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UPDATE 
Week ending June 11, 2000
+++ GECAS places record regional jet orders +++ NH90 Memorandum signed at ILA +++ Ariane to serve ISS +++ German government prefers A400M +++ A3XX decision delayed again +++ Northrop and Dasa expand MoU +++ IATA meeting discusses airline problems +++ News in brief ++

GECAS places record regional jet orders
Super-Bestellungen für Fairchild, Embraer und Bombardier

On June 7, GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) has placed an order for up to 150 Fairchild Dornier 728JET regional jets. The order includes 50 firm and up to 100 options. The value of the 50 firm aircraft is approximately $1.4 billion. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2003. Charles Peiper, Fairchild Dornier's Chairman and CEO noted "the new-generation 728JET -- with its high level of passenger comfort and favorable operating economics -- is rapidly becoming the aircraft of choice for future airline requirements in this class." In addition to GECAS, Fairchild Dornier has 728JET orders and options from Lufthansa CityLine, Bavaria International Aircraft Leasing, and Sol Air, for a total of 276 aircraft. The company also has orders and options for six 928JETs from Bavaria Leasing.
On the same day of the Fairchild 728 deal, GECAS also announced an agreement for the purchase of 50 firm orders of the 70-seat ERJ 170, valued at US$ 1.2 billion, and additional options of up to 100 units comprising of the ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 models. The total potential value of this deal is approximately US$ 3.6 billion. "This is undoubtedly a milestone for Embraer as it involves one of the world's premier aircraft leasing companies", stated Maurício Botelho, Embraer's President and CEO. "GE Capital's order underscores the confidence placed on our newest aircraft, the ERJ 170 and the ERJ 190. Just 18 months short of the ERJ 170's first flight, this new Embraer regional jet family has logged 325 orders and I think that clearly shows the market's confidence in our products", he added.
Some days later, Bombardier Aerospace signed a purchase agreement with GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) for the sale of up to 150 CRJ aircraft consisting of 50 firm aircraft orders plus 100 options. The value of the firm aircraft orders is estimated at up to $1.3 billion US ($1.96 billion Cdn.). When all the options are executed, the total value will be $3.9 billion US ($5.87 billion Cdn.). The sale to GECAS constitutes the first major order from an operating lessor for Bombardier's world leading family of regional jets. Under terms of the contract, GECAS will purchase a family of 50 firm CRJ aircraft including 15 CRJ200s, 25 CRJ700s and 10 CRJ900s. The CRJ900 orders are subject to formal launch of that program and are convertible to other CRJ variants. Deliveries for the firm aircraft will begin in 2002 and stretch through late 2006. The contract provides model and delivery flexibility for GECAS. "The commitments from GECAS bring total deliveries, orders and options for the CRJ family to 1,400 aircraft," said Steven Ridolfi, president, Bombardier Aerospace, Regional Aircraft.

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NH90 Memorandum signed at ILA
Vier Nationen geben Startschuss für NH90-Produktion

Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands signed the long-awaited memorandum of understanding for the production investment and production of the NH90 helicopter on June 8 at ILA in Berlin. The biggest helicopter project of Europe foresses the acquisition of 595 helicopters, but the MOU covers 366 in a first step, which was valued at nine billion Euro. The European consortium NH Industries launched its NH90 program in 1991. Run under a NATO agency, the NH90 program groups the French-German Eurocopter firm (with a 31.25 percent stake), its German subsidiary Eurocopter Deutschland (31.25 percent), the Italian group Finmeccanica's unit Agusta (32 percent) and the Dutch Fokker firm (5.5 percent). A production contract with the industry was not signed, as there were last minute difficulties in German parliament committees.
It is said that the first batch will comprise 70 transport helicopters and 46 navy versions for Italy, 27 NFHs for France, 80 transports for Germany, of which some will be fitted for combat SAR, and 20 navy models for the Netherlands. Germany refrained from ordering NFHs in the first batch, as it deemed the variant too immature. Deliveries will start in 2003/4 with the tactical transport version, while the naval version will follow in 2007.
In Germany, there was also finally an engine selection for the NH90. Rolls-Royce said that Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 engines have been choosen in preference of T700s. Engine components would be manufactured in each country, with engines being finally assembled by Rolls-Royce Deutschland and by Turbomeca in France.

