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Macleans new Place

Spaniard becomes second MXS pilot in field

Alejandro Maclean said he loves his sparkling new MXS plane that he took on its maiden flight on May 18. But the Spaniard, who became the second Red Bull Air Race pilot equipped with the U.S.-made MXS, also knows that he’s got a lot of work to do to fit his particularly aggressive style of flying into the sensitive, agile plane before he gets the most out of the stunning new machine.

“The plane is very good and I’m sure it’s going to perform well, but I was really struggling through the first run on the course,” Maclean said after trading in his Edge 540 “It’s much faster but it’s much more agile. It’s completely different from the Edge. I have some control problems due to the settings. We reset the plane and changed some things and got some faster times. Eventually, once I get it sorted out, I’ll be able to fly precise and not think too much about the reaction of the plane. I’ll know what they’ll be. I think it’ll be good. But how long that will take? I don’t know whether it’ll be two or three runs or two or three years.”

Maclean, who joined Britain’s Nigel Lamb as the second MXS pilot, added: “The main thing is for me to know what the plane will do rather than waiting to see the reaction. If you have to fly and don’t really know what the plane will do, that’s not so good. It takes time to know what the plane will do it and when.”

Maclean said that the first test runs after taking delivery in Oregon went extremely well. But that was at an altitude of about 1,000 feet. Flying through the course on Thursday for the first time was a different story.

Source: RedBull Airraces

F414-powered Gripen Demonstrator makes successful first flight

LYNN, Mass. – May 30, 2008 – The Saab Gripen Demonstrator aircraft powered by a GE F414G engine successfully completed its first flight on May 27 at Saab, Linkoping, Sweden. The flight lasted 30 minutes and completed all planned goals.

“This flight is a major milestone for the Saab and GE propulsion integration team, which adapted the Gripen aircraft and the F414 engine,” said Tony Mathis GE – Vice President. F414/F404 Programs. “This is the first adaptation of an F414 for a single-engine application. This team was able to meet all the integration and flightworthiness requirements while holding an accelerated schedule.”

Volvo Aero has joined with GE to support this development program and the flight and demonstration testing that will continue beyond 2010. Cooperative relationships with both Volvo Aero and airframe manufacturer Saab have led to this milestone and will continue through the Gripen Demonstrator Program and beyond.

“Everything went according to plan. The Gripen Demonstrator aircraft is more powerful compared to earlier versions of Gripen, but it is just as easily flown. We look forward to continuing the test program at the same high pace as up to now,” says test pilot Mikael Seidl, who together with his colleague Magnus Ljungdahl crewed the first flight.

The Gripen Demonstrator is a flying testbed for the Next-Generation Gripen and for the further development of present versions. The F414G provides the Gripen with more than 20 percent additional thrust and contributes to significant improvements in aircraft performance, range and payload.

The 22,000-pound-thrust-class F414G turbofan engine utilizes the advanced technology, reliability, maintainability and operability of the combat-proven F414 engine that powers the U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. To date, more than 800 F414-GE-400 engines have been delivered and have accumulated more than 900,000 flight-hours. F414-GE-400 engines also powers Boeing’s EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft.

The F414 is a potential powerplant for emerging platforms such as the Korean KF-X and the Indian Medium Combat Aircraft, as well as growth versions of the KAI/LMTAS T-50, and the Indian Light Combat Aircraft. GE Aviation continues to develop advanced technology for the F414 engine, paving the way for future upgrades to improve component capability for a significant reduction in ownership costs, or up to a 20 percent increase in thrust with improved specific fuel consumption.

Source: General Electric

Nippon Cargo Airlines Takes Delivery of GE’s First CF6-80C2 Engine with New Tech CF6 Upgrades

SEATTLE, Washington – May 29, 2008 – Nippon Cargo Airlines has taken delivery of its first GE CF6-80C2 engines incorporating a new, high-pressure turbine upgrade.

The turbine upgrade, part of GE’s new Tech CF6 program, was installed in engines for the airline’s new Boeing 747-400F aircraft. Nippon Cargo ordered four 747-400F aircraft, and the first was delivered today. The remaining three will be delivered between now and February 2009.

