October 2009 Archives

Although pressure has been mounting on Airbus and Boeing to move forward with their plans for single-aisle replacement designs, the rivals have been more concerned with developing their current programmes.

Airbus continues to make incremental improvements to the A320 family, addressing weight reductions and operating weight increases amid ongoing studies of a winglet programme. Read more...

Airbus is evaluating a re-engined A320, which could like something like this:

Lockheed Martin has updated plans for rapidly escalating C-130J Hercules production output, while F-16 deliveries are set to contract for two years before possibly doubling again after 2012.

Chief financial officer Bruce Tanner, discussing third-quarter earnings on 20 October, revealed that C-130J deliveries will grow from 12 aircraft in 2008 to 16 this year and 26 next year. Read more...

(USAF/Mstr Sgt Kevin Gruenwald)

Dornier Seaplane announced that it will launch production of its Seastar amphibian having exceeded the requisite order tally needed to give the 10-seat aircraft a second lease of life.

The Seastar - whose six-month demonstration tour of North America culminates here in Orlando - first flew in 1984. Three were built in Germany before production was halted in 1991 due to a lack of funding. Read more...

(Billypix)

Earlier this week Continental Airlines joined Star Alliance, becoming the group's 25th airline. Continental had an 18 month transition from its previous alliance with SkyTeam.

The impetus for Continental's move was the merger between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines that was unveiled in April 2008. Delta and Continental have considerable overlap in the New York market and geographically close hubs in Atlanta and Houston.

Recently Continental president Jeff Smisek told ATI sister publication Airline Business that the carrier fills a very valuable spot for Star. Prior to Continental joining the alliance Star had virtually no presence in the key New York market. Read more of our interview here...

At an event celebrating Continental's ascension to Star Alliance, the carrier unveiled a Star Alliance themed livery on a 757.


In other Star Alliance news, Continental and Asiana recently signed a codeshare agreement. Continental also signed such an agreement with ANA, and the entire group expects to launch a transatlantic JV in early 2010.

In the first installment of Flight International's restyled annual survey of the world's airliner programmes, we examine the mainline jet market by sector. Leading data for each type includes specifications, prices, performance and order/delivery information at 30 September

• Single-aisles: Airbus and Boeing face pressure with the A320 and 737
• In-production widebodies: Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 remain popular
• Next generation widebodies: Dreams of tomorrow
• Emerging narrowbodies: China and Russia take on Airbus and Boeing in the single-aisle market
• Russian airliners: Russian jet airliner projects face an uncertain future
• Ultra-large airliners: Gigantic problems
• Cargo conversions: Hope springs eternal

This week's Image of the Week (featured on page 3 of Flight International), is taken by AirSpace user Sunshine Band. The image is of three BAE System Hawks flown by the RAF's Red Arrows display team.


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One sector of the recession-hit business aviation industry is bucking the trend by declaring 2009 to be shaping up as one of the best ever.

Demand for head-of-state "VVIP" widebody airliners continues to grow unabated, and suppliers to the top end of the completions market were in buoyant mood at the show. The head-of-state market is almost completely insulated from the aircraft-financing squeeze that has had such a detrimental impact on the spending power of high net-worth individuals. Most government-backed VVIP projects were budgeted for several years ago and are proceeding as planned. Read more...

French start-up manufacturer Lisa Airplanes is planning to build a family of turbine-powered seaplanes based on its two-seat Akoya ultralight, as demand for a larger stablemate continues to grow from its international customer base.

The new models will include a four-seat and six-seat version, says the privately owned start-up, which has secured around 50 orders to date for the Rotax 912-powered aircraft. Read more...

(Lisa Airplanes)

Embraer has revealed that it has successfully flown the first Legacy 650 large-cabin business jet, an upgraded version of its super-midsize Legacy 600. The launch brings to seven the total number of executive jets in the Brazilian airframer's portfolio. Read more...

Watch the video of its first flight here.

Earlier this week we showed you the Lithuanian air force's third and last Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan, which they were scrambling to ready its third and last  for service supporting the country's troops in Afghanistan.

While at the Siauliai air base in Lithuania for the occasion, Flightglobal's news editor Dan Thisdell captured this photo of a Lithuanian air force Antonov 2 "in suitably grim weather", he remarked.

The Lithuanian air force is scrambling to ready its third and last Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan for service supporting the country's troops in Afghanistan.

