The prospect of an all-European competitor to US suborbital tourism projects has become stronger with the €7.3 million ($9.68 million) funding of the Future High-Altitude High-Speed Transport (FAST) 20XX project that will focus on two concepts, one suborbital, the other a hypersonic point-to-point transport system. Continue reading...
January 2009 Archives
The prospect of an all-European competitor to US suborbital tourism projects has become stronger with the €7.3 million ($9.68 million) funding of the Future High-Altitude High-Speed Transport (FAST) 20XX project that will focus on two concepts, one suborbital, the other a hypersonic point-to-point transport system. Continue reading...
The US Air Force plans to a field a new sensor pod in 2010 that is expected to revolutionise tactical-level intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). Continue reading...
The government of Bahrain has acquired the Boeing 767-400ER that was to be used as the testbed for the airframer's E-10 multi-mission command and control platform.
Boeing built the 767-400ER as a testbed for systems integration on the E-10, but was forced to cancel the programme in 2007 because of funding constraints. Read on...
Picture credit: Max Kingsley Jones
UK authorities are to revise certain Airbus A380 wake vortex separation standards after concluding that further examination of operational issues is needed. Read on...
CMC Electronics has begun developing a new integrated cockpit featuring full-time head-up displays and open architecture that is likely to be available on mid- to large-size business jets from 2013. Read on...
AeroCopter is to develop a scale-model flight demonstrator prototype for its mono tiltrotor (MTR) vertical lift-off and landing aircraft following the completion of a detailed design. Read on...
Thai Airways International has been speaking to Airbus about delaying further the delivery of its Airbus A380s and is also hoping to persuade the aircraft-maker to let it delay making some of the payments on A330-300s that are due for delivery this year. Read on....
In the centre of this photograph is said to be the wreckage of the Air India Boeing 707 (en route from Bombay to New York via Beirut, Geneva and London) that crashed into Mont Blanc on this day in 1966.
The Flight archives recorded the accident briefly because the magazine issue came out two days later.
In the issue of 3 February 1966 Flight reported in more detail that the aircraft "hit Rocher de la Tournette, a 15,330ft peak of Mont Blanc (15,782ft) at 0707hr GMT on January 24 while descending on an approach to Geneva." Read more of the disaster in our pdf archive...
This image was taken by Flight International's news editor Dan Thisdell during his Mont Blanc adventure with Dassault Aviation last May.
Airbus will pursue plans to increase the production rate of its new Chinese A320 assembly line, but the target of four aircraft a month could be revised if demand from the country's airlines softens.
Sichuan Airlines should receive the first Chinese-built Airbus by mid-year. Read on...
Cessna has renamed its Cessna 350 and 400 piston singles the 350 Corvalis and 400 Corvalis TT (twin turbocharged) (pictured) to reflect the nomenclature of its existing light aircraft product line. Read on...
NATO is "shooting for" a 2012 entry-into-service date for its long-awaited airborne alliance ground surveillance (AGS) fleet, although the contract remains unsigned and the most likely contractor acknowledges facing development issues. Read on...
Aircraft profile: Northrop Grumman Global Hawk
Barack Obama, President-Elect is shown here (4 January 2009) about to board an Air Force C-32 (Boeing 757) aircraft leaving Chicago's Midway Airport in Chicago, Illinois departing for Washington D.C. to prepare for his inauguration today.
FlightBlogger obtained a video of Obama meeting and greeting aircraft crew from National Geographic.
Picture credit: Rex Features
Here is a Qantas A380 departing London's Heathrow. The picture was taken by APG Photography photographer and AirSpace user APG Photography.
The ultimate shot would be to get all three A380s from the three different operators on the ground together but this time there were only two A380s on the ground at the same time, according to AirSpace user APG Photography.
Aircraft profile: Airbus A380
APG Photography's gallery on AirSpace
The slow pace of negotiations with customer nations has become a "problem" for the planned Tranche 3 production phase of the Eurofighter programme, EADS Defence and Security head Stefan Zoller has warned. Read on...
Reunion-based carrier Air Austral is expected to take delivery of its all-economy Airbus A380s in 2014.
The carrier has signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire two of the type, which will be configured with around 840 seats. Read on....
Aircraft profile: Airbus A380
More aircraft profiles plus... create your own aircraft profile.
Here is a picture taken by citizen journalist Janis Krums, who was on a ferry on the Hudson River at the time the US Airways A320 crashed onto the water.
He captioned the image on Twitpic: "There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy."
Speaking of citizen journalism, our own FlightBlogger posted an open thread in December about the Continental accident in Denver and observed the instant reaction of a passenger on the aircraft who was a Twitter user.
Follow FlightBlogger's Twitter updates about yesterday's crash and more...
Wataniya Airways has been assigned the designator code 'KW' for its services and has sealed agreements - with lessors ALAFCO, ILFC and AerCap - to acquire a fleet of 122-seat Airbus A320s. Here is its first. Read more on Wataniya .....
Airbus has formally revealed the definitive design of the A350 XWB at a ground-breaking ceremony today for the new twin-jet's production plant in Toulouse. Two large scale models ....
