Flightglobal

Week on the web

Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:46 +0000

On FlightBlogger, John Croft 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."

Credit: Russian Helicopters

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

Week on the web

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:51:40 +0000

On FlightBlogger, Stephen Trimble had the intriguing news "somewhere deep inside Boeing, a team of engineers is even now continuing to fiddle with the last decade's most high-profile conceptual aerospace flop", as a patent application posted online reveals "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.

And 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.

Week on the web

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:45:58 +0000

The "Movie Monday" slot on 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?"
On Image of the Day there was a Lockheed Martin shot of the in-flight refuelling of an F-35A configured with external weapons (above).

Week on the web

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:13:22 +0000

During a trip to Moscow, defence editor Craig Hoyle observed "a stark contrast between old and new", he 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".

At 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".

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).

Week on the web

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:34:20 +0000

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."

Week on the web

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:46:23 +0000

Why does Norway want the Lockheed Martin F-35 so badly? The DEW Line's 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.

Our 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.

Week on the web

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:20:41 +0000

The DEW Line's Craig Hoyle posted a Lockheed Martin shot of the first night-time in-flight refuelling sortie involving an F-35 (below).

The 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".

Week on the web

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:21:07 +0000

Inviting a double-take with his headline "Ship happens", Craig Hoyle 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" 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.

Week on the web

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:59:32 +0000

Continuing his rich vein of blogging form, defence editor Craig Hoyle updated The DEW Line with posts on Airbus Military's 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.

Hoyle 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".

Week on the web

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:13:59 +0000

On the 25th anniversary of the first Airbus A320 flight, FlightBlogger argued that the narrowbody type's single biggest contribution to commercial aerospace is its digital fly-by-wire flight control system. On the Asian Skies blog, Greg Waldron posted test-flight footage of China's Sunward Tech Star-Lite SVU200 vertical take-off and landing unmanned air vehicle (UAV). Ariel View's Arie Egozi profiled Sky Sapience's tethered hovering platform for small vehicles, the HoverMast (above), which will be displayed at the AUVSI international conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 20-22. On The DEW Line, Stephen Trimble used "the Goldilocks method" to analyse a mystery UAV snapped in flight over Uzbekistan: "Predator/Gray Eagle/Reaper is too big, yet the UAV still seems too small to be a Hermes 900. China's Pterodactyl/Wing Loong, however, seems just right."

Week on the web

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:55:42 +0000

Delays forced temporary renaming of FlightBlogger's Movie Monday series, but Movie Tuesday was worth the wait with its dramatic videos of aircraft on approach to landing.

One was shot from the flightdeck of an Airbus A320 descending to Bhutan's Paro airport, "widely believed to be the most difficult approach in the world" as the runway, at 7,300ft, is surrounded by 18,000ft peaks.

FlightBlogger also posted his photos of Lufthansa's first Boeing 747-8 flying in Everett.

Credit: Lockheed Martin

Our Image of the Day blog carried a Lockheed Martin shot (above) of the 11th C-5B aircraft inducted to the C-5M Super Galaxy production line, and on Asian Skies Greg Waldron noted Boeing's dig at the Lockheed Martin F-35 in the title of a Singapore briefing on "the balanced and evolutionary approach to fighter design versus the challenges of fielding a 'revolutionary' design affordably and on schedule

Week on the web

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:11:26 +0000

Our Image of the Day blog featured a shot of a Bahrain Air Airbus A320 displaying in the kingdom. The Sukhoi Su-27 tail in the foreground bears the Russian Knights team's livery.

On Ariel View, Arie Egozi noted that the Israeli air force has stepped up its joint exercises with NATO members' militaries.

Since the Gaza flotilla raid lost it a partner in Turkey, it has built "working relations" with Romania and Greece. "NATO is not mentioned... but it is clear that 'mutual interests' are in the background," wrote Egozi.

A post on space blog Hyperbola pondered whether the US Air Force would use Boeing's X-37B minishuttle to spy on China's Tiangong 1 station. Verdict? "Maybe - but not yet."

On The Green Wing, Kirsty McGregor delved into a report by law firm Holman Fenwick Willan to list precisely what the emissions trading system requires airlines to do between now and April 2013.

Week on the web

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:46:06 +0000

FlightBlogger reported from Miami, where he sampled Airbus simulator training and learned about the European airframer's digital fly-by-wire philosophy. He posted video that "shows the technology in action... in rather dramatic fashion".

On defence blog The DEW Line, Stephen Trimble noted Northrop's next-generation airliner concept, a response to a NASA request. "It's the first airliner optimised for radar cross section!" wrote Trimble.

"That's one way for airlines to get around slot restrictions at LHR."

Our Image of the Day blog featured a shot of Greek air force Northrop Grumman F-16s, Israeli air force Boeing F-15s and an Israeli Boeing 707 tanker flying in the Middle Eastern nation in November (above) (credit IAF Magazine).

Five Greek F-16s took part in a five-day exercise that included practice dogfights.

Week on the web

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:55:49 +0000

FlightBlogger marked the passing of Bob Smyth by posting video of a lecture the legendary Grumman test pilot gave at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in 2007.

From Nashville, Tennessee, Stephen Trimble updated his military blog The DEW Line with a clip of Alton Romig - the new chief of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works - fielding a question on the possibility of a sixth-generation fighter.

A stroll past the window display of Iran Air's London office inspired news editor Dominic Perry to add a photograph of a Boeing 727 bearing the carrier's 1970s livery to the Image of the Day blog.

Asian Skies had shots of the Taiwanese air force's newly arrived Martin B-26 Marauder.

And on Ariel View, Arie Egozi noted the Israeli civil aviation authority's decision not to allow virtual airlines, sealing the fate of El Al's charter subsidiary Sundor.

Week on the web

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:43:56 +0000

In his Movie Monday series, Jon "FlightBlogger" Ostrower highlighted a CSeries-themed interview that Bombardier's Chet Fuller gave to Canada's Business News Network.

"The conversation does not touch on the tactic of price as a weapon in a sales battle," wrote Ostrower. "Fuller continually emphasises the technical merits of the aircraft as its selling point."

On his military blog The DEW Line, Stephen Trimble invited visitors to predict airpower's winners and losers in 2012.

On Asian Skies, Greg Waldron assessed an Institute for National Strategic Studies report on China's quest for advanced military aviation technologies - and decided it "does a good job balancing the pros and cons of buying technology overseas, developing it at home, and acquiring it through espionage".