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General Aviation/Helicopter News

Discussion in 'Commercial & General Aviation' started by Jet News, Dec 30, 2012.

  1. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    Let's try this again, here is another link showing the same thing...

  2. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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  3. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    The TaxiBot aircraft towing system developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and TLD has been certified in Europe and Israel for the Boeing 737. The annual global cost of towing passenger aircraft is estimated to reach USD$8.4 billion by 2020, but TaxiBot has the potential to reduce the cost to less than USD$3 billion a year, IAI said. The company said that the system also reduces CO2 emissions by 85 percent and noise by 50 percent.

    TaxiBot is a semi-robotic, pilot-controlled vehicle designed to move planes from airport gate to the runway and back without using the aircraft's engines. It was developed by IAI and its French risk-sharing partner TLD Group, a maker of airport ground support equipment, in cooperation with Lufthansa Engineering and Operational Services. Boeing and Airbus provided support for the project, which is expected to begin in-service evaluation next month for Lufthansa 737s at Frankfurt Airport.

    A Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 consumes about a tonne of fuel (1,250 litres) for a 17-minute taxi before takeoff, which TaxiBot would reduce by 85 percent. The TaxiBot itself consumes 25-30 litres of fuel. IAI expects the TaxiBot to receive approval for operational tests with Airbus A320s soon. European and US airlines are in advanced talks to use the TaxiBot, IAI said. Last month IAI and TLD signed an agreement with Air France to evaluate use of TaxiBot on the airline's wide-body fleet at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.

    Authorisation for use on wide-body aircraft is expected by the end of 2015, IAI said. IAI officials estimate that TaxiBot will earn the Israeli company hundreds of millions of dollars over the coming years. "We invested tens of millions of dollars in this project, as did TLD," Shuki Eldar, vice president of business development, told reporters. "Lufthansa, which helped us and was involved, also invested." IAI, which supplies the robot for the TaxiBot, is setting up a company in Europe to market the product. TLD supplies the tractors for the system.

    (Reuters)
  4. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    AT&T has scrapped plans to launch high-speed Internet service on commercial flights in order to focus on international expansion and video offerings. "After a thorough review of our investment portfolio, the company decided to no longer pursue entry into the in-flight connectivity industry. We are focusing our capital on transformative investments, such as international and video," said a spokesman.

    In April, AT&T and Honeywell International had announced a partnership to launch a high-speed 4G LTE-based in-flight connectivity service for airlines and passengers in commercial, business and general aviation in the US. The product would have competed with in-flight internet services provider Gogo, whose shares rose on the news.

    (Reuters)
  5. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    Airbus will build a new fleet of the outsized cargo planes it uses to transport aircraft sections between its key European factories. The five new aircraft, based on the A330 passenger plane, will replace the current A300-based model, nicknamed Beluga after the bulbous shape of its expanded fuselage. The new Beluga fleet will be ready for use in mid-2019, Airbus said in a statement. It did not disclose the cost.

    Airbus assembles most of its aircraft in France and Germany from sections made in Britain, France, Germany and Spain. The new transporter will continue to ferry aircraft sections between the four main sites, but will not be used for offshore assembly plants, which will continue to be served by sea. Airbus assembles some A320s in China and is building a similar assembly facility in the US.

    (Reuters)
  6. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to expand passenger and cargo air service that would remove current limits on the number of airlines that can provide passenger service on routes between the two countries. As a result, the US Transportation Department said some routes might see new carriers entering the market, and airlines already in the market could consider offering service to new destinations.

    Cargo airlines could also benefit, with expanded opportunities to provide service to new locations unavailable under the current agreement, the department said in a news release. "Travellers, shippers, airlines, and the economies of both countries will benefit from competitive pricing and more convenient air service," US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. The agreement will become effective from January 1, 2016.

