Commercial Aircraft Sales

A further agreement covering the trinational development of regional jets was also to be signed. The deal would allow DASA, Aerospatiale and Aeritalia to develop a new regional jet, with government funding to get the program off the ground, an action sure to further irritate the US with its stand against government financial aid to such programs. The new regional jet would probably incorporate several Airbus Industriel technologies, including fly-by-wire flight control Powerplants will be supplied by either a Rolls-Royce/BMW partnership or Allison.

The aircraft is aimed at providing direct competition for the older generation Fokker 100 and its recently announced derivative, the 130. It is hoped that the advanced technology of the DASA/ATR regional jet would give it an edge over the 130, though Fokker is considered to have the advantage of an already well established customer list in the regional jet market.

Airbus Designs Super Guppy Replacement:

Airbus Industrie is seeking a contractor to modify four new build A300-600Rs as Super Airbus Transporters (SATS) to replace the aging fleet of five Boeing C-97/Super Guppy conversions.

The new aircraft will be used to transport Airbus sub-assemblies from their point of manufacture to Toulouse for final assembly. The first aircraft should be converted and in service in 1995 with the last delivered in 1998. Conversion work will involve lowering the cockpit to below the cabin floor level to facilitate loading through the nose, above the cockpit. Rather than having a Super Guppy style swing open nose, the SAT will feature a pair of clamshell like doors through which all subsections will be passed.

The A300-600R was chosen for conversion because of its size, which will allow larger loads to be carried than in the previously proposed A30082 conversion. Al believe other operators could express interest in the concept, which would, for instance, be capable of carrying Ariane 5 rocket first stage sections or fully assembled ultra high bypass jet engines.

 Antonov 225/Buran Visit:

It appears that the world’s largest aircraft, the Soviet built Antonov An-225 Myria, is set to pay a visit to Australia, complete with its Buran space shuttle mock up.

Victorian based Antonov Airlines Australia has arranged for the aircraft to pay a good-will visit to Australia, and it should no doubt prove a major drawcard for the majority of enthusiasts who would not otherwise get the opportunity to see this amazing aircraft. The 225 will be in the company of the world’s second largest aircraft, the Antonov 124 which first visited Australia in 1988. Access to the interior of both aircraft will be allowed and an array of Soviet space equipment will be on display.

At the time of going to press an exact date for the aircraft’s arrival could not be given, though it was initially slated for the end of March. However, an AAA spokesperson stated that the planned timetable could be radically altered due to the Gulf war.

 Used Airliner Prices Plummet:

According to Aviation Week and Space Technology used aircraft prices are “fast approaching the point at which it may be more profitable for owners to scrap trans- ports than try to sell them”.

Used airliner prices still vary widely, particularly in regards to model, individual age and maintenance histories. Prices in general, however, are falling fast as higher fuel prices and stricter aging airframe and noise regulations come into effect, making the aircraft less attractive an option to both the operator and potential buyers. The result is that the 727-100 is fast approaching the $US500,000m mark, down from $US3-4. 5m for similar aircraft two years ago. With prices so low, it may be more profitable to break the aircraft up for spares and scrap, with this action bringing in about $US1. 5m for a 727-100. However, if the market is suddenly flooded by spares for such aircraft then even scrap prices could soon plummet.

$us100bn Boeing/MDC Combined Backlog:

The combined commercial jet aircraft order backlog for Boeing and McDonnell Douglas now stands at over $US100bn, according to the US Aerospace Industries Association.

As at 30 September 1990, the firm orders backlog for the two companies included orders worth $US35. 2bn for the US domestic market and $US64. 84bn for export customers. The largest backlogs at this date covered the Boeing 737 (803 aircraft) and the MDC MD-80/90 (432), both split roughly evenly between US and foreign customers.

Asian Aerospace Exhibition Site Expanded:

The growing success of Asian Aerospace has led to further development of the purpose built exhibition site to cope with demand for the 1992 show.

Asian Aerospace ’92, scheduled to be held at its Singapore exhibition site on 25 February to 1 March 1992, will be 25% bigger than the 1990 exhibition, with demand from exhibitors so strong that all space in the 31,000 x 40,000m primary hall is already sold out. National aerospace pavilions have been confirmed for Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.