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Ariane to serve ISS
Neun Ariane-Missionen zur ISS

On June 7, the largest launch services contract in the history of Europe's space industry was signed at the Berlin air show for nine firm Ariane 5 flights to carry the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). The commercial order, signed by Antonio Rodota, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Marie Luton, will cover Ariane 5 missions from late 2003 and through 2014. Launches of the Ariane 5 will be from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The ATV is a spacecraft designed to bring fuel, water, supplies and other cargo to the International Space Station. Weighing approximately 20 metric tons, the ATV will be placed by Ariane 5 into a 300-kilometer circular orbit inclined 51.6 degrees. The spacecraft will then maneuver in orbit to rendezvous with the space station. The ATV is a European Space Agency program, with Aerospatiale Matra Lanceurs as prime contractor. Astrium Space Infrastructure of Bremen, Germany is responsible for the development, integration and test of the ATV's propulsion module, as well as for the integration and testing of this module with the avionics module. Their final integration with the ATV cargo module will be handled by a joint Aerospatiale Matra Lanceurs/Astrium team.

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German government prefers A400M
Deutschland spricht sich für Airbus-Militärtransporter aus

At the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA 2000 in Berlin, the future European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) welcomed the decisions by the French and German government in favour of procuring the European transport aircraft A400M and the establishment of a joint network of military intelligence satellites. "Both governments have chosen the most up-to-date and cost-effective aircraft," was the positive reaction from Philippe Camus and Rainer Hertrich, the two CoCEOs designate of the future EADS. "This decision will seal the launch of the A400M programme, contribute to saving and even creating jobs in Europe and will also strengthen EADS, which is currently being founded." The A400M will break the US American monopoly on the market for military transport aircraft, the two CEOs commented. In addition, it will form the base on which to further develop the military transport aircraft activities within EADS.
The announcement at the French/German summit at Mainz was foreshadowed by interviews of Defence minister Rudolf Scharping who had hinted that it was impossible to convince the partners of the Russian/Ukrainian An-7X which Germany had also investigated, and which had got good military notes. Airbus Military now can count on about 200 aircraft, but it still faces the task to put intent into binding contracts.

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A3XX decision delayed again
Entscheidung zu A3XX verschoben

The partners in Airbus Industrie dropped a planned board meeting at ILA in Berlin so that the approval of the sales launch of its superjumbo project A3XX has to wait probably a few more week. The Airbus partners were "continuing to work towards an agreement" for converting the cooperative partnership into a "fully integrated company". But the statement also said "on both these decision, there are outstanding issues." The main stumbling blocks are French - German rivalry on the final assembly arrangements and BAE Systems bargaining in regards its position in a joint stock company. "There is no way would BAE launch that programme in a GIE context," said the source. "They want to have an integrated company first.They want a "vital interest" clause," that enables BAE to have a veto over major decisions, he said.
Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic Airways announced that it has confirmed to Airbus Industrie its strong interest in becoming one of the first European launch customers for the Airbus A3XX. Virgin Atlantic also confirmed that it has expressed an interest in acquiring the proposed new stretched Boeing 747-400 aircraft - the 747X stretch. Virgin Atlantic can envision purchasing both aircraft to maintain fleet flexibility and versatility to match the airline's planned strong growth in the next decade. Virgin Atlantic is among the first airlines to publicly endorse the A3XX project and plans to place an order for a number of aircraft for delivery late 2005 onwards. Recent talks between Virgin and Boeing have also been positive, and Virgin is considering an initial order for a number of aircraft for delivery 2005. Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic, commented on the announcement: "Our corporate strategy is to maintain our recent spectacular growth, and we hope both these radical new aircraft will play a key role in our future expansion.
Also, International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) has confirmed its strong interest in the A3XX, indicating its desire to become a launch customer for Airbus Industrie's future very large aircraft. The world's largest new aircraft leasing company, which is based in Los Angeles, would acquire five aircraft with deliveries starting in 2006. In addition to ILFC, six major airlines have expressed interest in the A3XX. "We believe that the A3XX will become the flagship of the 21st century and will introduce new standards in operational efficiency, passenger comfort, range, and environmental friendliness, thus becoming extremely attractive in terms of high return on investment", said Steve Hazy, ILFC's Chief Executive Officer.

