January 2010 Archives

Today we've deployed a new-look MRO channel page to replace our old-style Maintenance channel page.

It's our first major code release to the main part of the site since October 2009.

So why has it taken so long to jazz up one channel?

Well, the new MRO channel (and associated articles and article listing pages) represent the first significant step towards a new vision for Flightglobal.

That is to combine the popular free content (which has helped attract over 1.2 million visitors each month) with our world-class professional news and data services (some of which are currently under different brands or on separate websites).

We are going to bring them all together in one place in order to build an experience for visitors and members of Flightglobal that is tailored exactly to their needs, be that entertainment, information or business critical analysis.

The professional side of the site will come under the brand Flightglobal Pro, with the orange Pro logo representing content and services that are paid for and subscriber-only.

Where the MRO channel fits in is that it's the first of our channels to have the Pro news content switched on. As we go along we'll be introducing the Pro experience to other channels and also more stuff to Pro, like Pro data, more functionality and greater personalisation options.

We understand that mixing up free and paid-for content has the potential to confuse visitors to the site who are or aren't entitled to see Pro content.

To try and sidestep that usability issue, visitors to the MRO channel will now start to see a series of icons (purple for free content, orange for Pro content) which will help guide them to other stuff they might like or find useful, as well as indicate what they can access or what they've paid for.

So today is more than just a fresh look for the MRO channel; it's a beta launch for a brand new Flightglobal which includes a beta launch for Flightglobal Pro.

As one British mobile telecoms outfit says: The future is bright, the future is orange ...

We're tackling the Singapore air show in an all new exciting and different way this year. We're launching the Interactive Flight Daily News (IFDN), a new digital version of the traditional show daily magazines.

Sign up to this now for free so you can see what's going on if you can't make it to the show. You'll see hundreds of images and video stories which will also be showing on Flightglobal, where you can follow the team on twitter, read the latest blogs, see the daily flying display schedule and click on the image to see our interactive aircraft on static display graphic which is heatmapped to show aircraft profiles, including the first ever exhibit of the Airbus A330-200F.

Stefan the Pilot will be at the show being photographed in the best locations with the great and the good from the industry so make time to come and say hello to him.

The Webbies 09, Flightglobal's Aviation Web Awards shortlist has been announced. Find out if your company has made the grade. The bronze, silver and gold winners will be announced during the first week of February. Good luck from all at Flightglobal.

For the last few months we've been developing something called YODL - a cool and user-friendly desktop application which delivers all your favourite aviation and aerospace industry news and content straight onto the desktop of your computer.

A desktop application is a piece of software which you download and install onto your computer, as opposed to a website which you visit via a network connect (and which is for the most part remote from your machine).

YODL is built on the Adobe Air platform so users of apps such as TweetDeck will be familiar with the format.

The configurable interface allows you to add channels of content based around focused subject material, eg. aerospace technology.

Once you've subscribed your YODL app will update automatically if it detects any new content in any of your channels, and will display a friendly little message in the corner of your screen to let you know.

Here's the kind of stuff it will contain:

• Up-to-the minute news
• Free digital editions of Airline Business magazine and Daily air show magazines
• E-newsletters
• Jobs
• Cool stuff
• Promotions

Best of all, it's completely free to use and there's no lengthy forms to fill out, so it's definitely worth a trial.

Visit www.flightglobal.com/yodl for more information

If you're still not convinced, check out this video which dazzles and grooves its way through the YODL experience in one whole minute.

Check in the archive to see what Flight was reporting on 100 years ago this week, like the construction of the British Military Aeronautical's new dirigible shed at Farnborough and aerial propellers and "what makes them interesting". The archive also records the deaths of "martyrs who have sacrificed their lives to the new art of flying".

See the video channel currently highlighting four videos that look back at Flight 1549, one year on. One video shows Capt "Sully" testifying on the challenges on aviation before the House Aviation SubCommittee.

The Airline Business Blog posts a piece about the recent Haitian earthquake. Lori Ranson says that numerous carriers that have offered help and aid but the Port au Prince airport continues to face challenges in handling the large volume of relief efforts. Humanitarian agencies are having trouble gaining access to the airport. There's a great image uploaded to AirSpace showing two hard workers keeping the windscreen of an A330 clean before takeoff.

Dirigible shed

Propellers http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1910/1910%20-%200040.html

Martyrs http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1910/1910%20-%200034.html

Video http://www.flightglobal.com/pages/video.htm?navigationid=531&slotid=47

Haiti

http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/media/commercial_aviation/a330-ci-in-cleaning-process-52071.aspx

The Airbus A380 was the most important aircraft of the decade according to Flightglobal users as a result of the holiday season's poll question.

The A380 came top at 46% out of a list of suggested aircraft including the Boeing 787, Citation Mustang, Eurofighter Typhoon and Northrup Grumman Global Hawk among others.

Users were also able to nominate other aircraft as it had had its first flight or come into service in the last 10 years.

The poll question was inspired by an AirSpace forum discussion "A decade in review: What have been the highlights/events that shaped the Noughties?"

Take a look at what Flight was reporting on 100 years ago with 1910's first issue of the year. The front cover hosts a picture of a "clever 'faked' photograph" with the caption: "An impression of the future - flying in the clouds". It's good to know we were predicting the future back then.

AirSpace has some great images uploaded by users including this one, one of the most commented, of an RAF Harrier by TJ.