Archive for June, 2007

Glasgow Airport Closed After Terrorist Attack

Published by Michael June 30th, 2007 in Aviation News. 0 Comments

The United Kingdom raised its terrorism threat level to critical, the highest level possible, Saturday after a vehicle plowed into the terminal building at Scotland’s busiest airport and burst into flames.

Police at the highest levels are assuming the fiery incident in Glasgow was a terrorist attack, CNN has learned.

Authorities assume the incident is linked to the discovery Friday in London of two explosives-filled cars. They could not yet say whether the same people were involved or whether the Glasgow incident was the work of copycats.

Police and witnesses in Glasgow described an SUV-style vehicle in flames being driven at full speed toward the building.

Two people were arrested at the scene, police said.

It was not immediately clear whether there were any injuries, although unconfirmed witness reports described a man on fire at the scene.

Glasgow Airport has been closed and all flights have been suspended. All roads around the airport have been closed.
Operators BAA Scotland warned people not to travel to the airport “until further notice”.
Edinburgh Airport was also closed to vehicles, though flights are operating as normal. Security has been stepped up at Glasgow Central railway station.

BAA Scotland spokesman Donald Morrison said that 35,000 passengers had been expected through Glasgow Airport during the course of Saturday, the first full day of the school summer holidays.

Travellers evacuated from the airport were being looked after at nearby hotels as uncertainty over their flight plans remained.

A number of people are believed to be stuck on airplanes and on the airport strip while others have been told they might not be able to leave the airport complex until at least 2100 BST.

Prestwick Airport was operating as normal. Flights bound for Glasgow Airport had been diverted to Prestwick.

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/30/london.alert/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6257194.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6257628.stm
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1273090,00.html

Accident Digest Boeing 737-200 TAAG Angola

Published by Michael June 29th, 2007 in Aviation News and Aviation Safety. 0 Comments

Status: Preliminary
Date: 28 JUN 2007
Type: Boeing 737-2M2
Operator: TAAG
Registration: D2-TBP
C/n / msn: 23220/1084

First flight: 28 JAN 1985
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17A
Crew: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 7
Passengers: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 71
Total: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 78
Airplane damage: Written off
Location: M’Banza Congo Airport (SSY), Angola

Phase: Landing
Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Luanda-4 de Fevereiro Airport (LAD/FNLU), Angola
Destination airport: M’Banza Congo Airport (SSY/FNBC), Angola

taag280607.jpgThe TAAG Boeing 737 departed Luanda on a domestic flight to M’Banza Congo Airport (SSY) and Negage Airport (GXG). Initial press reports indicated that the airplane crashed on landing. It either touched down short of the runway or went off the runway while attempting to land at M’Banza Congo.
The airport has a single asphalt runway (16/34) which is 1800 m long.

Sources:
Zaire: TAAG Airliner Crushes, Kills Six People (ANGOP)
——————————————–
AIRCRAFT PROFILE BOEING 737
* Last fatal Boeing 737-200 accident : 29 OCT 2006 ADC Airlines 5N-BFK, near Abuja, Nigeria- 97 fatalities
* Last Boeing 737-200 write-off: 13 JAN 2007 Gading Sari Aviation Services, PK-RPX, Kuching, Malaysia - 0 fatalities
* Last fatal Boeing 737 (all series) accident : 05 MAY 2007 Kenya Airways B737-800 5Y-KYA, near Douala, Cameroon- 114 fatalities
* Total number of Boeing 737-200 hull-losses: 103 (92 accidents, 11 other occurrences (sabotage, hijacking etc.) ), of which 54 losses were fatal
* Total number of Boeing 737 (all series) hull-losses: 135 (124 accidents, 11 other occurrences (sabotage, hijacking etc.) ), of which 75 losses were fatal
* 42nd worst B737-200 accident
——————————————–
OPERATOR PROFILE TAAG ANGOLA AIRLINES
Angolan national airline, originally formed in 1938 as DTA by the Portuguese Colonial Government. In 1974 the airline was renamed TAAG - Linhas Aéreas de Angola. On the day of the accident, just before the accident happened, it was announced that the EU would banning TAAG from flying within the EU over safety concerns, effective July 4
* Fleet: Boeing 737-200 (4), 737-700 (4), 747-300 (2) and 777-200 (2)
* DTA and later TAAG suffered 16 losses: 11 accidents (5 fatal) and 5 criminal occurrences (3 fatal), totalling 207 fatalities
——————————————–
AIRPORT PROFILE M’BANZA CONGO AIRPORT
* ICAO/IATA designators: FNBC/ SSY
* Latitude: 06° 16′ 11.63″ S / 014° 14′ 49.29″ E
* Elevation: 1860 ft/ 567 m
* Runway: 16/34 (5905 x 98 feet , asphalt, no ILS)
——————————————–
COUNTRY PROFILE ANGOLA
* Last fatal civil hull-loss accident: 17 MAR 2001 SAL Express Beech 1900, near Quilemba - 16 fatalities
* 32nd worst aircraft accident in Angola
* The country is not yet rated in FAA’s International Aviation Safety Assessment Program (IASA)
——————————————–