In 2006, GE launched the Tech CF6 program to incorporate advanced technology into the high-pressure turbine (HPT), combustor and high-pressure compressor (HPC) areas. The new HPT technologies, now standard on CF6-80C2 production engines and available as an upgrade, include airfoil-cooling advancements to enhance operational reliability and improve fuel burn retention. The combustor and HPC advancements are also available as an upgrade option to incorporate into existing CF6-80C2 fleets.

“Nippon Cargo Airlines is a long-standing CF6 customer and a launch customer for the GEnx-powered Boeing 747-8 aircraft as well,” says Colleen Athans, general manager of the CF6 Project at GE. “The Tech CF6 upgrade results from GE’s continuing R&D investments and our commitment to infusing the latest technology into our existing engine lines.”

Nippon Cargo Airlines has built a reputation for safe, fast and reliable performance. The airline currently serves 20 major cities through Asia, Europe, and North America. Nippon Cargo Airlines currently operates six CF6-80C2-powered Boeing 747-400F aircraft and has also ordered eight firm Boeing 747-8 Freighters plus 6 options, powered by GE’s GEnx engine.

GE’s CF6 engines have been among the most utilized and reliable in the industry. Powering more than 10 models of wide-body aircraft, the engine has established an unparalleled record of reliability and compiled more than 300 million flight-hours in service with more than 250 customers worldwide.

Source: General Electric

Boeing Delivers 75th 777 to ILFC

EVERETT, Wash., May 30, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) reached a historic milestone this week with the delivery of ILFC’s 75th Boeing 777. The Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) is leased to ILFC’s customer, Cathay Pacific Airways. ILFC has ordered 79 777s from Boeing since 1992, more than any other customer.

Cathay Pacific now operates 25 777s, with 22 more 777-300ERs scheduled to be delivered including two more to be leased from ILFC. The airplane delivered Wednesday will join the airline’s fleet of seven 777-300ERs, 12 777-300s, five 777-200s and 24 747-400s in passenger service.

Source: Boeing

Boeing Trains C-17 Loadmasters

ST. LOUIS, May 30, 2008 — In a C-17 Cargo Compartment Trainer located at Altus Air Force Base, Okla., Lynn Gardner, a Boeing [NYSE: BA] C-17 loadmaster instructor, shows two students how to prepare the aircraft’s Container Delivery System gate for an airdrop.

Boeing delivers and operates the C-17 Aircrew Training System, which, in addition to providing aircrew training, offers initial air/land qualification training for loadmaster students. Using a building-block approach to training, students first view computer-based modules, then move on to various training devices: a Cargo Load Model, where students use scale models of cargo to become familiar with different types of loads and how loads are placed in the cargo compartment; a Cargo Compartment Trainer, which is a full-size mockup of a C-17; and a Loadmaster Simulator, which can be connected with the Air Vehicle System trainer to link pilots and loadmasters in simulated operational missions.

Source: Boeing

Bell’s 429 EMS Helicopter Makes Impressive Debut at Air Med 2008

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (May 29, 2008) — Last week Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, showcased its latest emergency medical helicopter, the 429, to a receptive audience at the international Air Med conference held last week in Prague, Czech Republic.

 

Sandy Kinkade, Market Segment director for Bell Helicopter and a former flight nurse stated, “It was very gratifying to see first hand how well received this helicopter is by the very community that had a hand in its design. We spent literally hundreds of hours talking with our EMS customers asking what features they would like to see in a helicopter and, based on the response we got from this audience, I think we were able to deliver on most of those features.”

 

As pilots, medical technicians and operators crawled over the aircraft several comments were consistently overheard. The large open cabin drew an appreciative appraisal, side or rear optional patient loading scored big and the pilots greeted the cockpit layout with a vigorous ‘thumbs-up.’

 

To date the 429 has accumulated over 900 hours of flight testing, while its order book continues to grow. Certification is expected either late this year or early in 2009.

 

Bell will begin testing various elements of this system later this year with the program targeted to complete in 2010.

Source: Bell Helicopters

LOCKHEED MARTIN F-35B SUCCEEDS IN STOVL PROPULSION GROUND TEST

f-35-hover-testing

The shaft-driven lift fan propulsion system that will enable the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter to perform short takeoffs and vertical landings (STOVL) operated for the first time in the aircraft during ground testing on Sunday, May 25. At full power, the F-35B’s system generates more than 40,000 pounds of lifting force, or about 170 percent more than current-generation STOVL fighters.