 Bae Developing 146 Twin:

In a bid to present a challenge to 130 seat regional jet programs being developed by Fokker and Deutsche Aerospace, British Aerospace have commenced development of a twin engined version of the BAe 146.

The long mooted twin engined 146, called the NRA (new regional aircraft), has emerged as a rival to the planned Fokker and Deutsche Aerospace 130 seat regional jets. The NRA’s design will essentially involve a stretch of the 146-300 series fuselage, with plugs fore and aft of the wing adding about five seat rows to provide 125 seats in five abreast or 139 six abreast. The major structural change will be the wing, which is being redesigned to carry the twin engines, and strengthened and lengthened to take the expected MTOW of 50,000kg.

At this stage two 22,000lb thrust engine choices are being offered to potential customers. The CFM56-38-2, developed for the 737-300 and -500, is one option, while the other is the Rolls-Royce Tay 690, which if launched will also be a Fokker 130 engine option. A third choice likely to be offered is the BMW/Rolls-Royce BR700 series, though. this engine choice would not be available until around 1997.

The NRA is proposed to enter service in 1995, and with a high degree of component commonality, development costs could be kept down to about £200m, though BAe are anticipating higher costs and have invited. companies to enter the program as partners. two being the preferred number with one partner sharing the launch costs.

Embraer Redefining Emb-145:

Embraer is working on a major redesign of the EMB-145 regional jet after aerodynamic problems were revealed in transonic wind tunnel tests.

A major change will be the re-equipping of the aircraft with a new set of wings and the repositioning of the engines which currently are located above the wings. The Brasilia type unswept wing originally incorporated in the EMB-145 design will be redesigned to incorporate a 23 degree sweep and a super-critical airfoil, while the engines will now be placed either under the wings or at the rear of the fuselage. The latter option would also necessitate further redesign of the rear sec- tion with an extension of about 2m, though this is preferred by Embraer designers. Current Embraer operators and potential EMB-145 customers have, however, expressed preference for the underwing configuration option, which would also make maintenance of the powerplants easier.

The engines need repositioning because wind tunnel testing showed that the two above wing GMA 3007 powerplants pro- duced 5% more drag than anticipated. As well, the engines would have prevented the aircraft from achieving its 400kt target cruise speed and would have resulted in excessive cabin noise. This was considered unacceptable, given the fact that the 45 seat aircraft is being marketed for its passenger comfort and low operating costs. Wind tunnel tests of the new configuration are expected to commence in March.

Despite the necessary redesigns, Embraer still hope to achieve a high degree of component commonality with the Brasilia, which was a conceptual strategy of the aircraft. Prior to the problems Embraer held 307 letters of intent to purchase the EMB-145 at a time when certification was targeted for March 1993. Embraer has now signalled that sufficient funding for the project must be found for it to regain momentum. The EMB-145’s chief competitor, the Canadair RJ, has the advantage of entering service by early 1992, well prior to the EMB-145 even taking to the air.

GE CF6-80 Achieves Unprece- Dented Thrust Level:

The General Electric CF6-80E1 engine has produced 73,000 thrust during testing, 500lb higher than its design specified thrust rating.

The CF6-80E1 will power the Airbus A330, for which flight testing is expected to commence in 1992 for entry into service in September 1993. Ground testing of the new engine variant is continuing, with tests con- centrating on aeromechanical features, particularly the new, high efficiency 2. 45m fan) and the low pressure compressor (booster) designed by Snecma of France, which holds a 20% share in the CF6-80E1 engine pro- gram. FAA certification of the engine at 67,500lb thrust is scheduled for December 1992 and 72,000lb thrust in December 1994. Design studies are underway to exceed this latter thrust rating if dictated by market demand. Current CF6-90E1 orders are 36 firm and 25 on option from four A330 customers.

 Airbus 1990 Results Exceed Expectations:

Airbus Industrie results for 1990, the first year in which the consortium has recorded an operating surplus, have exceeded expectations in both orders and deliveries.

During 1990, 404 aircraft from 43 customers were ordered, almost 50% above predicted figures. Valued at over $US27bn, the orders included 104 widebody aircraft and 300 A320/321s. Arbus’ market share for 1990 was 35% (up from 22% in 1989) of total