The FAA has released two audio files containing the ATC radio communication with Learjet LR60 N999LJ that overran runway 11 while departing Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) on September 19.
Links to audio files (MP3)
Columbia Local Control (23.10 MB)
Columbia Clearance Delivery (12.05 MB)
Video – AP Report
Al Jaber Group’s new aviation division, Al Jaber Aviation (AJA) , has placed a new firm order for two Airbus Corporate Jetliners (ACJs) and revealed a previously undisclosed order for two A318 Elites, adding to a previous deal for two A318 Elites. The order makes AJA the largest single customer for the Airbus ACJ Family in the Middle East, with total orders for six aircraft.
“Our Airbus ACJ Family aircraft will offer private travel in unprecedented comfort and style, providing families and companies with a new way to fly,” says Al Jaber Group Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Al Jaber. “In addition to the huge improvement in space and comfort, high-end travellers in the Airbus ACJ Family will also benefit from separate cabin-zones and unmatched freedom of movement in flight,” he adds.
“The Al Jaber group has a proven track record of success in construction, logistics, manufacturing and shipping, and is well placed to extend this into business aviation by combining its entrepreneurial skills with the modern Airbus corporate jet family” says Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, John Leahy. “Al Jaber Aviation is also the first Middle East-based company to offer Airbus corporate jet travel to the VVIP market,” he adds.
Airbus’ A318 Elite is the newest and most affordable Airbus corporate jet, and features a stylish and practical cabin created by Lufthansa Technik, with seating for up to 18 passengers. The Airbus ACJ is derived from the popular A319 airliner, and can be equipped with seating and facilities tailored to customer needs.
Both aircraft feature the widest, tallest and most spacious cabin of any single-aisle corporate jet – their cabin cross-section is almost twice as wide as that of traditional business jets – making them the new top-of-the-line in high-end travel.
Source: Airbus
Comlux Aviation, the VIP charter division of Comlux The Aviation Group, has ordered a second A320 for its VVIP operation, consolidating its role as the largest operator of the Airbus ACJ Family.
The new Airbus A320 will help to meet demand from the important Middle East market, and complements an A318 Elite and an ACJ that are already operated on VVIP charters by Comlux. Comlux has now placed orders for a total of nine aircraft, comprising four A318 Elites, two Airbus ACJs, two A320 Prestiges and one A330-200 Prestige.
“We were one of the first to recognise the need for even more space and comfort than traditional business jets, and because the Airbus ACJ Family has the widest and tallest cabin in its class, we can offer a lot more than other charter companies,” says the Head of Comlux Aviation’s VVIP Charter Division Ettore Rodaro . “The outstanding reliability of our Airbus ACJ Family is another plus that our customers appreciate, and we can also offer them a lot of experience in managing their VIP Airbus aircraft,” he adds.
“Comlux Aviation has built a well deserved reputation for top-class service, and we like to think that the Airbus ACJ Family cabin’s elegant ambiance, spaciousness and ease of movement has been a contributory factor,” says Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, John Leahy. “We have a great product in the Airbus ACJ Family, and as operators such as Comlux make it more and more visible to customers, demand will continue to grow,” he adds.
Comlux Aviation has operated its first Airbus ACJ for several years, and last year became the first to put the A318 Elite into service, flying it an impressive 1,200 hours in its first year of service. It has three Air Operator Certificates (AOCs) from the airworthiness authorities in Malta (EASA), Switzerland and Kazakhstan, allowing it to best serve its customers in different regions.
In addition to the widest cabin in its class, Airbus’ ACJ Family also provides a very quiet environment, making it especially attractive to high-end travellers – particularly on long flights when a lot of time is spent in the aircraft.
Source: Airbus
Boeing completed destructive testing on a full-scale composite wing box of the 787 Dreamliner, the first all-composite wing box ever built for a Boeing commercial airplane. This test is part of the certification process for the all-new jetliner.
The wing box is a cantilevered beam that carries the wing to the fuselage and supports leading- and trailing-edge devices, control surfaces, engines and landing gear. The test piece represents a portion of the wing section that begins at about the center of the airplane and stops at approximately one-half of the span of the wing – approximately 50 feet (15.2 meters). The piece measures approximately 18 feet (5.5 meters) at its widest point.
The upper and lower surface panels and the spars of the wing are made entirely of the same composite material being used on the fuselage. The wing ribs are monolithic aluminum structures, each machined from a single piece of aluminum plate.
To meet certification requirements, the wings must withstand loads up to 1.5 times, or 150 percent, of the highest aerodynamic load that the jet could ever be expected to see in the entire lifetime of the 787 fleet.
The test wing box weighs 55,000 pounds, including a great deal of test-only hardware and instrumentation. It was designed and built by a joint team of Boeing, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries.
Structural testing will continue on two full-scale 787 airframes as part of the certification process for the airplane. Those tests will further demonstrate the performance of the structure through multiple lifetimes of normal operational loads and test the structure beyond the points expected to be seen in service.
Video: http://787milestones.tpninteractive.com/
Source: Boeing
Photo: Boeing
The Mexican transport ministry released a video taken by a ground surveillance camera, that shows the Learjet crash from 5 November.