Pilot Graham Tomlinson of BAE Systems performed two conversions from conventional (wing-borne)  to STOVL (jet-borne) mode with the aircraft anchored to a specially instrumented hover pit at Lockheed Martin’s STOVL Operations Test Facility. The F-35B is conducting a final series of ground tests before its first flight in the coming weeks.

“The F-35B’s STOVL propulsion system operated exactly as expected, providing the power output that our models forecast and transitioning very smoothly from conventional to STOVL-mode and back,” said Bobby Williams, Lockheed Martin vice president and F-35 deputy program manager. “We expect the same kind of seamless transition when the F-35B begins STOVL-mode flights in early 2009.”

The F-35B combines the profound advantages of stealth and supersonic speed with the ability to operate from small ships and austere bases near front lines.

The F-35B STOVL propulsion system has logged more than 1,900 hours of operation on test stands. In 2001 the X-35B, a proof-of-concept STOVL aircraft using a prototype of the same propulsion system, completed 14 short takeoffs, 17 vertical takeoffs and 27 vertical landings. On July 20, 2001, the X-35B became the first aircraft in history to perform a short takeoff, accelerate to supersonic speed in level flight and descend for a vertical landing in a single mission.

The STOVL propulsion system comprises a Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan engine, a drive shaft leading from the engine face to a gear box and clutch connecting to a counter-rotating Rolls-Royce lift fan located directly behind the cockpit, a 3-bearing swivel duct at the rear that vectors the engine thrust downward and provides yaw control, and a roll nozzle under each wing for lateral stability.

During the conversion from conventional flight to STOVL flight, all doors associated with the STOVL propulsion system begin to open including the lift fan inlet and exhaust doors, the roll-nozzle doors, the auxiliary-inlet doors atop the fuselage (providing increased efficiency to the main engine) and the aft fuselage 3-bearing swivel duct doors. The 3-bearing swivel duct begins vectoring engine thrust downward as well. Once all doors are open, the clutch engages and the lift fan begins turning. As the lift fan reaches full speed the clutch locks, providing a direct physical connection between engine and lift fan. The aircraft control laws then begin using the STOVL propulsion system to provide aircraft flight control. The system operates automatically at the touch of a button.

The F-35B will operate in conventional mode during its initial series of flights to evaluate overall flying qualities and airworthiness. In preparation for the F-35B’s first flight, pilot Tomlinson flew the F-35A for the first time on May 28, assessing the aircraft’s handling at various power settings. In early 2009, the F-35B will conduct initial STOVL flight operations before moving to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., for further testing.

Sunday’s test marked the first use of the newly constructed hover pit and its supporting facilities. “Our aim is to retire technical risk well before we deliver F-35s to the fleet,” Williams said. “Our investment in facilities like the hover pit are helping us do just that while building confidence in the test program.”

The F-35 Lightning II is a supersonic, multi-role, 5th generation stealth fighter. The three F-35 variants are derived from a common design and use the same sustainment infrastructure worldwide to replace at least 13 types of aircraft for 11 nations, making the Lightning II the most cost-effective fighter program in history.

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.

Source: Lockheed Martin

YAK-130 COMBAT TRAINER OF NEW CENTURY

A second production-configuration aircraft has entered the flight trials of prospective combat trainer Yakovlev Yak-130 in April this year.

Work is underway under the contract with the Russian Air Force (RusAF) that selected the Yak-130 for service with its flight schools, in May, the new aircraft was submitted for the official trials slated to wrap up next year, after which the aircraft wilt be fielded. Under the concept of the Yakovlev design bureau, the Yak-130 designed for advanced flight training of military pilots, as well as for training them in combat tactics, is an element of the training complex comprising the Yak-152 (Yak-52M) primary trainer, a ground simulator and a computerised classroom.

