lunes, 23 de enero de 2017

Stop Disrespecting the Turboprop [feedly]



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Stop Disrespecting the Turboprop
// War Is Boring - Medium



Planes with these engines are perfectly fine for modern air forces

Continue reading on War Is Boring »
https://warisboring.com/stop-disrespecting-the-turboprop-c00acd3fff3a

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Drone Tests New Tech to Help FAA Track Commercial Spacecraft - Space.com


Space.com

Drone Tests New Tech to Help FAA Track Commercial Spacecraft
Space.com
This flight test made NSC the first commercial suborbital space company to fly under the FAA's new Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) rules that went into effect in August. Regulations now require drone pilots to have a special Certificate of Authorization ...



http://www.space.com/35383-drone-tests-faa-commercial-spaceflight-tech.html

Denmark Set to Receive the First Permanent BVLOS License - Commercial UAV News


Commercial UAV News

Denmark Set to Receive the First Permanent BVLOS License
Commercial UAV News
The two universities, University of Southern Denmark and the University of Aalborg, have carried out safety evaluations of the UAV flights during the project, and the results are equal, or even better, than the safety levels from commercial air traffic ...


http://www.expouav.com/news/latest/denmark-set-receive-first-permanent-bvlos-license/

Interesting 2017 predictions for regional jet market from Embraer Commercial Aviation CEO


1. Book-to-Bill Ratio
2. Robust Demand in the USA
3. Capacity Discipline in Europe & Asia
4. China’s New Regional Policy
5. Demand for Used Aircraft




TECNAM’S 11 SEAT P2012 TRAVELLER TO MAKE PUBLIC DEBUT AT AERO ’17, FRIEDRICHSHAFEN

PR

The twin Lycoming-engined 11-seat P2012 Traveller prototype will take centre stage on Tecnam’s stand at the Global Aviation show’s 25th anniversary in April this year. The aircraft will interrupt an intensive test flight programme to be present for all three days between April 5th and April 8th.

Tecnam will also be highlighting its broad model range which covers Advanced Ultra-Light, US-LSA, CS-VLA and CS-23 FAR 23 aircraft.

In addition to the P2012 Traveller, Tecnam will be presenting the latest version of the highly successful P2002 Sierra, the MKII,featuring a complete range of re-designed interiors and state of the art avionics.

Over 60 Tecnam Dealers from all over the world will be on hand to support the needs of the many visitors and customers who will be attending AERO ’17.

The TravellerThe Tecnam P2012 prototype is currently engaged in a challenging test flight programme and a number of key tests have already been successfully completed. The aircraft is equipped with latest avionics from Garmin, the new G1000 Nxi and is powered by two 375 HP Lycoming piston engines. TECNAM is very happy with the progress to date and the programme is now well on its way to completing flight certification, scheduled for around the end of 2018.

LEONARDO: AGREEMENT WITH THE ITALIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE FOR THE NEW M-345 TRAINER AIRCRAFT AND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW EXPLORATION AND ESCORT HELICOPTER


  • Moretti: “The signing of these contracts is the result of constructive discussions between the Italian Government and the industry”
  • The new aircraft will work alongside the M-346s already used by the Italian Air Force for the advanced phase of pilot training, forming the world’s most advanced training system for military pilots
  • The new exploration and escort helicopter will replace the AW129 used by the Italian Army which is nearing 30 years in operation





Leonardo has signed, with the Italian National Armaments Directorate of the Italian Defence Ministry, two contracts for an initial batch of five Aermacchi M-345 trainer aircraft and for the first phase of development and delivery programme of the new exploration and escort helicopter (NEES) for the Italian Army. The combined value of the contracts is in excess of 500 million euro.



Mauro Moretti, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Leonardo, said: “The signing of these two contracts is the result of constructive discussions between the Italian Government and industry, which helped identify the requirements and the best technological answers. Thanks to this joint understanding, we’ll be able to deliver advanced solutions to our national customer by optimizing available financial resources and developing new technologies, skills and industrial processes in our country.”



The Italian Air Force has a total requirement for around 45 M-345s (designated as T-345 by the Italian Armed Forces) to progressively replace the 137 in-service MB-339 aircraft which entered into operation in 1982. The new aircraft will work alongside the fleet of 18 twin-engine Aermacchi M-346s already ordered and currently used by the Italian Air Force for the advanced phase of pilot training. Together, the two aircraft types will form the world’s most advanced training system for military pilots. The M-345, thanks to its high performance and advanced ground-based training systems, will provide the Italian Air Force with a significant boost in the effectiveness of training, improved efficiency and a reduction in operational costs. The first delivery is expected by 2019.