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Northrop and Dasa expand MoU
Dasa und Northrop untersuchen Zusammenarbeit

At the ILA show in Berlin, Northrop Grummans Integrated Systems and Aerostructures (ISA) sector and Dasa have announced progress and next steps in their previously announced evaluation of potential business alliances in the areas of surveillance and reconnaissance. Dasa is acting on behalf of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), to be formed by the merger of Dasa, Aerospatiale Matra and CASA. As a first success of this effort undertaken under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on April 19, the two companies announced at the ILA 2000 International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin, Germany their intention to collaborate on the AN/APN-241 weather and navigation radar for the European A400M military transport aircraft. Based on the ongoing evaluation of potential business alliances, additional areas of potential collaboration have been added to the MOU. Space equipment, interoperability technology, aerial targets, scenario analysis, towed devices, airborne electronic attack and fire control radar applications are the additional opportunities to be jointly evaluated by the future EADS and Northrop Grumman. The two companies will assess these areas in addition to the opportunities announced in April. The previously included programs are: ground surveillance systems, high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) technology, maritime UAV technology, including real-time signal processing, airborne radar for military transport, naval radars and wide bandwidth data link technology for reconnaissance.

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IATA meeting discusses airline problems
IATA-Generalversammlung diskutiert Probleme

In his opening address to the 56th IATA Annual General Meeting, Sydney 5 June, Director General Pierre J. Jeanniot said that "an industry which does not regulate itself often deserves to be regulated." Against this background, airline delegates to the AGM endorsed on 6 June a benchmark resolution on a Global Customer Service Framework - which encourages all Member airlines to adopt a customer service commitment, tailored to the cultures and markets that they serve, as well as a concrete plan for implementing the commitment. The resolution called upon legislative authorities around the world to take individual airline commitments to the IATA global framework into account, when considering the need for regulatory action. Airlines welcomed the worldwide trend to market liberalisation, in a second resolution - whilst calling on regulators to recognise the need for: safety and security oversight; adequate airport and ATS infrastructure; the multilateral interline system; industry mechanisms to improve business efficiency; and open market access, giving a fair opportunity to participate in the sustainable growth of the global air transport system.
E-commerce systems have the potential to significantly re-shape airline relations with customers and business partners, while improving service and reducing costs. In a final resolution the 56th AGM called on IATA to: promote awareness of E-commerce, facilitate the development of basic E-commerce standards, support cooperative industry platforms to provide E-commerce solutions to airlines, and ensure that services and systems made available by IATA to the industry are adapted so as to maximise the benefits of current E-commerce technology. While E-commerce has helped to reduce distribution costs, agents will remain at the centre of the airline distribution system. Steps are on hand to modernise the IATA Agency Programme to reflect new developments such as E-commerce for the benefits of airlines, agents as well as the consumers.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

