January 2010 Archives

Telecommunications spacecraft are set to get bigger to service high definition television and fixed and mobile internet services, including for airborne users.

According to the European Space Agency's Tomorrow's Bird study - bird being a term used for spacecraft - by the end of this decade telecoms satellites could have masses of 10,000kg (22,000lb), as operators seek to mitigate against high launch costs by building spacecraft able to handle growing demand for services (see table below). But today the heaviest spacecraft making the journey to GEO are up to 7,000kg. To reach GEO the spacecraft are injected into a lower "geostationary transfer orbit," or GTO, and then propel themselves to their higher destination. Read more...

Eurocopter may have to radically alter the design of its proposed X4 civil helicopter - potentially limiting use of green technologies - if the French government denies an application for financial support, chief executive Lutz Bertling has warned.

While confirming that Eurocopter will develop a new Dauphin family of rotorcraft regardless of the French authorities' decision, Bertling says that without co-investment the X4 would have to be "a totally different aircraft" from that envisaged, with the EADS-owned manufacturer unprepared to bear the full risk associated with planned innovations. Read more...

(Photo: Patrick Penna/Eurocopter)

In-flows of food, medical supplies, construction equipment and military troops - mostly from Brazil, Canada and the USA - continued to pour into the rubble of Haiti's earthquake-battered capital at the end of last week.

A steady stream of foreigners, meanwhile, poured out of Haiti by airlift, including 1,441 Canadians flown home by 20 January aboard Canada's newly acquired Boeing C-17s.

Reflecting the grim horror of the 7.3-magnitude quake's devastation, a Brazilian air force Lockheed Martin C-130 on 20 January flew home the bodies of 17 army comrades, members of a Brazilian battalion deployed to Port-au-Prince before the disaster under the United Nations' stabilisation mission. Read more...

Here a United States Air Force aircraft parachute-drops aid to Haiti.

Swiss VIP charter and management company PrivatAir is gearing up to establish a Middle Eastern base by June as part of a strategy to expand the global footprint of this high-end business aircraft services company.

"The Middle East has a huge appeal for PrivatAir," says chief executive Greg Thomas. "We have wanted to establish a PrivatAir Arabia base for some time, but now the market is ripe for the move. We plan to be up and running in Bahrain by June and if this move is successful we may consider setting up as second base in Dubai, Jeddah or Abu Dhabi." Read more...

The PrivatAir 8-strong VIP fleet includes a Boeing 757:

This week Flight International previews the Singapore air show. We look at how aerospace suppliers are flying in to tap a resurgent defence, civil, and general aviation sector. Some highlights:

• SINGAPORE 2010: Helicopter market in Asia Pacific set to take off

• SINGAPORE 2010: ST Aero looks ahead

• SINGAPORE 2010: Asian fighter requirements continue to grow

• SINGAPORE 2010: South-East Asian nations in rush to start aerospace parks

• SINGAPORE 2010: Asian business aviation market faces slow growth

• SINGAPORE 2010: Singapore air show preview

When the Singapore Air Show starts next week you can find all of our coverage--news, blogs, videos, photos, Twitter streams--at our special Singapore Air Show page.

Also this week:

• Military compassion helps Haiti
• C-ing off rivals: Why Bombardier believes its CSeries can survive any re-engine threat from the big two airframers

The Flightglobal archive, covering 100 years of aviation since we started publishing Flight International in 1909, contains a number of images that have no information about them, like what the photo depicts or where it was taken. Can you help ID these UFOs?

If you know any details, click on the photo to be taken to our AirSpace community, and then leave a comment.

If you have eagle eyes, help identify even more photos.

This week's Image of the Week (featured on page 3 of Flight International), is taken by AirSpace user APGPhoto. His photo depicts a Ryanair B737-800 departing Bristol Airport. You can read a recent profile on Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary here in last month's sister publication Airline Business.

Aeronautics Defense Systems will manufacture the Dominator, an unmanned version of the twin-enginedDiamond DA42 light aircraft, at its facility in Israel, after receiving interest from potential buyers.

The company is continuing to flight-test a demonstrator and two prototypes of the system, which have so far logged more than 100h in the air. Continue reading...

(Photo: Aeronautics Defense Systems)

Boeing says it remains on track for first flight of its 747-8Freighter "early in 2010" as it outlines it plans for the flight-test programme to bring the new jumbo to market by the fourth quarter of this year.

Boeing plans a 3,700h test programme for the new 747, consisting of 1,600 flight hours and 2,100 ground hours, according to Mohammad (Mo) Yahyavi, vice-president and general manager of the 747 programme. Continue reading...

Here at Flightglobal, we've gone and got all excited about the Boeing 747's 40th anniversary in commercial service. The 747's launch customer was Pan Am. See more of our 747@40 coverage and find out how you can download this image for free.

