Category: FlightBlogger

Mary Kirby found this amazing video floating around Youtube of the new CRJ1000 on its first test flight last month doing a flyby with a CRJ200 off its wing at Mirabel. It’s the first video I’ve seen of the new bird in flight. Check out that wingflex!

C-FRJX has been popping up in Kansas and Arizona recently for Bombardier’s flight test campaign.

More shots here, here and here.

Speaking directly to 160,000 employees in a wide-ranging message
regarding the US financial crisis, Boeing CEO Jim McNerney
says the aerospace giant is well positioned to support financing of
aircraft purchases itself, if called upon to do so by its customers.

The message, entitled “U.S. financial crisis: What does it mean for
Boeing?” was obtained by FlightBlogger and its authenticity was
confirmed by the company.

McNerney’s message addresses four
points: The stability of aircraft financing options, the impact of the
bailout on the federal deficit and defense spending, the impact on
airlines and global travel, and lastly the mindset of the Boeing
workforce.

“Thus far, we’ve seen minimal impact and nothing to change our
fundamental assumptions for delivering our record backlog. But we stand
ready to help our customers, if needed. Over the past few years we have
greatly reduced financial risk at Boeing Capital Corp.., which has
strengthened its balance sheet substantially. So we are in a strong
position to provide aircraft financing if necessary.”

“While we have seen a very slight increase recently in customers
asking about the possibility of our financing their purchases, none
have actually requested it yet. But it’s a fluid situation, and we will
continue to monitor it closely.”

According to Boeing, the company has not had to finance new aircraft purchases itself in more than two years.

McNerney
also addresses speculation on the impact of the financial crisis on the
Integrated Defense Systems division, due to tightening budgets at the
Pentagon forcing potential cutbacks in spending for military systems.

“No one really yet knows when or to what extent defense spending
could be affected, but it’s unrealistic to think there won’t be some
measure of impact.”

For airlines, McNerney sees the financial
crisis as a double-edged sword, addressing the likelihood of deferred
or canceled orders balanced against the demand for new fuel-efficient
aircraft to offset rising oil prices.

“Our airline customers already are struggling to operate profitably
under volatile and high fuel prices. A reduction in business and
leisure travel would further damage their fragile health and
potentially impact the sales of our airplanes and services. However,
the flip side of the high fuel price coin is that demand in the market
for our fuel-efficient new airplanes remains high, and we have seen few
order deferrals or cancellations.”

McNerney urged his workforce to “anticipate and respond while staying focused on our customers.”

In addition, McNerney acknowledges a potential short-term impact of the crisis:

“As
we monitor the situation over the coming days and weeks, we will be
taking a very close look at our plans for the balance of this year and
2009.”

Though not referenced specifically, a Boeing spokesman adds that
“the situation” McNerney references includes, but is not limited to,
the impact of the ongoing IAM strike, as well as plans for 787 first
flight, certification and 2009 deliveries.

McNerney closes on a cautious, yet optimistic note in his message:

“This could turn out to be the “rainy day” we’ve been saving for–and must continue to save for.”

“In
large part because of your ongoing efforts, Boeing is well positioned
to weather it–even if our road contains some rough patches that may
require us to step up and do even more.”

Read the complete message to employees

Reuters is reporting that Boeing will reassess its delivery schedule to ANA and JAL at the conclusion of the IAM strike:

Boeing says to reassess 787 Japan delivery schedule

TOKYO, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Boeing Co (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday it would reassess the delivery schedule for its new 787 Dreamliner aircraft to the Japanese market when a strike ends.

Six of the first 25 787s are for Japanese customers, including the first production unit (ZA007/JA801A) and Dreamliner One (ZA001), both for All Nippon Airways.

Both airlines are also the launch customers for the shorter-range 787-3 aircraft which is set to be the second Dreamliner variant after the 787-9 scheduled for introduction in 2012. The report does not indicate if there is a solidification or reassessment of the 787-3 planning, which currently has no public timeline.

This comes on the heels of last week’s announcement that a similar reassessment was coming for QANTAS and its 787s.