The multiyear contract for the new exploration and escort helicopter (NEES) of the Italian Army envisages the study, development, industrialization, production and testing of a prototype and three initial production aircraft. Through this new programme, based on a total requirement for 48 units, the Italian Army will be able to replace the current fleet of AW129 which are expected to be retired from service by 2025 following over 35 years in operations. The NEES programme will benefit from the long operational expertise gained by the Italian Army thanks to the AW129 and from the know-how of Leonardo in this specific helicopter sector. It will allow the service to introduce an even more technologically advanced product, with greater performance and lower operating costs, to meet arising needs in evolving scenarios for the next 30 years.




Press_Release_LDO_130117_ENG (Download: pdf, Size: 90.6 KB)

LEONARDO AWARDED £271 MILLION AW159 WILDCAT INTEGRATED SUPPORT & TRAINING (WIST) CONTRACT BY UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

The WIST contract will support the 62 AW159 Wildcats now in-service with the British Army and Royal Navy for the next five years as part of an ongoing contract

  • The contract recognises Leonardo Helicopters unique capabilities in the UK and supports the objectives of the Strategic Partnering Arrangement signed by Leonardo and the UK Ministry of Defence
  • Leonardo Helicopters delivered the 62nd and final AW159 Wildcat to the UK Ministry of Defence last month



Leonardo has been awarded a £271 million (approximately €320 million) contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to deliver support and training services for their fleet of 62 AW159 Wildcat helicopters operated by the British Army and Royal Navy. The five year contract was announced by Harriett Baldwin MP, Minister for Defence Procurement, during a visit today to Leonardo’s Yeovil facility in South West England. The contract will commence 1st April 2017 and confirms the price the MOD will pay for Wildcat training and support for the next five years of the 30 year WIST contract awarded in 2012.



The WIST contract includes a spares provisioning service, enhanced technical support services including aircraft safety management, as well as delivering synthetic and ground based training for both aircrew and maintainers.



The contract directly sustains over 500 skilled industry jobs, mainly in the South West of England at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, where the Wildcat Training Centre and zonal maintenance facilities are located, and at Leonardo’s Yeovil factory. Leonardo’s contribution also involves its Airborne & Space Systems division for the radar and defensive aids systems, located in Edinburgh and Luton. Other key subcontractors supporting the WIST programme include Thales UK for communication and aircraft management systems, located in Crawley and Morson who provide aircraft maintenance and support staff, mainly at RNAS Yeovilton.



The WIST contract is output-based, whereby Leonardo is incentivised to improve the levels of operational output whilst seeking continuous improvement to reduce through life costs. The contract is similar to the Integrated Operational Support (IOS) availability based contracts that Leonardo Helicopters is successfully delivering for the UK MoD’s AW101 Merlin, Sea King and Apache AH Mk.1 helicopter fleets.



On 14th December 2016 Leonardo handed over the 62nd and final AW159 Wildcat to the UK MoD before it made the short delivery flight to RNAS Yeovilton, the main operating base for British Army and Royal Navy AW159 Wildcats.



Leonardo signed a new 10-year Strategic Partnering Arrangement (SPA) with the UK Ministry of Defence in July 2016, which focusses on delivering ever increasing value to the UK taxpayer on current contracts, including WIST, the continued growth of exports and the identification and subsequent investment in the development of new technologies and capabilities. The joint intent of the SPA is to exploit the identified technologies onto both existing in-service platforms as well as future manned and unmanned platforms.




ComLDO_WIST_contract_09_01_2017_ENG (Download: pdf, Size: 277.5 KB)




Airlink becomes first South African airline to acquire Embraer E-Jets



Amsterdam, The Netherlands, January 19, 2017 – Airlink, Southern Africa’s largest independent regional airline, is joining the E-Jet operator’s family. The airline is acquiring five E-Jets - three E170s and two E190s, from ECC Leasing, a wholly-owned Embraer subsidiary. Airlink will start to receive the aircraft in the first half of 2017.


Airlink already operates a large fleet of ERJ aircraft – last December, the airline started to add 11 further ERJ 140 jets to its fleet. By the end of the fourth quarter of 2017, the airline will be operating 30 ERJs, comprising all three types - ERJ 135, ERJ 140 and the ERJ 145.


