General Aviation Thread

[ngatimozart]

A large US air freight operator is moving from B767 conversions to A330-300 conversions as it begins to future proof its fleet. It said that the A330-300 is of similar size to the B767 but has larger volume, longer range and can lift 8% more payload by weight.

Why a Big 767 Air Cargo Operator Now Likes the Airbus A330 - FLYING Magazine

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on FreightWaves.com. The Boeing 767 is Air Transport Services Group’s flagship freighter for its aircraft leasing and cargo airline businesses. Out of 110 aircraft currently in service, 91 are 767s. The medium widebodies are just the right size for...

www.flyingmag.com

 

[FormerDirtDart]

Essentially USTRANSCOM has issued a warning order to members of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) for possible activation.
Most likely to transship evacuees from locations outside of Afghanistan. While military airlift would continue to do the evacuations from Kabul.

Defense Secretary Orders US Airlines to Help With Evacuation

It's only the third time in history that the U.S. airlines have been mobilized by the military.

www.defenseone.com

 

[John Fedup]

Placing this link here which I also posted to the Military aviation thread. This WIG is more commercial compared to the earlier DARPA article in the Military aviation thread.


This boat-plane hybrid could transform inter-city commutes
Seaglider: This boat-plane hybrid could transform inter-city commutes

 

[Ananda]

Simple Flying - Aviation News & Insight

The leading independent voice for aviation news and insight.

simpleflying.com

Bankruptcy to another Airlines, more importantly another Flag Carrier. Before this we already heard on Alitalia and Thai Airways, we also known on the condition on South Africa Airlines and several other Flag Carriers. In fact it should be much more. At least in South East Asia alone, if not due to Political consideration flag carriers like Malaysian Airlines and Garuda Indonesia will already in technical bankrupt financially.

COVID already taking toll on the Industry is not a secret. However do Nation's still need maintaining Flag Carriers? Most of it due to national pride, which justified Political costs to keep them flying.

However, whether due to Pandemic or Financial Crisis, any company in any Industry should be let it fall, especially if the problem already arise before the Pandemic. Take it as example on Malaysian Airlines and Garuda Indonesia, both continue being inject directly and indirectly due to Political consideration. No administration in both countries want to take Political costs to let the 'pride' flag carrier go down.

Many of those Flag Carrier not working efficiently, perhaps on the mentality that the Government will bail them up if they mess up. Perhaps only few Flag Carriers, the like of Singapore Airlines and Qantas that in other spectrum of efficiency and profitability. Even then both of them got problem due this Pandemic, however their pre-pandemic condition still save them.

Just my ranting on why Nation's should not maintain and help Flag Carriers, especially if they already have problem before the Pandemic.

 

[At lakes]

Watch: Stunt pilot's incredible flight through tunnels

I called this incredible flying but my daughter called him a dangerous fruit loop.

 

[ngatimozart]

Watch: Stunt pilot's incredible flight through tunnels

I called this incredible flying but my daughter called him a dangerous fruit loop.

Girl children. God's punishment for being a man.

Saw it a few days ago. It's been doing the rounds. Definitely great piece of flying.

 

[Rob c]

Girl children. God's punishment for being a man.

I always considered my kids to be my pride and joy. the boys were my pride and the girls were my joy. mind you teenage years (many years ago) were a bit trying in some cases, but not all.

 

[ngatimozart]

I always considered my kids to be my pride and joy. the boys were my pride and the girls were my joy. mind you teenage years (many years ago) were a bit trying in some cases, but not all.

Very proud of my kids. Yes teenage years were somewhat interesting and the daughter was and still is fiery. All the women down my side of the family are somewhat fiery. My mum, aunties, sisters, granddaugthers and nieces are the same. Funnily enough she who must be obeyed is also somewhat fiery. My son is quite quiet and even as a teenager didn't get up to half the things I did at the same age. He went all Goth. On the other hand the daughter she went all out. It was quite entertaining and sometimes it was very hard keeping a straight face when trying to be serious about the latest escapade.

 

[cdxbow]

The Drive has an interesting article about Bells high speed VTOL with folding blades and jet engines Bell's Plan To Finally Realize A Rotorcraft That Flies Like A Jet But Hovers Like A Helicopter (thedrive.com) The HSVTOL concept has been kicking around for decades. I'm guessing they want to use blades for lift rather than jets for a couple of reasons, it may be more efficient and agile than jets and avoids the F35B effect of cooking the ground.

 

[John Fedup]

A C-130 size HSVTOL would be a real game changer. Bell really seems to be the star in vertical lift these days.

 

[John Fedup]

Just what Boeing needs, more bad press.
Boeing reportedly investigating empty tequila bottles found on a future Air Force One
Boeing reportedly investigating empty tequila bottles found on a future Air Force One

 

[Ananda]

Widebody Challenger: The CRAIC CR929 Is Now Under Production

simpleflying.com

After Russian MC-21 and China C919 that directly challenge 737 and A320, now China-Russia venture toward Wide Body to challenge 787 and A330.

In paper, CR929 will have less range on contemporary 787 series and A330 Neo. Just like MC-21 and C919 which still have less range toward 737 Max and A320Neo family. Still it's means (considering how Politically importance this project is), that one of the largest aviation market in the world closing much of their market from Boeing and Airbus products.

