First Military Pilot Flies Lockheed Martin F-35

FORT WORTH, Texas, January 31st, 2008 –

Lt. Col. James “Flipper” Kromberg of the U.S. Air Force became the first military service pilot to evaluate the F-35 Lightning II, taking the aircraft through a series of maneuvers Wednesday on its 26^th flight.

Kromberg took off from Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] Fort Worth plant at 11:54 a.m. CST, flew the plane to 6,000 feet and checked handling qualities at 15-degrees angle of attack. He then climbed to 10,000 and 12,000 feet assessing the up-and-away flight-control response. Kromberg also tested the F-35’s engine performance and formation-flying characteristics. 

“The aircraft flew very well, exceeding my expectations,” Kromberg said. “I was surprised by the amount of power on the takeoff roll. And the handling, particularly with the gear up, was phenomenal. The aircraft was very stable flying in formation with another airplane. It was really a joy to fly.”

Kromberg, who is assigned to the 461st Flight Test Squadron as part of the development and execution of F-35 flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., has logged more than 3,200 flight hours in aircraft that include the F-16, F-15, AV-8B and T-38.He becomes the third pilot to fly the Lightning II. Lockheed Martin pilots Jon Beesley and Jeff Knowles have flown all previous F-35 missions.

“With a planned acquisition of 1,763 F-35s, the U.S. Air Force is our biggest customer, and we’ve been eager to get their feedback about the aircraft’s flight performance,” said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and F-35 program general manager. “This is the beginning of what will become a rigorous and extended series of in-flight evaluations by the Air Force, Marines, Navy and our international pilots.”

Lockheed Martin test pilot Jeff Knowles flew the F-35’s 27^th flight later in the day Wednesday.

The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5^th generation stealth fighter designed to replace a wide range of existing aircraft, including AV-8B Harriers, A-10s, F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and United Kingdom Harrier GR.7s and Sea Harriers.

Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.

F-35 and Lightning II are trademarks of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Source: Lockheed Martin.

Sikorsky Delivers S-76C++™ Helicopter to Merck, Marking the 700th Delivery of an S-76® aircraft

STRATFORD, Conn., – Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today delivered an S-76C++™ helicopter to Merck & Co., Inc., marking the 700th delivery of an S-76® helicopter since the program’s inception in 1977. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).The new aircraft joins Merck’s corporate fleet, which includes three Sikorsky S-76C+™ helicopters. A ceremony celebrating the 700th delivery milestone took place this morning at Sikorsky’s headquarters in Stratford, Conn.

Michael DelMastro, Senior Director, Aviation Services for Merck & Co., attended the ceremony and said, “We’ve had a long and successful history with Sikorsky. In safety and capability, the S-76 is second to none.”

“You don’t get to deliver 700 aircraft from the same line unless you’ve built great quality, reliability and safety into those aircraft over time and your customers recognize it,” said Sikorsky President Jeffrey P. Pino. “Merck & Co. is one of our premier corporate customers, and we are honored that they are the customer to take delivery of the 700th aircraft.”

More than 200 operators in 37 countries today are flying S-76 helicopters and have accumulated more than 4.7 million flight hours. The aircraft perform a wide variety of missions including corporate and VIP travel, emergency medical service, search and rescue, offshore oil crew transport, and civil defense. The latest and most advanced model, the S-76D™ helicopter, is scheduled to enter production in 2010.

Source: Sikorsky

Boeing Awarded Contract for Next-Generation Harpoon Block III Missile

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 31, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a $73.7 million U.S. Navy contract to design and develop the Harpoon Block III missile, a next-generation weapon system that will enhance naval surface warfare capabilities.

The system design and development (SDD) contract will result in a kit upgrade program for existing Navy weapons that will return 800 enhanced surface- and air-launch Harpoon missiles and 50 ship-launch systems to the service’s inventory.

“The start of SDD is a big milestone for the Harpoon program and is the first major development for the U.S. Navy on Harpoon for many years,” said Jim Young, Jr., Boeing Harpoon Block III program manager. “Harpoon Block III will provide the warfighter with a capable, near-term solution to over-the-horizon, surface warfare threats.”

Equipped with a new data-link system, Harpoon Block III will offer warfighters more control after the weapon is released, resulting in improved accuracy for littoral and open-ocean warfare. The Block III upgrade also positions the missile for future spiral developments, including extended range and vertical launch capabilities.

