Word: plane
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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When the seats shudder and the wings flutter and the engines crescendo in what sounds like a last and mighty effort to lift off, what traveler has not wondered nervously whether the plane should be retired? America's aging fleet of passenger jets became a national concern last April when a 19-year-old Aloha Airlines 737 ripped apart in midair. Since then, cracks have been found in the fuselage of some of the other 429 Boeing 737-100s and 737-200s still flying in the U.S., giving rise to fears that regular inspections are not enough...
Last week the Federal Aviation Administration proposed a rule requiring airlines to shore up their older 737s by replacing the 7,200 rivets on each plane's fuselage. "It's time to fix design weaknesses rather than continuing to inspect for flaws," said Anthony Broderick of the FAA. "It is a fundamental shift in our way of operating." Safety experts predicted that the ruling would eventually be extended to other aircraft that are 25 years old or older...
...Look, planes!" Fortunately for the TIME staffer accompanying Yasser Arafat on his flight across the Middle East last week, they were not Israeli aircraft, which Arafat charges have recently been trying to ambush him. They were Turkish jet fighters, 16 of them, and they rose in waves to provide a protective escort as Arafat's plane flew over the Iraqi border and into Turkey. The U.S.-made F-16s hugged Arafat's wing tips, and their pilots saluted the Palestinian leader. "They were so close, I could see their eyes," recalls Murray Gart, the TIME senior correspondent on board Arafat...
...cause. Last week Arafat borrowed an Iraqi jet for a brief trip to Turkey, complete with a Turkish air force fighter escort. During his trip he met with assistant managing editor Karsten Prager and senior correspondent Murray J. Gart for eight hours of conversation, partly aboard his plane and also in the Baghdad headquarters that doubles as his home. While he repeated some familiar positions, he surprised his visitors with glimpses into his personal life and with his eagerness to begin negotiations with Israel...
...Minister. This is democracy. I did not elect Abul Abbas. It was the Palestine National Council ((P.N.C.)) that elected him. And a part of the reason is this, that it was a matter of indignity, national indignity; when Reagan breached the agreement with President Mubarak and they hijacked the plane and tried to put him in jail, that caused a reaction of sympathy...