Boeing announced that they completed taxi tests on the first 747-8 Freighter today. The new airplane reached a top seed of approximately 90 knots (103.5 mph, 166.6 kph).
This was the last functional test planned before first flight. First flight of the 747-8 Freighter is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 8.
Video: Boeing 747-8F (N747EX) high speed taxi at Paine Field
Today the prototype of the first Russian fifth generation jet fighter, the Sukhoi PAK-FA T-50 successfully completed its first flight!
“In the course of the flight we’ve conducted initial evaluation of the aircraft controllability, engine performance and primary systems operation, the aircraft had retracted and extracted the landing gear. The aircraft performed excellently at all flight-test points scheduled for today. It is easy and comfortable to pilotâ€, – said the pilot Sergey Bogdan.
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The current prototype is fully developed and intended to replace the MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker in the Russian inventory and serve as the basis of the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA project being developed with India. As fifth generation jet fighter, it is designed to directly compete with the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
Photos: Sukhoi
Air New Zealand this week introduced their new (premium) economy class seat, the so called “Sky Couch”.
The seats, designed by Air New Zealand and built by Recaro, have large flip-up cushions that fill the space between the end of the seat and the next row of seats. Arm rests retract to provide a flat surface.
Videos
Today the Boeing 787 Dreamliner successfully completed its first flight! At 10:27am local time the Dreamliner took off into the rainy sky of Paine Field, Everett (Washington).
The flight marks the beginning of a flight test program that will see six airplanes flying nearly around the clock and around the globe, with the airplane’s first delivery scheduled for fourth quarter 2010. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, the first Boeing 787 will be joined in the flight test program in the coming weeks and months by five other 787s, including two that will be powered by General Electric GEnx engines.
After approximately three hours, it landed at 1:33 p.m. at Seattle’s Boeing Field.
Videos – Takeoff
Takeoff and Landing
… more videos and pictures to come …
Today Airbus Military’s all-new A400M took off for its maiden flight from Seville Airport in Spain. The first entirely new airlifter of the 21st Century took to the air from runway 09 at 10:15 local time (09:15 UTC).
The aircraft, with a take-off weight of 127 tonnes, was equipped with 15 tonnes of flight-test equipment including two tonnes of water ballast and its performance was being monitored in realtime by teams of engineers in Seville and Toulouse using state-of-the-art air-ground telemetry. The crew explored the aircraft’s handling characteristics in the various flap configurations, checked the powerplant operation and made initial evaluations of the aircraft’s systems.
Its four all-new Europrop International (EPI) TP400D turboprop powerplants producing 11,000shp (8,200kW) each are the most powerful propeller engines ever fitted to a Western aircraft.
The duration of the flight was 3h 47min and ended with a landing back at Seville in front of more than 2,000 media, VIPs and Airbus Military staff.
Video of the A400M first flight:
Over the last four weeks the aircraft has been extensively tested on the ground in an increasingly challenging programme leading up to the first flight.
The engines have been run at full power, the electrical systems and on-board data network exhaustively tested, and numerous taxying runs at progressively higher speeds have been performed culminating in a rejected take-off test at a speed of 123kt (227km/hr) on 8th December.
Today’s first flight marked the beginning of a test campaign that will see some 3,700 hours of flying by an eventual five aircraft conducted between now and entry-into-service at the end of 2012. The A400M will receive both civil certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and military certification and qualification.
The A400M was designed from the outset as an aerial refueller and can offload fuel to both fighters and helicopters at their preferred speeds and heights.
The A400M features the same proven fly-by-wire controls technology as Airbus’ highly successful airliner family and an advanced cockpit that has evolved from that of the A380. Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) wings and other large structures bring weight and strength advantages and cut the risk of corrosion.
Photo of the A400M cockpit:
A total of 184 aircraft have so far been ordered by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom,
Source, Photo & Video: Airbus
Airbus recently published the following video showing APU and engine start-up of the first Airbus A400M. The Airbus A400M is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft that can be configured for aerial refueling. It has been designed by Airbus Military corporation to replace a variety of aircraft, including the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules and the Transall C-160.
Loyal blog reader “prop-er” sent in this crazy video, showing a very risky landing of a Boeing 737 at Toncontin International Airport (TGU/MHTG), Honduras. I won’t spoil this breathtaking video, you just have to see for yourself! Just for your information: The runway is only 2163m (7096ft) short.
I just found this video on YouTube.
According to the YouTube user, a Beechcraft Bonanza took of June 10th, 2009 to videotape a friend flying an Aero L-39 Albatros. Due to bad weather with low visibility, the Bonanza came very close to terrain. How close it really was, you can see on the damage of the plane in the end of the video.
Yesterday the first Airbus A380 was handed over to Air France. The French carrier is the first European airline to fly the “whale jet” on scheduled services. The aircraft – MSN0033 / F-HPJA – is the twentieth A380 delivered by Airbus. 10 A380s are already flying with Singapore, five with Emirates and four with Qantas.
Video of the arrival at Paris CDG
Today a Sudan Airways Boeing 707-300 cargo plane crashed shortly after take-off from Sharjah Airport (SHJ/OMSJ), United Arab Emirates. The Boeing was leased from AZZA Transport and operated as flight SUD2241, bound for Khartoum (KRT/HSSS), Sudan.
The plane crashed near a road, broke up and burned. No one of the 6 crew on board survived.
Videos
News story & photos at http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/emergencies/six-dead-after-…
