Second Boeing 747-8 Freighter Completes First Flight

EVERETT, Wash., March 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A second Boeing (NYSE: BA) 747-8 Freighter, RC 522, successfully completed its first flight Sunday evening. The airplane took off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., for a two-and-a-half-hour flight and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle.

Captain Kirk Vining was at the controls for the flight, with Rick Braun operating as co-pilot and Joel Conard serving as systems operator. The airplane reached an altitude of 27,000 feet (8,230 m) and an airspeed of 240 knots, or about 276 miles (444 km) per hour. It took off at 3:57 p.m. PDT and landed at 6:25 p.m.

"The airplane performed well on its first flight," said Andy Hammer, test program manager for 747-8. "It was a good start to a demanding flight-test program for this airplane."  

This is the second of three 747-8 Freighters being used in the flight-test program. Each airplane will be used for a specific set of tests, with this airplane focusing on community noise, environmental control systems and extended operation performance standards.

The airplane will begin its flight-test program at Boeing Field before transitioning to Palmdale, Calif.

Boeing Press Release

Boeing Hummingbird Proves Resupply Capability for US Marines

The Boeing [NYSE: BA] A160T Hummingbird has successfully completed a cargo delivery demonstration under a U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory contract, proving the unmanned rotorcraft's ability to resupply frontline troops in rough terrain. The Hummingbird met or exceeded all of the demonstration requirements during the tests, conducted March 9 - March 11 at the U.S. Army's Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

Boeing showed that the A160T can deliver at least 2,500 pounds of cargo from one simulated forward-operating base to another 75 nautical miles away in well under the required six hours. The simulated mission carried 1,250-pound sling loads over two 150-nautical-mile round trips, with the A160T operating autonomously on a preprogrammed mission.

"The Hummingbird's performance was outstanding, as we had expected," said Vic Sweberg, director of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Boeing Military Aircraft. "The A160T's capabilities can fulfill our customer's near-term need for 24/7, reliable cargo resupply. It also provides unmatched flexibility to carry out a variety of other missions, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; target acquisition; direct action; and communication relay."

The A160T completed seven test flights during the demonstration, including a two-minute hover at 12,000 feet with the 1,250-pound sling load, and a nighttime delivery to a simulated forward operating base. The A160T's ability to execute extremely accurate autonomous deliveries also was demonstrated.

The A160T has a 2,500-pound payload capacity. It features a unique optimum-speed-rotor technology that significantly improves overall performance efficiency by adjusting the rotor's speed at different altitudes, gross weights and cruise speeds. The autonomous unmanned aircraft, measuring 35 feet long with a 36-foot rotor diameter, has hovered at 20,000 feet and cruised at more than 140 knots. The A160T established a world endurance record in its class in 2008 with an 18.7-hour unrefueled flight.

Boeing PressRelease

La NASA presentará los futuros 'rover' que explorarán Marte

http://www.europapress.es/ciencia/noticia-nasa-presentara-futuros-rover-exploraran-marte-20100315185649.html

NTSB STUDY SHOWS INTRODUCTION OF ‘GLASS COCKPITS’ IN GENERAL AVIATION AIRPLANES HAS NOT LED TO EXPECTED SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2010/100309.html

 

Today the National Transportation Safety Board adopted a study concluding that single engine airplanes equipped with glass cockpits had no better overall safety record than airplanes with conventional instrumentation. 

Airbus pretende vender 210 transportes A400M en los EEUU

 Airbus afirma que pretende vender 210 de su muy retrasado transporte militar A400M a los EEUU.

 

Domingo Urena, director general de Airbus Military la Unidad de defensa de  EADS, dijo el Lunes que los EEUU son un mercado clave para el A400M, un turbohélice cuatrimotor cuyo desarrollo ha estado plagado de retrasos y aumentos de costes.

 

Urena dijo que Airbus Military espera vender 500 de estos aparatos además de los 184 que han sido encargados por los 7 clientes nacionales fundadores del proyecto — Belgica, UK, Francia, Alemania, Luxemburgo, España y Turquía.