GTF set to fly again
The Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan demonstrator is all hooked up to an A340-600 in Toulouse. The first A340-600 (MSN360) also known as F-WWCA, is set to fly again this coming week. The PW1000G is mounted on the number two pylon aside three Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines. According to P&W, ground runs on the A340 were supposed to be completed this past weekend.

The second phase of the flight test program has three key goals for Pratt & Whitney:

1. Validate the data from the 747 test bed by repeating phase one conditions.
2. Explore the
acoustic characteristics of the PW1000G. This wasn’t done on phase one because of the less than quiet JT9D engines on the 747SP.
3. Work with Airbus to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the engine to find the best way to mount the PW1000G.

With the help of Apture, you can see the side-by-side differences between the PW1000G mounted on the A340 and the 747SP.

SPEEA & Boeing
With the IAM strike beginning its fourth week, the negotiations between the SPEEA and Boeing are set to unfold over the next eight weeks. The contract of 21,000 engineers expire at 12:01 AM on December 1. SPEEA has started tweeting updates during the contract negotiations. This ominous item was posted on Saturday:

Debunking the rumor that SPEEA won’t go on
strike if the IAM are still on strike. That’s just wishful thinking
coming from Chicago.

QANTAS Aires its A380

NBAA Bound
The National Business Aircraft Association is hosting its annual convention in Orlando starting next Monday and this blogger will be on the ground covering it live. Twitter will be out in full force. Next week should bring us the new G250 from Gulfstream, Hawker 450 and certification of the Phenom 100 – and likely much, much more. For a business jet fan, this is Paris and Farnborough combined!

Movie Monday
I started last week with the 787 composite material lecture from University of Washington and this week, through the joys of the newly discovered treasure trove of content on Hulu (via Apture), I bring you one of my favorite IMAX films, Operation Red Flag! This documentary takes you inside the international air forces training operations that take place at Nellis Air Force Base outside of Las Vegas each year. This isn’t typically a fighter blog, but the F-15E footage is amazing. Enjoy!

Boeing Completes 787 Dreamliner ‘High Blow’ Test

EVERETT, Wash., Sept. 27, 2008 — Boeing [NYSE:BA] successfully completed a high-pressure test, known as “high blow,” on the 787 Dreamliner
static test airframe at its Everett factory today. The test is one of
three static tests that must be cleared prior to first flight. During
the test, the airframe reached an internal pressure of 150 percent of
the maximum levels expected to be seen in service – 14.9 lbs. per
square inch (1.05 kilograms per centimeter) gauge (psig). It took
nearly two hours to complete the test, as pressure was slowly increased
to ensure the integrity of the airplane.

“We had
every confidence going into this test because of the extensive work
we’ve done on larger and larger pieces of composite – from small
coupons to fuselage sections,” said Pat Shanahan, vice president and
general manager of the 787 program. “Still, it’s very rewarding to see
a whole airplane being tested and having the results we expected.

“I am so proud of the team that has worked on this program and the progress we are making.”

Image Credit: The Boeing Company

The remaining two tests will structurally validate the leading edges and trailing edges of the wings of ZY997 before Dreamliner One can fly. Boeing did not announce a timeline for when these tests will be conducted.

Ever since I saw the new A350 XWB rendering this morning, I’ve been trying to put my finger on what it is about that nose. I’m not going to judge an airplane aesthetically, because that’s stupid and it can fly and I cannot, therefore it wins the argument every time. Am I crazy or is the XWB a hybrid of the A320 and 737 families.

Call it the lovechild of the Montagues and Capulets of the aviation industry?
737 wearing an A320 mask?
A320 wearing Groucho Marx 737 glasses?

Judge for yourself. This is photoshopping at its most crude, but I think it captures what I’m getting at.

Update: This is the CAD rendering of the nose that was released in May. It looks as though there are slight differences between the rendering and the CAD drawing:

CORRECTION: The Hawker 450 will be made from traditional materials, not composite. In addition, the Hawker 400XP will serve as platform for the new engines and avionics. All other details remain the same. FlightBlogger apologizes for any confusion.