Harpoon Block III adds in-flight target updates, positive terminal control and connectivity with future network architectures to a proven missile that already provides autonomous, all-weather, over-the-horizon capability.

The surface-launch version of Harpoon Block III will achieve initial operational capability (IOC) in early 2011 with IOC of the air-launch version scheduled for later that year. The next major program milestones will be the Systems Requirements and Preliminary Design Reviews, both scheduled for 2008.

Source: Boeing

NASA Gives ‘Go’ for Space Shuttle Launch

WASHINGTON – NASA senior managers completed a review Wednesday of space shuttle Atlantis’ readiness for flight. Pending closure of an issue with a shuttle radiator hose, the STS-122 mission will launch Feb. 7 at 2:45 p.m. EST.

During an inspection of Atlantis Tuesday, one of four hoses that carry Freon to the shuttle radiators in the payload bay was found bent and not properly retracted in its storage box. The others were fully retracted into their storage boxes, as expected. Teams are continuing to gather data and assess any potential forward work. Managers will convene Saturday to further review and analyze what, if any, remaining work is required before launch.

During the 11-day mission, Commander Steve Frick and his six crewmates will install the European Space Agency’s new Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station and provide scientists around the world with the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and materials science experiments. The mission will include three spacewalks, delivery of a new crew member to the station and the return of another astronaut after nearly four months aboard the complex.

Atlantis’ launch date was announced at the conclusion of Wednesday’s executive-level Flight Readiness Review. The one-day video teleconference meeting was led from NASA Headquarters in Washington. Top NASA and contractor managers assessed any risks associated with the mission and determined whether the shuttle’s equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight. The first executive-level Flight Readiness Review for STS-122 was held Nov. 30.

The STS-122 mission was delayed in December 2007 after failures occurred in a fuel sensor system while Atlantis’ external fuel tank was being filled. A tanking, or fueling, test on Dec. 18, 2007, revealed that open circuits in the external tank’s feed through connector were the most likely cause of false readings in the system during launch attempts on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. A modified connector was designed with pins and sockets soldered together. Both the original and modified connector configurations were subjected to testing that verified that the new design corrects the open circuits found in the original connector.

The sensor system is one of several that protect the shuttle’s main engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low. NASA’s current Launch Commit Criteria require that three of the four engine cutoff, or ECO, sensors function properly before liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Joining Commander Frick on STS-122 will be pilot Alan Poindexter and mission specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and European Space Agency astronauts Hans Schlegel and Leopold Eyharts. Eyharts will replace current station crew member Dan Tani, who has lived on the outpost since October. Eyharts will return to Earth on shuttle Endeavour’s STS-123 mission, currently targeted for launch on March 11, 2008.

For more information about the STS-122 mission, including images and interviews with the crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Source: NASA

Niki Luftfahrt GmbH Announces Repeat Order For A320 Family Aircraft

NIKI Luftfahrt GmbH today announces a follow-on order for additional nine A320 Family aircraft. The order will raise NIKI’s fleet to 20 A320 Family aircraft.

The successful Vienna-based low cost carrier NIKI will employ the new Airbus jets on routes to European cities and holiday destinations. The airline, founded in 2003, operates in partnership with Air Berlin, which is another major Airbus customer.

“We placed this additional order after four years of successful Airbus aircraft operations. The additional A320 Family aircraft will substantially increase our low-cost services out of Vienna”, says Niki Lauda, President of NIKI. “The Airbus aircraft underpins our strategic objectives on quality, operational economics and comfort. Extra comfort levels are guaranteed through the new Airbus cabin, enhancing customer satisfaction. That is our top priority.”

John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers added: “We are extremely pleased that NIKI further confirms its confidence in the A320 Family as the best aircraft for their successful daily operations. NIKI was the first to fly the enhanced Airbus A320 cabin, which makes the aircraft even quieter, brighter and more spacious. The Austrian airline is flying the world’s most comfortable and eco-efficient short to medium haul aircraft.”

The new cabin delivered to NIKI effectively features the most modern design and technological innovations derived from the A380. New smooth lines not only create an ambient atmosphere but also give more space at shoulder level. Increased Overhead Stowage offers 15 per cent more volume. The state of the art design gives a measurable noise reduction, while also decreasing the weight of the aircraft and thus making it more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.

