Tag: aircraft

GAMA Reports Q1 Increase in Plane Deliveries, Led by Small Aircraft

Aviation International News reports that according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, “the first quarter brought good news for the general aviation industry in terms of deliveries,” as “overall airplane deliveries rose nearly 15 percent year-over-year, while helicopters handovers climbed 7 percent” and airplane deliveries “were led by smaller aircraft, causing a $300 million decline in billings from a year ago, to $3.7 billion.” GAMA found that “turboprop airplanes saw the largest gain, soaring by more than 30 percent over the first three months of 2021, with higher-end pressurized models receiving a 39 percent boost.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

KC-46’s Faulty Trim Kept Emergency Door from Opening

Air Force Times reported that a “problem with the trim on the KC-46A Pegasus’ overwing exit doors kept it from being able to open, which could have hindered passengers’ ability to escape during an emergency.” The US Air Force’s engineers “worked with KC-46 manufacturer” The Boeing Company “to create and issue a time compliance technical order to modify the refueling tankers’ doors in the field.”
Full Story (Air Force Times)

Boeing Aircraft Delivers 22 Jets in February

Reuters reports that The Boeing Company said it delivered 20 of its 737 MAX aircraft and two freighters to customers in February, indicating rebounding travel and pandemic-era cargo demand, but its 787 Dreamliner freeze continued. The Boeing 737 MAX and the 787 Dreamliner are crucial to the company’s ability to recover from the pandemic and catch up with Airbus, having lost the delivery race for a third consecutive year. Boeing said it also booked 32 orders for the 737 MAX aircraft, 18 of which were for Air Lease Corp. Deliveries of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner have been frozen for months as the company conducts strenuous inspections and repairs to address production-related structural defects.
Full Story (Reuters)

KC-46 Cleared to Refuel More Aircraft

Aviation Week reports that the US Air Force “has cleared the KC-46 to refuel five more aircraft types as part of a rollout of interim capabilities before the tanker is fully operational. U.S. Transportation Command can now task the KC-46 to refuel AC-130Js, HC-130Js, MC-130Js, C-5Ms and E-3Gs.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Airbus Predicts Demand for 39,000 New Airliners by 2040

Aviation Week  reported that Airbus forecasted that some “39,000 new airliners will be needed worldwide over the next 20 years.” Airbus “believes there will be demand by 2040 for around 29,700 small aircraft like the Airbus A220, A320 family or Boeing 737 MAX, and for about 5,300 medium-sized aircraft like the Airbus A321XLR, A330neo or Boeing 787-8,” in addition to demand for about 4,000 large aircraft “like the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787-10 and 777X.” Airbus also expects “to see demand for 880 new freighters.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Lockheed Martin Tapped by DARPA for Next Design Phase for Aircraft Using “Active Flow Control”

Politico reports that Lockheed Martin and Aurora Flight Sciences “have been tapped by DARPA for the next design phase for an aircraft using ‘active flow control,’ which replaces traditional features such as rudders and flaps with actuators or effectors.” Both companies have already “completed conceptual designs of a flight demonstrator for the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors project.” DARPA also announced that it has “selected BAE Systems to develop a conceptual design.” Lockheed Martin and Aurora, a subsidiary of Boeing, are “expected to wrap up work next year, when DARPA will award an undetermined number of contracts for continued development.”
Full Story (Politico)

Fewer Planes Ending Up as Scrap Despite Pandemic’s Grounding of Thousands of Aircraft

The Wall Street Journal reported that when the pandemic started affecting air travel last year, thousands of aircraft were grounded in storage lots around the world, but instead of ending up as scrap, many older planes are set to return to service, with owners scrapping 15% fewer planes in 2020 compared to 2019, according to Cirium. Furthermore, the number of scrap aircraft in 2021 so far is down 30% from 2020.
Full Story (Wall Street Journal)

Five Companies to Participate in Armed Overwatch Demonstration

National Defense Magazine reports that the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) “will soon put five industry offerings through their paces as it searches for a new ‘Armed Overwatch’ aircraft to support commandos.” The command “wants a new platform to replace its U-28A Draco manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance plane. On May 14, SOCOM announced that it had awarded contracts totaling $19.2 million to industry teams competing for the program.” The industry teams are scheduled to demonstrate their platforms June 14-July 23 from Elgin Air Force Base.
Full Story (National Defense Magazine)