Aircraft

ARLINGTON, Va. (11/02/09) – For the first time ever, the Air National Guard will be the sole operator of a new aircraft straight off the assembly line.

The C-27J Spartan, the latest propeller-driven airlifter, is an "extremely rugged" aircraft, designed for austere environments, said Air Force officials. It is about half the size of a C-130 with 3.5 cargo pallet positions.

“It is the first time in U.S. Air Force history where the service acquired a new airframe solely owned, operated and maintained by the Air National Guard,” said Lt. Col. Chris Beckman, the ANG’s Aviation Planning and Execution chief.    » read more »

Qatar Airways makes historic journey from London to Gatwick to Doha --- New Gas to Liquids fuel offers diversity of supply and better local air quality to busy airports.

12/10/2009 -- A Qatar Airways aircraft this evening completed the world’s first commercial passenger flight powered by a fuel made from natural gas.

The historic journey from London Gatwick to Doha took over six hours and was operated with an Airbus A340-600 aircraft using Rolls-Royce Trent 556 engines.

Shell developed and produced the 50-50 blend of synthetic Gas to Liquids (GTL) kerosene and conventional oil-based kerosene fuel. The State of Qatar is set to become the world’s leading producer of GTL kerosene when it is put into commercial production from 2012.    » read more »

Chicago, June 2, 2009 -- J. Michael Luttig, executive vice president and general counsel of The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA], today directed that an immediate appeal be made following a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decision upholding the government’s position in the long-running A-12 case.

“Today's decision, which awards no amount of damages to either the contractors or the government, is but the next step in this regrettable litigation that is now in its eighteenth year. The decision is fatally flawed under what has been the law governing this case from the outset. It creates out of whole cloth a new law that essentially requires the case to be tried anew from the beginning,” Luttig said.    » read more »

LONG BEACH, Calif., May 29, 2009 – A U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber returned to flight last week after a team led by The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] replaced its catastrophically damaged upper-center boron longeron – the aircraft's "backbone."

The B-1, Swift Justice, was damaged during a routine training mission in December 2007. An engine-bleed air duct rupture triggered a temperature warning light, forcing the crew to land the aircraft at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.

Replacing the upper-center boron longeron, which is essential for stability in flight, is not a simple task because the part is unique to each aircraft, with no spares available.    » read more »

The B-2 Spirit is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. A dramatic leap forward in technology, the bomber represents a major milestone in the U.S. bomber modernization program.

Along with the B-52 and B-1B, the B-2 provides the penetrating flexibility and effectiveness inherent in manned bombers. Its low-observable, or "stealth," characteristics give it the unique ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets. Its capability to penetrate air defenses and threaten effective retaliation provides a strong, effective deterrent and combat force well into the 21st century.    » read more »

SEATTLE, April 27, 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] P-8A Poseidon test aircraft T-1 successfully completed its first flight April 25, taking off from Renton Field at 10:43 a.m. and touching down at Boeing Field in Seattle at 2:14 p.m. The P-8A performed a series of flight checks, reached a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet, and landed after three hours, 31 minutes in the air.    » read more »

ST. LOUIS, July 01, 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] installed two CFM56-7B engines on the U.S. Navy's first P-8A Poseidon June 21 in Renton, Wash. The on-schedule assembly closely follows the aircraft's wing-to-body join and "power on" milestones. Following final functional checks, the Boeing-led Poseidon industry team will conduct initial engine runs. Boeing will deliver the first test aircraft to the Navy in 2009.

Boeing Installs Engines on 1st P-8A Poseidon: (Photo credit: Boeing)    » read more »

SEATTLE, July 02, 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] this week delivered a Next-Generation 737-800 to Toronto-based Sunwing Airlines. The third new Next-Generation Boeing 737 to be delivered to Sunwing and the first to be operated on lease from lessor Aviation Capital Group (ACG), the airplane is equipped with performance-enhancing Blended Winglets, which improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 4 percent.

Boeing Delivers Next-Generation 737 to Sunwing Airlines of Canada: (Photo credit: Boeing)    » read more »

ROME, July 02, 2008 -- Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica company, successfully completed destructive testing on the horizontal stabilizer of the Boeing [NYSE: BA] 787 Dreamliner. The test took place at Alenia's Pomigliano plant in Naples with Boeing engineers and representatives of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in attendance. The stabilizer is made at the Alenia Aeronautica plant at Foggia in Italy's Puglia region.    » read more »

December 5, 2007 -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced that Connecticut has joined California and several other states in a petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) calling for regulation of aircraft emissions.    » read more »

25/10/2007 -- GKN Aerospace has been awarded a contract by Boeing to develop and supply advanced titanium metal matrix composite (TMMC) thrust links for the Boeing 787. This represents the first use of TMMC in a commercial application.    » read more »

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ, August 15, 2007 -- Honeywell (NYSE:HON) today announced that Rob Gillette, President and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace, will be presenting at the Gabelli & Company Aircraft Supplier Conference in New York, New York on Thursday, September 6, 2007 from 8:40 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. EDT.    » read more »