Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

The evaluation has resulted in eight structural anti-fatigue modifications being made mandatory (five of which had earlier been issued by Fokker as optional modifications) along with 15 items to improve corrosion resistance. All of these have already been issued by Fokker and as in the case of the required anti-fatigue modifications, most operators of the F28 have already incorporated them.

Only F288 more than 14 years old need to undergo the modifications and 71 of the 241 aircraft built are affected. The F28 fleet has logged five million flights since first deliveries in 1969 and only four aircraft have exceeded 75% of their design life of 90,000 flights.

Boeing Increases 737 Production Rates:

Boeing has increased the production rate for 7378 from 14 a month to 17 to meet market demand.

The 737, the largest selling jetliner in commercial aviation history, has booked 2,817 orders since it was first offered in 1963. Boe- ing has delivered 1,871 7378 to date with the current backlog totalling 947 aeroplanes. Boeing now produces 34 aircraft a month: 17 7378, five 7478, seven 757s and five 7678. The company is also planning to boost 737 production to around 20 units a month by late next year and 757 production to 10 a month.

 Slow down in airline Pilot Hiring:

According to the Future Aviation Professionals of America (FAPA), there has been a marked drop in the number of US pilots being employed by airlines.

FAPA report that the major US airlines hired just 243 pilots in May, compared with an average of 409 per month for the last year. Three majors – Eastern, Pan American and USAir- failed to hire any new cockpit crew members during May. The biggest new employer for the month was American Airlines with 78 new cockpit crew members employed. Regional airline hiring also slumped, with 266 hired during May compared with a monthly average of 363.

Record aerospace trade Surplus:

A record trade surplus of $US22. 1bn was recorded by the US aerospace industry during 1989, a 24% increase over the previous 1988 record of $US17. 9bn.

Exports of US aerospace products totalled $US32. 1bn during 1989, with just $US12. 3bn in foreign products imported. This made the aerospace industry the leading US net exporter for the fifth year in a row. Civil exports-led by commercial transports – rose by 26%, but military product exports fell from $US6. 7bn to $US6. 5bn while military imports nearly doubled to $US2. 8bn.

Meanwhile, early analysis of the first quarter 1990 suggests that yet another record year is in the making.

Antiquated Sydney Radar:

The Sydney Airportradar system has again been criticised by its Air Traffic Controllers as antiquated and long overdue for replacement.

Following the June three minute equipment blackout, during which time controllers were left for several minutes without a computer picture of planes circling the airport, the Sydney radar equipment has come under increasing criticism. At the time of the black-out, some 50 aircraft were flying within 100nm of KSA and controllers were forced to rely on a mental picture to control aircraft in the immediate area. The actual blackout is believed to have been caused by a power failure, but this has not stopped the control- lers’ union, the Civil Air Operations Officers Association, from seizing the opportunity to criticise the current equipment. Installed in 1965, display screens, for instance, have been described by controllers as being like a fuzzy 1950’s television screen compared to the modem very crisp pictures of 1990’s technology. All is not lost, however. The CAA fully recognises the inadequacies of the present system and aim to have it upgraded by 1992, and fully replaced by 1996.

 Ten Ton 747:

No, it’s not a new light- weight version of Boeing’s famous long haul airliner, simply our way of stating that the 747 has joined that exclusive list of airliners whose sales have reached 1,000 units.

The others are the Boeing 727 and 737 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and MD-80. The order which took the 747 over the magic figure came from Japan Airlines, already the world’s largest operator of the type. The air- line’s latest order is for 15 747-400s in addition to the five ordered earlier this year JAL contracted for its first 747 in June 1966 and has subsequently purchased a total of 102 including -100,-100SR, -200F,-300, -300SR and -400 variants. By sheer coincidence, JAL’s latest order took sales of all Boeing jetliners to 7,747!

 Hydrogen Examined:

Deutsche Airbus and the Soviet Union’s Tupolev Design Bureau are jointly examining the feasibility of converting airliners to operate on liquid methane and hydrogen.

Both have hitherto been studying the issue separately, Tupolev in fact providing one of the stars of the Hannover Air Show last May when it displayed a Tu-155 hydrogen fuelled airliner, converted from a Tu-154 trijet. Plans at the moment revolve around flying a hydrogen fuelled Airbus A300 by 1996 with its hydrogen tank mounted on top of the fuselage. The decision to go ahead with this prototype will be taken after the findings of a feasibility study are taken into account.

Hydrogen’s main advantages are that it produces relatively clean products of combustion – but not totally clean is very light, is readily available and has a good calorific value per kilogram. Its disadvantages include the necessity for it to be stored in very strong (and therefore heavy) tanks, its expense (it has to be manufactured) and the fact that in the long term it may not be much more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels due to its principal by-product, water.

Airbus Design Possibilities:

At their recent media technical briefing. Airbus officials revealed some of the design possibilities being examined by the consortium.

