April 2010 Archives

Ideas for developing and operating a semi-reusable launcher that uses its engines to "rocket-back" for a gliding landing at the launch site have been requested by the US Air Force.

Under the USAF's reusable booster integrated demonstration concept options maturation study, organisations are to provide information on how technologies can be developed for an unmanned vertical take-off, horizontal landing rocket. They will also indicate how it would carry out suborbital missions and place heavy payloads into orbit. Continue reading...

(Image: SpaceWorks Engineering)

The Presidential Flight of Abu Dhabi has inducted into its fleet a second BAE Systems Avro Business Jet, joining a VIP RJ70. The RJ100 has been converted into VIP configuration by London Stansted-based Inflite Engineering.

"Over the past 12 months the pace of recent market success for the ABJ has continued with three further aircraft placed into the market in various corporate/VIP configurations," says BAE Systems. Continue reading...

Airbus is working to reach the design freeze for the largestA350 variant, the -1000, in the middle of this year and has revealed that the stretched aircraft will feature a slightly larger wing the -800/900 models.

The 369-seat -1000, which has an 11-frame stretch over the -900, is due to enter service at the end of 2015. A separate A350-1000 design team was set up in 2009, headed by the XWB programme's deputy engineer Alain De-Zotti, which is examining trade-offs for the design, says chief engineer Gordon McConnell. Detailed definition is due to be completed at the end of 2011. Continue reading...

(Source: Airbus, Graphic: Flightglobal artist Tim Bicheno-Brown)

This week's Image of the Week (featured on page 3 of Flight International), is taken by AirSpace user apgphoto. His photo depicts a Cameron Hopper one man balloon.

He writes of his photo:

The balloon is flown by a good friend of mine and is a Cameron Hopper which is a one man balloon, just strap the cylinder to your back (so to speak) and off you go. It was previously flown for Proctor and Gamble to advertise their Fairy Liquid brand of washing up
liquid, the baby being their logo. The picture was shot last weekend [10-11 April] on a local flight from our base in Wales just before I flew out more conventional balloon.

Romania's air force has accepted its first two Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan tactical transports for training use (below), and expects the type to begin supporting international operations from early next year.

Delivered to the service's 90th Air Transport Base at Bucharest Otopeni airport on 12 April, the aircraft had first undergone a two-week period of pre-acceptance testing conducted by Romanian personnel in Italy. Continue reading...

(Photo: Luca Peruzzi)

Marshall Aerospace is in discussions with several airlines over the provision of a fuel tank inerting modification for their Boeing 757 and 767 fleets.

The UK company expects to install its modular onboard inert gas generating system (OBIGGS) on an aircraft for the first time next year, with the safety enhancement now in the design and risk-reduction phase.

"We are looking at OBIGGS solutions for the 757-200/300 and the 767-300/300ER and 400ER," says commercial inerting project manager Richard Milne. Workshop sessions have already been held with potential customers, and the company has also studied offering the enhancement for the Airbus A320. Continue reading...

This photo of a GE90 engine accompanied our article on how a bustling engine remote diagnostics business at GE Aviation is fuelling a new family of prognostics health management (PHM) tools to further boost safety while cutting disruptions, maintenance costs and shop visit durations.

The article was part of our special section on MRO Americas 2010: Why airlines must comply or simply not fly, with other articles including:

• Airlines: Comply or don't fly
• Military: Upkeep u-turn
• Data: Barriers remain to getting connected

MRO Americas is currently underway in Phoenix, Arizona. You can read the daily news of day one the show here in our new interactive format. Follow the most up-to-date news at our special MRO Americas page here.

You may have seen photos of that most unpronounceable volcano or airport departure boards listing nothing but CANCELLED, but here's an interesting look at another side of the ash spewing over Europe.

AirSpace user flame captured this photo of Ryanair 737-800s with their engines wrapped up to protect them from being exposed to ash. Some airlines fear the ash has potential to damage the engines in the long-term.

Click here for a larger version of the photo

• Here are photos of the effects of ash on a Finnish Air Force F-18 engine.

