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Airbus CEO predicts more than 100 orders for A330neo at air show
Tom Enders, the CEO of Airbus, believes the aircraft manufacturer could more than 100 orders for the A330neo at the Farnborough Airshow this week. "We are already confident at this airshow that we'll get a significant number of new orders," Enders said. "I would not be surprised if by the end of the week we had a 100-plus orders for the 330 neo."
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Airbus outlines A330neo engineering demands
Airbus believes it can almost fully negate the weight increase of the new A330neo by implementing a reduction exercise to trim structure across the entire A330 airframe. It intends to shed 800kg of weight as it develops the re-engined aircraft, to offset the modifications required to accommodate the larger Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 powerplants. “We’re trying to head back to an almost neutral [weight] position,” said Airbus executive vice-president for programs Tom Williams during the Farnborough air show. The sole-sourcing of the engines will ease some of the design work, he says, because Airbus will not have to come up with a compromise pylon to handle two engine options, as with the A320neo.
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Boeing test pilots display maneuvers at air show
Test pilots demonstrated a range of maneuvers with the 787-9 Dreamliner at the Farnborough Airshow in the U.K. Boeing said the pilots "purposefully put the airplane through maneuvers most pilots would never see in their entire careers" to showcase the aircraft's safety.
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Bombardier wins first African CSeries customer
Bombardier has landed its first African customer for the CSeries, with a letter of intent signed for five aircraft. The airline, which wishes to remain unidentified, is an existing Bombardier customer. The airframer declines to specify if the five aircraft are CS100s or CS300s, adding that the order could include both variants. The order would be worth $365 million at list prices.
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Vulcan makes final Farnborough flight
A veteran is expected to bow out this weekend when the world’s last remaining flying Avro Vulcan bomber makes what is likely to be its final Farnborough appearance. The aircraft (XH558) will fly Friday through to Sunday, but with the anticipated retirement from flight of the iconic Cold War-era jet in 2015 this is likely to be its last visit to this corner of Hampshire.
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Wearable technology for pilots displayed at airshow
The days of long flight delays due to terrible weather could soon be over with the introduction of virtual reality-style headgear for airline pilots. The latest advancements in head-up display (HUD) – devices that project aircraft data onto the pilots visor so they don't need to look away from their normal line of vision – can create a 3D image of the view ahead. The technology means that no matter how bad the visibility is outside, pilots would still be land a plane.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada deploys 787 Dreamliner for Tokyo service
Air Canada announced that it has begun using Boeing 787 Dreamliners to operate flights between Toronto and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, marking the first time that the carrier has deployed the aircraft on a scheduled route. The airline launched its Toronto-Tokyo Haneda service on July 1, and had previously been using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on the route before transitioning to 787-8 Dreamliners. The planes are equipped with 20 pod-like seats in business class, 21 seats in premium economy, and 210 seats in economy. Seats in business class are fully lie-flat with a bed length of 80” and personal 18” touchscreen monitors, while seats in all classes of service offer power outlets and USB ports.
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Air Mauritius signs for six A350s
Air Mauritius has signed a memorandum of understanding that covers four A350-900s and is to lease an additional two aircraft of the variant, says Airbus. The carrier already operates 10 Airbus aircraft, including A330s. It is to operate the six A350s on European, Asian and Australian routes.
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Delta offers Luvo's new healthy menu items
Delta Air Lines is expanding its offering of snack and dining options with a new Luvo line of healthy choices, available free to Economy Comfort travelers and for purchase by others in Economy class. "Today, many travelers are looking for healthier options in flight," Luvo CEO Christine Day says. Among the new menu items are whole-grain sandwich wraps, fresh fruit and multi-seed cookies.
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Emirates Could Buy 60-80 Upgraded A380s - Report
Emirates could buy an additional 60 to 80 Airbus A380s if the aircraft is updated with more fuel-efficient engines, the airline's chief executive Tim Clark said, according to the Financial Times. Emirates, the largest customer for the Airbus A380, had ordered 140 of the aircraft as of November. "We have made it crystal clear to (Airbus) in the event of the (A380) neo being launched we would buy it," the FT quoted Clark as saying. Emirates has previously expressed interest in applying the lessons of other Airbus re-engining projects - nicknamed 'neo' or new engine option - to the A380.