Airbus researchers are looking into several possibilities to enhance aircraft performance. The weight reduction of airframe components is being actively considered, with the wider use of aluminium-lithium being considered to provide an 8-10% component weight saving. At this stage, however, although some such components have been incorporated in the A330/340, the wide-spread use of this lighter material is not cost effective. A more likely development is the greater use of plastics-mainly in secondary structure components – because they are both relatively light and cost effective.

in the aerodynamic design department, Airbus hope to be able to improve aircraft performance in several ways, with much effort being concentrated on wing design. Besides the use of lighter materials, further drag reducing modifications to wingtips are a distinct possibility. Even more important, however, is current Airbus research into a laminar flow suction wing to significantly reduce drag, hopefully by as much as 10- 20%. Research is presently underway though it would be at least another ten years before such a wing could be flight tested.

As for new aircraft, Airbus see the most likely area for a new design being in the 500-700 seat range. Bearing this in mind, it is not inconceivable that a head on 747 competitor could be the next new aircraft development, this requiring an all new fuselage design because present Al aircraft are just about stretched to the limit. Airbus officials, however, claim that no new designs are expected to be announced before 1995. Work will instead continue on present aircraft, with projects including an extended range A300-600 (possibly incorporating an A330 wing) and the proposed design of a lower deck cabin for possible use as a crew rest station, first class sleeping compartment or galley to provide more room upstairs.

 Polish ATR72 Offset Deal:

In a bid to halve the $US150m cost to Poland of the recent LOT order for ten ATR728, the ATR partners have agreed to an offset deal which will enable Polish factories to manufacture ATR72 airframe parts.

The offset deal – a Polish condition of the ATR72 sale – will enable Polish workers to produce sheet metal and machined parts for ATR to the value of $US72m. Under the deal, both ATR partners (Aerospatiale and Aeri- talia) will assign the Polish company, Pezetel, offset work. The offset deal is a major step forward in Poland’s plans to develop closer links with Western manufacturers; it is a step also in the right direction for ATR which rightly regards Poland and Eastern Europe as a potentially valuable market. The deal has enabled ATR to enter a market controlled traditionally by Soviet manufacturers – Ilyushin’s -114, for instance, was a contender for the LOT sale- ahead of its Western competitors.

Polish authorities stress that they are keen to sign similar deals with other Western manufacturers. Talks have already been held with Boeing-for whom Pezetel is seeking to do subcontract work- and it is understood that any new LOT order for Boeing airliners will have a similar offset deal as a condition of purchase.

 Israeli/Soviet Marketing Cooperation:

Israel and the Soviet Union are set to cooperate extensively in the marketing of Soviet airliners to the West.

In a plan revealed by Mikhail Gorbachev at the recent USA/USSA Washington summit, Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) would fit Western engines and ‘Israeli avionics to Soviet built airliners for their marketing to potential Western customers. The plan includes the evaluation of PW2037 turbofan engines on the Ilyushin Il-96-300 four engined long range widebody and the PW2037 or -2040 engines on the Tupolev Tu-204 medium range twinjet. Pratt & Whitney has already delivered the first package of technical data to the Soviet design teams and IAI, though at this stage it has no firm agreement; the Rolls-Royce RB211-535 is also a possible engine choice.

It is believed IAI was brought into the Soviet marketing deal because of its advanced engine technology capability (such as full authority digital electronic control) and familiarity with US and European certification procedures. The deal will certainly make the Soviet manufacturers a force to be reckoned with – already they are regarded as a potential long term threat to Western manufacturers – and should provide a lucrative market for Western engine producers, at least until Soviet technology catches up.

 Rival 100-Seat Airliner Studies Continue:

Two European-based design teams are continuing studies into rival 100 seat airliners, with little chance of cooperation or amalgamation of projects.

The two competing design teams – Deutsche Airbus and Catic of China developing the MPC-75, and Aerospatiale/Aeritalia/ Casa developing an as yet unnamed aircraft – recently held talks, but could agree only to disagree. Neither team is willing to join in the other’s project, though both are willing to let the other join their own. As a result, it is conceivable that the two teams may develop and produce rival aircraft, though obviously neither team appreciates the competition this would produce. Both groups plan to decide during 1991 whether their respective designs will enter the production stage.

At this stage the two proposed aircraft fea- ture marked differences in design philosophies. The MPC-75, for instance, will be powered by two underwing turbofan engines, while the Aerospatiale/Aeritalia/Casa aircraft will have aft mounted engines and may incorporate MD-90 fuselage segments and A320/321 avionics.

European Group Rejects 737:

Four major European airlines-SAS, Finnair, Swissair and Austrian Airlines who are negotiating with airliner manufacturers for a combined block order of up to 239 130/170 seat aircraft have invited proposals from Airbus (A320/321) and McDonnell Douglas (MD-90) but not from Boeing for 737 variants because the group believes the world’s big- gest selling airliner will be technologically ‘past it’ by the end of the decade.

