News
Boeing completes 787 final certification flight with improved battery
Boeing completed a final certification demonstration flight on the 787 Dreamliner with an improved battery design today, and will present data from its tests to US authorities in the "coming days" as a final step in returning the type to commercial service. The airframer conducted the 1h49min flight on a LOT-ordered 787, which departed Paine Field in Everett, Washington at 10:39 local time. Onboard were 11 crew members, including two representatives from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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British Airways rolls out first painted A380
British Airways' first Airbus A380 has been rolled out of the airframer's paint facility at Hamburg, following the application of its full livery. The aircraft, MSN95, and the first long-haul Airbus for the UK carrier, is due to be delivered to BA in July. BA says the Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered aircraft has had its 469-seat cabin installed and will be flown to Toulouse for final checks before handover.
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Airbus Close To British Airway A350 Deal
A potential USD$7 billion order from British Airways for Airbus A350 jets is set to hand Boeing its next major challenge as it nears the end of a three-month crisis over the grounding of the 787 Dreamliner, analysts said. Industry sources said on Sunday that International Airlines Group, which owns both British Airways and Spain's Iberia, appeared close to ordering approximately 20 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft worth USD$332 million apiece at list prices. However, the negotiations are expected to continue until the last minute for what is one of the most closely-watched wide-body aircraft orders of the year.
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Etihad Q1 Passenger Revenues Up 19 Pct
Etihad Airways said passenger revenues rose 19 percent in the first quarter as Abu Dhabi's flag carrier expanded globally through partnership deals. The UAE carrier, which has stakes in Air Berlin and Virgin Australia, competes with Gulf rivals such as Dubai's Emirates and Qatar Airways, which are also extending their reach into Europe, Asia and other markets.
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Two New Bird Flu Cases In China
Two more people have contracted bird flu in Shanghai, China's health ministry said on Saturday, as authorities closed live poultry markets and culled birds to combat a new virus strain that has killed six people. State-run Xinhua news agency said authorities planned to slaughter birds at two live poultry markets in Shanghai and another in Hangzhou after new samples of the H7N9 virus were detected in birds at the three sites. More than 20,000 birds have been culled at another Shanghai market where traces of the virus were found last week.
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Steps Expected Before The 787 Flies Again
Boeing is conducting ground and flight tests of its 787 Dreamliner with a revamped lithium-ion battery system in an effort to get the jets flying again after the airliner was grounded in mid-January. Japan's All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines are the two biggest 787 customers. ANA, the launch customer, will be the first to have its jets fixed.
[urlhttp://news.airwise.com/story/view/1365161802.html]Link[/url]
USAF F-22 Raptors return to normal flight operations
The US Air Force's fleet of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors has returned to normal flight operations following the completion of modifications to the aircraft's life support systems. The USAF has been working steadily to remove flight restrictions on the stealthy fifth-generation fighters after the aircraft was grounded for four months in the middle of 2011 due to a series of physiological incidents. To resume normal operations the service has modified the Combat Edge upper pressure garment and its associated hoses, valves and connectors, the USAF says. The service officially fingered a malfunctioning valve in the upper pressure garment which was not allowing the vest to deflate properly as the primary culprit behind a series of incidents resembling hypoxia. "Completion of this task eliminates the need to restrict flight operations to remain within a 30-minute flying distance from an airfield suitable for landing," the USAF says.
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F-35B completes first night short take-off and vertical landing
A Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) completed its first night short take-off and vertical landing during a test sortie at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, on 2 April. According to Lockheed and the Pentagon's F-35 joint programme office (JPO), US Marine Corps test pilot Maj CR Clift conducted the flight to gather data on the aircraft's helmet and lighting conditions for night time operations. The F-35 JPO says that the flight was conducted using the aircraft's original Vision Systems International helmet-mounted display equipped with the older Intevac ISIE-10 night vision camera rather than the updated ISIE-11 model.
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Boeing unveils updated F/A-XX sixth-gen fighter concept
Boeing is unveiling an updated version of its F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter concept at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition in Washington DC this week. The tail-less twin-engine stealth fighter design comes in "manned and unmanned options as possibilities per the US Navy," Boeing says. The design features diverterless supersonic inlets reminiscent of those found on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
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Aviation Quote
Tell someone you work for another airline and he'll tell you how much better yours is.
Anonymous
On This Date
---In 1931... Amelia Earhart climbs to a record altitude of 18,415 feet in a Pitcairn autogyro at Willow Grove, near Philadelphia.
---In 1940... The U.S. Navy places a contract with Grumman for two prototypes of the XTBF-1, later named Avenger, a chunky mid-wing monoplane that would become the U.S. Navy’s standard carrier torpedo bomber of World War II.
---In 1946…Etiopian Airlines commences flight operations.
---In 1947…Largest recorded sunspot (7,000) observed.
---In 1954…a de Havilland Comet 1, operating South African Airways Flight 201 from Rome to Cairo and Johannesburg, disintegrates in mid-air over the Mediterranean Sea near Naples following fatigue failure, killing all 14 passengers and seven crew.