Accident Digest created by Aviation Safety Network
News Source: http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=541591

First Boeing 787 Completed

Published by Michael June 26th, 2007 in Aviation News and Boeing. 10 Comments

Final assembly of the first Boeing 787 is done! A few hours ago the first “Dreamliner” left the assembly line.

Credits to Charles Conklin “SEAchaz” from a.net for taking these great photos!

First Boeing 787 Dreamliner done
First Boeing 787 Dreamliner done
First Boeing 787 Dreamliner finished
First Boeing 787 Dreamliner finished

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, wide body, twin engined jet airliner by Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes unit and scheduled to enter service in May 2008. It will carry between 210 and 330 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration. Boeing has stated that it will be more fuel-efficient than comparable earlier Boeing airliners. It is also be the first major airliner to use composite material for most of its construction.

Additional pictures can be found in this older article:
http://blog.flightstory.net/102/boeing-begins-787-dreamliner-final-assembly/

Video - Helicopter crash in Russia

Published by Michael June 26th, 2007 in Videos, Aviation News and Helicopter. 0 Comments

The AS-355 helicopter belonging to Balt Avia crashed around 6:30 p.m. (1430 GMT) Saturday about 75 kilometers (45 miles) west of St. Petersburg, Russia, on the shores of the Gulf of Finland.

A crew member and two passengers were injured and rescuers were searching for the lost pilot. One passenger was unharmed.

The officials said the cause of the crash was being investigated.

It’s summer time!

Published by Michael June 26th, 2007 in Funny. 0 Comments

Once again a funny picture I found on a.net. :D

Paris Air Show Le Bourget 2007 Photos by Airbus

Published by Michael June 24th, 2007 in Airbus, A380, Photos and Airshows. 0 Comments

airbus-lebourget07-7.jpgairbus-lebourget07-8.jpgairbus-lebourget07-9.jpgairbus-lebourget07-10.jpgairbus-lebourget07-11.jpgairbus-lebourget07-12.jpgairbus-lebourget07-13.jpgairbus-lebourget07-14.jpgairbus-lebourget07-15.jpgairbus-lebourget07-16.jpgairbus-lebourget07-17.jpgairbus-lebourget07-18.jpgairbus-lebourget07-19.jpgairbus-lebourget07-20.jpgairbus-lebourget07-6.jpgairbus-lebourget07-5.jpgairbus-lebourget07-4.jpgairbus-lebourget07-3.jpgairbus-lebourget07-2.jpgairbus-lebourget07-1.jpg
All images © by Airbus

Paris Air Show 2007 Photos

Published by Michael June 23rd, 2007 in Photos. 0 Comments


Visit this Flickr Group to view and share the hottest photos of Paris Air Show 2007
http://www.flickr.com/groups/433606@N22/pool/

FBI Plane Hits Lamborghini

Published by Michael June 23rd, 2007 in Videos and Miscellaneous. 10 Comments

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/06/_marlowe_treit_was_driving.html

Airbus ends Paris Air Show with 425 firm orders

Published by Michael June 22nd, 2007 in Airbus. 0 Comments
paris07-a380.jpg

Airbus ends the 47th Paris Air Show with new momentum for its leading product range, the A380, the A350 XWB, the A330/A340 Family, as well as the A320 Family. During the Show the manufacturer received a total of 425 firm orders from 19 customers. In addition, Airbus received commitments for a total of 303 additional aircraft.