The areas of fuel economy, environmental acceptability and systems sophistication were cited as reasons for rejection of the 737, although it should be noted that Finnair on its own would not necessarily rule out the 737.

The idea behind the block ordering is that by contracting for aircraft of the same specification the airlines will be able to negotiate more attractive financial terms and reserve production slots. All four airlines involved are longtime McDonnell Douglas customers and have a small number of Airbus widebodies on strength. The only Boeing user among the four is SAS, which has three 7678. The airlines all have a late 1990s requirement for new aircraft in the class, Austrian for 13 (plus 13 options) to replace MD-818 and 828, SAS 126 aircraft, Swissair 52 and Finnair 35. Finnair currently has 73 MD-80s on order or option of which 35 have been delivered.

 Bae at Farnborough:

British Aerospace will establish a major new centre adjacent to the Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough.

The 33 acre site will accommodate about 2,000 employees and will be completed by late 1992. The centre will incorporate a new Engineering Technology Centre which will be established by relocation of the technical engineering team from the Kingston/Dunsfold sites. Other mainly military aspects of BAe’s activities will also relocate at Farn- borough, creating a concentration of high technology activities.

 Royal Brunei Sets Distance Record With Boeing 767 Delivery Flight:

A Boeing 767 arrived in Nairobion 10 June after a record setting flight from Seattle, covering 8,031nm (9,253 statute miles or 14,890 kilometres) in 18 hours 29 minutes. The new 767-200ER model was in the yellow and white colors of Royal Brunei Airlines, national carrier of the country of Brunei Darussalam.

Pending final verification, the National Aeronautic Association established the flight as a world distance record for twin engine commercial airliners, eclipsing the previous record, also held by a Boeing 767, of 7,719nm. Averaging 449kts (834kph) during the flight, the 767 set new twinjet speed records between Seattle and several cities, including Amsterdam, Munich, Nairobi and Mombasa. Aboard were 20 passengers and a flight crew of four. The aircraft, the first 767 for Royal Brunei’s fleet, continued on to Brunei the next day.

Powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engines, the 767 is configured for 216 passengers (16 business, 200 economy) and outfitted for extra long-range service such as for RBA’s new transpacific routes. The only change for this delivery flight was the use of high density jet fuel similar to that used by Qantas for their 9,201nm non stop London/Sydney 747-400 flight in August last year. Royal Brunei also operates one Boeing 737 and three 757s. The record setting 767 is on lease from Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services.

Cfm on 737-200:

CFM International is examining the possibility of offering its 18,500lb thrust CFM56-3 turbofan as a retro-fit on existing Pratt & Whitney JT8D powered Boeing 737-200 airliners. Several airlines have expressed an interest in such a conversion (which would make the -200 quieter and more fuel efficient), although CFM says it will naturally need Boeing’s backing to go ahead with the project. Additionally, the impact on potential CFM56 conversion sales by the Nordam ‘hushkit now under development for the 737-200 would have to be assessed before the go-ahead is given.

Gulfstream Develops Engine Noise Reduction System:

A new sound and emissions system designed to make turbojet and turbofan aircraft engines quieter, cleaner and more fuel efficient has been designed by Gulfstream Aerospace.

The new system, called a Free Turbine Noise Suppressor, is designed to be fitted to the tail assembly of a jet engine, where it increases the mass air flow while lowering exhaust velocities to effectively reduce engine noise. By increasing mass air flow, the unit is said to also improve thrust by as much as 20-25% whilst reducing fuel burn, increasing performance, extending range and lowering operating costs. The system is claimed to also reduce engine noise levels to meet all FAA Stage 3 airport noise requirements and, being priced considerably lower than any present re-engining program, should prove popular and cost effective for operators hoping to meet environmental pressures and extend the life of older aircraft. Though initially designed to be fitted to Rolls-Royce Spey engined aircraft, such as the Gulfstream 2 and 3 business jets or BAC 111 and Fokker F28 airliners, the suppressor unit can be adapted to fit P&W JT8 powered 7278, 7378 and DC-9s. It is expected to have the new suppressor certificated within the next two years.

Quieter Propellers:

space Commercial Aircraft is to receive a grant from the UK Department of Trade and Industry to research the noise and engine installation features of advanced propeller (open rotor) powered aircraft.

The program will develop new cabin noise prediction techniques and will use both ground and flight test facilities to demonstrate significantly reduced cabin noise levels. The aerodynamic program is aimed at an improved understanding of the interaction between the propeller slipstream and wing flow. The study will establish the design procedure for aircraft using advanced propellers.

Both high quality wind tunnel testing and theoretical methods of development will be features of the program. A BAe 748 will provide flight data and a Transmission Loss Ground Rig using bare BAe 748 and 146 fuselages will provide data which will ultimately enable the development of advanced cabin sidewall treatments. Wind tunnel testing will involve the use of existing and new tunnel models including a 12% scale 146 with high lift devices and two powered nacelles.