August 2008 Archives

 I have found a website called Wordle that generates a "word cloud" from the text and tags that are generated from the blog's homepage. The bigger the word in the cloud, the more it has been used recently on the blog (click on image to expand):

 

This is of course completely meaningless but i hope as a bit of Friday fun it shows the sheer variety of topics that the Flight blog mentions. Plus it looks quite nice too!

Hat tip: Ciaran Norris

Seen in this video is one of two unmanned air vehicles used by UK Ministry of Defence's August 2008 Grand Challenge winner Team Stellar. Team Stellar won the challenge that required autonomous vehicles to identify threats such as marksmen and armed militia.

The UAV seen in the video is Team Stellar's 1.8kg (3.96lb) "medium level" vehicle that is launched by bungee cord after the team's 7kg "hi-level" unmanned aircraft has maps an area.

There are many conflicting reports regarding the casualties and circumstances of the Spanair MD-82 but we hope to bring you all the latest facts regarding the tragedy.

Update One:

• Here is the latest news from Flightglobal.com and the latest debate from our Forums AirSpace.

• Spanair has confirmed that the aircraft type is Boeing MD82

• The incident happened at Madrid International Airport.

Here is a Google Maps of the airport:




View Larger Map

• Here is some footage of the aftermath of the incident from the BBC

• Here is the latest news from Flightglobal.com and the latest debate from our Forums AirSpace.

Update two

• The Spanish Government have confirmed 45 deaths so far in this tragedy
• Here is the latest news,blogs,images and video of Spanair
• Here is the latest news,blogs,images and video of Boeing MD-82

Update Three

• Few survivors expected from today's crash
  
• Images from Sky News showing the smoke after the incident

Update Four:

• A few days on and the investigation has begun on the tragedy. Here is Flight's Safety and Operations Editor David Learmount giving his view of how the investigation will take place.
• Here are some images of the plane's wreckage.
  

credit: Mod

On Thursday 14 August the UK's Ministry of Defence held its media day for its Grand Challenge competition that was conducted from 16-18 August with the winner being announced on the 19th.

Middlesex University's Team I-Spy tri-rotor unmanned air vehicle was developed over 15-months starting in March 2007.

A team of six including two lecturers and doctoral and undergraduate students, the vertical take-off and landing UAV has an endurance of up to 15min using Lithium Polymer batteries and can carry a payload of 1kg (2.2lb).

The team took the tri-rotor to the UK Ministry of Defence's Grand Challenge, held 16-19 August 2008, but did not demonstrate it preferring to show an unmanned ground vehicle. Although the tri-rotor uses a helicopter version of the Micropilot autopilot software it had had "stability issues".

This video shows a test flight of UK technology company Qinetiq's Team Cortex unmanned air vehicle.

The 3kg (6.6lb) UAV is a tail sitting fixed wing dual rotor design with a 1.5m wingspan that transitions to horizontal flight as it accelerates. It uses an onboard autopilot, GPS and can carry an optical payload. Developed for the UK Ministry of Defence's Grand Challenge, held from 16-19 August 2008, the team's UAV crashed during the pre-competitive trials and the team was unable to compete.

This is where single-aisle Airbus construction in Hamburg really starts becoming interesting. Hall 9 houses a line at Finkenwerder where the main sections of the aircraft are brought together for final assembly, a process which begins... 

 

 ...here at Station 41 where fuselage components arrive for preliminary inspection, and where the checklist covers galleys, lavatories, floor panels, electrical equipment, cockpit linings and similar installations. Pictured is A321 MSN3636, bound for Qatar Airways via lessor CIT. Behind it, mostly obscured, is A319 MSN3634 for EasyJet, whose wings have already been moved up to... 

 

 ...Station 40, at which point the aircraft receives not only its wings but its landing-gear and engine pylons. Electrical power-on is performed here. But this A321 (MSN3633) for US Airways doesn't have its horizontal and vertical stabilisers or tail-cone because they're still sitting... 

 

 ...here, a few metres further along in the assembly line, and won't be attached until the aircraft reaches... 

 

 ...Station 35, where the final primary structures - such as the radome, inner flaps, and landing-gear doors as well as the auxiliary power unit and fuel system - are fitted. Hydraulic power-on takes place here, too. This A320's tail-fin gives away the customer as Aeroflot, although the airframe (MSN3631) is for GECAS. Each aircraft spends about three days at each station in the final assembly line. Just ahead of the Aeroflot aircraft, and virtually on its way out... 

 

 ...is this Lufthansa A321 (MSN3625) which is ready to receive its engines and the last furnishings ahead of painting, test flights and customer acceptance. From Station 40, the time to delivery is about 26 days.

