Radar Vector - Civil Aviation News

Reno air races pilot killed in crash

2008-09-08T09:17:00.001+08:00

A female pilot has crashed while preparing for the Reno air race on Saturday. The FAA said the wings of the homebuilt, single-engine Cassult IIIM broke off as it was performing a roll.

Revealed: Inside the Boeing 747 that's been turned into an 85-bed Jumbo Hostel

2008-09-08T09:11:00.000+08:00

Swedish entrepreneur, Oscar Dios, is turning a Boeing 747 into a 85-bed Jumbo Hostel.

The aircraft is parked at the Arlanda Aiport in Stockholm.

Boeing to support Mitsubishi Heavy in jet business

2008-09-08T09:09:00.000+08:00

Boeing has agreed to support Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. on marketing, development and post-sales activities for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet.

The pact will enable Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy, to utilise Boeing's know-how in production of carbon fibre-made fuselages and other areas, Junichi Miyakawa, executive vice president of Mitsubishi Aircraft, told reporters after a news conference.

GeoEye-1 Satellite Launches Into Space From Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

2008-09-08T09:03:00.001+08:00

GeoEye-1, the world's highest resolution, commercial Earth-imaging satellite has been launched into space on Sept. 6.

GeoEye-1 will simultaneously collect 0.41-meter ground resolution black-and-white (panchromatic) images and 1.65-meter color (multispectral) images.

China-made regional aircraft ARJ21 to take maiden flight

2008-09-05T09:23:00.000+08:00

China's ARJ21-700 regional jet is expected to make its maiden flight soon.

777 crash inquiry urges changes

2008-09-05T09:10:00.000+08:00

Investigators believed that the crash of the first Boeing 777 was due to ice build-up in its fuel system.

The British Air Accidents Investigation Branch has recommended to the safety authorities that there should be a review of the 777 certification requirements aimed specifically “at the accumulation of ice, and its sudden release, within aircraft and engine fuel systems”.

Fuji Heavy Engineers May Help Design Mitsubishi Jet

2008-09-04T09:19:00.000+08:00

The Mitsubishi Regional Jet may receive technical assistance from Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.

Source: Madrid crash probe focuses on wing flaps

2008-09-04T09:16:00.001+08:00

The Spanair MD-82 airliner that crashed last month may have attempted to take-off without extending its flaps.

A horn in the cockpit would have alerted the crew of the flap setting but The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the investigation, reported on its Web site Wednesday that investigators have focused on the theory that an electrical problem prevented the horn from sounding.

Trainee pilot crashes on solo

2008-08-27T16:33:00.002+08:00

A student pilot flying a Cessna 150 on his first solo flight collided with another aircraft over Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs.

The pilot was killed when his plane dived and crashed into a home. The other aircraft landed safely at Melbourne's Moorabbin airport.

Collision risk demands rapid roll-out of new TCAS: analysis

2008-08-24T10:24:00.001+08:00

A research done in Europe is advising an aggressive transition to a new version of the TCAS to correct weaknesses in the current standard.

TCAS II version 7.1 features a modification, known as CP112E, which can resolve geometries similar to the "vertical chase" scenario that led to the mid-air collision over Uberlingen, Germany in July 2002.

U.S. pilots claims round-the-world helicopter record

2008-08-19T21:17:00.000+08:00

American pilots Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik has set a new speed record for flying around the world in a helicopter.

Both of them took 11 days, seven hours and one minute to complete the feat in an Augusta 109 helicopter.

Kawasaki Studies Advanced, Lightweight Competitor to CSeries

2008-08-16T23:55:00.001+08:00

Kawasaki Heavy Industries is planning a new aircraft dubbed the YPX which will compete with Bombardier CSeries.

Together with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' MRJ regional jet, this could form the future Japanese commercial aircraft industry.

Boeing, American Airlines Finalize Deal for 26 Next-Generation 737s

2008-08-15T10:26:00.000+08:00

Boeing and American Airlines have announced an order for an additional 26 737-800s airliners.