The video shows that the Learjet 45 approached a Boeing 767-300 at a distance that was less than the norm. Turbulence caused by that 767 might have caused the crash.
A preliminary investigation report also states that the pilot and co-pilot appeared to have been confused about how to operate the Learjet’s controls and failed to follow the air traffic controller’s order to slow down as they approached the airport.
Video
News story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/world/americas/15mexico.html
Boeing today announced an adjusted schedule for production and delivery of the 747-8 Freighter and Intercontinental airplanes.
The revised schedule is based on a production and flight-test plan developed in conjunction with the company’s suppliers that provides additional time for addressing issues that have slowed the program’s progress. Those issues include supply chain delays driven by design changes to the airplane, limited availability of engineering resources inside Boeing, and the recent Machinists’ strike that halted production in the company’s factories.
“Our entire team has worked hard to mitigate growing schedule risk on this program but have been unable to overcome the collective impact of work statement increases to the original design, a tight supply of engineering resources, and the recent Machinists’ strike,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson. “We are clearly disappointed in what this schedule change means for our customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders. However, it is the appropriate and prudent decision to ensure a successful program, and we are committed to working with our customers to mitigate any disruption it causes them.”
The revised schedule is the result of a comprehensive assessment of the production system and flight-test plan that began in late August and concluded with the incorporation of the impact of the recent strike.
“The remaining work on the 747-8 program is well defined,” said Ross R. Bogue, vice president and general manager — 747 Program and Everett site. “This schedule adjustment provides the time we need to finish that work and bring both airplanes to market successfully for our customers.”
The risk of a schedule adjustment on the program was previously identified and was provisioned for in Boeing’s third quarter financial results. The company will provide updated financial guidance and a post-strike assessment of the schedule for all its commercial airplane programs at a later date.
Source: Boeing
Greece is to participate in the production of the Russian MS-21 medium-haul passenger aircraft and in post-sale servicing of the Be-200 amphibious aircraft, the Russian industry minister said on Tuesday.
Viktor Khristenko, who is currently on a visit to Greece, said Russia’s Irkut aircraft maker and Greece’s Hellenic Aerospace Industry were set to sign a joint memorandum envisioning bilateral cooperation in these two projects on Tuesday.
“We are certainly interested in selling the Be-200 aircraft on the Greek and European markets. Setting up a servicing center in Greece will largely depend on sales of these planes on the European market,” the minister said.
Developed by the Beriev Aircraft Company, the Be-200 has a number of uses, including fire fighting, as an air ambulance, in search-and-rescue, cargo and passenger transport and maritime surveillance.
“Our second goal is to involve Greece in the development and production of components for the new MS-21 project, which is a priority for the Russian aircraft industry,” the minister said.
The MS-21 plane is being developed by Russia’s major manufacturing companies – Ilyushin, Tupolev and Yakovlev – to replace the aging Tu-154, which currently accounts for some 80% of Russia’s passenger and freight traffic, and compete with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.
Continue at http://en.rian.ru/world/20081111/118250610.html
Air Arabia (PJSC), the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, has signed a firm contract for 10 additional A320 aircraft. The contract follows one for 34 Airbus A320s signed at the end of 2007.
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman, Air Arabia said, “Following Air Arabia’s expansion plans and the new hub in Morocco expected to operate next year, expanding the fleet size is certainly a need. Our vision is to be one of the world’s leading budget airlines in terms of profit margin, innovation, reputation, and operational excellence, and having the A320 at the heart of our fleet is the best and quickest way we can achieve this.”
“We are pleased Air Arabia has once again confirmed their trust in our A320 family. With this decision, Air Arabia recognises the technological superiority of the A320, which also has the lowest operating costs in its class. The A320 also has the widest fuselage giving added operational efficiency and passenger comfort including increased storage volume,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.
Sharjah based Air Arabia already operates 16 A320s, and serves a network of more than 44 destinations across the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia and North Africa. With the establishment of a second hub in Casablanca in early 2009, Air Arabia will extend its network to Europe, Middle East and Africa through a joint venture with Moroccan privately owned airline Regional Airways. The new airline will be called Air Arabia Maroc. Launched in 2003, Air Arabia has served more than 5 million passengers over the past four years.
Source: Airbus
Photo: Airbus
Date & Time: 11/11/2008 00:41
Location: Boston, MA
Aircraft Type: Airbus A319-112 Registration: N752US
Operator: US Airways Flight: 2140
Phase: Take-off
Damage: Unknown
Injuries & Fatalities: None
Description: On departure reported a loud noise – after landing inspection revealed nose gear damage due to a bird strike
Source: FAA
Correctness of this posting is not guaranteed & completeness not intended. This posting is just for informational purpose.
Ryanair Flight FR4102, a Boeing 737-8AS (EI-DYG), from Frankfurt-Hahn (Germany) to Rome-Ciampino (Italy) did an emergency landing at Rome-Ciampino today, after it suffered multiple bird strikes to both engines, nose and wings on its landing approach.
On landing the left hand main gear collapsed and the airplane came to stop on the runway threshold.
All passengers exited the aircraft safely and nobody was injured.
Video by Reuters
Source: Ryanair
Photo: Ryanair
