Commercial Aircraft Sales

V2500 E Tops Approval:

The International Aero Engines V2500 turbofan engine (which powers some Airbus A320s) has been given approval for 120 minutes ETOPS (extended operations). This now allows A320s with the V2500 engine to operate on routes with up to 120 • minutes’ diversion time. This particularly applies to overwater routes and the first airline to apply for the approval is Danish charter operator Conair, which intends using its A320s in flights across the Atlantic.

History Rewritten:

According to Aeroflot’s 1990 annual report “the Soviet aircraft industry created the world’s first turbojet passenger airliner – the Tupolev Tu-104. Er, excuse us, but the Tu-104 first flew in June 1955. What about the de Havilland Comet (first flight July 1949), Avro Canada Jetliner (August 1949), Boeing 367-80/707 (July 1954), Sud Caravelle (May 1955) and if we want to be really pedantic, the Nene-Viking {April 1948), the Tay-Viscount (March 1950) and the Chase XCG-20A {April 1951)? Nice try, comrades!

Indonesian Jet Planned:

Indonesian manufacturer ITPN is planning to expand its range of commuter aircraft with the development of a 130 seat jet airliner with detail design scheduled to begin in 1994 followed by first flight in 2000. Called the N-2130 at this stage, the airliner is now subject to a preliminary design study and few details have been released except that it will be “transonic” and feature fly-bywire (FBW) controls. Smaller 100 and 120 seat derivatives are planned. In 1989 ITPN launched its 50 seat N-250 regional turboprop for which 151 letters of intent from local operators are held.

Fes Back on Deck:

Several former Qantas flight engineers made redundant by two crew cockpits are now back at the pointy end of aeroplanes as pilots, the result of two Qantas flying training schemes. A total of 33 flight engineers are either under training as pilots or have graduated. Eight are now flying as Qantas second officers and a further 16 will complete their training by the end of June. These will also be employed as second officers. The two schemes were based around engineers with a private pilot’s licence who were given the opportunity to train to Commercial L icence standards in Sydney and those without licences who met the normal cadet pilot selection criteria – apart from age. These train at Parafield. Until three or four years ago, Qantas had some 200 flight engineers on strength but the introduction of two person Boeing 747-400s and 767s has seen their numbers more than halved. The airline plans to keep 11 earlier model 747s in service at least until the turn of the century, meaning that 70-80 flight engineers will be required for them