    (Reuters)
  7. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    Pilots who use head-up displays (HUD) go with them confidently as a simple yet effective method of maintaining situational awareness without having to regularly divert their eyes around the cockpit. A Google Glass app recently appeared called HUD for Glass that is reportedly capable of displaying an aircraft’s altitude, speed, heading and attitude without the need for an Internet connection.
  8. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    For those who like helicopters...

    Airbus Helicopters is scheduled to deliver the first EC175 medium twin on December 11 to Belgium-based operator NHV. The event will take place ten months after certification and five years after the first flight.
  9. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    Indonesia's Lion Group is buying an additional 40 aircraft from ATR for USD$1 billion at list prices, in a move that will make Lion the biggest customer of the European manufacturer. The purchase order will be signed by Lion's co-founder Rusdi Kirana and ATR chief executive Patrick de Castelbajac in the presence of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Lion said in a statement. Lion Air, Indonesia's biggest and one of the world's fastest-growing airlines, has captured global attention with record purchases of aircraft from Boeing and Airbus over the past few years.

    Despite rival airlines deferring orders, Kirana is pushing forward with Lion's expansion plans and buying new planes to tap Indonesia's rapidly growing consumer class, as well as to compete with Malaysia's AirAsia. "These additional 40 ATR 72-600s will be used to meet the growing demand forecast over the next five years both within the Group's existing operators' networks and to develop other opportunities for ATR operations throughout Asia and developing markets worldwide," Lion said. So far, Lion has taken delivery of over 40 ATRs. Deliveries of the turboprops from Thursday's order will start in 2017 and run into 2019. The latest deal boosts Lion's total ATR orders to 100. Operating turboprops is part of Lion's strategy to fly in remote locations in Indonesia and Malaysia.
  10. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    The Breitling Jet Team will make its North American debut on April 26 at the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo, set to take place in Lakeland, Florida from April 21 through 26 2015. So if you are interested in this type of activity, be sure to check it out!
  11. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    China's ARJ-21 plane has received permission to fly from the country's civil aviation regulator, the official China Daily reported, after years of delays due to technical shortcomings. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), which makes the twin-engined aircraft, began formal work on the airworthiness certification process in 2003 but approvals were repeatedly pushed back due to flaws in the aircraft's wiring, computer systems and wings, including wings that cracked during a stress test.

    The Shanghai Daily however reported separately that the airworthiness certificate itself was not the end of the process for the aircraft. The paper quoted Luo Ronghuai, vice president of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, as saying that additional work on improving the model's design, systems and operations was required before it entered service. It did not provide further details. The Chinese government has been pushing hard to develop its own commercial aircraft, both to serve the growing domestic market and for export.

    The ARJ-21 was to be the first step in this process, competing with regional jets sold in China by Embraer and Bombardier. It is also developing the larger C-919 to compete with similar offerings from Airbus and Boeing. However, Chinese airlines have historically been reluctant to buy any planes made domestically, even those made through joint ventures with foreign manufacturers. Analysts say despite claims in state media that the planes were "100 percent" domestic in content, both the ARJ-21 and the C-919 rely on a significant amount of sophisticated foreign components, including avionics and engines.

    (Reuters)
  12. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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  13. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    Regional plane maker ATR expects turnover to rise this year towards USD$2 billion as it delivers more aircraft. The Airbus and Finmeccanica joint venture said 2014 turnover climbed to USD$1.8 billion from USD$1.63 billion a year earlier as deliveries rose to 83 from 74. Aircraft orders increased to 160 from 157, ATR said. "This financial performance will continue its upward trend in 2015, to tend to the ambitious figure of USD$2 billion, due notably to the even higher delivery forecasts," ATR said in a statement.

    ATR said it would continue its production increase this year, with the expectation of exceeding 100 deliveries in 2016. The company ended 2014 with an order backlog of 280 aircraft. ATR chief executive Patrick de Castelbajac said he expected new orders to drop this year, partly as the slump in oil prices reduces customers' immediate need to buy new, more fuel efficient turboprop aircraft. "This year we will sell less aircraft, and the target for us will be we'll try to maintain the backlog," de Castelbajac told a news conference. "When you sell an aircraft, you sell it for roughly 25 years... The trend is still that the fuel price will go up."

