Flightglobal http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/ Flightglobal blog description en Copyright 2012 Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:46 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Week on the web posted a video about Boeing research into hybrid electric aircraft and asked: "Will Sugar Volt kill the turboprop?"

The DEW Line's Dave Majumdar was skeptical of the potential for a Boeing 787 military derivative, noting that "unlike the 707 and 767, which were purposely over-designed with extremely rugged airframes, the 787 has little in the way of excess structure".

On Hyperbola, David Todd responded to UK Space Agency boasts of double-digit growth in space revenues, saying the popularity of football broadcasts on satellite TV should be borne in mind. "A lot of this business is in the form of revenues from derivative interests," he wrote. "Sadly, satellite and launch vehicle manufacturing remains a very small business in the UK."

Ka-32-thumb-560x435-156315.jpgCredit: Russian Helicopters

And the Image of the Day blog featured an "industrial-looking" Kamov Ka-32 (above).


]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/05/week-on-the-web-135.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/05/week-on-the-web-135.html Week on the Web Boeing 707 Boeing 767 Boeing 787 Ka-32 UK Space Agency Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:46 +0000 Voting is now open for the 2012 Flightglobal Achievement Awards! Achievement Awards 2012.jpg

Voting is now open for the 2012 Flightglobal Achievement Awards, and the shortlist is as strong as ever.

From your nominations we found the best that this industry has to offer, and now you have the chance to vote for your favourites and the winners will be presented with the award during the Farnborough air show.

This is a fantastic opportunity to vote for your aviation heroes, those people that stand out because of their contribution to aviation in any of these three categories - Leader of the Year, Aviator of the Year and Innovator of the Year . The Lifetime Achievement Award will be chosen by a select group from Flightglobal and announced at the event.

Last year at a ceremony in Dubai, legendary aircraft designer and founder of Scaled Composites Burt Rutan won the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on numerous groundbreaking aircraft, most notably SpaceShipOne - the first, and to this day only privately-funded manned aircraft to escape the Earth's atmosphere.

Once again, as part of the Awards, we will also be naming the Boeing Engineering Student of the Year. Students can nominate themselves or be nominated by their professors. View the criteria and enter here.



]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/05/voting-opend-for-the-2012-flig.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/05/voting-opend-for-the-2012-flig.html Achievement Awards Fri, 04 May 2012 15:52:06 +0000 Week on the web a new and improved Sonic Cruiser".

Pratt & Whitney's media day gave Trimble an excuse to update the Movie Monday series with a BBC documentary on Rolls-Royce. After all, the engine makers' joint venture means their futures "are tied closely together", reckons Trimble. Either way, the film enthralled him with its "revealing look inside the typically buttoned-up" British company.

seaknights-thumb-560x373-156003.jpgAnd the Image of the Day blog carried a US Marine Corps shot of Boeing CH-46E Sea Knights on an exercise in the Philippines (above) - "like something straight out of Apocalypse Now", reckoned Dominic Perry.


]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/05/week-on-the-web-134.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/05/week-on-the-web-134.html Week on the Web Boeing CH-46E Pratt & Whitney Rolls Royce Sonic Cruiser US Marine Corps Thu, 03 May 2012 16:51:40 +0000 Week on the web FlightBlogger carried a clip of a documentary on the Lockheed SR-71, including footage of an "extremely rare television appearance", in 1975, by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, "camera-shy and interview-averse master aircraft designer and founder of the Lockheed Skunk Works".

On Asian Skies, Greg Waldron was intrigued by news that a British farmer may have located 20 or more Spitfires, buried in their original shipping crates, in Myanmar. "If the discovery turns out to be the real deal, it makes a fine counterpoint to Australia's decision last year to bury 23 F-111s beneath a landfill," wrote Waldron, noting "a very real concern with asbestos and other hazardous materials used in these old airframes". But, he asked, "in 2072, will Asian Skies write about a plan to dig up 23 former RAAF F-111s?"
f-35 weapons refuel-thumb-560x373-155712.jpgOn Image of the Day there was a Lockheed Martin shot of the in-flight refuelling of an F-35A configured with external weapons (above).


]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/week-on-the-web-133.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/week-on-the-web-133.html Week on the Web F-111 F-35A SR-71 Supermarine Spitfire Week on the web Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:45:58 +0000 Submit your application to the Boeing Engineering Student of the Year Award! Boeing Engineering Student of the Year Award.

