>>> New aviation park at Seletar Airport
by Derek Yeo - SINGAPORE - 30 May 2006

SINGAPORE plans to rejuvenate Seletar Airport, its general aviation aerodrome in the north of the island, with expanded and upgraded facilities. These include an aerospace park costing about S$60 million.

The makeover will turn Seletar – usually laid back and sleepy – into a buzzing hub for air services, aeroplane maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). Seletar’s transformation after upgrade and expansion will meet Singapore’s aim to be Asia’s leader in the MRO sector. The photo shows the landmark guard-post (Block 242) at the entrance to the airport, a former Royal Air Force station (see next story).

Work is expected to complete in 2015. By then, the park, covering 140ha, will be larger than 100 soccer pitches. It will provide 10,000 new jobs with an annual turnover of $3.3 billion by 2018.

Singapore’s aviation sector of about 100 firms with a workforce of above 15,000 employees produced S$5.2 billion of parts and services in 2005. This is a record jump of S$0.8 billion from 2004’s value.

The makeover plan for the airport follows years of lobbying – by tenants and residents in Seletar – for improved services and better facilities. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore(CAAS) manages the airport.

In the words of Mr Ko Kheng Hwa, Economic Development Board's managing director, the decision "signifies the government's strong commitment to grow this industry". A timely decision indeed, as countries in the region and farther afield are building up their aviation industry, too. Johor (in Malaysia) and Dubai (in the Persian Gulf) are examples.

Copyright © 2007 AIRMENews. All rights reserved.

Singapore Airlines first A380 flies
by Derek Yeo - SINGAPORE - 16 May 2006

SINGAPORE Airline’s first A380 flew successfully on its maiden and test flight, Sunday 7 May.

This production aircraft will fly the airline’s inaugural A380 Sydney-Singapore-London ‘Kangaroo’ route by December 2006. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is Airbus A380’s launch carrier.

The aircraft lifted off from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport’s runway 32 at 10.30 local time, flew two hours and 15 minutes over south-western France before landing back at Toulouse. The flight tests proved successful.

Cockpit technical crew comprised:

• Pilots Harry Nelson and Armand Jacob
• Lead Flight Test Engineer Andrew Daws
• Flight Test Engineer Christophe Bertrand
• Test Flight Engineer Pascal Verneau
• Cabin Engineers Joel Rembert and Olivier Abric

Several system tests and functional checks were done on the flight. These included those for flight controls, autopilot, fuel and undercarriages. Every item on the checklist was tested and functionally verified successfully.

Some stringent tests were done in the period before the test flight. These included a full power engine ground run to check the four power-plants for proper operation; and, an emergency stopping of the aircraft before lift-off (R2) to test effectiveness of the brakes and undercarriages.

Its test flight over, the A380 - its tail-fin emblazoned in SIA's famed blue and gold bird livery – will next fly to Hamburg for complete paintwork and cabin installation.

Currently, five other SIA A380s are at various stations in Airbus Final Assembly Line (Toulouse) awaiting completion. Ten A380s and 15 more are on firm and optional orders respectively from the airline.

SOURCE: Airbus SAS and Singapore Airlines A380 Newsletter