    (Reuters)
  14. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    The US FAA said on Wednesday it is requiring domestic airlines to put in place proactive safety measures designed to highlight risks, deter accidents and make air travel safer. The rule requires US airlines and freight carriers to submit "safety management system" plans within six months and implement them within three years, the FAA said. While the US air safety record has been improving steadily, air travel fears have been stoked by a string of high-profile accidents around the world, including the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines airliner last March with 239 people on board.

    Last month, another Malaysia-affiliated carrier, Indonesia AirAsia, crashed near Borneo killing 162 people. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said at a news conference that both the US and the industry have set a goal of reducing domestic fatalities by half between 2010 and 2025. Under the rule, airlines will need to develop a safety culture, encourage employees to report hazards and study operational data for safety issues and anomalies that could point to safety concerns. "Call it predictive safety management," Foxx said.

    The FAA found 123 air accidents from 2001 to 2010 that might have been prevented if these measures were in place, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said. He said 96 percent of those affected by the rule already gather and share data. While the US rule applies only to US-based carriers, it is part of a broader effort to roll out changes globally that are being carried out by the UN's ICAO. Airlines are fierce competitors "except on safety," said Nick Calio, chief executive of trade group Airlines for America. "This is the next step in an ongoing process to find an ever better level of safety." The rule came about after the 2009 crash of Colgan Air flight 3407, which killed 50 people, the last fatal air accident by a US passenger airline.

    (Reuters)
  15. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    The second all-solar-powered version from the Swiss company Solar Impulse 2, took off early Monday morning from Abu Dhabi on its historic flight around the world. The team hopes that the Si2 will be able to circumnavigate the globe using nothing but solar power. André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, the cofounders of Solar Impulse who have done most of the flight testing of the first and second versions of the aircraft, will alternate legs on the approximate 22,000-mile-long trip.

    “This is an attempt, and only time will tell if we can overcome the numerous weather, technical, human and administrative issues,” they said. The first leg, from Abu Dhabi to Muscat, Oman, was flown by Borschberg. Piccard is picking up the second leg, which is planned from Muscat over the Arabian Sea to Ahmedabad, India. (FM)

  16. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    The National Transportation Safety Board issued four new Safety Alerts for general aviation pilots and mechanics highlighting risks uncovered in a number of recent accident investigations. Three of the alerts are geared toward pilots. They address: mountain flying skills and survival equipment considerations; transition training before flying an unfamiliar aircraft with different flight characteristics or avionics; and performing thorough and advanced preflight checks on aircraft that have just received flight control or trim system maintenance. The Safety Alert aimed at mechanics discusses flight control and trim system misrigging problems.

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  17. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    Mooney International has used the week of Sun 'n Fun to grace the public with a press conference in particular highlighting a full-size mockup of the clean-sheet design of the M10T model.

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  18. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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  19. Jet News

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    ICON Aircraft’s A5 amphibious Light Sport Aircraft has been nominated for the National Aeronautic Association’s (NAA) most prestigious award, the Collier Trophy. The A5 is one of nine nominees for the 2015 Collier Trophy and is the only piston-powered aircraft to be nominated. For 104 years, the Collier Trophy has been awarded annually “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.” Previous winners of the Collier Trophy include the Boeing 777 and 787, Gulfstream G550 and G650, International Space Station, SpaceShipOne, and the F-22.

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  20. Jet News

    Jet News JF News Editor Staff Member

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    Pipistrel is proud to announce that recently aircraft no.800 from the Sinus/Virus family was completed. The aircraft will be shipped to the other side of the globe - to Argentina! This occasion was an opportunity for the Pipistrel team of over 100 members to take a photo next to the aircraft.

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