All aerospace news – Page 331
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NewsEviation Alice prototype damaged by electric fire in Arizona
An electric system fire significantly damaged a prototype of Israeli company Eviation Aircraft’s in-development, all-electric Alice aircraft at an Arizona airport on 22 January.
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AnalysisE-Fan X hybrid project edges towards system integration
Airbus has started preparing a BAE Systems Avro RJ100 for installation of an experimental hybrid-electric propulsion system later this year, as part of the joint E-Fan X technology project with Rolls-Royce.
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NewsSwiss completes A340 interior upgrade programme
Swiss has completed a cabin refurbishment programme on its five remaining Airbus A340s, to bring their interiors in line with the Lufthansa subsidiary’s Boeing 777 long-haul fleet.
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Airline BusinessFreighter conversions fall away sharply in 2019
Freighter conversions fell 33% in 2018, with declines in the widebody, narrowbody, and regional aircraft freighter segments. Cirium fleets data shows that 2019 saw 74 commercial aircraft converted to freighters, down from 110 in 2018. Source: Cirium fleets data Freighter conversions by year Widebody conversions halved ...
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NewsStandardAero takes over turbine repair shop TRS Ireland
US maintenance provider StandardAero has acquired turbine component coating specialist TRS Ireland. Cork-based TRS is in the business of coating blades, vanes and other hot-section engine components, and its capabilities span the CFM International CFM56 series. It has more than 180 OEM approvals and “unique” certifications from the US Federal ...
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In depthKopter accelerates as gearbox issue fades from view
Swiss manufactuerer Kopter is making full use of its flight-test base in Sicily as it works to overcome setbacks and bring its SH09 light-single to market.
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NewsBek Air defends operations after regulator’s safety accusations
Grounded Kazakh operator Bek Air is continuing to defend its operations and practices after being slated by the country’s regulator in the aftermath of the fatal Fokker 100 accident at Almaty. Bek Air is accusing Kazakhstan’s aviation administration of proving “strained and biased” remarks about the airline’s procedures and safety ...
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NewsFAA and IATA optimistic on reception of 737 Max review
Regulatory officials are optimistic that safety authorities in Europe and other regions are confident in the US Federal Aviation Administration’s safety review process to return Boeing 737 Max aircraft to service. Regulators outside the USA have vowed they will not rely on FAA approval and conduct their own reviews as ...
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NewsBoeing schedules first 777X flight for 23 January
Boeing has scheduled the 777X’s maiden sortie for 23 January, an event that will finally kick off the revamped widebody’s delayed flight-test programme and potentially keep the airframer on track to begin deliveries in early 2021.
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NewsElbit demonstrates 24h firefighting using liquid pellets
Elbit Systems is offering the prospect of round-the-clock airborne firefighting after demonstrating a method of dropping liquid pellets from 500ft – more than four times higher than the normal altitude for water bombing.
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NewsAdministration justifies Bek Air grounding with damning catalogue of flaws
Kazakhstan’s civil aviation administration has revealed a damning list of flaws in Bek Air’s flight operations and maintenance processes, to justify the carrier’s grounding. One of Bek Air’s Fokker 100s crashed on take-off from Almaty on 27 December, resulting in the enforced suspension of the airline’s operation – a measure ...
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NewsFAA broadens emergency order in wake of 777 engine failure
Operators of Boeing 777-300ERs are being ordered urgently to remove another batch of interstage seals from General Electric GE90 engines, following an uncontained failure last October. The failure involved a Thai Airways International 777-300ER which had been preparing to depart Bangkok for Zurich. While the US FAA has already issued ...
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NewsNew 737 Max software issue arises during certification review
Boeing has identified a problem with the software on the 737 Max designed to monitor the performance of other systems during aircraft startup, adding another hitch to the Max’s return-to-service.
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NewsBombardier considers divestiture of A220 shares as programme costs increase
Bombardier is “reassessing” its involvement in the Airbus-led partnership that owns the A220, citing the need for additional cash investment and lower-than-expected long-term profits.
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NewsDoubts emerge over status of Milestone commitment for Bell 525
Questions have emerged about one of the largest commitments for Bell’s in-development 525 Relentless super-medium-twin, which has been on the manufacturer’s books since 2015.
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OpinionAirbus wins the contest that never was
What’s wrong with a duopoly? Well, when one of the two protagonists drops out, it turns into a monopoly.
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NewsUS government panel calls for FAA certification improvements
A committee established by the US Department of Transportation has determined that the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing properly followed FAA processes when approving the 737 Max. But the committee, commissioned last April following two 737 Max crashes, also finds the FAA’s processes need much improvement.
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NewsA350-1000 demonstrates vision-based automatic take-off
Airbus has demonstrated a fully-automated A350-1000 take-off using a vision-based system which tracks the runway centreline and rotates the aircraft without side-stick input from the pilot. The initial departure with the test system was carried out at Toulouse on 18 December and the crew of five performed eight flights over ...
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NewsUS-China trade pact likely a boon for Boeing
The freshly signed US-China trade agreement could benefit Boeing and the broader US aerospace sector in the next 24 months, with Beijing committed to buying $77.7 billion worth of US manufactured goods during a two-year period. The “phase one” pact, aimed at settling two years of trade tensions between the ...
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NewsHybrid Air Vehicles unveils updated Airlander 10
Hybrid Air Vehicles has unveiled a production design for its Airlander 10 to replace a prototype grounded in November 2017 after a second incident during flight testing, as it steps up its certification efforts.