Source: EADS

Eurofighter: Second Tranche of ASTA Programme Launched

Hallbergmoos – Following signature of the Aircrew Synthetic Training Aids (ASTA) Supplement 5 agreement between Eurofighter GmbH and NETMA on 13 December 2007, today marks the formal launch of the contract. Supplement 5 of Procurement Contract 7 within the Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) framework represents Tranche 2 for the ASTA programme and is the enabler for the next batch of 15 ASTA devices to be delivered to the four partner Air Forces.

The Supplement 5 simulators will incorporate a new state-of-the-art visual system with improved performance, resolution and visual effects features. The devices will also include new sub-systems, for example an auto-calibration system. The new features will not only improve the fidelity of the system but will also lower the maintenance costs.

The package consists of nine Full Mission Simulators (FMS) and six Enhanced Cockpit Trainers/Interactive Pilot Stations (CT/IPS-E). These new training devices will complement those already installed at existing Main Operating Bases (MOB) and, in addition, will go to new sites thus opening up an unmatched training capability at all Eurofighter Typhoon locations:

Extended Existing Locations
RAF Coningsby, UK: 1 Cockpit Trainer
Grosseto, Italy: 2 Full Mission Simulators
Morón or Albacete, Spain: 1 Full Mission Simulator and 1 Cockpit Trainer

New Locations
RAF Leuchars; UK: 2 Full Mission Simulators and 1 Cockpit Trainer
Neuburg, Germany: 1 Full Mission Simulator and 1 Cockpit Trainer
Noervenich, Germany: 1 Full Mission Simulator and 1 Cockpit Trainer
Wittmund, Germany: 1 Full Mission Simulator and 1 Cockpit Trainer
Gioia del Colle, Italy: 1 Full Mission Simulator

Four of the above devices were already produced under the original Supplement 1 ASTA Production Contract and have been used by Industry for Design, Development and Demonstration at the ASTA Joint Integration Facility (JIF) at the EADS Military Air Systems’ Manching site. The Supplement 5 agreement now covers the refurbishment and delivery of the systems to their respective final destinations. One of these, the Full Mission Simulator at Neuburg, is already close to completion.

In the final quarter of 2008, the initial Design, Development and Demonstration work will be completed culminating in the acceptance of the full ASTA standard. In parallel, the ASTA team will negotiate a Training Sustainability package with the four partner Air Forces. This first in-service upgrade will enhance the functionality of the ASTA devices, utilising the real weapon system code, and maintaining a training capability commensurate with the real aircraft. The aim is have the ASTA upgrades within a maximum of three months after availability on the aircraft at the MOBs.

Future enhancements, such as Wide Area Networking (WAN) and the integration of the Laser Designator Pod and Helmet Mounted Display, are also under discussion with the customer.

Source: Eurofighter

London will be Europe’s first city to get A380 service

SINGAPORE (Reuters) — The world’s largest passenger jet will take off for London from Singapore on March 18, marking the Airbus A380’s first commercial flight to Europe.

Singapore Airlines said on Wednesday that it will start the daily service to London’s Heathrow Airport after it takes delivery of its third new superjumbo in mid-March.

The first two A380s that were delivered to Singapore Airlines since October are making daily flights between Singapore and Sydney.

The national carrier launched the first Sydney flight with much fanfare, as passengers bid between $560 and $100,380 for tickets as part of a charity auction to drum up publicity.

Source: Reuters

Modern twist on old battery type cuts aircraft maintenance hours, costs

by Robert Kaper
NAVAIR Public Affairs Office

A program to replace troublesome nickel-cadmium batteries with a modern version of old-fashioned lead-acid cells in some Navy aircraft is expected to save $1.5 million annually in replacement costs and nearly 56,000 hours in maintenance, according to the Power and Energy Division of NAVAIR Propulsion and Power Department, Air 4.4.

The investment required to reap those benefits every year was a one-time grand total of $205,000 from NAVAIR and the Defense Logistics Agency, said Bill Johnson, Electrical Power Systems branch manager at NAS Patuxent River.

That’s how much it cost to flight-qualify the new valve-regulated, lead-acid (VRLA) batteries as a replacement for the once-standard, nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries.

The first aircraft in the current group getting the replacements – the H-53 heavy-lift helicopters – are already saving the Navy $761,000 annually in consumable costs for new batteries and over 31,000 hours in maintenance.

The next expected savings increment – over $700,000 in consumables and 24,000 hours in maintenance – will come from EA-6B Prowlers, which began swapping their NiCds for VRLAs last June.

Next in line for VRLA batteries is a small number of F-5E/F aggressor aircraft. The aircraft may be best known for playing a part in Top Gun combat training as “the enemy.” The change is expected to save nearly $52,000 in consumables and 67 hours in maintenance savings annually.

