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The latter item is of extreme interest (refer Recce) and the chamber has called upon the CAA to implement a cost benefit analysis of same. It has been suggested that the overall SAR costs for the Blue Mountains Trinidad search was in the vicinity of $2m, hardly surprising in view of the fact that at one time there were some three dozen aircraft actively engaged in the search including a number of twin engined hellcopters. SAR activity in the same timeframe in the Victorian alps and northern NSW was of a similar intensity while none of these aircraft were fitted with ELTs nor had their pilots filed even a rudimentary flightplan! Meanwhile, the CAA has designated its future airspace system the Australian Airspace Classification System (AACS). To date, the select group of overseas experts have met (refer Newsdesk) and submitted their reports to CAA management for a board decision early in the new year. It is likely that the AACS will be fast tracked with just the primary areas of concern being addressed. If this is not the case then the entire airspace revision may have to wait till TAAATS is implemented in mid ’95 before being declared operational. Either way a firm decision will be known by next March.

F-111 Maintenance Stays in House:

The Raaf will continue to own F-111s under restructured maintenance arrangements, with deeper maintenance remaining with No 501 Wing at the aircraft’s Amberley base.

The decision follows an evaluation of RAAF and commercial bids for engine and aircraft component maintenance work under the Defence Commercial Support Programme and although some tenderers offered cost reductions over current arrangements, the RAAF’s bid won out when the use of fewer personnel (and the result- ing lower cost) was taken into account.

The RAAF’s approach is based on cellular work teams using more civilians and reducing the current number of maintenance personnel. The new arrangements should be in place by the middle of 1994.

Sydney Airport to Get Stars After All?:

Sydney Airport might flnally get its controversial revised runway operations system (Standard Terminal Ar- rival Route System-STARS) after plans to test it were dropped over a year ago due to the influence of three ALP MPs (Punch, McLeay and Brereton) whose electorates adjoin the airport.

The system is designed to increase efficiency at Sydney Airport as well as reducing noise and increasing safety. It basically involves using the east-west runway for all landings and routeing departures over Botany Bay from the main north-south runway. A revised STARS has been presented to the Aviation Minister Senator Bob Collins and is under consideration.

The move follows claims from both Ansett and Qantas that the airport’s capacity was being “artificially restrained” at least partially for political reasons and that implementation of STARS would greatly increase the number of flights which could be handled each hour.

In other Sydney Airport news, construction of the third runway is well ahead of schedule and will be finished next year. One year after work started, the base of the runway is almost complete and only final clearing works and the laying of the tarmac still need to be done. The project is not only ahead of schedule but also about 10% ($30m) under budget, a fact which has brought praise on all involved.

Ansett Blamed for Anz Performance:

A financial analyst has blamed Ansett NZ’s competition on New Zealand domestic routes for the only modest profit Air New Zealand has shown on these services.

According to CS First Boston in Wellington, ANZ’s profit would pick up by SNZ40- 60m if Ansettleft the market. ANZ currently claims it has 60% of the traffic on trunk routes on which it competes with Ansett (with a 50% overall load factor), while the latter has never made money since it began domestic services in New Zealand in 1987. Its 1992/93 loss was $NZ47. 5m, bringing the total to about $NZ200m in six years.

Meanwhile, ANZ has again committed additional capacity to its trans Pacific services, the third such increase since Nov 1. From January through to March the airline will add an additional 6500 return seats between Auckland, Honolulu and LAas well as boosting trans Tasman capacity by 10 767 services a week. ANZ is basically taking advantage of the withdrawal of Continental from the Tasman and South Pacific.

AA Comment: Hoarders of AA might like to recheck our March ’93 issue Recce editorial on the many benefits of ANZbuying into ATL Certainly it is nice to now see the likes of CS First Boston coming up with the same logical conclusions.

Pilots Vote for Independence:

Former Australian Airlines pilots have voted to remain independent within the Qantas group structure following elections for positions on the committee of the Australian Airlines Ltd Pilots Assoc (AALPA).

The move is a clear rejection of any align- ment with the Australian International Pi- lots Association (AIPA) which covers Qantas’ international flight crews and puts another nail in the coffin of any plans to create a single pilots’ union to replace the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) which effectively slashed its own wrists in the 1989 domestic pilots’ dispute.

Pilots at both Australian Airlines and Ansett established their own associations in the wake of that disaster.

Tay 727 a Success:

United Parcel Services’ Boeing 727-100 Quiet Freighters, re-engined with Rolls-Royce Tay turbofans have completed a year of service and the benefits are being well illustrated.

Compared with the aircrafts’ original P&W JT8D engines, the Tays are exhibiting an 18% reduction in fuel burn, 22% lower exhaust emission levels and noise levels which are well below the requirements of the latest Stage 3 rules. UPS’s first 727- 100QF entered service in December 1992 and a total of 44 conversions are to be performed.

ASTA Wins Boeing Award:

AeroSpace Technologies of Australia (ASTA) has been awarded the prestigious Major Outside Production Supplier of the Year award by the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group.

The award-which was won over suppliers from 31 countries was specifically for ASTA’s performance on producing the rudder assembly for the new 777 widebody twin.

ASTA has been building components for Boeing airliners since 1970 when it was awarded a contract to produce elevators for the 727. It currently manufactures leading edge slats for the 747 and rudders for the 757 and is the sole supplier of the 777’s composite rudder.

 Boeing’s Modular Combat Aircraft:

Boeing is developing the concept of a modular, multirole aircraft to meet the requirements of the US Air Force/Navy Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) programme.

The Boeing concept is for an aircraft which could be developed in versions for different missions and be capable of conventional takeoffs and landings for the USAF and short takeoff/vertical landings (STOVL) for the USN and Marines as well as normal catapulted and arrested carrier operations.

Boeing believes all these missions can be accomplished by a modular aeroplane with 90-95% component commonality by weight, and the aircraft could eventually be used to replace the F-16, F/A-18, AV-8B and other tactical aircraft. It would incorporate extensive use of composites and F-22 cockpit technology, avionics, software and sensors.

The company has entered into agreements with General Electric, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce on the development of possible powerplants for the aircraft.