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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Photo Credit / CC BY-NC 2.0

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!