Market demand for the A380 was further consolidated, with 13 additional orders and commitments from existing customers who further confirmed their interest in Airbus’ all new “gentle green giant” by increasing their orders and commitments for this new product. Qatar increased its order book for the A380 by three firm orders. Emirates and Air France both committed to acquiring eight and two more A380s, respectively. This brings the total orders and commitments for the A380 to 173. Delivery to first operator Singapore Airlines will take place in October this year.

Orders received at the Show have also strongly validated Airbus’ new A350 XWB programme, which received a total of 141 firm orders from five customers during the week. The customers include Qatar, Aeroflot, Singapore Airlines and lessors Alafco and CIT. In addition the new A350 received commitments for 52 aircraft from four additional customers (US Airways, Kingfisher, Libyan Airlines and Afriqiyah). This brings the total orders and commitments received so far for the all new A350 XWB, which was launched in December last year, to 232 aircraft, including 154 firm orders and 78 commitments.

The A330/A340 Family continued to sell at record levels, receiving a total of 132 orders and commitments, of which 83 are firm and 49 are commitments. The A330-200 Freighter won as many as 46 firm orders from five different customers around the world. Altogether the family gained four new customers, which is also another indication of the success of this Family in the market place.

Finally, the demand for Airbus’ Single aisle product Family was again confirmed, with the addition of 390 orders and commitments (198 firm orders and 192 commitments). Airbus increased its A320 Family customer base, also welcoming four new customers as well as two new ACJ customers.

“This Airshow has confirmed that Airbus is very much back on the market, continuing to satisfy customers with the right products. Especially the A380 and A350 XWB have been the highlight of the show, receiving tremendous customer endorsement. They will lead the way in the future in terms of aircraft technology, passenger comfort and environment friendliness. Also, the A330/A340 Family continues to be very much in demand, as is our single-aisle Family,” said Airbus President and CEO Louis Gallois. ”This should give us further incentive to pursue our efforts to turn the company around in order to be able to deliver on our promises”.

Paris Air Show - Day 5 - Orders

Published by Michael June 22nd, 2007 in Airbus, Aviation News and Boeing. 0 Comments

Airbus

  • Riyadh based National Air Services (NAS) signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to buy 20 Airbus A320 Family aircraft for the company’s budget airline arm, NASair.
  • Singapore Airlines has signed a contract for the purchase of 20 A350-900 XWBs to meet its requirements on medium to long-range routes across the Asia-Pacific region from 2013 onwards. This order, which firms up the Letter of Intent placed in July 2006, represents another major commitment to the expansion of the airline’s Airbus fleet, which is already destined to include 19 A380s and 19 A330s.

Boeing
No orders announced today

Engines
No engine choices announced today

Paris Air Show - Day 4 - Orders

Published by Michael June 21st, 2007 in Airbus, Aviation News and Boeing. 0 Comments

Airbus

  • Mandala Airlines has signed a contract for 25 A320s and has become the first customer for the type from Indonesia. The A320s will be configured with 180 economy class seats.
  • Hong Kong Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Hong Kong, has become Airbus’ latest customer by signing a memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for 51 Airbus aircraft, including 30 A320 Family aircraft, 20 A330s as well as 1 Airbus Corporate Jet. An engine choice will be made at a later date.
  • BAA Jet Management has placed a commitment for 1 Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ), becoming the first customer for the type to be based in Hong Kong with extensive business there and in mainland China. The order reinforces the Airbus ACJ Family’s leadership of top-of-the-line corporate jet sales in Asia.
    BAA Jet Management’s Airbus ACJ will operate from Shenzen, near Hong Kong, and will be the first to be based, and registered, in the People’s Republic of China. It will also be the first authorised for charter under the new Chinese CCAR Part 135 rules.
  • Colombia’s national flag carrier Avianca has signed a firm contract for 19 additional Airbus aircraft of which 14 A320 Family aircraft and 5 A330-200s. This additional order converts options.
  • Tiger Airways, Singapore’s fast growing low-fare carrier, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for an additional 30 Airbus A320s and 20 options. Tiger Airways currently operates a fleet of nine A320s, with 11 more to be delivered by 2010. With the latest order, Tiger Airways’ fleet has the ability to grow to 70 Airbus aircraft.

