Boeing Celebrates Rollout of First 737 MAX 9

Airplane scheduled to fly in the coming weeks, deliver to customers in 2018




Boeing (NYSE: BA) marked a milestone today as the first 737 MAX 9 made its debut in front of thousands of Boeing employees.

The 737 MAX 9 is the second member of Boeing's industry leading 737 MAX family, with a maximum capacity of 220 passengers and a range of 3,515 nautical miles.

The airplane now begins system checks, fueling and engine runs on the flight line. Once completed, the airplane will begin flight testing in the coming weeks – the final phase of verification of the operational characteristics and overall performance of a new airplane.

"The 737 MAX team continues to do a fantastic job getting us to these important milestones right on schedule," said Keith Leverkuhn, vice president and general manager of the 737 MAX program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Our primary focus is delivering an aircraft that has the legendary reliability our 737 customers depend on, plus the optimized flexibility and range capability they desire."

The 737 MAX 9 is scheduled to enter service in 2018. The 737 MAX 8 is on track to deliver to customers in the second quarter of 2017.

The 737 MAX family has been designed to offer customers exceptional performance, flexibility and efficiency, with lower per-seat costs and an extended range that will open up new destinations in the single-aisle market. The MAX 8 and 9 will be followed in 2019 by the smaller MAX 7 and higher capacity MAX 200, while studies and discussions continue with customers on growing the family.

The 737 MAX incorporates the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets and other improvements to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market.

The 737 MAX is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating more than 3,600 orders to date from 83 customers worldwide.

For more information, visit: http://www.boeing.com/commercial/737max-9#/

Boeing 737 MAX 8 Earns FAA Certification

RENTON, Wash., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced today that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified the 737 MAX 8 airplane for commercial service. Boeing is now in the final stages of preparing for the first 737 MAX 8 delivery to customers in the coming months.

To earn certification for the 737 MAX 8, Boeing undertook a comprehensive test program that began just over one year ago with four airplanes, plus ground and laboratory testing. Following a rigorous certification process, the FAA granted Boeing an Amended Type Certificate for the 737 MAX 8, verifying the design complies with required aviation regulations and is safe and reliable.

"This certification is a true testament to the dedication and commitment of our entire MAX team throughout the process, from airplane design to flight testing," said Keith Leverkuhn, vice president and general manager, 737 MAX program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The Renton team looks forward to delivering superior efficiency, reliability and design to our customers as they start to receive their 737 MAX aircraft in the next few months."

The 737 MAX 8 is the first in the family to be developed and meets customer demand in the heart of the single-aisle market. The 737 MAX 8 reduces fuel use and CO2 emissions by an additional 14 percent over today's most fuel-efficient single-aisle airplanes.

The 737 MAX family of aircraft is designed to offer customers exceptional performance, flexibility and efficiency, with lower per-seat costs and an extended range that will open up new destinations in the single-aisle market. The MAX 8 and 9 will be followed in 2019 by the smaller MAX 7 and higher capacity MAX 200, while studies and discussion continue with customers on growing the family.

The 737 MAX incorporates the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets and other improvements to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market. It is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating more than 3,600 orders to date from 83 customers worldwide.

Airbus and THAI to evaluate new MRO business

State-of-the art facility to be developed at U-Tapao International Airport
PRESS RELEASE


Bangkok, 8th March 2017 - Airbus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thai Airways International (THAI) to evaluate the development of a major new maintenance and overhaul (MRO) facility at U-Tapao International Airport near Bangkok.



The MoU was signed in Bangkok today by Usanee Sangsingkeo, Acting President, Thai Airways International and Fabrice Brégier, President, Airbus Commercial Aircraft. The signing was witnessed by Somkid Jatusripitak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand.



The new MRO would be one of the most modern and extensive in the Asia-Pacific region, offering line and heavy maintenance services for a wide range of aircraft types. A new complex would feature the latest digital technologies to analyse aircraft maintenance data, as well as advanced inspection techniques, including the use of drones to monitor aircraft airframes.



The MRO campus would also include specialised repair shops, including a repair centre for composite structures, as well as a maintenance training centre offering extensive courses for technical personnel from Thailand and overseas.