The NiCd batteries provided power for critical auxiliary systems, such as fire suppression and emergency egress lighting on H-53s, and the EA-6B’s inertial navigation system and spin-assist airbrakes. In addition, many of the batteries had to power such critical systems as flight-control computers when the main engine-driven generator power failed.

“We say these batteries are ‘your last chance for romance’,” Johnson said. “Otherwise you’re swimming with the sharks.”

NiCds originally were chosen for their high power and supposed low maintenance. But on the H-53 their service life was shorter than expected, and maintenance costs were high.

“One out of 12 failed every month because of poor design,” said Johnson, “That means that we had to replace all of them after a year.”

The NiCd batteries would self-discharge when not being used. Some also suffered from a “memory effect” that kept them from being fully recharged. If NiCds are discharged repeatedly to the same level, they tend to “remember” that level and can’t be brought back to full capacity.

“The maximum level keeps dropping at each recharge,” Johnson said. “Eventually you have to short it out and start all over again.” That need for frequent restarts was the reason that NiCds had such high maintenance requirements.

Those problems haven’t surfaced in the new VRLA batteries. None have failed so far, and they don’t require any scheduled maintenance.

“To be conservative, we replace them every three years because of possible lead fatigue,” Johnson said, “but they come off the plane with the same capacity as when they went on.”

The new VRLA batteries themselves are 33-50 percent cheaper than NiCds, leading to a corresponding reduction in the cost of consumables. An equivalent savings also comes from the dramatic reductions in maintenance.

Maintenance on NiCd batteries in the H-53E fleet, for example, approached 37,000 hours a year. For the new VLRA batteries, that time is approximately 5,500 hours a year.

The only maintenance required on the new batteries is the occasional need to pull one for a recharge when it runs down, explained Johnson.

“The battery could be run down when if an aircraft sat for a long time with a background load that kept important codes alive in computer memory, or if an aircraft system was inadvertently left on,” he said.

The dependable lead-and-sulfuric-acid chemistry in VRLA batteries has been around for more than a century. It’s also used in car batteries. To make it suitable for aircraft, VRLA batteries incorporate a few modern wrinkles.

No maintenance needed on VRLA battery (right) with lid securely riveted shut. Troublesome NiCd battery on left. US Navy photo.

VRLAs are completely sealed with no vent openings, and the acid inside them is absorbed by porous fiberglass mats between the plates, so VRLA batteries are often referred to as Absorbed Glass Mat – AGM – batteries.

The liquid acid in a car battery pours out of the vent openings if it’s turned upside down, which is not good in an airplane.

A car battery needs vent openings to release the hydrogen gas that forms while charging. But a VRLA battery absorbs hydrogen internally as it’s charged, eliminating the need for vents. If something goes wrong with hydrogen absorption, a valve opens to let the gas escape (valve regulation) so the battery doesn’t explode.

By updating tried-and-true chemistry with modern technology, the valve-regulated, lead-acid battery has given this 19th-century invention a new lease on life and saved the Navy a significant amount of money in the bargain.

¬Photo cutlines

CH-53E Sea Stallion lowers swimmer during helo-cast. New VRLA batteries in H-53s save $761,000 in replacement costs and over 31,000 maintenance hours each year. US Navy photo.

E/A-6B Prowler deploys spin-assist airbrakes on wingtips during touch and go. Batteries operate these critical components if main engine-driven generator power goes down. US Navy photo.

Source: NAVAIR

NASA Issues Environmental Impact Statement for Constellation

WASHINGTON – NASA issued an environmental impact statement for the Constellation Program Jan. 10.

NASA’s Constellation Program is developing a space transportation system that is designed to return humans to the moon by 2020. The Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement concludes that localized and global environmental impacts associated with implementing the program would be comparable to past or ongoing NASA activities.

The National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to prepare an environmental impact statement for major federal actions that may significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Federal agencies consider potential environmental impacts of their proposed actions before deciding whether and how to proceed.

The statement examines the effects of development, testing and operation of spacecraft and support systems associated with Constellation Program activities through the early 2020s. NASA plans to use multiple government and contractor facilities in implementing the program. The program components to be developed include the Orion crew exploration vehicle, the Ares I crew launch vehicle, the Ares V cargo launch vehicle, the Altair lunar lander and other cargo systems. Orion will launch atop the Ares I and be capable of docking with the International Space Station or with cargo launched to low Earth orbit by the Ares V for transit to the moon, or future missions to Mars.