There was no hiding Airbus boss Tom Enders' glee this month at the Airbus/EADS annual conference in Seville when he confirmed that the airframer had defied "the so-called experts" and rather than slashing production by 30%, had kept its nerve and broken all its records in 2009.

It was a different story on sales, with both airframers suffering a significant decline in orders as the industry hit the buffers, and no recovery is expected before 2012.

Continue reading...

 

The UK Ministry of Defence will sign a contract within the next few weeks to replace its British Aerospace Nimrod R1 electronic intelligence aircraft, having deemed the capability an essential element of its future military equipment inventory.

Once finalised, the deal will advance the planned acquisition of three stored Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint airframes from the US government. These will be modified for operational use by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems in the USA. Continue reading...

Hawker Beechcraft has received US Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency type certifications for its new Beechcraft King Air 350i turboprop. Launched in late 2008, the $6.6 million twin includes Rockwell Collins' new Venue cabin management system in its lower-noise, LED-lit cabin. Continue reading...

(credit: Hawker Beechcraft)

This week Flight International, as the 747 approaches its 40 birthday, reviews the highlights of the jumbo jet's career and looks forward as the latest version of the widebody gets into stride.

• Review of the 747's 40 years of service
• Whichever way you look at it, the Boeing 747's legacy is remarkable. Probably the most recognisable airliner other than Concorde, not only is the Jumbo Jet still the world's best-selling widebody, and the longest-running airliner production programme after the 737, but it was also a key contributor to bringing air travel to the masses. And until the Airbus A380's arrival two years ago - an aircraft regarded by some as the 747's spiritual successor - it was the largest airliner flying. Continue reading...

This week's Image of the Week (featured on page 3 of Flight International), is taken by AirSpace user Allan. His photo depicts a row of British Airways A319s.

Dornier Seaplane will select by the end of January the home of its Seastar amphibian final assembly facility.

The privately owned US company decided to launch production of the 10-seat aircraft late in 2009 following strong customer demand for the twin-engined turboprop, which was originally unveiled in the early 1980s. Continue reading...

UK business aircraft charter start-up FlairJet has become Europe's first commercial operator of the Embraer Phenom 100 very light jet following the handover of its aircraft operator's certificate from the UK Civil Aviation Authority in late December. The first commercial flight is planned for 7 January.

The Oxford airport-based operator took delivery of the first Phenom 100 on 29 October and the second on 6 November. The aircraft are managed by FlairJet on behalf of their owners - international property developers and Oxford Airport proprietors the Reuben brothers. Continue Reading...

Delta chief executive Richard Anderson has reiterated his bullish view that the carrier's large fleet of ageing Boeing MD-80s retain a cost advantage over newer Boeing 737-800s that is largely driven by lower ownership costs.

Anderson has been bullish on the former McDonnell Douglas twinjet for some time, and previously the Delta boss said the airline was planning to add two MD-90s in the last quarter of 2009. Continue reading...

Italian general aviation manufacturer Oma Sud has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification for its twin-engine piston-powered SkyCar pusher.

The company applied for a type certificate in 2004 and first demonstrated a mock-up of the Textron Lycoming IO-360-C1E6-powered aircraft at the Paris Air Show in 2005. First flight took place in December 2007, at which time...

Continue reading....

Bombardier is calling a report it is working on a 150-seat version of the 110/130-seat CSeries airliner "speculative", but some analysts believe the airframer would be wise to move forward with a larger-capacity variant of the Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1000G geared turbofan-powered aircraft.

JP Morgan's Joseph Nadol said the firm believes a 150-seat variant is in the works and that is a key reason why Boeing and Airbus are taking a hard look at re-engining the A320 and 737, respectively. Continue reading...

 

This week's cover image was designed by Flightglobal designer Chris Eyles. He created a montage of avaition security-related images, a version of which also appears in Flightglobal's cover feature: Stalled airline safety needs new action to advance  

This week's Image of the Week (featured on page 3 of Flight International), is taken by AirSpace user Philip Dalglish. Philip writes: "This shot was taken on the 27th June 2009. Taken at Cad West in the Mach Loop this F15.E Strike Eagle ( AF91 332 ) from RAF Lakenheath is a very menacing sight at close quarters. The F15's were quite regular visitors in LFA7 in preparation for low level action in Afghanistan."

The succession of boom years that faltered in 2008 came to a full stop in 2009, with Airbus and Boeing's net orders tumbling by 1,000 units from the 1,400 of the previous year.

With the world's economy only just showing signs of a recovery, the airframers' fortunes are unlikely to see a turnaround in 2010. But one or two major orders can still be expected as the likes of Emirates and United Airlines go shopping in "the sales" for some sporty deals. Read more...