“THAI has been studying the development of a new MRO business with several potential partners and is pleased to have been able to reach this initial agreement with Airbus,” said Usanee Sangsingkeo, Acting President, Thai Airways International. “This facility will be a showcase maintenance hub for the region and will offer its services to airlines across the region and beyond.”



“This exciting new project will help to meet strong demand for maintenance services in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region,” said Fabrice Brégier, President Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “With the fleet in the region set to almost triple to over 15,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, this project represents a sound opportunity for Thailand to develop its footprint in the aerospace sector.”



This Airbus and THAI joint initiative will be a strategic contribution to the Eastern Economic Corridor designed by the Thai Government, in which U-Tapao International Airport is set to become a new aerospace hub in the region

[Photo and Video]Airbus-Italdesign car-octocopter hybrid unvelied: Pop.Up , a trailblazing modular ground and air passenger concept vehicle system

During the 87th Geneva International Motor Show, Italdesign and Airbus world- premiered Pop.Up, the first modular, fully electric, zero emission concept vehicle system designed to relieve traffic congestion in crowded megacities. Pop.Up envisages a modular system for multi-modal transportation that makes full use of both ground and airspace.

The feasible concept is the result of Italdesign and Airbus’ joint reflection on how to address the mobility challenges of megacities achievable for a majority, which has become one of the most pressing issues for commuters in megacities worldwide. With traffic congestion projected to hugely increase by 2030, the companies decided to combine their engineering expertise to tackle how to best achieve a sustainable, modular and multimodal urban mobility system – giving rise to the Pop.Up concept.

Pop.Up System consists of a three layers concept:

• –  an Artificial Intelligence platform that, based on its user knowledge, manages the travel complexity offering alternative usage scenarios and assuring a seamless travel experience;
• –  a vehicle shaped as a passenger capsule designed to be coupled with two different and independent electric propelled modules, the ground module and the air module. Other public means of transportation (e.g. trains or hyperloops) could also integrate the Pop.Up capsule;
• –  an interface module that dialogues with users in a fully virtual environment.

The Pop.Up vehicle combines the flexibility of a small two seater ground vehicle with the freedom and speed of a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) air vehicle, thus bridging the automotive and aerospace domains.

At the heart of the concept is a capsule: designed to accommodate passengers. This high-tech, monocoque carbon-fibre cocoon measures 2.6 metres long, 1.4 metres high, and 1.5 metres wide. The capsule transforms itself into a city car by simply coupling to the ground module, which features a carbon-fibre chassis and is battery powered.

For megacity journeys with high congested traffic, the capsule disconnects from the ground module and is carried by a 5 by 4.4 metre air module propelled by eight counter-rotating rotors. In this configuration, Pop.Up becomes a urban self-piloted air vehicle, taking advantage of the third dimension to get from A to B efficiently whilst avoiding traffic congestion on the ground.

Once passengers reach their destination, the air and ground modules with the capsule autonomously return to dedicated recharge stations to wait for their next customers.

press release

Boeing unveils first image of 737 Max 10 [feedly]

Boeing unveils first image of 737 Max 10
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-unveils-first-image-of-737-max-10-434859/

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USAF to Host Light Attack Experiment Aircraft | France Selects Airbus’ H160 as Light Rotorcraft Replacement | RAAF’s KC-30A to Get Air-to-air Refueling [feedly]

USAF to Host Light Attack Experiment Aircraft | France Selects Airbus' H160 as Light Rotorcraft Replacement | RAAF's KC-30A to Get Air-to-air Refueling
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/usaf-to-host-light-attack-experiment-aircraft-france-selects-airbus-h160-as-light-rotorcraft-replacement-raafs-kc-30a-to-get-air-to-air-refueling-036116/

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Hybrid VTOL fixed-wing drone flies for 2+ hours

http://newatlas.com/carbonix-volanti-vtol-fixed-wing-industrial-uav/48253/

http://carbonix.com.au/wp-content/themes/carbonix/video/volanti_video.mp4

Bioinspired 3D-printing tech makes for strong-but-light structures

Novel 3-D manufacturing builds complex, bio-like materials

press release



By Tina Hilding, Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture

PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University researchers have developed a unique, 3-D manufacturing method that for the first time rapidly creates and precisely controls a material’s architecture from the nanoscale to centimeters – with results that closely mimic the intricate architecture of natural materials like wood and bone.

