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Boeing outlines MAX changes to add redundancy, pilot control
Key changes to the Boeing 737 MAX’s maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) will incorporate more redundancy into the aircraft’s much-scrutinized flight-control law and give pilots ultimate elevator authority by limiting the degree of nose-down stabilizer command the automated system can trigger. The update improves the logic that triggers MCAS, boosts system robustness by feeding it with simultaneous data from two angle-of-attack (AOA) sensors, and places tighter ...
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Elwell: Boeing 737 MAX certification process was ‘detailed and thorough’
Identification of in-service issues with the Boeing 737 MAX maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) flight control law follows a common pattern for newly certified products, and does not signal errors made during the system’s design and risk analysis, FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell told a Senate panel March 27. “The FAA was directly involved in the system safety review of” MCAS, Elwell will tell the US Senate aviation and space ...
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Boeing unveils 737 Max software changes as grounding continues
Boeing has disclosed details of a software update to its 737 Max that the company says eliminates the chance erroneous data can cause onboard computers to place the aircraft into a dive.
The company has already developed the software and tested it inflight, and is now working to achieve certification of the changes from federal authorities, Boeing officials say in Renton on 27 March.
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UTC to test hybrid-electric propulsion system on Dash 8
United Technologies install a hybrid-electric propulsion demonstrator system on a modified Bombardier Dash 8-100 and conduct test flights by 2022.
An electric motor will support one of the aircraft's turboprop engines during take-off and climb.
Project 804, as it is known, will be led by United Technologies Advanced Projects – the group's new rapid prototyping and development unit – and draw on the expertise of UTC companies Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney.
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QTA secures approval for G280 engine inlet replacement
US engineering company Quiet Technology Aerospace (QTA) says it has received approval for a “permanent solution” to an engine inlet corrosion issue that has been plaguing owners and operators of the Gulfstream G280.
QTA, headquartered in Hollywood, Florida, secured a US supplemental type certificate (STC) on 21 March for a carbonfibre engine inlet barrel on the Honeywell HTF7250G turbofans which power the super-midsize type.
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PICTURES: E190-E2 makes Langkawi debut
The Embraer 190-E2 has made its debut at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, with a fully equipped cabin for customer visits.
The aircraft is the fourth prototype of the E190-E2 and bears registration BR-ZGQ. Its nose bears a special shark “profit hunter” livery.
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FAA staff cleared to join MRJ certification flights
Mitsubishi Aircraft has received a letter of authorisation from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that clears its staff to fly on the MRJ regional jet during its certification flight test programme.
The manufacturer says that FAA pilots have already conducted two familiarisation flights on the MRJ from its flight test base at Moses Lake, Washington.
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Wow Air ceases operations and cancels all flights
Icelandic budget carrier Wow Air has ceased operations and cancelled all flights, hours after suspending services while it attempted a last-ditch financial rescue.
The struggling carrier had been trying to arrange a debt-to-equity conversion with bondholders after talks with potential investment partners collapsed.
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Lufthansa plans to buy either Boeing 737 MAX or Airbus A320neo
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Deutsche Lufthansa AG plans to buy a triple-digit number of either Boeing 737 MAX or Airbus A320neo jetliners to replace jets in its fleet, Chief Executive Carsten Spohr said on Tuesday.
“We have not lost our trust in Boeing” following two fatal 737 MAX crashes and the grounding earlier this month of the worldwide fleet of that aircraft, Spohr said in a meeting with reporters.
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Southwest Airlines cuts guidance as flight cancellations mount
A spike in flight cancellations linked to several unrelated issues will drive Southwest Airlines’ year-over-year first-quarter non-fuel unit costs up 10%, or 4% higher than its previous guidance, and will cost the carrier about $150 million in lost revenue, the airline said March 27.
The Dallas-based airline has been hit by weather-related issues, a higher-than-normal number of out-of-service aircraft that need maintenance, and—most recently—the loss of its 34 Boeing 737 MAXs, part of the model’s global fleet operations ban.
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Southwest MAX on ferry flight requested emergency landing after takeoff
Pilots of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 reported an emergency and returned to Orlando International Airport soon after takeoff March 26, the airline and FAA confirmed.
The aircraft landed safely and the pilots followed protocol, Southwest said. FAA is investigating the incident.
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Germania subsidiary Bulgarian Eagle ceases operations
Germania Group subsidiary Bulgarian Eagle has ceased operations, a source close to the former management told ATW.
The Sofia-based carrier operated two Airbus A319s to provide ACMI services, primarily for Berlin-based leisure carrier Germania, which shut down in late March.
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AirAsia X considers routes to Europe, US mainland
AirAsia X Group is considering launching routes to Europe and the US west coast over the next two years, using its initial deliveries of Airbus A330neos.
The group could return to the European market this year, and its first flight to the US mainland may follow as soon as 2020, AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail told ATW. The Europe flight would likely be operated by the group’s Thai affiliate, while the Malaysian unit is studying one-stop US routes.