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Etihad Chief Aims To Seal Alitalia Deal
The chief executive of Etihad Airways said a deal to acquire nearly half of Alitalia could be wrapped up this month but warned that cuts would be needed to make the loss-making carrier profitable, prompting opposition from Italy's largest union. Abu Dhabi's state-owned Etihad plans to buy 49 percent of the loss-making airline in a deal that Rome hopes will bring Alitalia the money it needs to invest in a new strategy focused on more lucrative long-haul routes. "We want to guarantee the success and long-term viability of Alitalia or we wouldn't be here," Etihad chief executive James Hogan told journalists in Rome.
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Hainan to order 50 737 Max 8s
Hainan Airlines has committed to 50 Boeing 737 Max 8s. The order is subject to approval by the Chinese government. At list prices, the 50 narrowbodies are valued at $5.1 billion.
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Horizon Air places order for Bombardier Q400
Horizon Air, a subsidiary airline of Alaska Air Group, announced that it placed an order for a Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft, while retaining options for seven more Q400 NextGens as previously agreed. The purchase is valued at $32.6 million at list prices. The new purchase brings the total number of firm orders of Q400 and Q400 Next Gen aircraft that Bombardier has received to date to 499. With 52 Q400s, Horizon Air is the largest operator of the plane in the world.
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JetBlue debuts automatic check-in for passengers
JetBlue Airways is offering automatic check-in for passengers. The carrier sends passengers an e-mail 24 hours before a scheduled flight, and passengers can click on a link to check in and download boarding passes.
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Leasing and confidence prompted Qatar 777X plan
Qatar Airways decided to double its commitment for the Boeing 777-9X as it has an expanded requirement for the big twinjet for its leasing arm. It also says the move comes as a result of its growing confidence in the product that Boeing will offer. The Doha-based airline has confirmed the letter of intent it disclosed at the Dubai air show in November 2013 for 50 of the General Electric GE9X-powered 777-9X. It has added purchase rights for another 50. “This totals an order for 100 777X aircraft, which will become the backbone of the Qatar Airways fleet, and represents the largest single aircraft order in our history,” says Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker.
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Myanma Airways signs for six ATR 72s
Myanma Airways has confirmed its interest in ATR 72-600s, by placing orders for six of the type and options on six more at the Farnborough air show yesteday. The state-owned carrier, which is to branded Myanmar National Airlines in the near future, will start taking delivery of the aircraft in 2015. Deliveries will run until 2017. The airline in April told Flightglobal that it was in talks with ATR for the aircraft, which will replace its Fokker F28 regional jet and Xian Aircraft MA60 turboprop.The airline already operates three ATR 72s.
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Southwest leather seats recycled into shoes, soccer balls
Southwest Airlines has found an innovative way to recycle leather seats from its Boeing 737-700s, which are being outfitted with lighter-weight Evolve seats. The carrier is donating the old leather to a nonprofit in Kenya, which will turn the discarded material into products such as shoes and soccer balls. "With the pilot of LUV Seat in Nairobi, Malawi, and the United States, we're embarking on a new vision of social impact through training, job creation, and ultimately product donation," said Bill Tiffany, vice president of supply chain management for the carrier.
LinkAirports
Tripoli Airport Shelling Damaged 20 Aircraft
Twenty aircraft were damaged by shelling at Tripoli airport in the worst fighting in Libya's capital in months as rival militia battled for control. Tripoli Airport became a battlefield at the weekend when a militia launched an attack to try to take control from a rival armed group, part of the turmoil in Libya three years after Muammar Gaddafi was toppled. The fighting, the worst in Tripoli since November, has halted flights, stranding abroad many Libyans who were planning to return home for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and trapping expatriates. The heavy fighting in Tripoli and clashes in the eastern city of Benghazi prompted the United Nations to pull its staff out of the North African country. Libyan carrier Afriqiyah had 13 planes damaged along with seven from rival Libyan Airlines, company officials told a televised news conference.