They report on their work in the journal Science Advances (http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/3/e1601986) and have filed for a patent.

The work has many high-tech engineering applications.

“This is a groundbreaking advance in the 3-D architecturing of materials at nano- to macroscales with applications in batteries, lightweight ultrastrong materials, catalytic converters, supercapacitors and biological scaffolds,” said Rahul Panat, associate professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, who led the research. “This technique can fill a lot of critical gaps for the realization of these technologies.”

The WSU research team used a 3-D printing method to create foglike microdroplets that contain nanoparticles of silver and to deposit them at specific locations. As the liquid in the fog evaporated, the nanoparticles remained, creating delicate structures. The tiny structures, which look similar to Tinkertoy constructions, are porous, have an extremely large surface area and are very strong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0Oa_JjNCTI




Silver was used because it is easy to work with. However, Panat said, the method can be extended to any other material that can be crushed into nanoparticles – and almost all materials can be.

The researchers created several intricate and beautiful structures, including microscaffolds that contain solid truss members like a bridge, spirals, electronic connections that resemble accordion bellows or doughnut-shaped pillars.

The manufacturing method itself is similar to a rare, natural process in which tiny fog droplets that contain sulfur evaporate over the hot western Africa deserts and give rise to crystalline flower-like structures called “desert roses.”

Because it uses 3-D printing technology, the new method is highly efficient, creates minimal waste and allows for fast and large-scale manufacturing.

The researchers would like to use such nanoscale and porous metal structures for a number of industrial applications; for instance, the team is developing finely detailed, porous anodes and cathodes for batteries rather than the solid structures that are now used. This advance could transform the industry by significantly increasing battery speed and capacity and allowing the use of new and higher energy materials.

Graduate students Mohammad Sadeq Saleh and Chunshan Hu worked with Panat on the project.

The research is in keeping with WSU’s Grand Challenges initiative stimulating research to address some of society’s most complex issues. It is particularly relevant to the challenge of “Smart Systems” and its theme of foundational and emergent materials.

Airbus presents the world’s first online booking assistant of its kind and other travel trends at ITB from 8 to 12 March 2017

iflyA380.com at ITB Berlin 2017
6 MARCH 2017 PRESS RELEASE

A one-of-a-kind booking tool for the world’s most iconic aircraft: Airbus created the online booking assistant iflyA380.com to take travel planning to the next level. iflyA380.com features the first and only flight search system that sorts results by aircraft type, heralding a new trend in flight differentiation with the double deck A380. For the first time, passengers are free to select the A380 flight of their choice. They are empowered to design their own in-flight travel experience, opting for wider seats, superior service, more entertainment options, and a more comfortable flight overall.

iflyA380.com is also a useful tool for travel agents wishing to offer a memorable travel experience to their customers: including A380 flights will enhance their travel offer and create a distinctive advantage.

About iflyA380.com

Function: On the site, travellers can browse all A380 flights, explore all A380 destinations, and discover the distinctive on-board services that world-class airlines offer in every class.

Ease-of-use: Users simply select their departure location, destination, and travel dates. The search results show all relevant flights on the A380, indicating carrier, price and itinerary. After selecting a preferred flight, users are automatically redirected to the carrier’s website to finalise the booking.

About the A380

The passengers’ favourite: The world’s most spacious aircraft has a proven track record with passengers; according to an independent survey, 98% of A380 passengers would recommend flying on the A380 to their friends and family, and 60% are willing to make an extra effort to fly with the aircraft.*

To date, some 170 million passengers have flown with the A380. Flying with the world’s leading airlines on over 110 routes and 55 destinations, the A380 has been awarded Best Aircraft Type by Global Traveller magazine for two years running.

Comfort: The A380 offers more personal space and the widest seats in the sky in all classes, including economy class. As the smoothest, quietest flight, it offers accessible luxury and unparalleled comfort in all classes.

A memorable aircraft: A modern feat of engineering and design, the A380 is the universally recognised benchmark. It provides airlines with a canvas to create the most outstanding business and first classes in the air, with amenities like showers, beds, bars and lounges.