Because the Constellation Program will be based largely upon components and facilities used by the Space Shuttle Program, the potential environmental impacts are expected to be similar. The principal activities associated with Constellation that could result in potential environmental impacts include rocket engine tests, rocket launches, construction of new facilities and modifications to existing facilities.

In preparing the statement, NASA published a notice of intent in the Federal Register on Sept. 26, 2006. NASA held public scoping meetings to invite comment on environmental concerns of program alternatives on Oct. 18, 2006, in Cocoa, Fla., on Oct. 20, 2006, in Washington; and on Oct. 24, 2006, in Salt Lake City. NASA also solicited comments from federal, state, and local agencies and other interested parties. The public scoping period ended Nov. 13, 2006. NASA also published a draft environmental impact statement and took public comment on the draft in August and September 2007.

Publicly identified issues resulting from the scoping meetings include the economic impact of the Constellation Program on local jobs near NASA centers, risks to the public through launch and reentry of the Orion spacecraft, noise associated with launch events and impacts to animals in the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., area from construction and launch activities. Other issues included the socio-economic impacts of decommissioning the space shuttle and implementing the Constellation Program.

The Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement contains an appendix that lists public comments and NASA’s responses. NASA expects to provide a formal record of decision for the Constellation Program in late spring 2008.

The impact statement is available at all NASA centers and on the Web at:

http://www.aviationnews.eu/mission_pages/constellation/main/peis.html

For information about NASA’s Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.aviationnews.eu/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html

 

Source: NASA

NASA Spacecraft Streams Back Surprises From Mercury

WASHINGTON – The recent flyby of Mercury by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft has given scientists an entirely new look at a planet once thought to have characteristics similar to those of Earth’s moon. Researchers are amazed by the wealth of images and data that show a unique world with a diversity of geological processes and a very different magnetosphere from the one discovered and sampled more than 30 years ago.

After a journey of more than 2 billion miles and three and a half years, NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging spacecraft made its first flyby on Jan. 14. The mission is the first sent to orbit the planet closest to our sun. The spacecraft’s cameras and other sophisticated, high-technology instruments collected more than 1,200 images and made other science observations. Data included the first up-close measurements of Mercury since the Mariner 10 spacecraft’s third and final flyby on March 16, 1975.

“This flyby allowed us to see a part of the planet never before viewed by spacecraft, and our little craft has returned a gold mine of exciting data,” said Sean Solomon, MESSENGER’s principal investigator, Carnegie Institution of Washington. “From the perspectives of spacecraft performance and maneuver accuracy, this encounter was near-perfect, and we are delighted that all of the science data are now on the ground.”

Unlike the moon, the spacecraft showed that Mercury has huge cliffs with structures snaking up hundreds of miles across the planet’s face. These cliffs preserve a record of patterns of fault activity from early in the planet’s history. The spacecraft also revealed impact craters that appear very different from lunar craters.

Instruments provided a topographic profile of craters and other geological features on the night side of Mercury. The spacecraft also discovered a unique feature that scientists dubbed “The Spider.” This formation never has been seen on Mercury before and nothing like it has been observed on the moon. It lies in the middle of a large impact crater called the Caloris basin and consists of more than 100 narrow, flat-floored troughs radiating from a complex central region.

“The Spider has a crater near its center, but whether that crater is related to the original formation or came later is not clear at this time,” said James Head, science team co-investigator at Brown University, Providence, R.I.

Now that the spacecraft has shown scientists the full extent of the Caloris basin, its diameter has been revised upward from the Mariner 10 estimate of 800 miles to perhaps as large as 960 miles from rim to rim. The plains inside the Caloris basin are distinctive and more reflective than the exterior plains. Impact basins on the moon have opposite characteristics.

The magnetosphere and magnetic field of Mercury during the flyby appeared to be different from the Mariner 10 observations. The spacecraft found the planet’s magnetic field was generally quiet but showed several signatures indicating significant pressure within the magnetosphere.

Magnetic fields like Earth’s and their resulting magnetospheres are generated by electrical dynamos in the form of a liquid metallic outer core deep in the planet’s center. Of the four terrestrial planets, only Mercury and Earth exhibit such a phenomenon. The magnetic field deflects the solar wind from the sun, producing a protective bubble around Earth that shields the surface of our planet from those energetic particles and other sources farther out in the galaxy. Similar variations are expected for Mercury’s magnetic field, but the precise nature of its field and the time scales for internal changes are unknown. The next two flybys and the yearlong orbital phase will shed more light on these processes.

