The philosophy of airline-tailored ab initio pilot training, while not new, is increasingly attractive to both major and regional international airlines as the preferred method of recruiting transport aircrews.

Two earth stations at a location near Toulouse have entered service linking ground communications with satellites of the International Maritime Satellite Organization. For more details on new-technology developments in France and Europe.

Russian Federation flag carrier Aeroflot took delivery of five Airbus A310-300s in 1992. Representing the first Western-built aircraft to join the Aeroflot fleet and featuring a bright new livery, the arrival of the A310s in Moscow heralded a new era in the carrier's long history, enabling it to offer new levels of comfort and service on its international route network. The start of A310 operations with Aerflot also marked the first entry into commercial passenger service of a Western-built airliner holding a Russian type certificate.

Human factors play a critical role in every aviation activity, from flight training to airline management. Statistics attribute about 75 per cent of aircraft accidents to lapses in human performance, and ICAO has given the highest priority to increasing awareness of the human factors considerations in all aviation disciplines.

Undetected wind shear is deadly to aviation and has been the cause of numerous accidents resulting in loss of life and aircraft. As outlined in the article beginning on page 7, in recent years important steps have been taken to address this formidable hazard.

Extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) depend on the performance and high reliability offered by modern turbofans such as the Rolls-Royce Trent. Several Trent powerplants, with take-off thrust ranging from 300 to 385 kilonewtons, are being designed to power the Airbus A330 and Boeing 777.

Development of satellite-based technologies for use by civil aviation has entered the transition and implementation phase, and elements of the new air navigation system will be operationally available in some regions in the immediate or near future.

The Airbus Industrie A340 long-range transport, which made its first flight in October 1991, is the largest aeroplane to be manufactured by the European consortium. The four-engined aircraft will log about 2,000 flight hours before it enters service in 1993.

Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is in the midst of a major expansion. The terminal building is being extended stage-by-stage, and a new 10I-metre air traffic control tower, under construction since 1988, entered operation last year. The development of airports and route facilities is a key to economic growth. As explained in the article beginning on page 6, the development of such infrastructure is supported by various ICAO activities.

The generic aircraft display system (GADS) developed by Australian engineers enhances productivity by reducing controller workload. By acquiring information from aircraft flight plans, automatic position reports and radar data, GADS is able to generate a visual presentation of the position of aircraft to the controller. The system is particularly useful in areas where radar installation is not economical or possible. For more details on GADS and the programme to implement automatic dependent surveillance (ADS) in the Pacific Region, see page 9.

Within the aviation community Germany's Dornier is best known a an aircraft manufacturer whose newly-developed commuter turboprop, the Dornier 328, is currently undergoing flight testing. But Dornier also specializes in the field of security technology, including outdoor and perimeter protection and surveillance. One of its products is the Radobs-R radar intrusion detection sensor, which is suitable for the protection of parked aircraft.

A Canadair Regional Jet (RJ) Level D full flight simulator has been installed at the Canadair RJ flight training centre in Montreal; a second Canadair RJ flight training centre is under construction in Berlin. The simulator was manufactured by CAE Electronics.