On June 12, Northrop Grumman announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its commercial aerostructures business to The Carlyle Group, a private investment firm with an aerospace/defense portfolio exceeding $4 billion in revenues. The total transaction is valued at approximately $1.2 billion, including $843 million in cash and securities, and the assumption of more than $400 million in post-employment benefit liabilities. "This sale of our commercial aerostructures business allows us to further sharpen our strategic focus from both a management and invested capital perspective," said Kent Kresa, company chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We continue to redefine Northrop Grumman for the future and are pursuing a strategic model that focuses on our high-growth business areas of defense electronics, information technology and systems integration, including manned and unmanned military aircraft design and development." The transaction is subject to normal governmental reviews and is expected to close in approximately 30 days. Net proceeds from this sale will be used for general corporate purposes, including the potential for strategic acquisitions. As a result of the sale, the company now expects restated revenues of $7.6 billion in 2000, reflecting the reduction of approximately $1.2 billion in both recorded and projected commercial aerostructures sales. Northrop Grumman also said that it anticipates the transaction will be neutral to its earnings guidance for 2000 of $9.30 to $9.60 per share.
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Bombardier Aerospace has announced that Horizon Air has increased its firm orders for the 70-seat CRJ700 Series regional jet from 25 to 30 aircraft. The five-aircraft order, previously unannounced and ries backlog of 104 firm orders, is valued at approximately $130 million US ($192 million Cdn). The Seattle, Washington-based airline initially ordered 25 CRJ700 Series aircraft in December of 1998, stating that the CRJ700 "will be the optimum aircraft for our current jet routes and for future expansion." Horizon Air will place its first CRJ700 Series aircraft into commercial service in the first quarter of 2001, and will be the first carrier to operate Bombardier's two new 70-seat aircraft.
+++
Saab Nyge Aero in Nykoping has won an order worth SEK 183 m. from Bombardier Aerospace in Canada. At its workshops in Nykoping, Saab Nyge Aero will rebuild and modify two Canadair CL-415 amphibious aircraft. The work will take three years to complete and the company expects to recruit about 20 personnel for this purpose. The order includes an option on a third aircraft and will create export opportunities for other parts of Sweden's high technology industry. "Apart from the contract itself, the order means that we are now established as a modification center for future orders from Bombardier Aerospace," says Bjorn Sunden, President of Saab Nyge Aero. It also means that we have a reference order in further marketing of our company as an international modification center for aircraft.
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On June 7, Bombardier announced the recent delivery of its 50th Global Express business jet aircraft. The aircraft, s/n 9057, rolled off Bombardier's assembly line in Toronto in late May and immediately flew to Bombardier's Montreal completion facility for customized interior completion. It is scheduled to enter service with an international operator, based in the Middle East, in the first quarter of next year. The positive milestone comes as Bombardier Aerospace is quickening the pace of completions and strengthening its worldwide customer support network for the aircraft.
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At the ILA show, a group of engineers unveiled a prototype solar sail designed to capture the energy of the sun and transport humans and cargo through space without engines or fuel. It can do it at speeds of 223,220 mph, nearly 10 times as fast as the U.S. space shuttle and quick enough to get you from Los Angeles to New York in a little over a minute. "This is our mission, to project mankind beyond the loneliness of our own solar system," said Nersi Razavi, whose Paris-based company Star of Tolerance is the first to contract the solar sail for commercial use. The idea of a solar sail is not a new one. But the sail unveiled is the first prototype capable of being steered from the ground and carrying a payload. The solar sail could be conducting its first tests in outer space by the end of next year and will be launched atop a converted Russian missile. The sail captures the photons that constantly shoot from the sun in a phenomenon known as the solar wind. The impact of these light particles crashing against the silver film drives the craft forward. At this point, the sail can carry only microsatellites, too small to transmit more than radio signals. To transport a human, the sail would have to be several square miles in size.