The aircraft, recently delivered to its home base at Siauliai, will this week transfer from Italian to Lithuanian registry and have its formal, religious "baptism" ceremony on Wednesday morning before its first operational mission later in the week. Base commander Lt Col Virginijus Steponavicius says base personnel are engaged in intensive pre-operational checks to get the aircraft ready for what will be a highly demanding service. Read more...

Bombardier (booth 4397) has delivered a shot in the arm to its beleagueredLearjet 60XR programme following the collapse of its biggest customer, and hinted at a Global Express replacement as competition heats up in the ultra-long-range sector. Continue reading... 

Boeing has brought its new BBJ Convertible to NBAA for the first time to highlight the multi-mission business jet. The aircraft, which is configured for Scandinavian Airlines medical evacuation, features a 140 x 96.5in (355 x 245cm) side cargo door. Boeing is touting an 8h freighter conversion time for the aircraft, which is based on the company's 737-700C... continue reading....

This week Flight International examines how Bombardier met the challenge of its first all-new design in a decade.

Also in the issue:
A special report on military engines examining the real reason behind thrust vectoring

Give it Some Gas: Shell works to optimise GTL blend after historic Qatar Airways A340-600 commercial flight

Chinese Buyouts: More to come as AVIC's composite move shows strategy for closing gap on West's technology

You can subscribe to Flight International here or here for the digital version.

This week's Image of the Week (featured on page 3 of Flight International), is taken by AirSpace user Ace79. The image is of an Emirates B777-300ER with its gear down, ready to land at Boeing's Paine Field in Everett, WA.


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Upload your photo by 26 October for a chance for it to appear in the Flightglobal 2010 calendar. There are prizes to be won!

On the eve of the 62nd annual National Business Aviation Association Anual Meeting and Convention, we take a look at the biz scene. To see other NBAA stories and for continuous coverage throughout the week, head over to our NBAA section.

It has been an agonising 12 months for business aviation. The financial meltdown across leading international markets triggered last year the worst economic recession for a generation and spawned the most spectacular downturn in business and consumer confidence for decades.

Dassault has seen a modest 5% hike in its Falcon business jet tally from 1,594 to 1,673 during the census period boosted by a 22-aircraft jump in its 2000EX tally to 162 of the large-cabin types, according to ACAS. The 2000 family has expanded since the last report with the blended winglet-equipped, longer-legged 2000LX - which replaces the EX in service - and de-fuelled 2000DX making their census debuts with four aircraft apiece. Read more...

(Photo: Dassault)

One of the most logistically complex projects being undertaken in spaceflight is gaining momentum. Orbital Sciences is starting hardware testing for the Taurus II rocket it is developing as part of NASA's bid to draft private companies into its effort to replace the launch capacity that will be lost when the Space Shuttle fleet is retired in a year's time.
...
To build the Cygnus cargo capsule, Orbital has placed its largest-ever order with Thales Alenia Space, for the nine pressurised modules it will use for a March 2011 Taurus II-Cygnus demonstration mission to the International Space Station Read more...

Panasonic Avionics is bringing to market an ambitious new product that seamlessly integrates lightweight, touch-screen in-flight entertainment and communications (IFEC) with an ultra-slim economy seat to produce what the manufacturer is calling the first truly cohesive IFEC seat design, Flightglobal can exclusively reveal. Read more...

Panasonic Avionics is bringing to market an ambitious new product that seamlessly integrates lightweight, touch-screen in-flight entertainment and communications (IFEC) with an ultra-slim economy seat to produce what the manufacturer is calling the first truly cohesive IFEC seat design, Flightglobal can exclusively reveal. Read more...

Nearly four years after botching its attempt to replace its ageing signals intelligence platform, the US Army has regrouped with a new strategy to recapitalise all of its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ISR aircraft with a mix of five platforms anchored by a new design for a long-endurance, hybrid airship.

The centrepiece of the army's envisaged fleet of imagery and signals intelligence collectors would be a 76.2m (250ft)-long hybrid airship called the long-endurance multi-intelligence vehicle (LEMV). Read more...

Following up to yesterday's image of the day, which showed a G250 on the cover of Flight International, here is our exclusive cutaway of the G250.


For more of our G250 coverage, go here for information and here for photos and videos from the rollout event.

Gulfstream's new G250 which rolled out last week is pictured outside the Israel Aerospace Industries Tel Aviv plan where it is built. 

This week's Image of the Week (featured on page 3 of Flight International), is taken by AirSpace user Max Tribolet. The image is of a US Air Force Heritage Flight, seen at the 2008 Lackland AirFest air show in San Antonio, Texas. Left to right are a Lockheed Martin F-22, Curtiss P40, Lockheed Martin F-16 and Boeing F-15.