Having landed the contract with RusAF, Yakovlev is concurrently promoting the Yak-130 on the global market in cooperation with the Irkut company, with the Rosoboronexport state-owned company as an intermediary. India, Malaysia and, possibly Algeria, as well as some other countries are believed to be potential buyers of the advanced combat trainer. The Yak-130 is promoted on the market along with the Irkut-manufactured Su-3OMK multirole fighters. Thus, the customer is offered a set of a world-best fighter and a full set of training hardware for pilots to fly it. Of the hardware, the key thing is the Yak-130 combat trainer that can be used as a light combat aircraft, if need be.

EA-18G Growler to arrive at NAS Whidbey Island

PATUXENT RIVER NAVAL AIR STATION, Md. – The Navy’s newest airborne electronic attack asset, the EA-18G Growler, will be accepted by the commander of the Electronic Attack Wing at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, during a dedication ceremony at Whidbey June 3.

Capt. Bradley S. Russell will host Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter, guest speaker for the event, and Congressman Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) at the celebration of the delivery of the first Growler to the NAS.

Also on hand for the event will be members of the Department of the Navy, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, Northrop-Grumman Corp., General Electric and Raytheon.

The Navy selected the EA-18G to replace the current airborne electronic attack platform, the EA-6B Prowler that has been in service since 1971.

The Growler combines the state-of-the-art two-seat, twin-engine F/A-18F Block 2 Super Hornet with the EA-6B Improved Capability III system to provide next-generation electronic attack capability to the joint war fighter.

The $1 billion contract for 57 aircraft was awarded Dec. 29, 2003, with the first Growler delivered to the U.S. Navy on Sept. 24, 2007. From now until 2013, 14 Prowler squadrons will transition to ten Growler squadrons.

Currently, the Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet, comprises 4,970 active duty U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force personnel and 92 Department of Defense civilian employees and 180 Defense contractors.

NAS Whidbey Island is home for the entire U.S. Navy’s airborne electronic attack aircraft, to include the fleet readiness squadron and one forward-deployed squadron in Atsugi, Japan.

Source: NAVAIR

Eurocopter signs order to retrofit six more Bundeswehr CH53Gs

On May 28, at the ILA International Aerospace Exhibition, the German Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) and Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH signed a contract for the retrofit of six more CH53G transport helicopters operated by the German Army to convert them to mission helicopters fitted with ballistic self protection and specific mission equipment. The order is worth approximately €24 million, a large proportion of which will go to medium-sized German equipment manufacturers. The German Army will take delivery of the urgently needed transport helicopters between May and November 2009.

The order aims to close some of the operational gaps that currently exist in part of the German Army’s fleet of CH53G helicopters, in particular to the defensive mission equipment for protecting the crews and helicopters while flying missions. The centerpiece of the retrofit is the integration of an EloKa (electronic warfare) defence system, the addition of an internal fuel tank system to extend the helicopter’s range and equipment to prepare the helicopter for flying night missions.

“With this project we are providing rapid response to the German Army’s requirements for mission-capable transport helicopters to guarantee their national and international mission capability in the long-term”, said Ralf Barnscheidt, Senior Vice President Helicopter Support Center German Armed Forces, of the new contract signed today.

Eurocopter Deutschland was chosen as the main contractor for this task. The six helicopters covered by the contract will be upgraded and delivered over the next 16 months. At the same time, these helicopters will also be equipped with further improvements to ensure their continued mission capability, which will extend their service life by an additional 4,000 flight hours. The very short timeframe for completing this order will once again serve to demonstrate the capabilities of the German Army Helicopter Assistance Center in Donauwörth.

Eurocopter as the German Army’s Partner for the CH-53G
Eurocopter’s German Army Helicopter Assistance Center in Donauwörth also has an order for the retrofit of a total of 82 medium-heavy CH53G transport helicopters to ensure continued mission capability. This involves fixing airframe fatigue caused by use and aging to increase the helicopters’ design life from 6,000 to 10,000 flight hours. In addition to this, the retrofit will involve replacement of the entire electrical system, which is now about 35 years old.

The Eurocopter German Army Helicopter Assistance Center has already completed major orders for the CH53G transport helicopter working with the BWB in the past. One contract was for measures to maintain airworthiness for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight, another for the retrofit of 20 of these aircraft to extend their range, night low-level flying capability and electronic defensive countermeasures for missions with the UN and rapid reaction forces. Last year a contract for the retrofit of 40 CH53G transport helicopters was signed, forming the core of a “Midlife Upgrade” for this helicopter type to close existing gaps in operational capability and prepare the CH53G for missions it will perform jointly with the Tiger and the NH90.