Dutch carrier KLM has become the latest airline to adopt a retro-style livery, painting a Boeing 737-800 in a historic scheme to mark the company's 90th anniversary. It was founded on 7 October 1919, and within five years had expanded from regional routes to serving its first intercontinental destination in Indonesia. It began transatlantic operations, to Curacao, in 1934. Read on...
Here's a video of the KLM Boeing 737 taxiing.
More retro liveries include an Air France A320, SAS back in 2006 painted an A319 in retro colours, Finnair's A319 in the livery designed in the 1950s. And last year Monarch celebrated 40 years in business with the original 1968 uniform.
To see more airline liveries see our gallery on AirSpace.
Attempts by Canada's Viking Air to restart production of the de Havilland DHC-5 Buffalo utility aircraft could be scuppered by the Canadian government.
Ottawa may opt for new aircraft for its future fixed-wing search and rescue requirement and reject the British Columbia-based company's proposal to modernise the country's fleet of ageing twin-engine Buffalos. Read on...
This image of an RAF Hercules was taken by AirSpace user Michael Leek. He took the shot on 17 December last year and Community Editor Stuart Clarke was so taken by it that he chose this image as "Pic of the Week" which will appear in tomorrow's issue of Flight International on page 3.
See Flight's aircraft profile and coverage of the C-130...
And see more from Michael Leek...
Predicting what lies in store over the next 100 years of aviation is challenging. The framework for the near term (the next 20 or 30 years) is already in place, with new airliner programmes such as the Airbus A350, A380 and Boeing 787. And six teams are studying advanced airliner concepts for NASA.
Advancements in military aircraft like the Lockheed Martin F-22, F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and Eurofighter Typhoon are set to be with us well into the first half of the century. But surely some of the exciting new technology currently in the minds of the industry's boffins will lead to more imaginative creations appearing in the longer term?
Read more of Max Kingsley-Jones' feature on the next 100 years of flight... and see a gallery of images on AirSpace for future aircraft concepts....
Urban Aeronautics has started windtunnel testing of a 250kt (465km/h)-capable cargo variant of its new 100kt top-speed Mule ducted-fan unmanned air vehicle. Read on...
With the inaugural Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix scheduled for 1 November Etihad celebrates by re-painting one of its A340-600 aircraft with the F1 livery.
Join in the AirSpace discussion on the subject and here's an image of last year's livery celebrating sponsorship with F1 team Ferrari.
And for more images of new liveries, see our gallery....
Continuing with the Formula 1 theme, Emirates back in March 2006 was the latest Gulf carrier to link up with Formula 1 Grand Prix racing, signing up as a partner of Team McLaren Mercedes.
The "Fly Emirates" insignia was featured on the front and rear wings of the McLaren MP4-21 Formula 1 cars.
The new year has brought MSN033, the first A380 for Air France (European launch customer), out to the flightline in Toulouse yesterday. Read more from our own FlightBlogger....
Boeing's P-8I Poseidon is close to winning India's competition for eight maritime patrol aircraft, providing further evidence of the country's growing defence ties with the USA. Read on....
UK helicopter operator Bond Air Services ordered a Eurocopter EC135 to be used exclusively for wind farm maintenance in the UK, the first such application in the country, says Eurcopter. Read on...
Actually this is a still taken from a video of Dreamliner One coming out of Building 40-26. To find out more see FlightBlogger's latest post....
Check out the progress by comparing April 08's outing...
This low-flying Harrier image was uploaded by AirSpace user TJ. If you want to begin the new year with an area to showcase your favourite aviation images, why not join AirSpace, where you can have your own gallery.
Would a Concorde be your transatlantic aircraft of choice? For many of you it seems to be , if the current Flightglobal poll is to be believed!This picture, taken from our 2008 collection of JP Airlines Fleet images, highlights that over 50% of you (at the time of posting) would prefer to take a transatlantic ride in a Concorde than a Constellation, Comet 4, and an Airbus A380.
Why not have your say on AirSpace?
Flight published its very first issue on 2nd January 1909, 100 years ago today.
It was a new weekly aviation magazine, simply but appropriately named Flight.
That first issue reported the exciting news that "England" could now boast that two of its citizens had now taken to the air, with the headline: "A second Englishman flies" - British aviation pioneer Mr J T C Moore-Brabazon on his Voisin biplane in France the previous month.
Flight International has published a special centernary issue to celebrate this historic birthday.
We've also produced a feature-length look back at The Flight Century tracking the momentous developments that took us where we are today.
To celebrate the advent of the New Year, here is something to show how significant air travel is on a daily basis throughout the globe.
This image highlights a recent video that we profiled on the Flight Blog; a video which highlights the movement of air traffic as sunlight moves across the world on a single day.
So no matter where you are, remember how the seemlingly unexceptional daily grind can create something spectacular.
A Happy New Year to all!
This image highlights a recent video that we profiled on the Flight Blog; a video which highlights the movement of air traffic as sunlight moves across the world on a single day.
So no matter where you are, remember how the seemlingly unexceptional daily grind can create something spectacular.
A Happy New Year to all!
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