Commercial Aircraft Sales

In 1985 ETOPS approval for 120 minutes was granted, allowing US carriers to introduce twinjet transatlantic services. The maximum 180 minutes ETOPS was first granted in 1988 (it is currently held by Ameri- can Airlines and USAir, with an application from Britannia Airways being processed by the UK CAA) when it was shown that inflight shutdown rates were below 0. 02 per 1,000 engine hours.

By far the largest group of aircraft with which ETOPS rules are taken advantage of are the 767 Extended Range fleet with either GECF6-80A/C2 or P&W JT9D-7RD4 engines. Almost 200 such aircraft are used by 33 airlines worldwide, with 110,000 ETOPS flight having been flown, 70,000 on transatlantic services alone. There have been only 279 occasions in which crews have decided to turn back, divert or press on with known engine malfunctions. However, only 17 were during the ETOPS portion of the flight.

 Rolls-Royce Announces Further Job Cuts:

Rolls-Royce has announced that a further 3,000 jobs will be cut across the aerospace group by the end of 1991 The latest announced round of job cuts is in addition to the 3,000 job losses already announced and reduces the group’s work-force from its current level of 34,000 at the beginning of 1991 to 28,000 at the end of the year. The cuts will be at all levels and will affect all areas of the group. The short services termination scheme and early retirement package currently on offer are expected to assist in achieving the target reduction, however Rolls-Royce has stated that “unless the number of acceptances accelerates, compulsory redundancies cannot be avoided”.

Sir Ralph Robins, Rolls-Royce CEO, said: “Like all aerospace companies worldwide. we are suffering from the effects of recession, which are worsened by the Gulf War, and by cuts in defence expenditure. Spares income is significantly reduced, many airlines are in financial difficulty, and the relatively weak US dollar is reducing our income. It is very frustrating, since we see growth in civil aviation resuming by the mid-1990s. We have the biggest order book in our history and a wide range of very competitive engines. However, the immediate situation is difficult and we have to reduce capacity and costs over the next two years. . . with the like-lihood of further job reductions next year. ”

Hush Kitted 737-200 Flight Tested:

Initial flight testing of a JTBD engine ejector/ suppressor hushkit designed for the 737-200 has been completed.

The hushkit, jointly developed by aerospace manufacturer Nordam and Pratt & Whitney, has been designed to bring Boeing 737-200s powered by JT8D-7, -9,-15 or -17 engines into compliance with Stage 3 noise standards while still retaining full use of 40 degree approach landing flaps. During testing, the hushkit “demonstrated a better noise reduction capability and fuel performance than predicted”, claimed Nordam. FAA certification of the kit is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, and orders for over 80 shipsets have been taken to date, with the first to be delivered to Lufthansa in early 1992.

FAA Proposes Better Exit Access:

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed making airlines provide better access to airliner emergency exits.

Airlines have been given two options for the improved access. The first involves the removal of a seat next to the window exit and keeps the vertical space between seat rows near the exit to at least 15cm. The second option is to expand the space between rows at the window exits to at least 51cm, which is 30. 5cm wider than the current FAA standard.

Should the proposal be made law, all aircraft carrying 20 or more passenger seats on US services will have to be modified to comply with the FAA requirement within six months of the adoption of the final ruling.