The Supermarine Spitfire entered service with the RAF 70 years ago today.

 

     

Flight, which recently celebrated its 100th year in publishing, has reported on this great aircraft since its beginning so here are a few gems from back issues:

Spitfire and Concorde vie with London tube map as Britain's finest designs

Carolyn Grace: Flying Spitfires in her husband's memory

Flight's 100 Greatest Military Aircraft - Supermarine Spitfire

Other stuff from the archive....

And some Spitfire mentions in the discussion forum in AirSpace -

Spitfire in AirSpace discussions

Images in AirSpace to celebrate RAF's 90th anniversary

 

The race in London this year is just as tricky as any of the other race courses and with the UK's temperamental weather, the event promises to be an unpredictable one this weekend.

 

 

Frank Versteegh, former Red Bull pilot says that the track in London is challenging because of the wind and turbulence blowing the air gates around.

"The pilots suffer a high tailwind when they enter the track and it's a very narrow approach. They have to perform a steep turn to be level on the entrance. It makes it extremely difficult to find the correct angle. They'll incur penalty points if they don't get it right."

 

 

 

Barry Nuttley provides commentary on the ground for the World Series, and explains that each pilot has found his own little tweaks that reduce the drag of their aircraft.

"Just like any motor sport really, they might fit smaller wheels. Last year, Nicholas Ivanoff introduced a symmetrical wing on the aircraft which allowed him to turn so much more quickly, some of the pilots followed suit."

 

 

 

Paul Bonhomme told Flight in the pit lane, after the first training session of the London leg of the race, that all of the courses have a difficult section which poses a challenge to the pilot.

 

 

His technician Wade Hammond has made modifications to the Edge 540 to make the aircraft go faster.

He explains that he has added wingtips that can change which is a good start for us and we're using the same engine as last year.

"We've sealed up all the gaps and learned a lot about the importance of cooling the engine and as a result redesigned the cowling in the wind tow. The engine runs as cool as we can make it, with the smallest intakes which lessens our drag.

"Weight is quite an important factor. If it's heavy we can't accelerate. Paint is heavy but we need to have a scheme. It's really a matter of whether the paint lines run parallel with the wind. 

"The aircraft has wing tanks and we can do about 600 miles on the fuel available. It can go quite a way if you're not racing it."

Hannes Arch (AUT) has a new canopy on his Edge 540 which is more aerodynamic, allowing him to slipstream quickly through the air. One mile an hour makes all the difference.

 

Arch says Abu Dhabi and London have challenging circuits, London especially because it can be windy.

 

 

 

Mike Goulian, (USA) an aerobatics pilot who has taken on the Red Bull Air Race as his full time occupation says that London is one of the most challenging circuits, even in his Edge 540."

 

 

 

"You have to turn into the start gate which is very difficult and there are other hard turns above the water."

 

 

Despite his team colours he concedes the air race is not the "greenest" sport "because it has engines, it's a motor sport."

Nigel Lamb, (GBR) in his carbon fibre built MXS says that the smoke system is environmentally friendly. It doesn't use a lot a of fuel.

His aircraft is very different from last year with some aerodynamic modifications to it. Smoothing the colling airflow within the engine. Cooling the engine definitely helps you when it comes to start up the thing. It's not a mature sport like Formula One but it is pretty tight racing.

Lamb's aircraft is different from last year's. He changed from the Edge to the MXS because it's lighter.

 

When you watch the pilots in action, they make the sport look easy by performing graceful turns, but it's not. The most challenging circuit of all is "unquestionably the one you're in at the time. There's always an area of the track that is a little bit difficult," he says.

Mike Mangold (USA) notes that all the European tracks are all on a river setting "so they're very straight and narrow."

 

"There's a not too many technical or long turns but the pilot has to use some skill to handle it. San Diego and Abu Dhabi had a few more wide turns. It's all about the machine, who's got the fastest aircraft, the most horsepower, the best technology." 

 

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Standings 2008

1. Bonhomme GBR (35 points),

2. Arch AUT (29 points),

3. Chambliss USA (27 points), 

4. Mangold USA (26 points), 

5. Besenyei HUN (17 points), 

6. Jones GBR (14 points),

7. Goulian USA (10points),

8. Lamb GBR (8 points), 

9. Maclean ESP (8 points),

10. Ivanoff FRA (5 points), 

11. Rakhmanin RUS (1 points), 

12. Dell RSA (0 points) 

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World Series 2008 Schedule

London 2/3 Aug,

Budapest 19/20 Aug,

Porto, 6/7 Sep,

Spain 27/28 Sep,

Perth 1/2 Nov,

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