Boeing
0 orders announced today

Engines
0 orders announced today

The A330-200 steps up to its new role as a flying petrol station

Published by Michael June 21st, 2007 in Airbus, Aviation News and Military. 0 Comments


The latest derivative of Airbus’ popular A330 is making its world debut at the 2007 Paris Air Show, but this twin-engine widebody is not surrounded by the glamour normally associated with the rollout of a new jetliner.

Painted in the subdued grey colours of the Royal Australian Air Force, the plane marketed by Airbus as the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport or MRTT, is now the first KC-30B aerial tanker version designed for the in-flight refuelling of military aircraft.

The KC-30B is fitted with a large deployable boom installed under the tail, along with two underwing pods – all of which are capable of transferring large volumes of fuel. Such “flying petrol stations” are vital to military operations, allowing fighter jets and other aircraft to be refuelled while in the air, thereby avoiding the need to return to their base of operations for a top-off.

Australia has ordered five KC-30B militarised versions of the A330-200. In addition, three similar tanker aircraft are being acquired by the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom has designed the A330-200 for its Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme. The KC-30 also is being proposed to the U.S. Air Force, which plans to modernise its ageing fleet of aerial tankers.

Paris Air Show - Day 3 - Orders

Published by Michael June 20th, 2007 in Airbus, Aviation News and Boeing. 0 Comments

paris07-xwbstuff.jpg
Airbus

  • Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates has signed a firm contract for the purchase of 12 Airbus wide-body aircraft including the newest model in its freighter product range, the A330-200F. The order is for 5 A330-200s, 4 A340-600s and 3 A330-200Fs.
  • The Russian flag carrier Aeroflot has placed a firm order for 22 Airbus A350 XWB
  • Kingfisher Airlines, the carrier headquartered in Mumbai, India has agreed to purchase up to 50 aircraft from Airbus. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Dr Vijay Mallya, UB Group Chairman, the parent company of Kingfisher Airlines and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers. The agreement is for 15 A350-800 XWBs in addition to the five converted from their original order for the A350, 10 A330-200s, 5 A340-500s and 20 A320 Family aircraft.
  • Afriqiyah Airways has placed a firm order with Airbus for the purchase of 5 A320s. In addition, this young and dynamic airline from Libya has selected the A350 XWB for its long-term expansion plan, signing a Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of 6 A350 XWBs
  • Ural Airlines, one of the leading Russian airlines, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for the purchase of 5 Airbus A320 aircraft as part of the modernisation of its medium range fleet.
  • A subsidiary of Aircastle Limited has signed a contract to acquire 15 A330-200F aircraft, the newest freighter from Airbus and the latest member of the highly successful A330/A340 family
  • Libyan Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus for the purchase of 4 A350s, 4 A330-200s and 7 A320s, thus modernising its fleet with the newest technology aircraft.
  • CIT Aerospace, a business unit of CIT Group Inc., a leading global provider of commercial and consumer finance solutions, has signed a firm contract for 7 A350 XWBs, firming up on its prior commitment for five A350s and simultaneously increasing its order.
    CIT has also signed a firm contract for 25 additional A320 Family aircraft.
  • MNG Airlines, the largest Turkish cargo operator, has placed a firm order with Airbus for 2 A330-200Fs, plus one option. This follows the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in January this year, following the industrial launch of the A330 Freighter.
  • Flyington Freighters, the Reddy family’s air freight company have ordered an additional 6 Airbus A330-200F

Boeing

  • The AIR FRANCE-KLM Group has placed orders for 9 777-300ERs and 7 Next-Generation 737-700s.

Engines

  • Etihad Airways has placed a repeat order for Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines to power four additional Airbus A340-600 aircraft.
  • India’s Kingfisher Airlines has ordered two versions of the Rolls-Royce Trent to power 25 new Airbus widebody airliners. The order consists of 20 firm A350 XWB-800 twinjets, which are offered with the Trent XWB, and five A340-500s, for which the Trent 500 is the sole engine.
  • Rolls-Royce confirmed that the Trent XWB will power the 7 Airbus A350 XWBs ordered by US leasing company, CIT
  • Aeroflot selected Rolls-Royce engines for iots new 22 Airbus A350 XWB.