Hurry up! because the deadline is fast approaching...you have only until the 21st of May to send your application!

This is a fantastic opportunity for bright students, at either graduate or undergraduate level, to take a step forward and stand out. Winners will be flown to the Farnborough Air Show 2012 and, on July 10th they are going to be presented the award at the Flightglobal Achievement Awards ceremony.

Who can enter?

For the first time this year, as well as the overall award, a special prize will be given to the best undergraduate submission, giving global recognition to those working on their first degree.

Undergraduate award - open to all students still working for their first degree in chosen specialism.

Postgraduate award - open to all postgraduates and those working towards further research qualifications.

Remember, this competition is open to any engineering student currently enrolled in a programme leading to a recognised academic degree such as BSc, MSc. or PhD.

You have until the 21st of May to submit your application, which must include:

A 500-word summary
A Curriculum vitae
Supporting material*

*Including but not limited to new patents or documented applications that have been adopted by industry, or published papers or research that have won recognition from academic, professional or industrial associations.

The 2012 Engineering Student of the Year and a companion will be guests of Boeing at the Farnborough air show. The award will be presented on 10 July 2012 as part of Flightglobal's Achievement Awards event. Boeing will arrange complimentary air travel, hotel accommodation and air show tickets for two people.

The judges may also, at their discretion, award a special distinction to the best undergraduate submission, separate to the overall winner. That person will be awarded a certificate and their details and citation will be included in Flightglobal's coverage of the award.

Students can nominate themselves or be nominated by their professors.

]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/submit-your-application-to-the.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/submit-your-application-to-the.html competitions Awards Boeing Student of the Year Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:47:53 +0000 Week on the web wrote on The DEW Line. While its aerospace manufacturers have benefited from a rush of domestic orders, "elsewhere, Russia's former symbols of military might have been abruptly pushed aside".

soviet-aircraft.jpgAt the capital's former airport Khodynka, for example, "there's a rather sad collection of ex-Soviet combat aircraft and helicopters still on the runway, the majority of them in poor condition or having been vandalised" (see above).

On the same blog, Dave Majumdar wondered why neither Lockheed Martin nor the Joint Strike Fighter programme office were at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space event - "strange, since the Department of the Navy 'owns' two of the three F-35 variants".

agni.jpg
Picture: Agni 5 maiden launch. Image courtesy of DRDO

And on Hyperbola, Philip Hylands noted the maiden launch of India's Agni 5 missile (above).



]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/week-on-the-web-132.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/week-on-the-web-132.html Week on the Web Agni F-35 India Russia US Navy Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:13:22 +0000 Air Transport Intelligence has changed Flightglobal Pro.

ati-to-pro.jpgATI was first launched way back in 1997 (several years before Flightglobal even had a free-to-air website).

For many years there was no other service like it - partly a real-time news wire for the commercial aviation world, partly a comprehensive database on airlines and airports, and partly a collection of handy tools and datasets that help professionals within the industry do their jobs.

And like a true classic it very much stood the test of time, with the classic interface and approach to usability proving a winner over the years.

However, even classic cars need a retune every now and then, and by developing Flightglobal Pro, we've taken all the best bits of ATI and reworked them onto modernised interface.

Pro-dashboard-screengrab.jpgThe Pro Dashboard acts as your starting point for accessing the ATI (now Pro) news and data, with controls to perform searches and quickly find the information you need, set up and edit current email alerts, and access your account information.

Features:
 
  • Latest news listings
  • Quick news search
  • Airlines, airports and MRO company profile search
  • Quick fleet search
  • Quick route search

For those ATI stalwarts that are using Pro for pretty much the first time, you may want to take a second to read the "Getting started on Pro" guide.
 
It gives you the first quick steps in finding your way around and helping you get on with the most common tasks.

There's also a set of FAQs, which go into a bit more detail about the various searches and profiles pages available within the Pro environment.

For those subscribers that would like a more personal touch to getting orientated, our customer support team are happy to talk you through any teething issues over the phone or arrange a free training session to help you get the most out of Flightglobal Pro.