The CH53G
The CH53G has been in service for over 35 years and will continue to form the backbone of the German Army’s missions abroad, where it is subjected to extreme conditions, for the foreseeable future. Since entering service it has not only been the cornerstone of flexible troop and material transport by the German Army as part of its missions under Germany’s NATO defense obligations, but has also been the central pillar for all out-of-area operations by the German Army as well as for other NATO forces in conflict zones from Kosovo to Kabul since the early 1990s. It has also seen considerable service combating national and international disasters such as forest fires and floods.

Source: Eurocopter

Bombardier Learjet 85 Aircraft Composite Structure Manufacturing to Take Place at Querétaro Facility

Mexico City, May 29, 2008

• Final assembly, interior completions, flight test and customer delivery will be based in Wichita

Today, corporate aviation leader Bombardier announced its facility in Querétaro, Mexico will manufacture the composite structure for its all-new, state-of-the-art Learjet 85 business jet. The Querétaro site will also manufacture the electrical harness and perform sub-assembly systems installation. Final assembly, interior completions, flight test and customer delivery of this next-generation aircraft will take place at Bombardier’s Wichita facility, home of the legendary Learjet brand.

“Mexico is key to the development of a highly competitive aerospace industry in Central and South America, as well as to Bombardier’s increased competitiveness in the international marketplace,” said Jean Séguin, Vice-President Engineering and Supply Chain, Bombardier Aerospace. “With our facility in Querétaro, we continue to expand our manufacturing capacity while increasing the efficiency of our operations. In keeping with our tradition of innovation, the composite manufacturing capacity we are adding to our plant in Mexico is an excellent complement to the approximately 40 years of experience in advanced composites technologies developed at our Bombardier facilities.”

“The name Learjet embodies a legacy of excellence in the history of business aviation and as with all our Learjet aircraft, Wichita will remain the site for final completion of our new Learjet 85 aircraft,” said David Coleal, Vice-President and General Manager, Learjet Product Line.

In January 2008, Bombardier announced Grob Aerospace had been selected to develop the all‑composite structure of the new Learjet 85 aircraft and produce the composite structure during the initial production cycle. During this period Bombardier will transfer composite manufacturing from Grob to its Querétaro site.

Launched on October 30, 2007 the new Learjet 85 aircraft will be the first Bombardier jet to feature an all-composite structure and will be the first all-composite structure business jet designed for type certification under U.S. Federal Aviation Administration FAR Part 25. Entry into service is planned for fiscal year 2012/13.

Bombardier Aerospace in Mexico
Collaborating with the federal and Querétaro state governments to develop a solid aerospace industry in Mexico, Bombardier began operations in May 2006 at its facility in the El Marques Industrial Park. At a ceremony on February 28, 2008, a second plant located at the new Querétaro Aerospace Park was officially inaugurated by Felipe Calderón, President of Mexico; Francisco Garrido Patrón, Govenor of the State of Querétaro; and Pierre Beaudoin, President and Chief Operating Officer, Bombardier Aerospace.

Currently, approximately 900 employees work at Bombardier’s facilities in Querétaro where they manufacture electrical harnesses and structural aircraft components, including the Challenger 850 mid-fuselage, the Q400 aircraft flight control work package, and the aft fuselage for the Global family of aircraft. By the end of fiscal year 2008/09, Bombardier Aerospace expects the workforce to increase to 1,200 full-time employees. 

Building on legendary Learjet performance
True to its legendary heritage, the Learjet 85 aircraft is set to deliver the extraordinary performance, superior technology and exceptional value Learjet aircraft owners expect. The clean-sheet Learjet aircraft targets a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.82 and a transcontinental range of up to 3,000 nautical miles (5,556 km)*. Designed to provide a larger, more comfortable cabin than any existing midsize aircraft, this jet will offer eight passengers a stand-up cabin built to ensure superior productivity and comfort.

Learjet is the first name in corporate aviation. Since acquiring Learjet Inc. in 1990, Bombardier Aerospace has carried forward the brand’s proud legacy by launching eight high-performance and fuel-efficient aircraft.

Source: Bombardier

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