Commercial Aircraft Sales

It seems every aircraft manufacturer in the world is talking to everyone else about developing a new 100 seat regional jetliner at the moment, the latest being Japan’s Mitsubishi which has been holding discussions with Bombardier. Mitsubishi produces the wing for the Bombardier Global Express long range business jet and hopes to develop a regional jet using the technology incorporated in the wing. Mitsubishi also produces the Global Express’ centre fuselage section and is developing the fuselage for the Bombardier/de Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprop. Bombardier says it is holding preliminary discussions on possible joint projects with other manufacturers with nothing definite planned at the moment. Included are discussions with Mitsubishi on taking a stake in the planned 70 seat stretched version of the Canadair Regional Jet. To add to the possibilities, Boeing is apparently considering joining forces with Bombardier and Mitsubishi to develop a new 100 seat airliner following its loss to Europe’s AI(R) in its bid to join the Chinese AE-100 project. On top of all this Korea, Indonesia and others are all involved in regional jet plans somewhere along the line, and then there’s Fokker’s products which are up for sale. Confusing, no?

Jet 328 Planned

Dornier — now 80% owned by the USA’s Fairchild — is investigating the possibility of developing a turbofan powered version of its 328 regional turboprop. Switching to turbofan power is technically feasible according to Dornier although a larger wing would probably have to be fitted. Fairchild has signalled its intention to develop a stretched version of the basic 30-33 seat 328, increasing capacity to around 50 seats. Any jet powered version would presumably be based on this. The Allison AE 3007 and General Electric CF34 are considered possible powerplants and the company says the aircraft would cruise at 380kt (704km/h) while offering turboprop fuel consumption and airfield performance. The 328 has proved a financial disaster for Dornier with aircraft having to be sold at below cost. Fairchild has begun a cost cutting program at Dornier in an effort to achieve efficiency. Firm orders for the 328 stand at 102 with 84 options.

Aviastar Tu-204 Push

Russian aircraft production company Aviastar has joined forces with several South East Asian financial institutions to form Aviastar Asia (AAC). The intention is to provide leasing, financial and technical support for the Tupolev Tu-204 airliner in that and other regions. The Tu-204 is in a similar class to the Boeing 757 and A321. AAC was planning to place an initial order for 20 Tu-204s as these words were written, comprising a mix of -100s and -200s (with Perm PS-90 and Rolls Royce RB211 engines) and a short fuselage derivative, the Tu-234. The first Tu-234 has been rolled out but at the time of writing was still to fly.

8 Australian Aviation October 1996

The consortium claims it will order at least 20 aircraft per year and plans to place them in what it perceives as traditional Russian airliner markets such as Africa, Asia, the CIS, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. CIS and Eastern Europe activities will be handled by a subsidiary, Aviastar Financial International, and leasing is seen to offer the main best marketing opportunities. AAC’s Asian venture is registered in Singapore with an initial capital of $US10m. Aviastar holds a 25% interest and other investors come from Japan, China, Malaysia and Singapore.

United’s Mega Order

United has announced new aircraft orders for a total of 51 aircraft with a value of approximately $US4.4 billion ($A5.6bn). The order consists of 19 747-400s, two 777-200s, six 757-200s and 24 A319s. This brings United’s total orders for each type to 47 747s, 36 777s and 98 757s and will make it the equal largest operator of the A320 family with 74 A319s/A320s. The order is also a windfall for engine manufacturers Pratt & Whitney and IAE with P&W engines to power the Boeing aircraft and the IAE V2500 to power the A319s. United has one of the youngest fleets in the industry, giving the airline high aircraft reliability and low operating costs.

Air Pacific to Maintain AMI Saab 2000

Air Marshall Islands has announced that all future maintenance on the airline’s Saab 2000 will be conducted in Fiji by Air Pacific. The change will allow reduced downtime of the aircraft due to quicker turnaround times. The change is expected to increase confidence in the small island airline.

Cockpit Weather Info Tested

An advanced cockpit weather information system (CWIN) designed to give pilots real time information on weather anywhere in the contiguous United States is being flight tested on a United Airlines DC-10 in a project sponsored by the NASA-Langley Research Centre and developed by a consortium led by McDonnell Douglas. The CWIN, an integrated inflight communications and navigation system, blends data from communication and GPS satellites, ground weather radar images and lightning strikes, and airport observations and forecasts. Flightcrews are provided with complete and up to date weather information — including trends — enabling them to make early decisions to avoid adverse conditions. Information is provided on a colour LCD and is updated every 15 minutes. A touch screen menu is provided, allowing the pilot to touch the area of the screen listing the information required. McDonnell Douglas delivered the fourth F/A-18E Super Hornet (F/A-18E4) to the US Navy’s flight test centre at Patuxent River, Maryland on August 22. The high visibility orange and white paint allows easy tracking by ground based cameras. F/A-18F1 makes the Super Hornet’s first catapult launch, at Pax River. (McDonnell Douglas) Other applications of the technology being developed include wind shear displays, three dimensional graphics, an airport runway taxi map, flight operations information and a terrain and weather overlay. If the tests are successful and a market for the CWIN exists, an operational system for both commercial and military use could be operational within a year.

Westernised Tu-204 Production Launched

Egypt based leasing company the Kato Group has surprised industry observers in ordering 13 firm and 17 optioned Tupolev Tu-204 airliners powered by Rolls-Royce RB211 turbofans. This is the first order for the RR powered version of the Russian airliner which is of similar size and appearance to Boeing’s 757. The first set of engines for the aircraft were delivered to manufacturer Aviastar in July and Russian certification for the aircraft is expected in January 1997.

Something for Everyone at Avalon

The Australian International Air Show and Aerospace Expo (AirShow DownUnder ’97) to be held at Avalon Airport on February 18-23 next year is shaping up to be the best yet with a wide variety of aircraft appearing in the flying display and on the ground. Most of the world’s major manufacturers of everything from ultralights through to corporate jets, civil and military transports and combat aircraft will be there, all presenting their wares to an increasingly important Asia-Pacific market. For those in the aviation business, Avalon presents a chance to make vital contacts and to perhaps even close a deal; for the enthusiast there will be the opportunity to see the world’s aircraft, engines, avionics and equipment close up. The first four days of the show (February 18-21) are designated trade days and the last two (Saturday and Sunday, February 22 and 23) are open to the public. The flying program will include the extraordinary Anatoly Kvochur in a Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighter, other Russian aircraft, the RAAF Roulettes aerobatic team, the Skyblazers team and their Pitts Specials and a long line of visiting military aircraft from Britain, the USA, New Zealand and other countries in the region. Negotiations are underway to bring one or two surprises to the show, details of which will be revealed when the arrangements are confirmed. One of these is known to be big, black, American and difficult to track on radar! Of equal importance to the show is the Aerospace Expo, the indoors display by aircraft, engine and equipment manufacturers and the multitude of companies which supply equipment and expertise to the aviation industry. The list of exhibitors covers every possible aspect of the industry from the small company providing nuts and bolts to the largest international aerospace corporation. Australian Aviation will be among the exhibitors in the Aerospace Expo, so come along to see us while you’re at Avalon.