Boeing and US Air Force Mark Delivery of 1st Re-winged A-10 Thunderbolt II

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah, Feb. 16, 2012 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the U.S. Air Force on Feb. 15 celebrated the rollout of the first re-winged A-10 Thunderbolt II in a ceremony at Hill Air Force Base. Boeing is under contract with the Air Force to deliver 233 wing sets through 2018.

"This enhanced wing assembly will give the A-10 new strength and a new foundation for its continued service into 2040," said Mark Bass, Maintenance, Modifications & Upgrades vice president and general manager for Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "Boeing remains a committed partner in ensuring the A-10 continues to be a ready, reliable and viable weapon system for the U.S. Air Force."

The A-10 wing replacement program is an example of Boeing's continued expansion into non-Boeing platform work. The wing sets are produced at the company's production facility in Macon, Ga., with partner Korean Aerospace Industries. They are delivered to the Air Force customer at the Ogden Air Logistics Center.

Boeing delivered the first A-10 wing set to the Air Force in March 2011. After mating to the aircraft and validation and verification of the wing, Air Force pilots flew the aircraft on its first flight in November.

A350's Trent XWB engine makes successful first flight on Airbus’ A380 test aircraft

Promising start to engine flight-test campaign one year ahead of A350 first flight
Flight tests to ensure high level of maturity from day one

18 FEBRUARY 2012 PRESS RELEASE

The A350 XWB's new engine – the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB – has successfully made its maiden flight aboard Airbus' dedicated A380 "Flying-Test-Bed" aircraft. The aircraft took off from Airbus facilities in Toulouse and performed a flight of more than five hours during which the engine covered a wide range of power settings at altitudes up to 43,000ft. The aircraft handling qualities were evaluated from low speeds to Mach 0.9. The engine not only operated flawlessly, but also demonstrated its new-generation fuel efficiency and low noise.

The Trent XWB development engine, specially fitted with test sensors to measure hundreds of parameters, was mounted on the A380's inner left engine pylon, replacing one of the aircraft's Trent 900 engines. The crew on board this first flight were: Airbus Experimental test pilots Terry Lutz and Frank Chapman; Experimental Test Flight Engineer Pascal Verneau; and Flight Test Engineers Emanuele Costanzo and Tuan Do.

"The A350 XWB's engine performed excellently during its first flight-test, just as we expected," said Charles Champion, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Airbus. "This is a promising start to the Trent XWB's flight-test programme which will ensure a thorough real-life testing of the engine, nacelle and its systems." He adds: "This will allow for a high level of powerplant integration, maturity and reliability to be achieved by the time it flies on the first A350 XWB aircraft."

Commencing around one year prior to the A350 XWB's first flight, this engine flight-test programme is scheduled to accumulate around 175 flight hours – some three times more airborne flying hours than on previous programmes. This will be accomplished over a seven month period and will include hot weather as well as icing condition testing campaigns. It will also test the advanced nacelle and thrust reverser system provided by Goodrich.

The overall objective of these flight-tests is the early and systematic validation of all performance aspects of the engine and also the associated systems. In turn, this will contribute to significantly 'de-risking' the A350 XWB's development well ahead of entry-into-service. The first results of this flight-test campaign are expected this summer.

Airbus is the world's leading commercial aircraft manufacturer producing the most modern and efficient airliners from 100 seats to over 500. Airbus has design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the US, China, Japan and in the Middle East. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS company.

MotoLOAD motorcycle loading system for light aircraft

MotoLOAD motorcycle loading system for light aircraft:

Light planes are a great way to get from A to B, but with the majority of small airports not boasting ground transportation services, getting from B to C can pose more of a problem. That's where the MotoLOAD system from Illinois-based MotoPOD comes in. Designed to slot into a small aircraft, the system makes unloading and unloading of some additional two-wheeled transport a simple job for just one person and their trusty cordless drill...
Continue Reading MotoLOAD motorcycle loading system for light aircraft

Tegris: Thermoplastic composite takes on carbon fiber

Tegris: Thermoplastic composite takes on carbon fiber:

Spartanburg, South Carolina, is home to one of the largest privately owned chemical and textile research establishments in the world, Milliken & Company. The firm's innovative research that combines textiles and chemistry has now produced a thermoplastic composite called Tegris that is cheap, recyclable and tough. These properties make Tegris an attractive alternative to (or composite partner for) carbon fiber, and it's already proving to have wide ranging applications in the automotive, military and sporting industries. ..
Continue Reading Tegris: Thermoplastic composite takes on carbon fiber

Un informe confidencial norteamericano revela que el F-35C (modelo embarcado), no está en condiciones de aterrizar en portaaviones

Un informe confidencial norteamericano revela que el F-35C (modelo embarcado), no está en condiciones de aterrizar en portaaviones:

Mientras los primeros F-35 ya han sido entregados a la Fuerza Aérea y al Cuerpo de Infantería de Marina, que pronto empezarán el entrenamiento de sus pilotos, un informe confidencial del Pentágono sobre este caza de quinta generación, obtenido y hecho público en su web por la organización sin ánimo de lucro Project On Government Oversight (POGO), revelaría que el avión de combate de factoría norteamericano presenta tantos desperfectos que desaconseja, por prematuro, su entrega a Fuerza Aérea de EEUU.