 

 AFP

EADS aims to sell 210 A400M military transport planes to US Department of Defense

Domingo Ureña, director general of EADS N.V.'s defense unit Airbus Military, said Monday that the U.S. was a key market for the A400M, a four-engine turbo prop under development that has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i6YNFQC5b5dKatzrrqQxUHxsqfnAD9EF0QTO4

 

 

 

India's new interceptor missile fails test

India's new Advanced Air Defense (AAD) interceptor missile, capable of destroying hostile missiles, failed to launch on Monday during a planned test at a firing range off Orissa coast, Indian media reported

http://en.rian.ru/world/20100315/158199016.html

 

 

The test fire of India's new Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile from the Orissa coast on Monday failed to materialise as the target deviated from its path and plunged into the sea.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/interceptor-missile-trial-fails-as-target-falls-into-sea/590987/

CERTIFIED! Cessna Citation CJ4 Gets THE Nod From FAA

 

 

 

 

 

 http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=f5031f71-d7bc-494b-9e75-47ff90c87e51&Dynamic=1

Cessna Aircraft has confirmed the awarding of an FAA TC for the Citation CJ4. Deliveries are set to begin later this year.

 

Cessna notes that the Citation CJ4 is the newest and largest member of the popular CJ family of business jets consisting of the Citation CJ1+, CJ2+ and CJ3. The CJ4 is approved for single-pilot operations and shares a common pilot type rating with the other CJs (a pilot rated to fly any one of the CJs is rated to fly them all). Retail price in 2010 dollars for a typically equipped Citation CJ4 is $9 million.

 

 

 

 

Photo:

http://www.cessna.com/NewReleases/New/NewReleaseNum-1192310090991.html

EADS slides to its first loss

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/03/15/339354/eads-slides-to-its-first-loss.html

Augmented reality simulation and training technology roadmap is goal of Army request for information

http://mae.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONEWS&PUBLICATION_ID=32&ARTICLE_ID=373286&C=ONEWS&dcmp=rss

 

Experts at the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., released a request for information (RFI) Friday called Augmented Reality (AR) Systems Technology Roadmap Survey (solicitation number RDECOM-STTC-RFI) to collect information on augmented reality capabilities for dismounted soldiers.

UM Air, condenada por el accidente del Yak 42

http://www.actualidadaeroespacial.com/index.php?view=noticias&id=4b9ddd41719dd&viewTemplate=1

 

Zaragoza.- El Juzgado de Instrucción número 2 de Zaragoza ha condenado a la compañía aérea Ukranian Mediterranean Airlines (Um Air), a la reaseguradora BUSIN Joint Stock Insurance y la contratista alemana Chapman Freeborn, por el accidente del avión Yakolev-42, ocurrido en mayo de 2002 en Trabzon (Turquía), en el que fallecieron 62 militares españoles, al pago de 6.125.500 euros de indemnización a sus familias.

An-225, el avión más grande del mundo/ Photo: world biggest airplane

 

 

 

 

 

 

vía Lorena E.C. ¡¡gracias Lorena!!. Desconocemos quién es el autor de las fotografías. Si alguien conoce quien es el autor, por favor, que nos lo haga saber.

 

Las fotos venían acompañadas por el siguiente texto, en inglés, que traducimos de forma aproximada...

 

 

 

 

Este avión estuvo en el aeropuerto de las cataratas del Niágara dos veces recientemente, para transportar compresores en vuelo directo a Arabia Saudí.

 

¡32 ruedas! ¡Cuesta más que una casa (normal) cambiar todos los neumáticos! Es el avión mas grande del mundo, el ruso Antonov 225. Las fotos son de cuando el gigante ruso estuvo en Medford, para transportar dos helicópteros apagafuegos Sikorsky, para un transporte trans-oceánico: costó $1000000 transportarlos.

 

Mientras los cargaban los pilotos rusos fueron a la ciudad a comprar cigarrillos y unos vaqueros levis. Es asombroso que un aparato tan grande pueda estar en el aire. Los hermanos Wright nunca lo hubieran soñado.

 

 

THIS AIRPLANE WAS AT THE  NIAGARA FALLS   AIRPORT  RECENTLY (TWICE) TO LOAD COMPRESSORS TO FLY DIRECTLY TO  SAUDI ARABIA  

32 wheels! -- Costs more than my house to rotate the tires! The World's Biggest Airplane, the Russian Antonov 225. Attached pics are of the Russian behemoth when it came into  Medford ,  OR , to pick up two Sikorsky fire fighting helicopters to take overseas -- $1,000,000 to transport them

While they were loading the helicopters, the Russian pilots (two crews), went into town to buy cigarettes by the case and  Levis  jeans. It is amazing something this huge can stay in the air. The Wright brothers would never have dreamed it.