Twenty of the 26 new orders are exercised options. The other six are incremental to American Airlines' 2009-2010 fleet plan announced earlier this year.

Boeing sees first 787 cancellation, lags Airbus

2008-08-08T12:30:00.000+08:00

Azerbaijan Airlines has become the first customer to cancel a Boeing 787 order, replacing it with a 767.

The airline also announced an order for two single-aisle 737s and one additional 767.

Russia to launch production of Tu-334 airliner within 6 months

2008-08-01T10:44:00.000+08:00

Sergei Ilyushenkov, managing director of Tupolev, said production of the short-haul Tu-334 airliner will start within six months.

Boeing reveals details of 787 pilot training programme and equipment

2008-07-25T09:25:00.002+08:00

Boeing's 787 training director Capt Al Nader says Boeing is proposing to have 777 pilots convert to the 787 in just five days without training time in a level D full-flight simulator but the FAA might not approve the idea.

Nader says the 787 should handle like the 777 and all the crew need is training on a Thales fixed-base, touchscreen simulator to learn the differences in the cockpit interface.

NASA eyes buying Japan's cargo spacecraft: report

2008-07-20T22:04:00.002+08:00

Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported that NASA plans to buy the H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV) in order to resupply the International Space Station when the Space Shuttle is retired.

The HTV is an unmanned cargo spacecraft designed to resupply the Kibō Japanese Experiment Module on the ISS.

The first launch is expected next year.

Rolls considers keeping 747 for future engine trials

2008-07-20T21:57:00.002+08:00

Rolls-Royce wants to keep the Boeing 747-200 that it had bought to conduct its Trent 1000 engine testing for the 787.

New uses for the ex-Cathay Pacific flying test bed includes testing the RB212 turbofan for the Dassault Falcon business jet.

Volga-Dnepr details proposed taller An-124 variant

2008-07-18T10:23:00.001+08:00

Volga-Dnepr wants to modify an Antonov An-124 with a taller fuselage in order to fit a greater range of industrial payloads.

A An-124-100 will be sliced horizontally just below the cockpit and a new fuselage structure would then be inserted that would jack the upper section by around 2m.

Boeing in no rush to compete with Bombardier

2008-07-15T13:18:00.002+08:00

Boeing's Scott Carson told reporters at Farnborough air show the 100- to 149-seat, single-aisle market being pursued by Bombardier with its new CSeries is not very attractive to his company.

"We haven't seen that market being terribly attractive to us. We certainly wish Bombardier well."

Irkut says in talks with China about JV

2008-07-15T11:19:00.001+08:00

Irkut Chairman Alexey Federov told reporters his company is talking with the Chinese on a joint venture on the MC-21 civil aircraft.

"So far it is a Russian project, but in the near future maybe it is possible to establish a joint venture," he said at the Farnborough Airshow via an interpreter.

Boeing 777 Freighter Makes First Flight

2008-07-15T10:53:00.000+08:00

The Boeing 777 Freighter made its maiden flight yesterday with 777 Chief Pilot Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann and 777 Deputy Chief Pilot Van Chaney at the controls.

The aircraft flew to an altitude of 18,000ft and a top speed of 270kts.

Makeover for the longest flight

2008-07-14T10:14:00.001+08:00

Pope Benedict flies in a specially configured Boeing 777 from Alitalia for his trip from Rome to Sydney.

The first class cabin was reconfigured with a bed, armchairs, worktables and a kneeler and crucifix.

Qatar to make Airbus order at UK air show

2008-07-13T12:12:00.000+08:00

Qatar is expected to make a large plane order with Airbus at this week's Farnborough airshow.

New engine technologies figure in Boeing's 737 update studies

2008-07-13T11:55:00.002+08:00

Randy Tinseth, vice-president marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, says new technologies are being evaluated to keep the 737 viable until a successor comes along.

It is looking closely at Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan as a possible engine upgrade for the single aisle aircraft.