As even MC-21 and C919 is just too early to see their impact on denting the Big Two market, we also still can only take speculations guessing on how the impact on this CR929.

 

[KiwiRob]

Very proud of my kids. Yes teenage years were somewhat interesting and the daughter was and still is fiery. All the women down my side of the family are somewhat fiery. My mum, aunties, sisters, granddaugthers and nieces are the same. Funnily enough she who must be obeyed is also somewhat fiery. My son is quite quiet and even as a teenager didn't get up to half the things I did at the same age. He went all Goth. On the other hand the daughter she went all out. It was quite entertaining and sometimes it was very hard keeping a straight face when trying to be serious about the latest escapade.

one of my best mates was a goth, I went to a few parties with him and that crowd, one thing I can say for sure is I never met a maori goth, your son must have been the needle in a haystack, the hens tooth....my middle son is borderline EMO, I don't see much difference between EMO and goth, apparently they get pretty mad with us oldies mixing them up.

 

[ngatimozart]

one of my best mates was a goth, I went to a few parties with him and that crowd, one thing I can say for sure is I never met a maori goth, your son must have been the needle in a haystack, the hens tooth....my middle son is borderline EMO, I don't see much difference between EMO and goth, apparently they get pretty mad with us oldies mixing them up.

My son like me missed out on the instant sun tan. Same with my siblings. My mother and her siblings went the whole gamut from dark as to white as in skin colour. There were 13 of them sitting at the table so it was quite a noticeable difference. It's genetics and which gene was dominant. One of my brothers and I used to reckon she short changed us about the instant skin tan, but our dad always used to say that it left room for more of his good looks.

 

[KiwiRob]

Widebody Challenger: The CRAIC CR929 Is Now Under Production

simpleflying.com

After Russian MC-21 and China C919 that directly challenge 737 and A320, now China-Russia venture toward Wide Body to challenge 787 and A330.

In paper, CR929 will have less range on contemporary 787 series and A330 Neo. Just like MC-21 and C919 which still have less range toward 737 Max and A320Neo family. Still it's means (considering how Politically importance this project is), that one of the largest aviation market in the world closing much of their market from Boeing and Airbus products.

As even MC-21 and C919 is just too early to see their impact on denting the Big Two market, we also still can only take speculations guessing on how the impact on this CR929.

MC-21 splits the range of the Airbus and Boeing models. At the moment they haven't optimised any model for extreme long range, the existing customer base doesn't have a requirement for etops or trans-atlantic range. The do have plans for an MC-21X with a mtow of 155 ton with a 9-10000km range, further than the A321XLR. Where they do have as an advantage over the A32X and 737 models is a larger diameter frame, wider isles to speed up boarding and exit, bigger cabin luggage bins and more underfloor cargo capacity. It's not going to set the world on fire but it will find a niche with operators in countries who don't have access to US and EU made aircraft due to sanctions.

 

[cdxbow]

Saw this interesting article about bird strikes and the USAF attempts to reduce it. This Shot is a Reminder that it Doesn’t Take a Missile to Down a Fighter (thedrive.com) There is some absolutely amazing video in the article which must be watched. You may look at your sliced turkey sandwiches a bit differently after the first video.

 

[Ananda]

Why Embraer Decided To Invest In A New Turboprop Aircraft

simpleflying.com

This's continuation on my post in Indonesian AF thread, on the matter of DI/IAe plan (partner with Turkish TAI), on developing N245 Turboprop Airliner (as evolution from CN235).

The article above also shown that Embrear executive indicating Turboprop will only work on short range or smaller trunk routes with up to 50pac. Thus eventough they're thinking on slightly larger Turboprop (up to 70+ pac base on previous article), however it will be build for multi class config with 50 pac. This's shown why Industry still think even with Turboprop efficiency, they will not work on longer range regional routes, that now fill by regional jets.

The Embrear plan will be new clean design Turboprop. Something bit daring as now Turboprop Airliner market still use aging design from ATR42/72 and Dash 8. Shown Turboprop market is not that big, and Embrear new clean design will need to shown better performance for Airlines and passenger comfort to replace ATR and Dash 8.

 

[At lakes]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

Its amazing what you see driving down the streets in Singapore at night. Two You Tube videos on this link the first one is on the Air New Zealand Aircraft in storage perhaps waiting for RNZAF Markings and the 2nd video is two A380 being towed down the street at night to the scrap yard.

 

[Ananda]

2nd video is two A380 being towed down the street at night to the scrap yard.

What the irony is, most A380 are only less then two decades old. The age that mostly can still be productive for an airliner. This's bad end for one of the Airliner that when it come not two decades ago, being herald as game changer.

The reluctance from Air Freighter industry to take over and converted those A380 being discarded by Passenger Airlines, I'm afraid will put an end for Mega size Airliners going to be produce in the future.

 

[Terran]

I think part of it is also that the maker never seemed to follow up on building a freighter version. Boeing 747-8F still has orders being fulfilled. Airbus really made the wrong bet, They were banking on the large spoke model of air transit. However as we have seen the system moved to a more point to point model with more efficiency as the selling point.
Boeing has made its major boners but basing the 747-8 off an existing design and farther building a dedicated cargo version. Had allowed them to sink a smaller investment well also phasing away from the passenger lines whom have a hard time filling the massive number of seats and push to air package whom can fill those liners like Santa’s sleigh.