• For the latest on how the ash is affecting aviation, check out our special Ash Cloud section. Also be sure to follow the Flightglobal team on Twitter for regular updates.
  

• For a historical perspective, in 1982 volcanic ash brought down a British Airways B747-200 flying from Kuala Lumpur to Australia's Perth. You can read about the incident, including our original 1982 coverage, here.
  

This week Flightglobal publication Flight International has its annual World Airlines report and accompanying directory of over 1,500 operators.

The bad times are putting marriage back in fashion, as evidenced by the BA-Iberia tie-up, which provided the inspiration for the cover image made by Flightglobal artist Tim Bicheno-Brown using AirTeamImages.com taken by Ismael Jorda and Simon Gregory.

Also featured in this issue are:

Special section on MRO Americas 2010: Why airlines must comply or simply not fly, with articles including:

• Airlines: Comply or don't fly
• Military: Upkeep u-turn
• Engine diagnostics: Trend setting
• Data: Barriers remain to getting connected

This week we also feature:

• Order, Order: Signs of optimism for big two as 2010 mainline jet sales get off to speedy start in first quarter
  

• Our report on Aero Friedrichshafen 2010 -- Europe's largest general aviation show

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 raulherse (Raul Hernandez Sevilla, who also has a Flickr account). His photo depicts a formation of Spanish Air Force C-101 Aviojets over France.

He writes of his photo:

Formation Poker of the Patrulla Águila of the Air Force of Spain during one of their international exhibitions in Orange Ba-115 (France).This team is composed by 7 reactors of training CASA C-101. The 4th of June will be its 25 anniversary and it has a followers own club.

Maria Angeles Marti Martinez is head of lean, as in 'lean manufacturing' at Airbus's Illescas composites plant outside Madrid, which designs and builds stabilisers, fuselage sections and skins.

Tell us briefly about your job and the significance of the Ilescas plant.

I am in charge of implementing lean manufacturing at the plant. Lean is a production philosophy that started at the Toyota plant in Japan in the 1950s. It is a new way of working and a new culture of production processes is growing here in Illescas. Aeronautical companies need to be more competitive in existing markets, ensuring the highest quality of their products, delivering them on time, and at minimum cost. Lean is a very effective way to achieve this. Continue reading...

Hawker Beechcraft has demonstrated a more powerful version of its AT-6 turboprop, ahead of a US Air Force competition for a light attack and armed reconnaissance (LAAR) aircraft.

The second AT-6 production-representative test vehicle flew on 5 April (below) and is equipped with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68D engine, increasing thrust to 1,600shp (1,190kW) from 1,100shp. Continue reading...

(Hawker Beechcraft)

Testing on Bombardier's full-scale pre-production demonstrator wing for the CSeries has begun at the airframer's Belfast plant.

Using test data from the demonstrator, Bombardier intends to "optimise the design of the actual CSeries aircraft production wing", says Michael Ryan, vice-president and general manager, Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast. Continue reading...

From an Airbus press release:

The French private airline Aigle Azur has received its first directly purchased brand new Airbus A319 at a delivery ceremony in Hamburg yesterday.

This new aircraft will join Aigle Azur's fleet of ten A320 Family aircraft, comprising three A319s, three A320s and four A321s.

The new A319 will be powered by CFM-56 engines from CFM International and will benefit from the latest aircraft design and technological improvements contributing to a better fuel and emission efficiency. In terms of cabin configuration, the airline has chosen a spacious two class cabin layout for 144 passengers, offering even more comfort with the new state of the art cabin interior.

Substantial damages have been awarded to an Australian airline cabin attendant for respiratory illness attributed to toxic fumes in cabin air - the first time a law court anywhere has called an airline to account for health damage caused by contaminated cabin air.

In June another case, also brought by cabin crew from the same airline group, but this time against the aircraft manufacturer, will be heard.

On 1 April the New South Wales Court of Appeal upheld a judgement against now-defunct East-West Airlines, a regional carrier in the former Ansett group. Continue reading...

