Worsen:

According to IATA’s Director General, Dr Gunter Eser, the air traffic control situation in Western Europe could be catastrophic this northern summer unless governments take urgent action to solve industrial relations and manning problems.

Dr Eser has even gone as far as to suggest that the overcrowding of European skies could put the whole air transport liberalisation process at risk by either seriously slowing down the process or ruining it altogether. The IATA Executive Committee has instructed its Task Force on Congestion to make particular efforts to convince governments of the seriousness of the situation The governments mainly targeted are those of Great Britain and West Germany, where the problem is at its worst and steadily increasing