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In the current Flight International, John Croft takes a look at the new and expansive role engines are playing in aircraft performance and design.

With propulsion being such a critical part, do you know your exterior engine component 101?

If not, here's some help.

Northrop Grumman and EADS Defence and Security have unveiled the first Eurohawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, California facility. Read more...

Alenia Aeronautica has delivered the first of at least 18 refurbished G222 transports to the Afghan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC).

The US Air Force, which is buying the aircraft on behalf of Afghanistan, has also asked Alenia to submit pricing information for supplying two more G222s, and to provide information about installing anti-missile systems across the fleet, a senior Alenia official says. Read more here and here...

With a first flight planned by year's end, the 2.7m (8.8ft)-wingspan, 80kg (176lb) jet-powered UAV prototype called Demon is the culmination of the five-year Flapless Air Vehicle Integrated Industrial Research programme (FLAVIIR) funded by BAE Systems and the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Read more...

From the ATR press release:

ATR officially presented the first aircraft of its new '-600' series. The  aircraft, an ATR 72-600 prototype, was unveiled during a ceremony, which took place in Toulouse, under the patronage of Dominique Bussereau, Secretary of State for Transport, represented by Patrick Gandil, General Director of French Civil Aviation.

From Flightglobal publication ATI: Regional airframer ATR must sell 150 of its new -600 series aircraft to recoup its investment in the derivative. To date ATR has notched up a total of 59 orders for -600 series aircraft - comprising 54 ATR 72-600s and five ATR 42-600s - from seven customers. Royal Air Maroc will become the first operator to take delivery of a -600 in the first half of 2011. Certification is due next year.

More from the press release:

Launched in October 2007, the new '-600' series follows its development phase according to the schedule planned for the two models, the ATR 72-600 and the ATR 42-600, of which the first commercial aircraft will enter into service in 2011. To date, ATR has recorded orders for 59 of these aircraft (5 ATR 42-600 and 54 ATR 72-600).
 
The ATR 72-600 presented today, which started its flight test campaign in July 2009, is fitted with new Pratt & Whitney 127M engines. These new engines provide 5% additional thermodynamic power at takeoff, thus improving performance on short runways, in hot weather and on high altitude. The incorporation of the "boost function" enables use of this additional power as needed, only when called for by the takeoff conditions. Consequently, maintenance costs and fuel consumption are minimized. In addition, these new engines allow the aircraft to increase the single engine altitude by 1000 feet (300 meters).
 
With an aim to increasing the aircraft payload, the maximum takeoff weight for
the ATR 72-600 can now attain 23.000 Kg.

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This week Flight International examines why the industry is keeping its options open on next-generation powerplants.

Who will win the race to power the next generation of sing-aisle aircraft?

Could radical engine innovations such as open rotors give a distinctly different look to tomorrow's narrowbodies? The cover features one possible design, as illustrated by Flightglobal artist Tim Bicheno-Brown.

This week's Image of the Week (featured on page 3 of Flight International), is taken by AirSpace user TripleDelta. The image is of a Croatian air force Antonov An-32B firing off flares during a low flyby at the CIAV 2009 air show in July in Varazdin in Croatia.



Start a gallery on AirSpace for your chance at having your photograph featured as our Image of the Week.

After a year economic downturn and bad publicity endured by the corporate aviation community, Gulfstream took a moment to celebrate with the roll-out of its new large-cabin G650 business jet.

Seven thousand employees, executives and local officials filled the aircraft's newly built final assembly building to see the first G650, T1, unveiled as it taxied into view under its own power at the company's Savannah, Georgia facility. Read more...

Click here to see more of Jon Ostrower's photos of the roll out.

The UK Royal Air Force's first of nine Nimrod MRA4 surveillance aircraft has landed back at BAE Systems' Woodford production site in Cheshire after receiving its service colours.

The fourth MRA4 to fly, following three earlier development examples that are not expected to be converted for operational use, aircraft PA4 made its debut sortie from Woodford on 10 September. Read more...

Here's a photo from AirSpace user lindner-photography.com of the new Air France A380, which we are showing on the same day Air France auctions seats on its first A380 flights, from Paris to New York and back.

In an attempt to boost sales of its propeller-driven aircraft, Cessna's sister company Cessna Finance is offering a new finance programme to owners who purchase its piston and turboprop-powered aircraft this year. Read more....