LinkRotary Wing
Airbus leads Clean Sky 2 rotorcraft development effort
Airbus Helicopters is planning a rapid return for the technology employed on its record-breaking X3 compound rotorcraft demonstrator that flew off into graceful retirement last month. During an almost three-year test campaign the X3 - which features a pair of propellers mounted on stubby wings alongside a set of standard rotors on a AS365 Dauphin fuselage - captured numerous speed records, with the rotorcraft being taken to 255kt (472km/h) on 7 June last year. It has since been handed over to France's Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace at Paris Le Bourget airport.
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Dutch NH-90 corrosion countered
NH Industries (NHI) is confident that it has the correct solutions in place to counter the corrosion problems discovered on board the Royal Netherlands Air Force's NH90 maritime helicopters. Deliveries of the seven remaining aircraft on order were halted earlier this month after examination of two deployed aircraft – one in aid of anti-piracy missions off Somalia and one on patrol in the Caribbean – were found to have noticeable areas of galvanic corrosion. The Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory in May reported its findings from an investigation into the 92 instances of corrosion, concluding that the aircraft did not allow for sufficient draining and the required protective coatings and insulation had not been properly applied.
LinkMilitary
A400M passes in-flight refuelling test
Airbus Defence & Space has conducted a key flight test activity with its A400M Atlas tactical transport, proving the type's ability to receive fuel in flight. Conducted over Spain using a Royal Air Force A330 Voyager, the campaign involved the A400M receiving more than 80t of fuel during 100 "wet" contacts.
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ATK and Alenia claim success in MC-27J gun trials
ATK and Alenia Aermacchi have successfully completed the first phase of ground and flight testing for the palletised gun system on the MC-27J gunship variant of the tactical transport with the support of the Italian air force. The system utilises a side-mounted GAU-23 30mm cannon integrated into a to roll-on, roll-off (RO-RO) pallet. The MC-27J has also been modified with an L-3 Wescam MX-15Di electro-optical sensor housed in a nose-mounted turret. “The completion of successful testing with the Italian air force further validates the capabilities of the RO-RO gun and mission systems and demonstrates that the program is ready for fielding,” the companies say.
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Boeing seeks first customers for MSA
Boeing’s maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) was only a concept when the company announced the programme’s launch at the Farnborough airshow in 2012. This year, the MSA is a reality, with the company’s demonstration aircraft, a modified Bombardier Challenger 604 business jet, on display for potential customers. The aircraft still operates under an experimental flight certificate, but its development is complete and Boeing is ready to start taking orders.
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Flybe to maintain RAF A400M fleet
Flybe’s technical arm is to maintain the UK Royal Air Force’s on-order Airbus A400M military transport fleet. After the deal with the regional aircraft support specialist was revealed by media reports in early July, Flybe has confirmed that Airbus selected it as “preferred bidder” for the contract. Flybe Aviation Services will conduct maintenance, repair and overhaul operations at the RAF Brize Norton air base in Oxfordshire, it says
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Aviation Quote
Electronics were rascals, and they lay awake nights trying to find some way to screw you during the day. You could not reason with them. They had a brain and intestines, but no heart.
— Ernest K. Gann, 'The Black Watch,' 1989.
On This Date
---In 1908... The USA’s first aviation legislation is passed: a municipal ordinance requiring an annual license and regulating aircraft within the city limits of Kissimmee, Florida.
---In 1917... Ground is broken for the first building of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Langley Field laboratory.
---In 1933…Lithuanian research aircraft Lituanica disappears mysteriously after a successful crossing of the Atlantic.
---In 1944…Napalm incendiary bombs are used for the first time in war, dropped by American P-38 fighters on a fuel depot in France.
---In 1953…Lieutenant Guy P. Bordelon scores his fifth aerial victory, becoming the United States Navy's only ace of the Korean War. He had scored all five victories since June 29, using an F4U-5N Corsair night fighter to shoot down North Korean light aircraft making night harassment raids.
---In 1962… Major Robert M. White (USAF), pilots the North American X-15 to a record altitude of 314,750 feet (59 miles, 96 km).
---In 1970…Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport commences passenger screening to help prevent hijackings; the first airport to do so.
---In 1975…an American Apollo capsule links up to a Russian Soyuz capsule in orbit, marking the first space collaboration between the two nations. It would also be the last Apollo mission, as well as the last manned mission for six years until the launch of the first Space Shuttle in 1981.