---In 1961…USAF Discoverer XXIII placed into polar orbit from Pacific Missile Range but reentry capsule stayed in orbit.
---In 1964…Unmanned Gemini 1 launched.
---In 1966…OAO 1, 1st orbiting astronomical observatory, launched.
---In 1988… Pacific Southwest Airlines shut down operations and was integrated to USAir (now US Airways).
---In 1993…STS-56, Discovery, launches into orbit.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
The Copilot
I am the copilot. I sit on the right.
It's up to me to be quick and bright;
I never talk back for I have regrets,
But I have to remember what the Captain forgets.
I make out the Flight Plan and study the weather,
Pull up the gear, stand by to feather;
Make out the mail forms and do the reporting,
And fly the old crate while the Captain is courting.
I take the readings, adjust the power,
Put on the heaters when we're in a shower;
Tell him where we are on the darkest night,
And do all the bookwork without any light.
I call for my Captain and buy him cokes;
I always laugh at his corny jokes,
And once in awhile when his landings are rusty
I always come through with, "By gosh it's gusty!"
All in all I'm a general stooge,
As I sit on the right of the man I call "Scrooge";
I guess you think that is past understanding,
But maybe some day he will give me a landing.
Trivia
Commercial Pilot – Airplane Exam Questions
5440
Hatching on a Constant Pressure Analysis Chart indicates
A) hurricane eye.
B) windspeed 70 knots to 110 knots.
C) windspeed 110 knots to 150 knots.
5430
Which provides a graphic display of both VFR and IFR weather?
A) Radar Summary Chart.
B) Weather Depiction Chart.
C) Surface Weather Map.
5417
What type of Inflight Weather Advisories provides an en route pilot with information regarding the possibility of moderate icing, moderate turbulence, winds of 30 knots or more at the surface and extensive mountain obscurement?
A) AIRMETs and Center Weather Advisories (CWA).
B) Convective SIGMETs and SIGMETs.
C) Severe Weather Forecast Alerts (AWW) and SIGMETs.
5470
If an airplane is consuming 95 pounds of fuel per hour at a cruising altitude of 6,500 feet and the groundspeed is 173 knots, how much fuel is required to travel 450 NM?
A) 248 pounds.
B) 265 pounds.
C) 284 pounds.
5504
To use VHF/DF facilities for assistance in locating your position, you must have an operative VHF
A) transmitter and receiver, and an operative VOR receiver.
B) transmitter and receiver.
C) transmitter and receiver, and an operative ADF receiver.
5360
Which situation would most likely result in freezing precipitation? Rain falling from air which has a temperature of
A) more than 32 °F into air having a temperature of 32 °F or less.
B) 32 °F or less into air having a temperature of more than 32 °F.
C) 0 °C or less into air having a temperature of 0 °C or more.
5043
Excluding Hawaii, the vertical limits of the Federal Low Altitude airways extend from
A) 1,200 feet AGL up to, but not including, 18,000 feet MSL.
B) 700 feet AGL up to, but not including, 14,500 feet MSL.
C) 1,200 feet AGL up to, but not including, 14,500 feet MSL.
5212
An airplane will stall at the same
A) angle of attack regardless of the attitude with relation to the horizon.
B) angle of attack and attitude with relation to the horizon.
C) airspeed regardless of the attitude with relation to the horizon.
5076
A pilot flying a single-engine airplane observes a multiengine airplane approaching from the left. Which pilot should give way?
A) Each pilot should alter course to the right.
B) The pilot of the single-engine airplane should give way; the other airplane is to the left.
C) The pilot of the multiengine airplane should give way; the single-engine airplane is to its right.
5085
What is the minimum flight visibility and proximity to cloud requirements for VFR flight, at 6,500 feet MSL, in Class C, D, and E airspace?
A) 5 miles visibility; 1,000 feet above and 1,000 feet below.
B) 1 mile visibility; clear of clouds.
C) 3 miles visibility; 1,000 feet above and 500 feet below.
5608
What will occur if no leaning is made with the mixture control as the flight altitude increases?
A) The volume of air entering the carburetor decreases and the amount of fuel decreases.
B) The density of air entering the carburetor decreases and the amount of fuel increases.
C) The density of air entering the carburetor decreases and the amount of fuel remains constant.
5761
Hypoxia is the result of which of these conditions?
A) Insufficient oxygen reaching the brain.
B) Excessive oxygen in the bloodstream.
C) Excessive carbon dioxide in the bloodstream.
5163
If the airspeed is increased from 90 knots to 135 knots during a level 60° banked turn, the load factor will
A) remain the same but the radius of turn will increase.
B) decrease and the stall speed will increase.
C) increase as well as the stall speed.
5961
Which of the following is the final step of the Decide Model for effective risk management and Aeronautical Decision Making?
A) Estimate.
B) Eliminate.
C) Evaluate.
5002
NTSB Part 830 requires an immediate notification as a result of which incident?
A) Damage to the landing gear as a result of a hard landing.
B) Engine failure for any reason during flight.
C) Any required flight crewmember being unable to perform flight duties because of illness.
