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Commercial

Mitsubishi denies further MRJ delays
Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. has rejected reports that the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) program has been delayed again. “News reports on Oct. 1 cited a delay in the delivery schedule for the MRJ. However, no such announcement has been made by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. or Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. At present, no decision has been made to change the delivery schedule,” Mitsubishi said in a brief statement.
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MRJ has certification hurdles ahead
For a while it almost felt like the Mitsubishi Regional Jet would never make it to the USA. It is not often that a flight-test prototype aborts its mission twice in two days, but that was just what happened when Mitsubishi Aircraft attempted to ferry its first flight-test article to Moses Lake over the weekend of 27 August. A month later and the Japanese manufacturer is no doubt breathing a belated sigh of relief after the MRJ landed safely at Grant County International airport after a 4,500nm (8,300km), multi-leg journey.
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Comac delivers second ARJ21 to Chengdu Airlines
Comac delivered the second ARJ21-700 regional jet to Chengdu Airlines on 29 September, more than 10 months after the first delivery of the type. Unlike the first aircraft, which was fitted with all economy seats, this jet is configured with 78-seats in two classes. Comac says the aircraft, registered B-3322, will also first be put on services between Chengdu and Shanghai, before being redeployed on other routes.
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BOC Aviation, Air China Agree Sale, Leaseback Deal
BOC Aviation has agreed a sale and leaseback agreement with Air China for five new aircraft.
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Airlines

Air Berlin, Cabin Crew Union Agree Deal
Air Berlin and the Verdi cabin crew union have agreed terms of a new collective bargaining agreement. The deal will bring employee groups, some of whom currently work under different agreements, together under one collective agreement.
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American Airlines moves to unified scheduling system
American Airlines, the nation's largest airline, completed a major milestone this weekend as it worked to unify its flight operating system as the company moves forward with final steps to complete integration with US Airways.
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Blue Panorama transfers operations to new company
Italian leisure carrier Blue Panorama, which is going through insolvency proceedings, has transferred operations to a newly created successor. In a statement issued Oct. 1, Italian CAA ENAC said it had granted an air opertaor's certificate (AOC) and air transport license to Newco, which will operate as Blue Panorama Airlines. At the same time, ENAC revoked the original Blue Panorama’s AOC and air transport license.
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LATAM receives first A350 XWB under AerCap leaseback arrangement
Santiago, Chile-based LATAM Airlines Group received the first of nine new Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft Sept. 30 at the Airbus Delivery Center in Toulouse, France. The A350 XWBs are part of a purchase and leaseback arrangement LATAM made with Dutch lessor AerCap in May 2013. At that time, the $2.6 billion agreement was for 25 widebody aircraft including nine new A350-900s, four new Boeing 787-9s, two new 787-8s from LATAM’s order backlog and 10 A330-200s with an average age of four years.
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Airports

United reaches deal to extend Dulles agreement through 2025
United Airlines extended its Dulles International Airport agreement though 2025 under a new deal announced by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. "We are proud to be a part of the Northern Virginia and the greater Washington community and look forward to the important role that Dulles will continue to play in United's global route network for years to come," said United CEO Oscar Munoz. Gov. McAuliffe said United was critical to the state's economy, serving as the gateway between Virginia and the global economy.
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Dubai Airport Passenger Numbers Up Again In August
Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport rose 6.1 percent in August to a new record of 7.7 million. August’s total beat the previous monthly record set in July. Total passenger traffic for January to August was up 6.9 percent at 55,850,353.
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Military

Enhanced A330 tanker makes flight debut
The first Airbus A330-200-based multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) to have been completed in an enhanced production configuration has been flown for the first time, ahead of its delivery next year. Flown from Airbus Defence & Space’s Getafe site near Madrid on 30 September during a 3h debut sortie, the MRTT is the first to have been produced with a package of improvements introduced with the commercial A330, including upgraded avionics equipment and military systems, plus aerodynamic improvements which the company says result in a 1% fuel saving.
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USA's hypersonic programme could rile Russia and China
US hypersonic missile research could end up antagonising China and Russia, despite hopes that it could help defuse tensions over renewal of Washington's nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) arsenal. The Prompt Global Strike (PGS) program aims to develop a hypersonic, precision-guided conventional weapon that can deploy anywhere in the world within one hour.
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RAF eyes British weapons for Protector fleet
The UK Royal Air Force remains confident that it will introduce British-made weapons onto its future Protector unmanned air vehicle, although a final decision on this element of the programme has yet to be made. It plans to integrate the Raytheon Paveway IV laser-guided bomb and MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface missile on its future fleet of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Certifiable Predator B (CPB) – two weapons that it has failed to introduce onto the current MQ-9 Reaper.
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Aviation Quote

At sea let the British their neighbors defy—The French shall have frigates to traverse the sky.

- Philip Freneau, —The Progress of Ballons,— 1784.

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Trivia

Military Aircraft

1. The Mikoyan-Gurevich aircraft company produced some of the most formidable Soviet jet aircraft to fight in the many wars of the 20th century - the MiGs. NATO intelligence assigned them new (English) names. Which of the following was NOT the name of a MiG fighter?
Flanker
Foxhound
Fagot
Flogger


2. The French aircraft company "Dassault-Breguet" produced France's most successful line of Jet Fighters, the Mirages. All Mirage fighters were designed with the distinctly triangular Delta-Wing configuration.
True
False


3. The Israeli Aircraft Industries produced several aircraft based on the French Mirage, after France put a stop to military cooperation between the two countries. Which of the following is NOT one of the fighter aircraft designs created by Israel after its relations with France went sour?
Lavi
Nesher
Arava
Kfir


4. While close-support for ground troops was eventually delegated to "Rotary Wing Aircraft", also known as Helicopters, some jet aircraft were specifically designed to provide anti-tank support on the battlefield. Which of these aircraft is NOT designed for such a role?
Q-5 Fantan
A-10 Thunderbolt
A-6 Intruder
Su-25 Frogfoot


5. Most aircraft aficionados will instantly recognize the "Blackbird", a super-sonic jet with some stealth properties, designed to fly at extremely high altitudes while taking pictures. Which American company was responsible for producing this massive reconnaissance aircraft?
Lockheed
Northrop
Grumman
Boeing


6. Which of the following car manufacturers was never involved in the production of aircraft or aircraft parts, at any time during the 20th century?
Rolls-Royce
Peugeot
Saab
Mitsubishi


7. American Fighter Jets are usually designated by the letter "F" followed by a number. Due to the specific process of defense-contracting in the United States, some of the numbers have gone unused. Of the following models, which aircraft actually went on to military production and use?
F-48
F-111
F-17
F-39


8. The founder of one of the leading American aerospace companies was infatuated with the idea of a Flying Wing - an aircraft comprised of a single aerodynamic shape, with no outstanding fuselage. Which company did he found?
General Dynamics
McDonnell-Douglas
Boeing
Northrop


9. While jet power has certainly become the dominant means of propulsion for aircraft in the latter half of the 20th century, some civilian and military aircraft still held a potential application for propeller-driven engines. Which of the following aircraft has propellers instead of jets?
Ilyushin Il-76
McDonnell-Douglas KC-10
Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant
Grumman E-2


10. Which of the following aircraft does not have any sort of weaponry for aerial combat?
Lockheed F-117A
Hawker-Siddeley Harrier
Tupolev Tu-22
Cessna A-37