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A total of 6,437 business aircraft valued at $78.3 billion (in 2000 US dollars) will be produced over the 2000-2009 decade, predict Teal Group analysts in their tenth annual world business aircraft production forecast. Teal analysts released their forecast at the Berlin Air Show (ILA 2000). "After spending three decades as a small afterthought to the commercial aviation market, the business jet industry has experienced unprecedented growth, tripling in value between 1995 and 2000," said Richard Aboulafia, lead analyst for Teal Group's "World Military and Civil Aircraft Briefing. "The business aircraft market is now about as large as the fighter aircraft industry," said Aboulafia. "Better still, doubts about this growth creating a bubble effect have given way to confidence that the market will stay at a much higher level." The current years represent an all-time market peak, and a decline will begin in 2001. "The good times are largely the result of an unprecedented number of new models, a "near supply push" phenomenon that combines with fractional ownership demand to create a lot of up-front orders but is not sustainable," said Aboulafia. "Still, this is a great market to be in, thanks in part to the broader 'energizer bunny' US economy and its 'cult of productivity,'" said Aboulafia. "The worst years of our forecast period will be better than any year before 1999.
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After nine productive years in orbit, a $670 million NASA satellite mission came to a fiery end early morning on June 4. The 15,000 kilogram Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) fired its rocket engines one last time for 30 minutes at 1:22 a.m. EDT (0522 GMT) as it passed over the Indian Ocean to guide it into a crash in the Pacific Ocean. NASA engineers lost contact with the Compton observatory at approximately 2:11 a.m. EDT, with splashdown in the southeastern region of the Pacific Ocean expected at 2:20 a.m. EDT. "This is very painful for scientists who have used the Compton observatory for the last nine years," Gehrels said." More than 700 scientists have used Compton. Large pieces from the 33,000 pound satellite could have survives the re-entry and posed a risk to people. The debris fragments were predicted to range in size from of a small stone to several hundred pounds or kilograms. NASA estimated a 1-in-1000 chance that an uncontrolled reentry could cause a human casualty, although some independent analysts say the chance of a casualty is much more distant.
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IATA presented its 2000 Eagle Awards to Manchester Airport plc and DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH at its Annual General Meeting/World Air Transport Summit in Sydney, Australia, 5 June. Eagle Awards are given annually to airports and air navigation services that give 'value for money' to the airlines and that are diligent in improving productivity and efficiency, or in finding new sources of revenue to reduce their dependence on charges levied on the airlines. DFS, the German Air Traffic Service provider, was recognised as providing "value for money" in its broadest definition: driving down not only operational costs but also the costs brought on by delays. They have made great strides in productivity, achieving a reduction in their charging rates in each of the past five years. DFS has implemented a complete restructuring of formerly restricted airspace. This has enabled more direct routings and increased capacity, to attack the persistent problem of delays in core European airspace.
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IATA Director General Pierre J. Jeanniot today hailed the outcome of the International Telecommunication Union World Radio Conference 2000, which concluded on Saturday in Istanbul, as a historic milestone for the future safety and growth of civil aviation. "Six months ago" said Jeanniot, "it seemed the measures we have been taking, to ensure that aviation could safely meet ever growing demand, might come to nothing." Continued explosive growth in mobile telecommunications is causing commercial service providers to seek additional spectrum. At Istanbul, radio regulators were being asked to provide access to bands dedicated to aeronautical use. Praising the far sightedness of delegates, Jeanniot pointed to the advance publicity given by the IATA Project Team to the airline positions and the understanding shown by states, which ensured that all the issues of prime concern to IATA were satisfactorily resolved this time.
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Boeing has announced the signing of alliance agreements with the Ilyushin Aviation Complex and the Vekhnaya Salda Metallurgical Production Association (VSMPO), the largest titanium manufacturer in the world. The agreements are for the development of a legal and business structure for strategic partner relationships and further cooperation between the companies. "Boeing has been working with Ilyushin and VSMPO and since 1994. Our Russian partners and associates have proven their professional and technical capabilities and we look forward to more successes," said Harry Stonecipher, president and chief operating officer of The Boeing Company. Stonecipher was in Moscow for the signing and to meet with Russian and U.S. government leaders, Duma members, aerospace industry leaders and the Boeing team in Moscow.
