Aviation Partners Inc (API) testeará los wingtips tipo "Spiroid" en un Falcon 50

 Aviation Partners Inc. (API) comenzarña a ensayar los wingtips tipo "spiroid" en un Falcon 50 a comienzos de junio de 2010.

 

El desarrollo está financiado en parte por el centro John A. Volpe Transportation System del gobierno federal administrado por la FAA , sito en Cambridge. El objetivo es experimentar modifcaciones en el ala que tengan potencial de reducir la firma sonora y la emisión de dióxido de carbono durante el vuelo de los aviones.  Las puntas de ala "spiroid" fueron desarrolladas por API y probadas sobre un Gulfstream G-II hace unos años, y la segunda generación será probada ahora en un Falcon 50.

 

Hank Thompson, el vicepresidente de la compañía, dice que no es un dispositivo desarrollado específicamente para el Falcon 50, si no que se ha tomado este avión como banco de ensayos por ser propiedad de la compañía. "Somos optimistas, y creemos que es uno de los mejores wingtips que API haya diseñado nunca"  dijo Thompson. "Nunca hemos creado un diseño que no hiciera exactamente lo que dijimos que haría".

 

El ingeniero senior de API Louis "Bernie" Gratzer ha invertido décadas en refinar los códigos de CFD de la compañía, contrastándolos con los datos obtenidos en vuelo para comprobar la precisión de las predicciones. API dice que desde que se instalaron los winglets en los aviones de línea, desde que debutaron con los 737 de Southwest Airlnes a mediados de 2003, han ahorrado a las aerolineas más de dos millardos de galones de combustible.

Blog.sandglasspatrol.com

Airbus presenta en París las cuentas de 2009 y el acuerdo del A400M

http://www.lavozdigital.es/cadiz/v/20100308/ciudadanos/airbus-presenta-paris-cuentas-20100308.html

El consorcio aeronáutico europeo EADS-Airbus presenta mañana en París el balance económico de 2009.

Iran to replace Russian pilots with nationals

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jmrRYrbbTR9jZbCkmKwVYrAdDGYw

Iran's transport minister said on Saturday that Russian pilots flying for Iranian airlines will be replaced by local cockpit crew within two months, the Fars news agency reported.

"The ministry of transport has given a two-month period, after which all Russian pilots must leave the country," the agency quoted Hamid Behbahani as saying.

When Iran has "a number of professional pilots, there is no need for importing them to operate our flights," the minister was quoted as saying.

Desviados 10 vuelos que tenían aterrizar en Girona y suspendidos otros 9 por intensa nevada

http://www.aerotendencias.com/actualidad-aeronautica-/997-desviados-10-vuelos-que-tenian-aterrizar-en-girona-y-suspendidos-otros-9-por-intensa-nevada

Northrop to skip tanker bid, EADS mulls going solo

Northrop to skip tanker bid, EADS mulls going solo
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0818811020100308

WASHINGTON/PARIS, March 8 (Reuters) - Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) plans to announce on Monday that it will not compete for the U.S. Air Force's multibillion-dollar aerial tanker contract, forcing Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA) to decide whether it will submit a solo bid, according to sources closely following the issue.

Northrop A KC-X No Bid
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a46b6cedc-6733-4de8-9e82-7641664496ba

India unveils details of indigenous 70-seat turboprop

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/03/08/339065/india-unveils-details-of-indigenous-70-seat-turboprop.html

 

India has adopted a turboprop design for its first indigenous regional aircraft and has released preliminary specifications for the planned 70-seater.

...

This will give the aircraft 25% lower acquisition costs, 25% lower operating costs and 50% lower maintenance costs than existing turboprop regional aircraft, says NAL.

Air Nostrum asume los vuelos que deja Iberia pero con aviones más pequeños

http://www.diariodenavarra.es/20100306/navarra/air-nostrum-asume-vuelos-deja-iberia-pero-aviones-pequenos.html?not=2010030601085994&idnot=2010030601085994&dia=20100306&seccion=navarra&seccion2=economia&chnl=10

 

Supondrá una reducción de plazas importante, ya que pasaría de las 160 actuales a 90

 

- Iberia anunció esta semana su intención de eliminar el primer vuelo del día y el último entre Pamplona y Madrid

How ESA got its tweet back

ESA press release

 

 

On Friday, Esa Alanen and family visited the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, as guests of ESA, to say thanks for relinquishing the Twitter name www.twitter.com/esa.
 
When ESA went to open its Twitter account last year, the name was already taken. The ESA web team was stuck – 'European Space Agency' is too long for the Twitter character limit and no other name would do. It was time for some detective work and it was no surprise that the owner turned out to be a Finn: Esa is a common male name in Finland.  
 

"I took the account some years ago, because I needed it for my work," explained Esa, who works at Finnish telecom giant Nokia as product manager and follows all new social media channels as part of his work. "In fact, I was surprised to find that no other Esa had taken the account. Only later I realised that ESA existed and didn't have that address."

In thanks for his Twitter address, ESA offered Esa and family a VIP visit to the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, and the chance to meet a real astronaut. This was especially fascinating for Esa's six-year-old son Johannes, who "wants to be a spaceman".
 
 

Before the visit to EAC, Johannes thought that the main tasks of the astronauts in space were "fixing things and wearing spacesuit - especially a jacket", but after hearing about being an astronaut from a real one, Michel Togini, he learned that there is a lot more to it. "Johannes may one day want to be in the ESA astronaut group because of this visit," said Esa.

The whole family, Esa, Johannes, mother Katja and daughter Matleena, were welcomed by former astronaut Michel Togini, Head of EAC, and then taken around the different training facilities. "The full-size model of the ATV cargo vehicle was impressive," said Esa. "Visiting the Columbus module and being in the real space station module was really interesting".
 
 

	Esa with his family in the Soyuz simulator

The Alanen family also watched spacewalk training in the huge water tank at EAC and watched a 3D movie on the ISS and ESA.

The highlight of the day was sitting in the commander's seat of the Soyuz spacecraft. "For an engineer, seeing the instruments and switches in the capsule was amazing. They were more robust and simpler than I have thought, but it seems they have to be. Flying a spacecraft is not totally automatic!"

Thanks to Esa from ESA!