Paris Air Show - Day 2 - Orders

Published by Michael June 19th, 2007 in Airbus, Aviation News and Boeing. 0 Comments

Overview about orders that have been made on day 2 of the 47th International Paris Air Show, Le Bourget.

paris07-airbuspress.jpg

Airbus

  • Intrepid Aviation Group has purchased 20 A330-200Fs, the newest freighter model offered by Airbus. This is the largest order received for this aircraft so far. Intrepid’s order has deliveries starting in 2010 and running through 2012. The aircraft will be leased by Intrepid to its cargo customers worldwide. Intrepid also stated interest in a possible future A330-300F model. Airbus will prove this -300F idea.
  • Fly Asian Express (FAX) has signed a contract for the purchase of 15 A330-300s, increasing its initial commitment by five aircraft. This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for 10 A330s in April 2007. The first new A330 will be delivered to FAX, the operating company for AirAsiaX, the world’s newest long haul, low cost airline during the third quarter of 2008.
  • Thai Airways International has placed a firm order for 8 additional A330-300s, taking another significant step in its long-term Airbus fleet development plan. The new A330-300s will provide extra capacity on Thai Airways International’s extensive regional network from 2008 onwards. Furthermore Thai reconfirms its A380 order of 6, delivery of first one in 2010.
  • An unnamed private buyer ordered 1 A380 for personal use as a private jet for him and his entourage. Airbus didn’t want to publish his identity but he’s not from Europe or the US.
  • Russian airline Aeroflot has signed a contract to buy 5 Airbus A321 planes. Aeroflot also said its fleet included 27 Airbus A320 planes and that it planned to raise that number to 55 by 2010. It gave no further details.

Boeing

  • International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) will expand its fleet with a new order for 50 additional 787 Dreamliners. ILFC will take delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner in 2010, with additional airplanes arriving through 2017. Today’s order also includes 10 Next-Generation 737s, which extends ILFC’s delivery stream through 2012.
    In addition, Boeing and ILFC disclosed an order booked earlier this year exercising options for two 787-8 Dreamliners and one 777-300ER (Extended Range) for delivery in early 2009, which was previously listed on Boeing’s Orders and Deliveries Web site and attributed to an unidentified customer.

Engines

  • Colombia’s Avianca has chosen Rolls-Royce Trent engines for up to 30 widebody jets from Airbus and Boeing. The potential value of the contract to Rolls-Royce is $1.1 billion at catalogue prices. In addition, all the engines will be supported by Rolls-Royce under 10-year TotalCare service agreements. The order - the first for the Trent in Latin America consists of Trent 1000 engines for ten firm plus ten option Boeing 787s, and Trent 700s to power five firm and five option A330s.
  • Aeroflot has become the latest customer for the Rolls-Royce Trent engine series. The Russian flag carrier has selected the Trent 700 to power its new fleet of 10 leased Airbus A330-200s. The order includes a long term TotalCare services agreement.
  • AerCap Holdings N.V. signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce to power ten of the new A330 aircraft that it ordered earlier this year from Airbus with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines.
  • Intrepid has selected Rolls-Royce Trent 700 for 17 of its 20 newly ordered A330-200Fs. No selection has been made yet for the remaining 3, whether PW4000 or again Trent 700.
  • Fly Asian Express (FAX) has choosen Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines to power its newly purchased 15 A330-300

Airbus first to receive certification for on-board mobile phone system

Published by Michael June 19th, 2007 in Airbus and Aviation News. 0 Comments

Airbus is first to receive airworthiness certification for a cell-phone system on board an aircraft. On 18th June 2007, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved Airbus’ GSM on-board system.

The EASA airworthiness certification comes after successful tests were carried out by Airbus earlier this year and confirms the GSM on-board system’s compatibility in the aircraft environment.

With this approval, Airbus has made a major step towards airline operation of the OnAir service that will enable passengers to use their BlackBerry-type devices and mobile phones during flights in Europe. They will be able to make and receive calls in addition to being able to send and receive emails and text messages. Cabin crew can easily manage the service and have the option of selecting a “voice-off” mode which only allows SMS text messaging and email services.

OnAir, a joint venture between Airbus and SITA, will act as the service provider for a range of connectivity services. Initially the service will be available on Airbus’ Single Aisle Family for short-haul flights in Western Europe.

“This certification is Airbus’ first response to the growing market demand for on-board connectivity”, said Rainer von Borstel, Airbus Senior Vice President, Cabin & Cargo Customisation. “It paves the way for the subsequent worldwide deployment of cell phone services and internet based services across all Airbus aircraft types,” he added.

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