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Boeing successfully demonstrated the integrated weapon system capabilities of its Joint Strike Fighter design today during a live-fire exercise conducted at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The Boeing JSF Avionics Flying Laboratory (AFL), a modified 737-200, used its JSF mission systems suite to gather targeting data from off-board systems and fuse it with data gathered from on-board systems. The AFL then provided refined targeting information to an F-15, allowing it to attack a ground target with a GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition. The AFL's on-board sensors also provided a target damage assessment to both airborne and ground-based exercise participants.
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Boeing has confirmed an order from Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. for one 777-200 and one 747-400 Freighter. Delivery of the 777 is scheduled for December 2000, and the 747-400F will deliver in April 2001. This order was accounted for in cumulative order totals published recently by Boeing. Until this announcement, the customer for the order was listed as "unidentified." In addition to this announcement, Cathay Pacific holds a firm order placed in October 1999 for two 747-400 Freighters, which are scheduled to be delivered in September 2000 and August 2001.
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BAE SYSTEMS welcomed the selection by the UK Ministry of Defence for the assessment phase of the SENDER tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle programme. BAE SYSTEMS Avionics team, led by its Rochester UK based Avionic Systems Division, was one of four contractors selected for this stage of the SENDER requirement. The assessment phase is important in developing and assessing concepts to determine the unmanned system to meet the land component commanders Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) requirements. The study calls for a wide ranging systems operational analysis and will include concepts for command, control, communication, computers and intelligence (C4I), air vehicles, payload, missions and support concepts. The results will support the Ministry of Defence's balance of investment study, which will determine the mix of ISTAR assets it needs to meet UK forces future requirements.
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MTU Aero Engine Design (AED) in May 2000 started business with a ceremony. The start-up company, a subsidiary of MTU München, is based in Rocky Hill, Connecticut and willl engage in the development and engineering of engine components. The founding of MTU Aero Engine Design is MTU München's first affiliate outside Germany that focuses on development and engineering services. The company will participate in current and future development projects with Pratt & Whitney, Pratt & Whitney Canada, General Electric and Vericor Power Systems. The new venture will also pose a cultural challenge, because half of the engineers are Americans and the other half Germans. About 20 employees are working in Rocky Hill at the moment.
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Eurocopter, the world's leading helicopter manufacturer, and Sextant, one of the world's top avionics companies, signed a major customer support agreement. Their aim is to significantly improve customer satisfaction by focusing on three areas: optimizing and customizing services reducing lead-times cutting costs. Through this contract, Eurocopter assigns full responsibility to Sextant, its leading avionics supplier, for support services covering all Sextant equipment around the world. Initially, the agreement will cover the new Meghas avionics suite for new-generation Eurocopter helicopters: EC 135, EC 120, Ecureuil AS 350B3, EC 155 and EC 145. This means that it already applies to more than 250 helicopters in service on five continents. The agreement will gradually be expanded to cover all Sextant products on the entire Eurocopter range (except for the government-funded Tiger and NH 90 helicopters). Customer support services include: AOG service and spare parts Repair Standard replacements Maintenance by the hour contracts Documentation Training Technical assistance.
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Officials of ENAER and Lockheed Martin have signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the transfer of an autoclave that will allow ENAER to manufacture advanced composite material parts for current and future generations of commercial and military aircraft. Because of their light weight, strength and durability, composite material components are used in increasing amounts in aircraft such as the EMBRAER ERJ-135/145, the F-16, the F-22 Raptor and the Joint Strike Fighter.
