Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

Australian Aviation has just returned from a series of in-depth briefings with both the CAA and European ATC agencies in relation to the TAATS concept. A full report on this exciting project will be carried in our issue.

Awa Wins Vietnam Contract:

An advanced air traffic control system designed and built by AWA Defence Industries in Australia has been chosen for Hanoi International Airport in Vietnam against stiff international competition.

Called AWANET, the system is an all digital closed loop communications system incorporating fibre optics and advanced systems architecture. It links anyone on or near the airport with anyone else air traffic controllers, pilots, and emergency, repair and maintenance staff. It accesses many sources of data from airport facilities such as weather and navaid stations and hooks into telephone land lines and microwave or satelite links.

The initial contract is valued at $4. 5m and includes the supply of consoles and panels, intercom systems, air-ground communications, a dedicated aeronautical telex network, standby power units and centralised timing equipment. The contract also includes training, and the system incorporates a high frequency communications link with Vietnamese domestic airports and with the air traffic control zones of major international airports such as Bangkok. Installation is already underway.

Long Range MD-11:

Delta Airlines” new McDonnell Douglas MD-11 trijet airliners which are due to be completed by the end of the year will be fitted with two auxiliary fuel tanks in place of two of the 14 LD3 containers the aircraft can carry in its cargo holds.

The tanks will raise the MD-11’s fuel capacity by 3,900 US gal to 42,750 US gal, enabling the airline to carry a full passenger load nonstop on its 7,600nm (14,100km) Los Angeles to Hong Kong route. Delta’s MD-11s are likely to be the only aircraft fitted with two such auxiliary tanks, although a single extra tank is being offered as a standard option from mid-1993. With normal fuel, the MD-11 has a maximum range of 6,785nm (12,568km) carrying a typical two class load of 323 passengers.

Some Caa Charges Down:

The CAA has announced some reductions in charges, those for “quotable services” by CAA officers.

As of now, airworthiness officers will cost the user (with the old rates in parenthesis) $62-72 per hour depending on grade ($98-117), technical officers $45 ($63), clerical staff $38-61 ($64-127), sports aviation and dangerous goods inspectors $56 ($113) and investigations officers $56-61 ($113-127). It’s a start!

BA Launches GE90:

In what is both a surprise and a massive blow to Rolls-Royce, British Airways has decided to fit its recently ordered fleet of Boeing 777 large widebody twins with General Electric GE90 turbofans instead of the expected RR Trents.

The British operator therefore becomes the launch customer for the GE90, which will produce up to 95,000lb thrust in its developed forms. BA has 15 777s on firm order plus a further 15 options with deliveries beginning in 1995. The airline’s choice of engine is worth up to $US1. 4bn to General Electric. When it enters service in 1995 the GE90 will be rated at 76,900 thrust.

Tcas Saves the Day:

A Bendix Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) paid for itself when it helped a Qantas. Boeing 747 and Continental DC-10 avoid each other at night near Hawaii last July.

The close call was due to an air traffic con- troller’s error and occurred when the DC-10 was travelling at 33,000 feet and the 747 was moving in the opposite direction on the same airway (Blue 474) at 31,000 feet. The 747 was cleared to climb to 35,000 feet across the nose of the DC-10, whose TCAS alerted its crew to the situation. Following the alert, the two crews communicated and sorted it out between themselves.

Although TCAS is a great concept, it’s not all roses just yet. Two weeks before the Continental/Qantas incident, a Bendix unit on a USAir DC-9 failed to alert the crew of a conflict, while Collins TCASS are currently undergoing substantial further testing and modification to iron out some initial bugs.

No Rollers for MD-11:

McDonnell Douglas and Rolls-Royce have withdrawn the Trent high bypass turbofan as an option on the MD-11 trijet airliner.

The move follows the collapse of Air Europe, the only operator to specify the Trent for its MD-11s, and the failure to find other airlines to take over the vacant delivery slots. Air Europe ordered six MD-11s and had options on 12 more.

McDonnell Douglas and Rolls-Royce were left with no guarantee of recovering the approximately SA60m development cost of the Trent/MD-11 installation. The companies will instead concentrate on matching the 70,000lb thrust Trent with the planned MD-12X, a stretched MD-11.

 New Ils at Townsville:

Bad weather flying operations at Townsville Airport have been enhanced with the recent installation of an Instrument Landing System (ILS). Costing $1m, the ILS was commissioned in late August following several weeks of flight testing by a variety of aircraft.