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AirBaltic aims for $1.7 billion turnover by 2025
Latvian hub and spoke carrier airBaltic is aiming to triple its passenger numbers and revenue by 2025, if it goes ahead with plans to exercise 30 Airbus A220 options. Riga-based airBaltic, which has just been recognized as the ATW Airline Market Leader winner for the second year running, carried 4.1 million passengers in 2018 and generated more than €400 million ($452 million) in revenue—a record performance for the Latvian carrier.
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Norwegian suspends MAX route sales, shuffles Ireland flights
Norwegian Air Shuttle has temporarily halted ticket sales for routes normally serviced by the Boeing 737 MAX to ensure the LCC can “meet customer expectations” in its latest update since the aircraft type’s grounding by aviation authorities around the world.
Norwegian, which has a fleet of 18 MAXs, has been rerouting, rebooking or refunding passengers, as well as combining flights and reallocating aircraft within its network, to cope with the capacity shortfall.
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Government seeks investor for state-owned Croatia Airlines
The Croatian government has embarked on another attempt to find an investor in state-owned carrier Croatia Airlines.
The government of the small southeastern European state has made two attempts over the past few years to either privatize the national airline, or find a suitable private sector partner. There have been no takers, even though the company has been consistently, if modestly, profitable for several years.
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Montenegro Airlines aims for modest fleet renewal
Despite a record-breaking year in terms of passenger numbers, Montenegro Airlines foresees another challenging year, president Nikola Vukićević said March 27.
Speaking on the sidelines of the European Regions Airline Association conference in Prague, Czechia, Vukićević said that after a period in 2017 when it looked as though the small national carrier might fail, it had bounced back in 2018.
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Cathay Pacific set to acquire LCC Hong Kong Express
Cathay Pacific is poised to enter Asia’s LCC market after announcing a deal to purchase 100% of Hong Kong Express (HKE) and operate it as a subsidiary. The carrier said the acquisition is valued at HK$4.93 billion ($628.1 million), comprising HK$2.25 billion in cash and a noncash component of HK$2.68 billion in a promissory loan note. HKE is currently controlled by China’s HNA Group, which has been divesting assets to resolve financial concerns.
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Lufthansa chief believes 737 Max 'safe' to order
Lufthansa Group chief executive Carsten Spohr believes the Boeing 737 Max is safe to order, as the group evaluates options for a significant narrowbody replacement programme.
"The 737 Max, I believe, will be, by that time, a safe aircraft to order and fly," he tells reporters on the planned order, which Lufthansa will begin taking delivery of around 2023, in Washington DC today.
LinkAirports
New biometric trial to help change the way people travel ?
Dublin Airport is taking part in a trial that will allow passengers to use the same biometric technology, processes and procedures to "seamlessly travel" between it and Bristol Airport in the UK.
The trial, which is being undertaken in collaboration with an airline partner, is thought to be the first biometric trial that enables passengers to use the same biometric system at their departure and arrival airports and with their airline.
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Stansted begins preparations for what is expected to be the busiest summer yet
London Stansted has begun preparations for summer 2019, by employing more staff and carrying refurbishments to ensure the terminal can cope with the increase in passengers.
London Stansted is recruiting hundreds of new staff and investing significantly in new facilities and service improvements as the airport gets set for another record-breaking summer season.
LinkMilitary
USAF Research Lab looks for Skyborg prototype drone
The US Air Force’s artificial intelligence Skyborg programme is working on fielding an unmanned combat air vehicle (UAV) testing platform with an early operational capability as soon as 2023.
The office of Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation, which is part of the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), issued a Capability Request for Information to the aerospace industry on 15 March.
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PICTURES: Tejas, Yak-130 make LIMA debuts
The Hindustan Aeronautics Tejas Mk. 1 and Yakovlev Yak-130 have made their Langkawi debuts as potential contenders for Malaysia’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) requirement.
The appearance of the Tejas was especially notable because it is the first time the type has appeared in a flying display outside India. The Yak-130 also appeared on both static and in the flying display.
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Aviation Quote
Its operation in a world beset by fuel and energy crises makes no sense at all.
- Senator Cranston of California, regards the Concorde, 1974.
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. What is the Cessna 305?
2. While flying in a single-engine Cessna, Martin Wikelski observed that dragonflies fly only during warm daylight hours. How did he determine this?
3. The tails of the Piper PA–28 series of aircraft feature corrugations to strengthen the metal surfaces. Why are these corrugations concave (rounded inward) instead of convex (bulge outward)?
4. What major aviation motion picture was used by the U.S. Air Force as an official training film?
5. Construction of what will become the world’s highest airport used by airlines will begin next year and be completed in 2014. In which country will this airport be located?
6. The Invasion of Normandy (a.k.a. Operation Overlord) began on June 6, 1944, which is also known as D-Day. It involved what probably was the largest armada of military aircraft ever assembled for a single purpose. What does the “D” in D-Day represent?
7. A pilot is flying over Kansas at noon under clear skies. Unbeknownst to him, the sun is suddenly extinguished. How much time would elapse before the pilot finds himself flying in total darkness?
