EU bans airlines from Philippines

So for any of you Filipinos out there who've been saving their hard-earned pesos for that summer Euro-trip, just make sure to book your plane tickets from an airline that doesn't fly from the Philippines.  Today the European Union added all airlines based in the Philippines to their most recent blacklist, meaning that they cannot fly or land within the 27 countries that comprise the EU.  The blacklist does get updated at least 4 times a year, so regulators in the Philippines have time to improve their airlines' safety standards up to the EU's requirements.  Time to step up and get your act together Philippines!

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767 line to become smaller, faster, leaner

An interesting article regarding the transformation of Boeing's 767 production line at Everett, WA to a smaller but more efficient one similar to the 777 line.  The change is designed to accomplish two goals: 1.) impress officials from the U.S. Air Force as Boeing vies to secure the Tanker Replacement contract (for which the 767 will be the main airframe), and 2.) free up space for the 787 "surge line," a temporary measure to allow 787 production to continue to run smoothly until the 2nd 787 line in Charleston, South Carolina is fully operational.  Currently, a 767 rolls out the factory doors to the tune of 1 a month, but soon that rate will be boosted to 3 aircraft every two months.  By June 2011, the line will be humming at a rate of 2 aircraft per month.  With 57 commercial 767's still waiting to be delivered, the 767 line is slowly reaching the end of its road, but if Boeing gets the Tanker, then the line will be rejuvenated for many more years to come.

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Ultimate-Load wing test completed for 787 Dreamliner

On Sunday, March 28th, Boeing completed a load test in which the wings of the 787 Dreamliner are bent upwards by about 25 feet.  This is to simulate 150% of the loads that the airframe could potentially experience during flight.  The link below contains a picture of the actual test, and you get to see how far up those wings get bent.  It almost looks like a bird with its wings flapped up.  I'd hate to be in a flight that experienced those kinds of aerodynamic forces.

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WTO condemns Airbus "launch aid"

Today, officials from the World Trade Organization (WTO) have ruled that "launch aid" is unfair and illegal.  Launch aid is a controversial program in which European governments have provided Airbus with subsidies for launching their aircraft lines through risk-free loans that do not have to paid back until aircraft are sold.  While Boeing has had to use its own capital to develop and manufacture its aircraft, Airbus has been using these government loans instead.  The program was designed to help Airbus catch up with rival Boeing in the trillion dollar commercial aircraft business.  And it certainly has worked, with Airbus having seized the title of top aircraft manufacturer from Boeing for the last decade.  Already, launch aid has helped pay for Airbus' massive A380 superjumbo and is currently being used to help fund their 787 competitor, the A350.

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Boeing Statement on WTO Ruling

787 completes flutter & ground-effects testing

The 787 Dreamliner recently completed both flutter & ground-effects testing.  Flutter testing demonstrates the aircraft's stability and its ability to dampen oscillations, while ground-effects testing demonstrates the aircraft's aerodynamic performance at low altitudes, especially close to ground.

Air Berlin to reduce 787 order

Some bad news to report for Boeing and the 787.  Today German carrier Air Berlin announced that they would reduce their current 787 order of 25 planes to 15, at a loss to Boeing of around $1.7 billion.  They also cut their 787 purchase options from 10 to 5 as well as deferring delivery of nine Next-Gen 737 aircraft from 2010-2011 to 2015.  All these moves were to allow Air Berlin to adjust to lower market demand for air travel. 

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2nd 747-8 Freighter achives first flight

Not to be outdone by its more popular and cooler younger brother the 787 Dreamliner, the 747-8 program also achieved a first flight success for one of its test aircraft.  On the same day that the 4th 787 Dreamliner took to the skies (Sunday, March 14th), RC522 completed its first test flight later that evening, taking off from Paine Field in Everett, WA and landing 2.5 hours later at Boeing Field in Seattle.  During the flight, RC522 reached an altitude of 27,000 ft. and an airspeed of 276 mph (240 knots).  The primary focus of this aircraft will be to test noise performance, environmental control systems, and extended operation performance standards.  RC522 is the 2nd of 3 total 747-8 Freighters in the flight test program.

