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No-shows dominate air show
http://www.sina.com.cn 2003/06/16 11:31  Shanghai Daily

  No Russian MiG fighters. No US top guns. Few really new aircraft.

  And a goodbye hug for the supersonic Concorde passenger jet, now a museum piece. It was a subdued Paris Air Show that opened to the press on Saturday with a visit from French President Jacques Chirac. The eight-day show opened to the public yesterday.

  The world's leading aviation trade conference, first held in 1909, suffers this year from a slumping aviation industry and the US military's decision to keep top brass at home - a move widely interpreted as retaliation for French opposition to the war in Iraq.

  One leading theme this year is unmanned aerial vehicles, which got a public relations boost from successful use in combat by US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

  Regional jets also are a focus, and French engine maker Snecma and Russia's Sukhoi touted their plans to team up with Boeing on a new Russian regional jet, which would come in 60-, 75-, and 95-passenger versions. It's still on the drawing board.

  But the Concorde provided the biggest spectacle on Saturday, and Chirac watched as the sleek, swept-wing craft landed at Le Bourget airport. The planes have been taken out of service by Air France, and this particular Concorde was headed for the French Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget.

  British Airways, the only other carrier with a supersonic fleet, will retire its Concordes in October.

  With the plane grounded in France for good, Air France crew members who have flown on Concordes climbed out on the wing to savor the distinctive-looking aircraft one last time and pose for goodbye snapshots. Many put on their uniforms for the occasion and lingered a bit.

  "In this plane there was a special spirit," said Air France pilot Eric Celerier, 57. He flew the plane 400 times as first officer.

  "Anyone working on this plane was an enthusiast - pilots, flight attendants, mechanics," he said.

  The French president spent two hours in the exhibit halls, visiting European, Chinese and Russian stands. Chirac said he "very much favored" stronger cooperation between Europe and Russia and "in particular, between Russia and France."

  Chirac did not mention the United States or US businesses.

  Exhibit space is down some 5 percent this year from the last show in 2001, and the number of planes on display fell to 206 from 226.




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