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Lufthansa Technik (LHT) is enlarging its VIP Center at the Lufthansa Base in Hamburg. Two or three additional production lines for the LHT XXL Class are planned for next year. A total of five of the custom-equipped jets will be delivered during the year 2000, with six to eight more scheduled for completion in 2001. It is estimated that sales for the present year will reach some 150 million DM. The reason for this uptrend is the growing demand for customized business jets by private customers, government agencies and crowned heads of state. With its XXL Class Executive Jet, LHT has moved into a leading position in that market. The XXL Class is a Boeing 737-700 Business Jet (BBJ) or Airbus A319 Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) with a cabin interior completed by LHT in accordance with the specifications of the individual customer. The product embodies the same high quality, reliability and flexibility that have characterized the many VIP aircraft that Lufthansa Technik has similarly completed over the past 40 years.
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Now in the 44th year of its existence, Lufthansa Flight Training's Pilot School is celebrating the start of its 300th class. As a first step in their journey into a Lufthansa cockpit, 32 student pilots today begin their training at the Pilot School in Bremen. This anniversary class has grown unusually large: 29 male and three female students had passed all qualifying exams in time for admission. The tradition-rich Pilot School is known throughout the world for the quality of the ab initio training of commercial pilots that it has been providing for decades. Founded in May of 1956, it immediately began training future pilots, but at first only for Lufthansa German Airlines. Throughout the 60s and 70s it enrolled a new class on an average of once every six weeks. The class size varied between 12 and 16 students. As early as 1960 the school began training pilots for other airlines as well as Lufthansa. In 1967 much of its actual flight training was switched to the U.S., initially to San Diego in California. In 1970 its facilities were moved from there to Goodyear near Phoenix, Arizona, where more than 80 percent of its practical flight training is still being done today. In 1986 the first women students were admitted. In January 1997 the Pilot School along with all other Lufthansa divisions involved in training flight personnel were spun off to form an independent company: Lufthansa Flight Training GmbH. This Bremen-based "pilot bakery", as it has become fondly known over the years, owes its excellent reputation primarily to its strong tradition of providing top-level aviation training embodying the latest advances in technology and air transport. Strict quality criteria, customer orientation and innovation characterize its training curriculum and are at the heart of its development of new concepts for the future. Students spend about two years in Bremen and Arizona being trained as copilots to serve in cockpits of the Lufthansa fleet - as did their roughly 5,500 predecessors in classes 1 through 299. Six and a half months of basic training in theory and practice in Germany and the U.S. are followed by four months of more instruction in theory in Bremen. Next come five months of practice flying in Arizona before it's back to Germany for another seven months of theory and practice in the hectic runup to the final exam. After two years the students have earned their airline transport pilot's license (ATPL) as well as their long-distance flight rating. At this point they have behind them approximately 1,300 hours of instruction in theory and have accumulated some 310 hours of practice in a Flight Navigation Procedure Trainer, single- and twin-engine aircraft and simulators. At the Pilot School the learning conditions are ideal. The students have at their disposal a modern training fleet of 65 aircraft, 6 flight-practice trainers, 8 full-flight simulators plus 86 PC workstations for computer-based training (CBT).
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Swisscontrol ha awarded Airsys ATM Part 1 of a system specification contract for the future Swiss Air Traffic Managment System, ATMAS. It includes the supply of an off-the-shelf mini-system for demonstration and teh basis for prototyping and development of the detailed system specifications. During part 1 of the contract, Swisscontrol will evaluate the Eurocat system from Airsys ATM, together with a system offered by another competitor, with a view to selcting the one which best suits Swisscontrol requirements and offerst the best cost effectiveness.
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British Airways has turned down its option to buy a 20 per cent stake in Olympic Airways. The Greek state carrier has been managed for the pat 11 monsts by Speedwing, BA's consultany arm. The Speedwings contract will be terminated early.
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Previous updates are still available:
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*June 4, 2000

*May 28, 2000 *May 21, 2000 *May 14, 2000 *May 7, 2000

*April 30, 2000 *April 16, 2000 *April 9, 2000 *April 2, 2000

*January to March 2000 *January to December 1999 *January to December 1998 *January to December 1997 *September to December 1996

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