NASA Leadership In Space Exploration Shaken

NASA Leadership In Space Exploration Shaken: NASA faces a loss of confidence after unilateral withdrawal from series of joint robotic missions to Mars with the ESA.

New Bomber Force May Need 200 Aircraft

New Bomber Force May Need 200 Aircraft: The requirement for the Long Range Strike-Bomber could be as high as 200 aircraft as they replace aging B-1s and ­B-52s.

EASA AD Demands A380 Rivet Replacement

EASA AD Demands A380 Rivet Replacement: The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandated the replacement of six aluminum rivets on the Airbus A380 in its latest airworthiness directive (AD 12-014) for the type.

Unmanned revolution – how companies are aiding UAV progress

Unmanned revolution – how companies are aiding UAV progress: The unmanned aerial systems industry remains strong, as it adapts to support the requirements of global armed forces. Berenice Baker talks to BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Elbit Systems about their latest developments and how they work with the mi…

Pipistrel Circumnavigation Attempt Is Safe In Antarctica

Pipistrel Circumnavigation Attempt Is Safe In Antarctica: Landed On The Southernmost Continent February 16th The Slovene pilot Matev Lenarcic, who is flying around the world in his modified Virus SW 914 Turbo with an Intercooler unit, made a succesfull landing in the Antarctic February 16th at 1800 CET on the antarctic base of Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva. This historic moment is the first-ever landing of a Pipistrel airrcaft of the 7th continent.

Airborne Laser Test Bed Retires To Arizona

Airborne Laser Test Bed Retires To Arizona: Modified 747 Has Completed Its Mission The Air Force said Tuesday that the Airborne Laser Test Bed (ALTB) has completed the key MDA Knowledge Points, and has transitioned into long-term storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, AZ. The ALTB demonstrated the viability of a directed energy weapon for missile defense by tracking and destroying a boosting, representative foreign ballistic missile in flight.

Singapore Air Show 2012 – Day 4 and summary

Singapore Air Show 2012 – Day 4 and summary:

Highlights and summary from the last trade day of the Singapore Air Show 2012.

TLP en Albacete: un día con la aviación de élite de la OTAN - Atenea Digital

TLP en Albacete: un día con la aviación de élite de la OTAN - Atenea Digital:

TLP en Albacete: un día con la aviación de élite de la OTAN Atenea Digital Mientras los primeros aviones participantes rodaban hacia la cabecera de la pista, a mitad de ésta aparecían cuatro helicópteros: un Super Puma del 803 Escuadrón del EA, un Sikorsky SH-60B de la 10ª Escuadrilla de la Armada, y dos AW101 Merlin de la ...

EVA Air's Hello Kitty Plane (PHOTOS)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/eva-airs-hello-kitty-plan_n_1276230.html?ref=tw#s694568

New technique for mass-producing microbots inspired by pop-up books and origami

New technique for mass-producing microbots inspired by pop-up books and origami:

Inspired by origami and children's pop-up books, Harvard engineers have pioneered a means of mass-producing bee-sized flying microrobots. The breakthrough mechanizes the already state-of-the art process of making Harvard's Mobee robots by hand, by mass producing flat assemblies by the sheet which can be folded and assembled in a single movement. The technique, which cunningly exploits existing machinery for making printed circuit boards, can theoretically be applied to a multitude of electromechanical machines...
Continue Reading New technique for mass-producing microbots inspired by pop-up books and origami

Avic, Pakistan Working On JF-17 Two-Seater

Avic, Pakistan Working On JF-17 Two-Seater: Avic is developing a two-seat version of the JF-17 Thunder fighter in cooperation with Pakistan.

Airberlin empieza a usar el sistema de aterrizaje de precisión por satélite en vuelos regulares

Berlín.- Airberlin es la primera compañía aérea en Europa en usar los aterrizajes de precisión en los vuelos regulares en el aeropuerto de Bremen, tras obtener la autorización del nuevo sistema de aterrizaje por satélite GBAS, para la estación de tierra como sistema de aterrizaje primario, por parte del Organismo de Inspección Alemán de Control del Tráfico aéreo (BAF).

Airberlin empieza a usar el sistema de aterrizaje de precisión por satélite en vuelos regulares

Singapore Air Show 2012 – Day 1

A report on some of the pre-show highlights from this year’s Singapore Air Show 2012.

Singapore Air Show 2012 – Day 1

AENA prueba en Barajas un sistema para no perder el slot

AENA prueba en Barajas un sistema para no perder el slot:

Los pilotos y el personal de handling ya no tendrán excusa para perder el slot de despegue. Un nuevo sistema en pruebas en el aeropuerto de Madrid Barajas les informará contínuamente del mismo.

El sistema de guía de atraque se usará también para avisar del tiempo que resta hasta el slot de salida.

Singapore Air Show 2012 – Day 2

A report on some of the highlights from the first trade day from this year’s Singapore Air Show 2012.

Singapore Air Show 2012 – Day 2