Facts & Figures
Flying with 13 premier airlines: Air France, Asiana Airlines, British Airways, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International
Serving 55 destinations in 32 countries, including the world’s most visited cities, such as London, Paris, Dubai, New York, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney and Shanghai. A complete list is available at www.iflya380.com/a380-destinations.html
2,000 flights per week on over 110 different routes
Around the world, an A380 aircraft takes off or lands every 3 minutes.

A380 Fact Box


55 Destinations
13 Operators
2,000 Flights per week
98% of A380 passengers would recommend it to friends and family

Photos, infographics and videos are available at: www.airbus.com/presscentre/

See what passengers share on social media about their A380 experiences: www.iflya380.com/social-wall.html 

SM el Rey Felipe VI recibe a los presidentes de Iberia e IAG y al Comité de Dirección de Iberia

Nota de prensa

SM el Rey Felipe VI recibe a los presidentes de Iberia e IAG y al Comité de Direccion de Iberia
·         Con motivo del 90 aniversario de Iberia, que se celebra este año
·         El bisabuelo del actual monarca inauguró el primer vuelo de Iberia, en 1927

 

 

Madrid, 6 de marzo de 2017   Su Majestad el Rey Felipe VI ha recibido hoy en audiencia a los presidentes de Iberia e IAG, junto con el Comité de Dirección de Iberia, con motivo de la celebración este año del 90 aniversario de la aerolínea.     © Casa de SM el Rey   Iberia se fundó un 27 de junio de 1927, mientras que el vuelo inaugural tuvo lugar el 14 de junio de ese mismo año entre Madrid y Barcelona, inauguración que fue presidida por el Rey Alfonso XIII, bisabuelo del actual monarca.   En sus palabras, Antonio Vázquez, presidente de IAG, ha dicho: "Estamos conmemorando una gran historia, sin duda, pero lo mejor es que estamos celebrando un gran futuro, dentro de un gran grupo, como es IAG"   "Majestad, es un motivo de orgullo para nuestro país que el tercer grupo aéreo de Europa y sexto del mundo tenga su sede social en España, en Madrid; que esté integrado, entre otras, por dos aerolíneas españolas, Iberia y Vueling, con negocios de primera división, como el Mantenimiento y los Servicios Aeroportuarios; que tres las cuatro aerolíneas que lo componen están presididas por españoles, y que haya elegido España, en concreto Barcelona, para el lanzamiento de su nuevo proyecto aéreo, los vuelos de largo radio de nueva generación".   Por su parte Luis Gallego, ha dicho: "Estamos celebrando nueve intensas décadas en las que hemos unido España entre sí y con el resto del mundo, en especial con América Latina. Millones de familias y varias generaciones de españoles han conocido el mundo, han encontrado nuevas oportunidades y se han hecho mayores a nuestro lado. Por eso, Iberia ha sido siempre un poco de todos"   Para añadir: "Majestad, este Comité de Dirección, junto con los 16,000 empleados de la compañía, y con el apoyo incuestionable de IAG, estamos transformando Iberia en una empresa mejor, mejor para nuestros clientes, para nuestros accionistas, para la sociedad en general, y capaz de ofrecer un futuro más brillante a nuestros empleados".       ·         Presidente de IAG: Antonio Vázquez ·         Presidente de Iberia: Luis Gallego ·         Comité de Dirección de Iberia: o   Directora de Clientes: Carolina Martinoli o   Director Comercial: Marco Sansavini o   Director de Producción: Rafael J. Hoyos o   Director de Planificación Estratégica y Finanzas: José Antonio Barrionuevo o   Director de Red y Alianzas: Neil Chernoff o   Director de Servicios Aeroportuarios: Angel Marcos o   Director Técnico: André Wall o   Director de Personas: Carlos P. Fernández o   Director de Comunicación y RRII: Juan Cierco

The U.S. Air Force’s Stealth Drone Could Have a New Mission [feedly]

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The U.S. Air Force's Stealth Drone Could Have a New Mission
// War Is Boring - Medium



Photographs point to possible maritime tasks for the RQ-170

Continue reading on War Is Boring » https://warisboring.com/the-u-s-air-forces-stealth-drone-could-have-a-new-mission-25d633f62e9f


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ESA Offers Vega Flight Opportunity For Multiple Small Satellites [feedly]

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ESA Offers Vega Flight Opportunity For Multiple Small Satellites
// Aero-News Network

Flight Planned For The Second Half Of 2018 Europe's Vega small launcher is set to demonstrate its extended capability to deploy multiple light satellites using its new versatile Small Satellites Mission Service (SSMS) dispenser, in the second half of 2018.