—
Hawker Beechcraft appears poised to relaunch its Hawker 450, as new details emerge about the composite mid-size light business jet.

Few details are known about the aircraft, but a Hawker Beechcraft source tells FlightBlogger that the Hawker 450 is to be powered by twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW500 engines and sport a Rockwell Collins Proline 21 avionics suite.

The aircraft is to be based on the Hakwer 400XP platform, which seats two pilots and nine passengers.

Hawker Beechcraft declined to comment on this story.

The aircraft is also expected to be the launch customer for the PW535D engine variant.

For the interior, the Hawker 450 will utilize parts of the Venue cabin management system from Rockwell Collins, which was unveiled at the NBAA convention in 2007.

The performance specifications of the aircraft are currently unknown, though the original design called for a five-passenger 2,000 nm range, 4,700 foot takeoff field length and 472 knot cruising speed.

The original design also was powered by both Honeywell engines and avionics. Honeywell was initially a risk sharing partner on the program.

The formal announcement  launching the Hawker 450 is likely to come at next month’s National Business Aircraft Association convention.

The delivery of the first aircraft is targeted for the first quarter of 2010.

The Hawker 450 was originally unveiled in 2000 at the National Business Aircraft Association convention, but was later shelved in 2002 in favor of upgrades to its existing product line, rather than opt for an all-new design in light of slowing demand.

Hawker, which at the time was owned by Raytheon, focused its attention on completing its Premier I and Horizon aircraft, later renamed the Hawker 4000, which was certified and delivered earlier this year.

The relaunched Hawker 450 will be the third composite fuselage business jet after Hawker 4000 and the Bombardier Learjet 85XR.

Photo credit: Flight International Archive

Steve Creedy of The Australian posted an item on the impact of the IAM strike on 787 deliveries for QANTAS. This is the closest Boeing has come to acknowledging an impact on the 25 deliveries set for 2009. The article says QANTAS (Jetstar) was to get its first 787-8 (ZA021) in November 2009.

“I can just say that when the team went out on strike all production
stopped,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes marketing vice-president Randy
Tinseth said. “None of us know when the strike will be over. When it is
over we can give you a new schedule.”

Incoming Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said last week Boeing was
still telling the airline its 787s would be delivered in November next
year but an update was due this week.

Before the strike, Qantas was facing further delays of up to three
months after completion of the first aircraft slipped by eight weeks.

QANTAS also indicated that it was still interested in the 787-10 and A350 XWB.

Speaking at the airline’s A380 delivery event in Toulouse on 19 September, Qantas chief executive
Geoff Dixon and his successor designate Alan Joyce revealed that the
airline was in “the early stage of talks” with Boeing on the 787-10 as
well as with Airbus about the A350 XWB.

The 787-10 is a proposed stretched version of the -9, seating around
300 passengers, making it similar in size to the -200 variants of the 777.
Joyce, who was named as Dixon’s successor in July, considers the 787-10
to be “a requirement”, but acknowledges that Boeing is “not there yet”.

Last week JAL finalized its 787 compensation deal with Boeing for 767 and 777 and clarified its delivery time frame for its first 787 (ZA020), which was set for October.

Two weeks ago, Boeing chief financial officer James Bell told investors to expect at
least a month’s delay:

“Right now it’s a one-for-one day slip on the
787 and all other programmes as well.”

Back in the factory, it appears as though Boeing has been able to delivery many of those idling 737s at Boeing Field. Inside 40-26, the Dreamliner One’s engines have been removed again and there’s no explanation currently as to why this happened. Also, the start of static testing is on hold due to data acquisition issues. Can anyone shed some light on this?

GE took a photo crew to Oshkosh this summer and the result was an absolutely beautiful movie of the action. Yours truly even has a photo included in the slide show, which you can make your desktop wallpaper. Of the many shows and events I’ve been to this year, EAA AirVenture was hands down the best. It’s just good for the soul of anyone who loves aviation. This is a great midweek distraction.