The spacecraft’s suite of instruments has provided insight into the mineral makeup of the surface terrain and detected ultraviolet emissions from sodium, calcium and hydrogen in Mercury’s exosphere. It also has explored the sodium-rich exospheric “tail,” which extends more than 25,000 miles from the planet.

“We should keep this treasure trove of data in perspective,” said project scientist Ralph McNutt of the Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md. “With two flybys to come and an intensive orbital mission to follow, we are just getting started to go where no one has been before.”

For more information on the flyby, visit:

www.nasa.gov/messenger

Source: NASA

STRONG MARKET FOR JETSTREAM 41 AS NEW TRANSACTIONS ARE CONFIRMED

Hatfield, Hertfordshire. BAE Systems Regional Aircraft confirms that the market for its portfolio Jetstream 41 remains buoyant and that during 2007 a total of 22 transactions were completed, more than double the 2006 total.

Previously confirmed transactions included new leases for 11 aircraft with Eastern Airways of the UK – the world’s largest fleet operator of the type – the lease of four aircraft to new Colombian operator EasyFly S.A. and a lease extension for one aircraft with SA Airlink of South Africa.

Today, Regional Aircraft announces the following new 2007 transactions:

• Capital Aviation Holdings has purchased three aircraft (msn 41055, 41058 and 41064) which it is planning to lease into an airline in the Caribbean. The first aircraft is being ferried to Corporate Flight Management’s Smyrna, Tennessee, facility for customisation to the end user’s specifications;
• SARPA (Servicios Aereos Panamericanos S.A.) of Medellin, Colombia, has purchased one Jetstream 41 (msn 41089) for delivery during this month. Already a well-established Jetstream 32 operator, SARPA has been flying for over 25 years to support the oil industry in Medellin. Besides its oil contracts, SARPA has branched out to serve other industries in the country and requires the bigger Jetstream 41to fuel its expansion plans;
• Sky Express based at Heraklion on the island of Crete, Greece, has purchased two Jetstream 41s (msn 41075 and 41076) to add to its fleet of two Jetstream 32s. Delivery of both aircraft will be made in Spring 2008 in time for the busy summer season. Sky Express has carved out a niche for itself over the past three years by flying thinner routes linking Crete directly with smaller Greek islands such as Rhodes, Lesbos, Samos and Kos using its 19-seat Jetstreams and avoiding transiting through Athens. The addition of the two Jetstream 41s will allow longer direct routes such as from Crete to Thessaloniki to be flown in comfort and also holds the prospect of further onward connections from Thessaloniki into Balkan destinations.

The Jetstream 41 fleet is, on average, only just over ten years old and this strong performance illustrates the value that the market is placing on acquiring examples in a rapid timeframe.

Regional Aircraft confirms that negotiations are well advanced with several carriers for a number of aircraft and expects to have placed its remaining Jetstream 41s by the end of 2008.

Source: BAe

FINNISH CARRIER BLUE1 EXTENDS RJ85 LEASE WITH BAE SYSTEMS REGIONAL AIRCRAFT

Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Finnish regional carrier Blue1, which is a member of the SAS Group, has signed a long-term lease extension with BAE Systems Regional Aircraft on one RJ85 (msn E2392). This lease will see the aircraft operating in the Blue1 fleet well into the next decade.

This transaction follows a deal announced in October last year under which Blue1 extended leases on four other RJ85s in its fleet. At the same time it was confirmed that two other RJ85s currently operating with Blue1 are being returned to BAE Systems for onward lease to BA CityFlyer from Spring 2008.

It is also confirmed that one of the two RJ100s operated by Blue1 has been returned to BAE Systems and for onward sale to the Bahrain Defence Force.

Blue1 has confirmed that it is slightly reducing the size of its regional jet operation in favour of acquiring larger aircraft. However, the airline states that the Avro RJ continues to be its preferred regional jet solution for many years to come.

The Avro RJ85s and RJ100s are configured in a highly comfortable 5-abreast layout, with 84 and 99 passengers respectively, to meet the needs of the airline’s passengers, more than 50 percent of whom are business travellers.

Blue1 is a regional Star Alliance member and has over 100 daily flights serving seven Finnish destinations and 18 international destinations in Scandinavia and Europe.

Source: BAe

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