NASA reports positive results from initial open-door testing of its Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (Sofia), a research platform that includes a 19t telescope mounted on a Boeing 747SP (N747NA).

A 4.6m (15ft)-high by 4.3m-wide door on the aft left side of the aircraft that opens in flight to expose the telescope a clear view of the sky between 23° and 58° of elevation had been a key concern among engineers.

The result of two decades of engineering at a cost of more than $500 million in modifications, the 747 includes "ramps" and fairings designed to isolate the telescope from atmospheric buffeting as the former Pan Am and United Airlines aircraft flies at M0.85 and 45,000ft during observations. Modifications were made by L-3 Communications at the company's Waco, Texas facility. Read more...

Engineers from American Airlines have closely examined a modified thrust reverser on a Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 designed by Dugan Kinetics for Boeing MD-80s that could potentially cut fuel burn and reduce noise.

The test aircraft (N789BV) completed functionality and performance testing during 9-12 December at Tucson International Airport, and then flew to American's bases in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Fort Worth, Texas at the carrier's request, says Dugan. American operates around 260 MD-80s, according to Flightglobal's ACAS database. Read more...

Boeing has finally - and quietly - delivered the last of the original 747 family off the line, a -400ER Freighter (MSN 37304). Read more..

 

(Photo: Matt Cawby)

Australian general aviation manufacturer Gippsland Aeronautics has received Argentinian certification of its GA8. Read more...

 

 

Photo: Gippsland

This week Flight International asks now that flight-testing is underway on the 787, can Boeing's supply chain cope with inevitable changes? Long before production breakdowns and design glitches consumed Boeing's 787 programme, a sudden and chronic shortage of fasteners seemed the next-generation airliner's biggest schedule concern. Widespread shortages of specially designed bolts, rivets and nut-plates needed to fasten the 787's all-composite fuselage ranked among the two chief problems that Boeing blamed for the initial delay in September 2007.  Read more...

We also look at:

• Forecast 2010: How aerospace can get itself off the ground--Editors' view

 

• Fixing Dublin: Meet the local hero rebuilding from scratch SR Technics' failed Irish MRO business

 

• A400M for USA: EADS US boss says lack of options will eventually force Air Force to turn to European airlifter
  

 

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This week's Image of the Week (featured on page 3 of Flight International), is taken by AirSpace user NZpeteair. It depicts Boeing's 787 on its maiden flight from Everett. Also featured is an accompanying Lockheed T-33 chase aircraft. Go here for our complete coverage of the 787's first flight as well as the programme's history.

This was one of two articles about aircraft used for humanitarian missions. Here you can read the second article, which was about a C-27J providing assistance in Mali and other African nations.

The coming year will serve as a sort of long goodbye for Orbis International's current "Flying Eye Hospital".

Operated by the non-profit organisation since 1994, the 1970-built McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 - which has a state-of-the-art surgical suite and teaching facility - is nearing the end of its projected lifespan and will be replaced by an MD-10 in early 2011.

But while retirement may be around the corner for the near 40-year-old ambassador of goodwill, it cannot rest its wings just yet.

In 2010 Orbis plans to operate 10 Flying Eye Hospital missions to impoverished areas around the world, including Niamey, Niger; Kampala, Uganda; Chengdu, China; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and Surabaya, Indonesia. Read more...

Watch a video interview between our very own Barbara Cockburn and Orbis medical director Dr Cherwek.

Vulcan test pilot Martin Withers wrote this article about flying the Vulcan.

I have had a super summer in 2009 display-flying the world's only airworthy Avro Vulcan bomber - an aircraft I first got my hands on in 1971 as a co-pilot at RAF Waddington with 44 Sqn. I went on to do a tour as a captain and later had the honour of taking the aircraft into battle during the Falklands War in 1982, on Operation Black Buck.

The hardest feature of displaying the Vulcan is not the flying of it, but keeping yourself correctly positioned. The view through the cockpit windows is a little like looking through a letter box, and you cannot see across the cockpit so if you are running in with the display centre on the right you need the other pilot to call "two, one, now" because you cannot see it. Similarly, when making a right turn you need him to tell you to slacken off or increase the bank as you are coming round.

This can make displays where there are operating restrictions more of a challenge. At the Silverstone racing circuit, for example, we were not allowed to over-fly the Porsche centre, which meant we had very little room to get back on the display line when manoeuvring and I was relying entirely on the guy in the right-hand seat to give me the calls as I never knew whether I was over it or not. Read more...

Here are illustrations of the Vulcan's cockpit layout as well as its 2009 display routine.

This image appeared in the New Year's Day edition of Flight on this day 100 years ago. The image shows aviation pioneer A.V. Roe posing beside his Avro No.1 Triplane powered by a 24h.p. Antoinette engine.

See more images from our Archive of Images in AirSpace - Historical Pre 1914