Rodger Foster, CEO of Airlink, said, “This is the beginning of the implementation of a well planned growth and modernization strategy for Airlink that includes replacing our current fleet of Avro RJ85s over the next three years. The strategy calls for a total of 13 E-Jets, and we are in the process of sourcing the balance of the fleet requirement – an additional 8 E190s – from the market. The unique performance characteristics of the E-Jet family will enable Airlink to operate within the challenging environment of the region, including short field and “hot and high” operations, while managing capacity and providing for growth.”


Foster continued, “the E190’s ETOPS (Extended Twin Engine Operations) capability and range presents Airlink with new market opportunities to address isolated destinations that were previously beyond our reach and in some instances that have never enjoyed the privilege of reliable scheduled air services. Embraer has proven to be an excellent partner for Airlink on our ERJ fleet, and we look forward to the continuation of superb customer support as we enter a new chapter of growth with the E-Jets.”


“Welcoming another operator to the E-Jet Family is always a great endorsement of our aircraft and the Embraer experience”, said Simon Newitt, Vice President, Africa, Latin America & Portugal, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “We are very proud that Airlink will now become the first South African operator of the type.”


Embraer aircraft have been operating in Africa since 1978, when the first Bandeirante turboprop arrived on the continent. Currently, there are 127 Embraer aircraft in operation with 39 airlines in 19 African countries, performing a vital role in connectivity.


Embraer is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial jets with up to 130+ seats. The Company has 100 customers from all over the world operating the ERJ and the E-Jet families of aircraft. For the E-Jets program alone, Embraer has logged more than 1,700 orders and over 1,300 deliveries, redefining the traditional concept of regional aircraft by operating across a range of business applications.


Follow us on Twitter: @Embraer


About Airlink

Airlink is the largest independent regional airline in southern Africa, linking more passengers to the smaller towns, cities and regional centers than any other local airline. Airlink connects 36 destinations in 9 African countries.


The airline currently carries more than 1.4m passengers on 44,800 flights annually. Airlink has shown growth in every single year of its existence. Our passenger profile represents approximately 30% leisure and 70% business.


Airlink’s business destinations include: several State Capital Cities such as Antananarivo, Lusaka, Harare; multiple provincial Capital cities such as Pietermaritzburg, Polokwane, Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Nelspruit; Industrial towns such as Upington, Phalaborwa, Ndola, Tete, Sishen, Nampula, Beira, Pemba and Bulawayo. Additionally, airlink offers some exotic tourist destinations such as Cape Town, Mthatha, George, Windhoek, Okavango Delta (Maun), Chobe River (Kasane), Livingston, Skukuza, Vilanculos, and Nosy Be.


Airlink’s main hub is Johannesburg where our schedule is aimed at addressing the complexities of market demand and is specifically designed to satisfy point to point travel requirements whilst also optimizing interline connectivity, particularly with the arrivals and departures of our franchise partner of twenty years, South African Airways, and all other IATA member airlines.

737 MAX makes a splash

Boeing Test & Evaluation teams took the 737 MAX for a little dip to see how it would stand up to extreme conditions. Watch the video to see how they incorporated a new teammate, an unmanned aerial system, into this high-stakes water spray test.

Boeing Test & Evaluation teams employ an Unmanned Aerial System during water spray testing for innovation and efficiency.




https://youtu.be/hEx7Glp8Kk0

My awful 48 hours as an astronaut

Volunteers are trying to live like astronauts on Earth in preparation for manned missions to Mars, but face isolation, confinement and terrible food. After almost a year without fresh air in the cramped, near-weightless environment of the International Space Station (ISS), American astronaut Scot...

http://flip.it/BkAdMj


MRJ regional jet delayed until mid 2020

Leejam Newshttps://leehamnews.com/2017/01/23/mrj-regional-jet-delayed-mid-2020/


Mitsubishi Press releaseMitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) announced today that MHI and Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation will adjust the first delivery of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) from mid-2018 to mid-2020. The change is due to revisions of certain systems and electrical configurations on the aircraft to meet the latest requirements for certification.

MHI recently established the MRJ Business Promotion Committee, chaired by Shunichi Miyanaga, President & Chief Executive Officer of MHI, to oversee the continued development and long-term business performance of the MRJ, effective on November 28, 2016.

Since the historic MRJ first flight in November 2015, we have made significant progress in both engineering and test, and now three aircraft are in flight test in the United States.