Customer support contact details:

  • Americas: +1 866 348 4503
  • Europe and Middle East: +44 1788 564800
  • Asia Pacific: +65 6780 4315
  • Alternatively email prosupport@flightglobal.com

]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/air-transport-intelligence-has.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/air-transport-intelligence-has.html Pro air transport intelligence ati Flightglobal pro Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:42:07 +0000 Week on the web

Stephen Trimble - now a curator of commercial aviation blog FlightBlogger, along with John Croft - sustained the Movie Monday series by posting (see above) a Wings of Russia Studio documentary on the nation's rich aviation history.



The DEW Line's Dave Majumdar drew attention to two Lockheed Martin videos: one of an F-35C (example shown above) making a high-speed pass, to the strains of "terrible music as always", and another of an F-35A conducting night aerial refuelling (see below).


 
"They have wisely incorporated a light so that the boom operator can see the receptacle clearly - something that had to be retrofitted to the first few production F-22 Raptors," wrote Majumdar.

On Hyperbola, Dan Thisdell linked to Astrium's animation of the Ariane 5 ME launching with a dual payload. And, picking up on a UK Ministry of Defence communiqué ahead of the London 2012 Olympics, a post on the Learmount blog set out "what to do if you are intercepted by a Typhoon", warning: "You better get it right."
]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/week-on-the-web-131.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/week-on-the-web-131.html Week on the Web Ariane 5 Eurofighter Typhoon F-22 F-35C Russia Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:34:20 +0000 Week on the web Craig Hoyle drew attention to an illuminating video posted online by the nation's defence ministry.



In a nutshell, plans to keep flying upgraded Lockheed F-16s - currently 47 As and 10 Bs delivered as far back as 1980, as recorded by Flightglobal's HeliCAS database - have been extended enough times now, with the last jets due to leave service in 2023, wrote Hoyle. Back in the day, that milestone was pegged for no later than 2018.

gazelle-thumb-560x373-154454.jpgOur Image of the Day blog carried a shot (above) from the UK's Defence Images gallery on Flickr. It shows a Eurocopter Gazelle under an ominous sky at the British Army Training Unit Suffield in Alberta, Canada.

On Hyperbola, David Todd noted that Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin is not amused by a public spat between senior executives involved in the nation's space programme.
]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/week-on-the-web-130.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/04/week-on-the-web-130.html Week on the Web F-16 F-35 Gazelle Norway Russia Space Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:46:23 +0000 Week on the web posted a Lockheed Martin shot of the first night-time in-flight refuelling sortie involving an F-35 (below).

f-35night2.jpgThe aircraft - flown from Edwards AFB, California by US Air Force test pilot Lt Col Peter Vitt - is shown alongside a Boeing KC-135 tanker.

Hoyle also rooted out a YouTube clip that shows aspiring attack helicopter pilots how not to do it. The video, purportedly of a non-fatal accident in Afghanistan on 6 February, additionally serves as testament to the Boeing's AH-64 Apache's robust design, although snow on the ground and pure luck may have contributed to the crew's survival.


John Croft also focused on a helicopter crash: his blog As the Cro(ft) Flies carried footage of a Bell AH-1F Cobra ploughing into the ground while being filmed for TV show Top Gear Korea. Fortunately, the pilot and mechanic onboard sustained only "minor injuries".
]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/03/week-on-the-web-129.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/03/week-on-the-web-129.html Week on the Web AH-1F AH-64 F-35 KC-135 USAF Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:20:41 +0000 Week on the web posted on The DEW Line about the early return of HMS Illustrious from NATO's "Cold Response" exercise. The Rex Features shot below shows the UK Royal Navy helicopter assault ship sailing into Portsmouth for repairs.

Lusty 445.jpg"Lusty" had been due to host a 10-day programme of flying activities, but its involvement had already been restricted by heavy snowfall when a tug boat bashed into her starboard side in Norway's Harstad harbour, leaving two holes in the hull above the waterline.

On his eponymous blog, David Learmount wondered why so few aviation enthusiasts even try to get a private pilots' license. "Light aviating is the real thing," wrote Learmount. "It's what the Wright Brothers did. It's what Biggles did. It's about mastering a new element, a third dimension, the skill of navigating a windy sky without road-signs. It is liberating and inspirational.

]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/03/week-on-the-web-128.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/03/week-on-the-web-128.html Week on the Web light aviation nato navy Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:21:07 +0000 Week on the web plan to send an A400M to FIDAE, a joint exercise in which Dassault Rafales and Eurofighter Typhoons were flown together by the French and UK air forces, and an "elephant walk" demo of Lockheed Martin F-16s by the USA and South Korea.