---In 1980… Cathay Pacific begins a Hong Kong-London service.
---In 1989…the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber makes its maiden flight.
---In 1996…TWA flight 800, a Boeing 747-100 (N93119) enroute to Paris, explodes and plummets into the Atlantic off the coast of Long Island shortly after takeoff from JFK Airport. The explosion is blamed on faulty wiring in the center fuel tank.
---In 2002… Midway Airlines suspends operations.
---In 2007… AeroRepública flight 7330, an Embraer ERJ-190 aircraft, overshot the runway at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Santa Marta, went down an embankment, and ended up with the front end of the aircraft in the ocean. There were no fatalities.
---In 2007…TAM flight 3054, an Airbus A320, crashes while landing at Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
The Difference Between the Infantry, the Artillery and the Armored
HAPPINESS IS . . .
Infantry: A good rifle
Armored: A big tank
Artillery: A loud boom
UPON HEARING FIREWORKS
Infantry: Cool, just like a live fire exercise
Armored: Not loud enough
Artillery: Fireworks? What fireworks?
OTHER TRADES
Infantry: Waste of rations
Armored: Waste of rations
Artillery: Waste of rations
IDEA OF FUN
Infantry: Not having to "pepper-pot" an entire grid square before the objective
Armored: Racing across a grid square on "full stab"
Artillery: Leveling a grid square
FAVOURITE SONG
Infantry: "Ballad of the Green Beret"
Armored: "Purple Haze"
Artillery: Anything, just play it LOUD!
BIGGEST LUXURY IN THE FIELD
Infantry: Engineers blowing trenches for them with C4
Armored: Grunts to dig their trenches for them
Artillery: Cable
A LONG ROUTE MARCH WITH FULL KIT
Infantry: 20 clicks
Armored: From the hangars to the tank
Artillery: What's a route march?
OFFICERS
Infantry: Are morons and should stay away from the trenchlines
Armored: Are morons and should stay out of the vehicles
Artillery: Are morons and should stay away from the gun lines
FAVORITE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION
Infantry: Anything but walking
Armored: Tanks. Tanks. Tanks. TankstankstankstanksTANKS!
Artillery: Don't you have to move around to require transport?
BIGGEST GRIPE IN THE FIELD
Infantry: The weather
Armored: Coffee maker in tank not working
Artillery: Only having basic cable
BREAKFAST IN THE FIELD
Infantry: I don't care what it is, just so long as I can sit down to eat it
Armored: Hot coffee and rum with a beer chaser
Artillery: Eggs over easy, crispy bacon, sausages, toast and Tim Horton's coffee
WHAT THEY CALL THEMSELVES
Infantry: Death Techs
Armored: Cavalry
Artillery: 10 Mile Snipers
WHAT OTHERS CALL THEM
Infantry: Grunts, crunchies
Armored: Zipperheads, treadheads
Artillery: Drop shorts, Cannon Cockers, Gun Bunnies
Trivia
General Aviation Knowledge
1. A pilot arriving at Honolulu Int'l hears "Surf in effect" on the ATIS. This means that:
a) The outer, reef runway has been impacted by high surf. Pilots should be aware of puddles and hydroplaning.
b) Pilots should exercise caution with respect to surfing activity in close proximity to the approach end of Runway 8R (the "Reef" runway).
c) Landings are being made on Runways 4R and 8L, and departures are being made on Runways 8L and 8R.
d) Arrivals should be expedited, dude. The surf is awesome.
2. True or False, the Lockheed P-38 was one of the first twin airplanes to have counter-rotating propellers (As do Piper Senecas for example). When viewed from behind, the left propeller of a P-38 turns clockwise and the right propeller turns counter-clockwise.
3. What US airline began operations by flying the mail between Havana and Key West in 1927?
4. Which one of the following best explains why airflows faster above a conventional wing than below it?
a) Coriolis force
b) Bernoulli's principle
c) one of Newton's laws of motion
d) Venturi effect
5. An American pilot flying an F4U Corsair over the Philippine Sea encountered a Japanese warplane emblazoned with a large green cross on a field of white. What is the significance of the cross?
6. It is common knowledge that the world's busiest airport (in terms of passenger traffic) is Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. What is the world's second busiest airport?