The US Air Force will take delivery of its first HC-130J combat rescue tanker later this year, with the aircraft having emerged at Lockheed Martin's Marietta production plant in Georgia on 3 April.

The USAF's Air Combat Command has ordered its first two of a planned 18 HC-130Js, and will also acquire 26 MC-130J tankers, as listed in Flightglobal's MiliCAS database. Continue reading...

This week Flightglobal publication Flight International has a special report on the Fokker's fight back and how the re-invented Dutch manufacturer is leading the Benelux aerospace charge.

The cover image is of an Austrian Arrows Fokker 100 departing from Innsbruck. It was taken by AirTeamImages.com photographer Peter Unmuth.

Also featured in this issue are:

• DSA Preview -- Malaysia's quest: Air force starts another search for aircraft
• Toxic payback: Australian flight attendant wins landmark court case linking contaminated cabin air to illness
• Perfect storm: How burst tyres and late take-off decision combined to cause fatal Learjet 60 overrun
  

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 Contrails (Gerry McCready, who also authors our Contrails AirSpace blog). His photo depicts Aer Lingus ATR 72-500 EI-REO.

He writes of his photo:

This was the first Aer Arann ATR to be painted in Aer Lingus Regional colours. The aircraft was photographed at Galway Carnmore on March 11, the day the aircraft re-entered service following re-painting. A total of four aircraft have been painted in Aer Lingus Regional colours as part of the Aer Lingus Regional / Aer Arann franchise arrangement which commenced at the end of March 2010. 

Andrew Brookes's Royal Air Force career included command of Greenham Common cruise missile base. Since leaving the service he has been an aerospace analyst and writer and in 2009 he took charge of the Air League.

What turned you on to flying?

I learned to fly with Leeds University Air Squadron back when sex was safe and flying was dangerous. We flew from Dishforth alongside the A1 and I spent many lovely hours doing practice forced landings and aeros over the Vale of York. We did lots of stalling and spinning back then but young people don't seem to do that any more. I think it is a shame that you can't experience the thrill and sense of danger associated with getting to know your limits based on first-rate flying training. I am still in touch with my old ex-Javelin instructor and we now reminisce together as the old and bold always do.

How do you influence government and industry thinking about aviation?

My role is to speak out about the importance of aviation to British wealth, science and technology, jobs and influence. We bring parliamentarians and industry together and with the projected high turnover in MPs after the forthcoming election, we will need to get the aerospace message across to them early.

RAF thanks Brookes (right), pictured with Air Marshal Simon Bryant

European regional cargo carrier West Atlantic expects to receive European certification for an extensive cockpit upgrade for its fleet of 43 BAe ATP freighters within three months.

The retrofit includes a five-panel integrated avionics system built by Universal Avionics. Systems integrator Scandinavian Avionics completed the first flight of the upgrade on a prototype aircraft in March. Continue reading...

Making general aviation more environmentally friendly has in the past had an alternate fuels focus, but as batteries improve, all-electric aircraft are emerging in Europe. From Lange Aviation's Antares 20E in 2005 to this year's new entrant, the PC-Aero Elektra One, there is a growing European challenge to the likes of China's Yuneec and its E430 model that already has a sales office in the UK. But which is more likely to hold back worldwide industry for the electrification of private flight: technology or its regulation? Continue reading...

Lockheed Martin and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) have teamed up to enter the small launcher market. Services will be available from 2012 using a new version of the all-solid rocket motor Athena vehicle.

With a payload capability of 1,712kg (3,775lb) to low Earth orbit, the two versions of Athena, Ic and IIc, will face competition. US rivals include Orbital Sciences' Minotaur and Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 1e, while European competitors include the Russian Cosmos International Cosmos and Paris-based Arianespace's Vega, which should be commercially operational next year. Continue reading...

GA's army of proponents have taken up the fight to raise the profile of this huge industry - which has a fleet of 10,000 aircraft in Europe - through a mixture of fortitude and self-preservation.