L-15 560-thumb-560x378-153802.jpgHoyle also recounted his experience of flying an F-35 simulator, and wondered if China's Hongdu developmental L-15 (above) might find Canadian favour. On the same blog, Stephen Trimble asked the question: why is Russia's new supersonic business jet painted camouflage in an artist's impression of the concept? Trimble also used Google Earth to gather an image of Boeing's Phantom Eye prototype. Elsewhere, FlightBlogger used his Movie Monday series to highlight a technical overview of the Boeing 787-8 flight-test campaign, and on Ariel View Arie Egozi predicted that "the Israeli navy's air arm will go small and unmanned".
]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/03/week-on-the-web-127.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/03/week-on-the-web-127.html Week on the Web A400M Boeing 787 Business Jet Defense F-35 Israel L-15 Rafale Typhoon Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:59:32 +0000 Loyalty payment scheme for AirSpace photo contributors photo galleries on AirSpace you may know that we sometimes feature your photos in issues of Flight International magazine.

For example each week there's an Image of the Week chosen by the magazine's editors from the best of the uploads to the AirSpace members' galleries.

In recognition of our regular contributors we're introducing a loyalty payment scheme to say thanks for helping to make our website and magazines quality products.

So from now on for every fifth image of yours that we publish, we'll send you £50.

When we select an image for an issue of Flight International, we'll send you an email to let you know that one of your images has been used, and when you get to five images published we'll send you the money (and then another £50 for every subsequent five images used).

FINT contents page.jpg

]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/03/loyalty-payment-scheme-for-air.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/03/loyalty-payment-scheme-for-air.html AirSpace Images airspace loyalty scheme photos Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:04:26 +0000 Week on the web Gripen AAR 355-thumb-355x236-153441.jpgOn The DEW Line, Craig Hoyle logged the Czech air force's first air-to-air refuelling, involving Saab Gripen fighters and Sweden's Lockheed Martin KC-130H tanker (above).

During a Gripen briefing at 2011's Paris air show, Hoyle recalled, a Swedish air force official explained that when the 1969-vintage KC-130H had been made available to NATO during the Libya campaign, his colleagues had reacted along the lines of "are you crazy?" But the tanker went on to support Gripens operating from Sicily during the campaign's first stage.

On Ariel View, Arie Egozi decided "there is no reason why a small country such as Israel should have three international airlines".

And on Hyperbola, David Todd noted the phenomenon of amateurs using helium balloons to send GPS-tracked cameras to the edge of space, adding video of a LEGO space shuttle that reportedly reached 100,000ft.
]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/03/week-on-the-web-126.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/03/week-on-the-web-126.html Arrow Czech Air Force Israel Lego Saab Gripen Space Shuttle Sweden Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:10:52 +0000 Flightglobal homepage gets an upgrade Today we've made some changes to the flightglobal.com home page and introduced a few additional page types, all designed to help visitors to flightglobal.com more easily access news and blog content.

Many of you have helpfully supplied feedback on the new-look flightglobal since we redesigned last year.

As a result we've been busy re-platforming some critical areas of the site in order to facilitate making rapid changes to layout and content.

The homepage is one of these areas and the initial improvements include:

  • A new full-width News Control exposing a whole bunch more news stories than were previously showcased. As well as the big sectors (aerospace, airlines, military, biz av), there are quick links to other news sector, the most read stories on flightglobal and the latest blog posts.
  • We've taken the opportunity to move the large "skyscape" image and social media links down to the bottom of the page. Although we really liked this as a dramatic design feature, many of you felt that this space could be better used or had thought it was an advert (which it wasn't!).
  • The Careers Control now features training courses, and quick search boxes for both jobs and training courses.
  • We've reintroduced the Question of the Week poll back onto the homepage, which many of you have been asking for.
  • We've also created a series of news listing and rss pages, in light of the feedback saying that some visitors to the site preferred viewing stories in list format rather than the browse-focused news channel pages.
There are a bunch of other tweaks and changes, and we'll continue to introduce them as we focus on tidying up and simplifying the rest of the page with a view to making it a little less blocky and busy.

So thanks for all the feedback and for persevering while we build in enhancements to the new site. Keep it coming. ]]> http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/02/flightglobal-homepage-gets-an.html http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/2012/02/flightglobal-homepage-gets-an.html Redesign homepage news redesign Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:58:23 +0000