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4th 787 Dreamliner joins flight-test program

On Sunday, March 14th, ZA003 officially became part of the 787 Dreamliner flight-test fleet, having taken off on its inaugural flight from Paine Field in Everett, WA at 10:55AM PST.  It landed safely about 3 hours later at Boeing Field in Seattle, WA.  ZA003 will focus primarily on testing the 787's passenger interior features (such as improved time-dependent lighting, bigger stowage bins, larger windows with electrochromatic shades, and redesigned lavatories).  It will also be used to test the 787's avionics systems, noise performance, flight-deck operations, electromagnetic effects, high-intensity radio frequency response, and extended flight operations (or ETOPS).

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2nd 787 Dreamliner continues flight testing in California

The 2nd production 787 Dreamliner, ZA002, made its way to an airfield in Victorville, CA yesterday.  From there, it will complete a three-week long flight test that will focus primarily on ground effect testing.  Ground effect is an aircraft phenomenon in which the plane actually experiences more lift as it approaches the ground.

Video interview with BCA's Jim Albaugh

Seattle-based TV station KING recently conducted an interview with Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Jim Albaugh.  In the interview, Albaugh discusses a wide range of topics regarding BCA's current focus as well as its future goals.  He shares some great insight on Boeing's inevitable plan of replacing its venerable and highly popular Next Generation 737 Aircraft (will the company simply re-engine the current 737, or come out with a completely new design along the lines of the 787?).  He talks about what site will produce this new generation of 737 aircraft (Washington, or perhaps somewhere else?).  He also shares his views on the labor strikes that have plagued his division over recent years, the future of the 777 (will that aircraft need to be revamped to make it more competitive with Airbus' A350?), and the game plan to win the KC-X Tanker Replacement program (which will be based on a commercial 767 aircraft).  So if you've got about 15 minutes of time to kill, click the link below.  I highly recommend it.

Interview with Jim Albaugh

Northrop drops out from KC-X Program

It's official: Northrop has decided not to partner with EADS for the U.S. Air Force's KC-X Tanker Replacement Program.  Click below to read a statement issued by Wes Bush, CEO and President of Northrop Grumman, concerning the company's decision to drop out of the program.  In essence, Northrop wanted out because they felt that the Air Force's new requirements would clearly favor Boeing's smaller tanker offering (dubbed the NewGen Tanker).  The statement also says that Northrop will not protest the final RFP.  No word yet on whether EADS will continue to bid for the contract.

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Boeing unveils NewGen Tanker for KC-X Proposal

Boeing has fired the first shot in the highly contentious KC-X Tanker Replacement Program for the U.S. Air Force.  Today the company announced that it will be offering the new Boeing NewGen Tanker for the contest, and will be based on a 767 commercial platform.  There was talk of Boeing offering the much bigger 777 for its tanker solicitation, but today's announcement has squashed that idea.  Aside from its main role as an aerial refueling tanker, the multi-mission aircraft will also be capable of transporting cargo and passengers.  Boeing will officially deliver its tanker proposal to the U.S. Air Force by May 10.  Here are some of the more important aspects about Boeing's new tanker:

* Digital flight deck taken directly from the 787 Dreamliner
* Electronic cockpit displays that are 75% larger than those on an
  Airbus A330
* New-generation fly-by-wire refueling boom with an expanded
  refueling envelope
* Unrestricted access by aircrews to the full flight envelope of the
  aircraft in lieu of automated computer software that could
  potentially limit combat manueverability
* Low-risk manufacturing process at existing Boeing facilities in the
  states of Washington and Kansas
* 24% less fuel burn that the larger and heavier A330, translating to
  more than $10 billion in fuel-costs over its 40-year service life

To see a video announcement of Boeing's NewGen Tanker, check out the link below.

NewGen Tanker Video

Somon Air places order for 737-900ER

Somon Air, based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, has placed an order for two Next-Generation 737-900ER (Extended Range) aircraft.  The order, valued at around $163 million, is the airline's first direct aircraft purchase from Boeing.

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A350 vs. 787: Different or unusually similar?

Here's an article I stumbled upon that highlights some of the differences and similarities between Airbus' A350 XWB and Boeing's 787 aircraft.

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Try to figure out which aircraft is the 787 and which is the A350!