Going forward, under the MRJ Business Promotion Committee’s oversight, we will continue to make prompt decisions and remain firmly committed to the development of the MRJ to offer our customers an aircraft with world-class performance and compatibility with latest industry certifications. Advancing the MRJ project

Mitsubishi delays MRJ deliveries by two years [feedly]

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has confirmed a two-year delay to the MRJ regional jet programme, the fifth time its schedule has been pushed back since launching in 2008.
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/mitsubishi-delays-mrj-deliveries-by-two-years-433402/

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NASA Tracks Air Flow Generated By Drones [feedly]

Supercomputers Generate Images Showing How Air Interacts With Rotors, Fuselage For decades, NASA has used computer models to simulate the flow of air around aircraft in order to test designs and improve the performance of next-generation vehicles.
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=fe8d1189-9d88-49d0-a341-5d1b49f5ec70


Royal Navy gets new eyes in the skies [feedly]

When the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth class carriers go into service in 2020, they'll be watched over by a new generation of eyes in the sky. In an announcement by the Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin MP, Lockheed Martin UK was awarded a £269 million (US $331 million) contract to develop and manufacture the Crowsnest Airborne Surveillance System to alert the carrier groups against incoming missile and other airborne threats.

.. Continue Reading Royal Navy gets new eyes in the skies
http://newatlas.com/royal-navy-carriers-crowsnest/47475/


Iberia e Iberia Express reciben en FITUR el premio a las más puntuales del mundo en 2016

Nota de prensa

Iberia e Iberia Express reciben en FITUR el premio a las más puntuales del mundo en 2016

  • Se lo ha entregado Flightstats, consultora líder en información de vuelos, servicios y aplicaciones de la industria de los viajes.
  • El acto se ha convertido en un "homenaje" a los empleados de las dos aerolíneas, verdaderos artífices del gran logro en puntualidad que Iberia e Iberia Express han alcanzado.
  • Hoy la aerolínea ha celebrado también en FITUR su 90 cumpleaños, en un stand que recorre los grandes hitos de su historia.
 

Madrid, 19 de enero de 2017

 

Los presidentes de Iberia e Iberia Express han recibido hoy en FITUR el premio a las aerolíneas más puntuales del mundo de su categoría, según Flightstats, la consultora líder en información de vuelos, servicios y aplicaciones de la industria de los viajes. Representantes de FlightStats han volado expresamente desde EEUU a Madrid para entregar estos premios que suman ya su octava edición.

 

El acto se ha convertido en un homenaje a todos los colectivos de Iberia e Iberia Express –pilotos, TCP, personal de aeropuertos-, verdaderos artífices de este gran logro, que  han estado representados por una delegación de empleados que han recibido los premios y a quienes ha cedido la palabra Luis Gallego, presidente del Grupo Iberia.

 

En 2016 Iberia no solo ha sido la aerolínea internacional más puntual del mundo (Major Global Airline), también  la aerolínea más puntual de Europa (European Major Airline) y la más puntual de Europa también como aerolínea de red contabilizando sus datos junto a los de su franquiciada Iberia Regional Air Nostrum (European Major Airline Network).

 

En los últimos cuatro años, Iberia ha ido mejorando su situación en el ranking de puntualidad hasta situarse en lo más alto. Fue la cuarta más puntual del mundo en 2013, tercera en 2014, segunda en 2015 y la primera en 2016.

 

En el caso de Iberia Express, la compañía sido reconocida como la aerolínea de bajo coste más puntual del mundo, por tercer año consecutivo, lo  que supone un importante reconocimiento a nivel internacional al esfuerzo, compromiso y dedicación de una aerolínea que en tan sólo 4 años y medio de vida ha conseguido importantes logros. Miembros del comité de dirección, así como responsables del área de operaciones vuelo, tierra y tripulaciones han estado presentes en la entrega de premios celebrada hoy.

 

90 cumpleaños

 

Además, Iberia ha celebrado hoy en FITUR su 90 cumpleaños en un stand en el que pueden seguirse los hitos más importantes de su historia, y donde los visitantes encontrarán la cabina de un Rohrbach Roland, primer avión de Iberia, y podrán vestir con ropa de los años 20.

 

Sobre Iberia: Iberia es la primera compañía de España y líder en las rutas entre Europa y Latinoamérica. Junto con su filial Iberia Express y su franquiciada Iberia Regional Air Nostrum, ofrece alrededor de 600 vuelos al día a  medio centenar de países de Europa, América, África, Oriente Medio y Asia,  con una flota de 135 aviones. En 2016, Iberia e Iberia Express han sido las más puntuales del mundo en sus categorías, según FlightStats. Es miembro de la alianza oneworld, que ofrece más de 14.000 vuelos diarios a cerca de 1.000 aeropuertos en más de 150 países.