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=8362f05a-70b7-445e-b1d7-5c81c08d548f
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Leonardo AESA Radar To Go On North African User's Unmanned Rotorcraft [feedly]

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Leonardo AESA Radar To Go On North African User's Unmanned Rotorcraft
// Aero-News Network

Contract Signed With Scheible To Provide The System For Camcopter S-100 Leonardo has announced, at the Avalon airshow in Geelong, Australia, that the company has been selected by Austrian-based Schiebel to deliver its active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar technology for the Camcopter S-100 unmanned air system (UAS) being provided to the armed forces of a North African nation. The radar, Leonardo's PicoSAR, will be used to support border-monitoring and anti-terrorism surveillance missions. PicoSAR will be delivered in 2017 and go into service the same year. http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=7399b846-e782-4121-af8c-f10d342d0981
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Airbus e Italdesign trabajando en un híbrido coche-multicóptero [feedly]

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Airbus e Italdesign trabajando en un híbrido coche-multicóptero
// Sandglass Patrol,el Blog

http://blog.sandglasspatrol.com/index.php/noticias/31-general/1650-airbus-e-italdesign-trabajando-en-un-hibrido-coche-multicoptero

Polar Kid, la vuelta al mundo en ULM circunvalando el Ártico [feedly]

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Polar Kid, la vuelta al mundo en ULM circunvalando el Ártico
// Sandglass Patrol,el Blog

 




 

 

Loïc Blaise acompañado del astronauta ruso Valéry Tokarev, apoyados por Life Odyssey, se lanzarán a la aventura a mediados del próximo abril, circunvalando el ártico en un ultraligero anfibio ruso. La aventura espera lanzar una llamada de atención sobre la ecología y la desaparición de los grandes glaciares, y de paso sobre la esclerosis múltiple, enfermedad que sufre Loïc y para la que quiere recoger fondos.

http://blog.sandglasspatrol.com/index.php/noticias/55-exhibiciones/1651-polar-kid-la-vuelta-al-mundo-en-ulm-circunvalando-el-artico

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Airbus-RAAF to develop automated aerial refueling for A330 MRTT - Aviation Analysis Wing (blog)

Aviation Analysis Wing (blog)

Airbus-RAAF to develop automated aerial refueling for A330 MRTT Aviation Analysis Wing (blog) Initial approach and tracking of the receiver is performed manually from the A330 MRTT's console. Once the image processing system acquires the receiver and the receptacle position, the operator can use the system aid allowing the boom to automatically ...

http://www.aviationanalysis.net/2017/03/airbus-raaf-to-develop-automated-aerial-refueling-system-a330-mrtt.html

Airbus, Precise Flight Expand Bird-strike Prevention - Aviation International News

Aviation International News

Airbus, Precise Flight Expand Bird-strike Prevention Aviation International News Airbus Helicopters and Precise Flight (Booth 4317) have been granted an amended supplemental type certificate (STC) for the latter company's Pulselite bird-strike prevention system, which is installed on more than 25,000 aircraft (around 84 percent of ...

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2017-03-04/airbus-precise-flight-expand-bird-strike-prevention

Lithium-Ion Battery Inventor Introduces New Technology for Fast-Charging, Noncombustible Batteries | UT News | The University of Texas at Austin

https://news.utexas.edu/2017/02/28/goodenough-introduces-new-battery-technology

The plane so good it’s still in production after 60 years

In 1956, Cessna started building the 172 training plane - and more than 60 years on, it's still in production. Why has it been so popular? It can seat four people, in a squeeze, and weighs a little under 800kg without fuel or its passengers. It has a maximum speed of 140mph (226km/h), though you ...

http://flip.it/juC455

Amazon's owner wants to extend its delivery range—to the moon

Blue Origin could bring Bezos's shipping empire to deep space After more than 40 years of putzing around low Earth orbit, everyone is suddenly in a rush to go back to the moon. Two weeks ago, NASA announced that it's considering launching humans into lunar orbit as soon as 2019. This week, SpaceX...

http://flip.it/5UUzg9