"GA is seen by a lot of people as largely pointless," says Martin Robinson, chief executive of the UK Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association - the international organisation concerned with general aviation - and senior vice-president of the International Council for AOPA, which represents the interests of GA at European Commission, Parliament, European Aviation Safety Agency and Eurocontrol and other egulatory bodies. Continue reading...

This week Flightglobal publication Flight International looks at playing the power game: who will show their engine card first in the gamble for tomorrow's airline customers?

• Engine change - what next for the single-aisle builders?
• Re-engining - what might need changing?
• Re-engined single-aisles - who might launch?

For this week's cover image, Flightglobal artist Tim Bicheno-Brown altered an Airbus image to given an impression of what a P&W GTF-powered A320 might look like.

Also featured in this issue are:

• European general aviation -- Making a noise: As Europe's largest general aviation show Aero Friedrichshafen kicks off in Germany on 8 April, our special report turns the spotlight on the key issues affecting the continent's largest and often ignored aviation sector. We reveal how GA's proponents are striving to get the industry's voice heard and why they are taking their fight to the Europe's leading policy makers. We also examine a clutch of aircraft and environmental-led programmes that are being developed by Europe's small band of pioneering companies, each hoping to transform their respective market sectors with innovative designs and technological know-how.
  
• Fighting fatigue: Young families and bad hotels: why so many regional airline pilots are regularly flying tired
• Target USA: European missile house MBDA is honing in on the world's biggest defence market
  

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

This week's Image of the Week (featured on page 5 of Flight International), is taken by AirSpace user akoolsbergen (Annette Koolsbergen). Her photo depicts a CF-104 Starfighter.

She writes of her photo:

The two-seat version of the CF-104 Starfighter is placed at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (Mount Hope, Ontario) exterior's entrance as a guard monument.  The Canadair CF-104 was a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence. It served with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and later the Canadian Forces until it was replaced by the CF-18 Hornet.

Michelle Scarpella joined Northrop Grumman from university. Now she is vice-president responsible for all aspects of its fuselage and vertical tail work as a Boeing F/A-18 subcontractor in El Segundo, California.

How did you begin your career at Northrop Grumman?

I joined the company right after earning a bachelor's degree from California State University, Fullerton. I started work on the B-2 programme as a quality engineer.

I didn't really have a specific career plan when I started; in fact, I was 15 years into my career here when I started to tell people what I was seeking and where I wanted to go. I learned from that, and now I mentor four people, all young and fresh out of college. I'm helping them control their own destiny. Continue reading the interview...

Electric-powered flight pioneer Lange Aviation is developing a fuel cell-powered unmanned air vehicle technology demonstrator with an undisclosed partner.

The UAV, called H3, will be optionally manned to enable safe test flights and could pave the way for H4, a long-endurance fuel cell-powered UAV product being planned by Zweibrucken, Germany based-Lange.

Lange has already worked on a fuel cell aircraft with the German Aerospace Agency DLR, based on the company's Antares motor glider product and called the H2. The Antares DLR-H2 (below) flew for the first time in 2008. It was developed to test fuel cell technology for possible future auxiliary power units on board Airbus airliners. Continue reading...

The UK has agreed to buy three Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint electronic intelligence aircraft and related ground equipment from the USA, defence secretary Bob Ainsworth has announced.

Confirming the development on 22 March, Ainsworth said the aircraft will deliver a "vital capability for the Royal Air Force to replace the [British Aerospace] Nimrod R1 that will be retired from service in March 2011". An agreement was finalised on 19 March, he adds. Continue reading...

Eurocopter has successfully demonstrated a host of advanced navigation and surveillance technologies as part of Europe's mature applications of Galileo for emergency services (MAGES) programme.

The work is part of a broader technology push by the airframer to develop workload reducing, safety-boosting cockpit aids for single-pilot operations in fixed- and rotary wing aircraft.

The MAGES test involved an EC145 equipped to receive simulated Galileo satellite constellation navigation signals from six transmission antennas located on mountaintops in Berchtesgaden in southern Germany. Europe expects to make Galileo operational in 2014. Continue reading...