FlightBlogger

Archive 2007-2012

  • Movie Monday – February 22 – A letter from an airline pilot

    Another Movie Monday from the vault of historical airline footage on YouTube! This week a “Letter from an Airline Pilot” chronicling the operations of TWA circa 1947. The 23min video is an incredible historical look into the mid-century operations of the Lockheed Constellation (photos) including the production, training, flight operations and maintenance of the aircraft and the airline. No description I write here will do the video justice, it’s an absolute gem. Enjoy.
    Hat tip to Bradley Cooke for the find.

    This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.

    This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.

  • Where did ZA001 spend the weekend? (Update with answer)

    FA-MWH-divert.jpgStrange title for a post I know, but when ZA001 landed at Moses Lake just before 1pm on Friday after just over an hour in the air it raised some eyebrows for those of us watching Flightaware. The aircraft had filed an 8hr flight plan on Friday for flutter tests at FL300 with BFI-BFI flight plan. The first thought was that Flightaware had ‘squawk’d’ and missed the return to Seattle, but now it appears that ZA001 never made it back to Boeing Field on Friday.

    On top of this, a company owned Cessna 208 Carvan (N208BA) made no less than five runs between Everett, Boeing Field and Moses Lake in the last two days. Related? Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, ZA001 filed a return flight plan Sunday morning from Moses Lake for a 9:45 PT departure and return to BFI.
    Update 11:42 PM ET: Randy Tinseth explains the diversion to Moses Lake as an uncommanded loss in power on one of ZA001’s Trent 1000 engines. According to data from Friday’s flight on Flightaware, the aircraft was at FL300 heading west at just below cruise speed when the loss of power happened around 12:30 PM PT.

    The first 787 – ZA001 – returned from Moses Lake Sunday morning after landing there on Friday.

    Our flight test pilots had touched down at the Grant County International Airport after they experienced an uncommanded loss of thrust in one of the engines…Teaming with Rolls-Royce, we determined that the issue had to do with a pressure-sensing component within the engine.

    We located replacement parts and then got the parts and the right crew to Moses Lake – beginning the maintenance activity on Saturday. Later that day, we ran the engines to confirm that the replacement had been done correctly and that there were no anomalous readings. So, Sunday morning, we flew home. 

    The airplane is going through the maintenance and pre-flight work that would have been done had it arrived back at Boeing Field on Friday evening. I can tell you that ZA001 will soon return to flutter testing.

    This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.

    This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.

  • Happy 28th birthday 757!

    Often imitated, never duplicated. Boeing’s 757 turns 28 today as it marks the anniversary of its first flight from Renton Municipal Airport on February 19, 1982. Check out those crosswinds!
    A tip of the hat to NYCAviation for the birthday reminder.

    This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.

    This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.

  • A note from the editor – what’s going on out there?

    Some readers noted this week noted that coverage on this blog has been heavily weighted toward Boeing and they’d be right. This was the topic that brought this blog to life nearly three years ago and I am an US journalist with a responsibility for the Boeing beat for Flightglobal, so that should explain the weight in coverage on this page – along with the fact that two major Boeing development programs began flight test in just the last 60 days.

    When I first transitioned to Flightglobal in November 2007, I sought to greatly expand the breadth of aerospace industry coverage while maintaining an identical level of depth like that of this blog’s 787 coverage. That goal, while admittedly ambitious, was completely unrealistic as I do occasionally need sleep, and with the notable exception of The Woracle, cannot see all.
    That being said, there is still a lot going on out there that this blog can’t catch on a daily basis, though I will continue to strive to bring you content that you just won’t see anywhere else. I’m not one to shy away from constructive criticism and I am always hoping to continually improve this blog with the help of your input. So, what would you like to see more/less of?
    Please don’t confuse this message for anything that could be construed as a conclusion to my detailed coverage of Boeing and its development programs. Those stories have yet to even be told and will continue to unfold over the years to come.
    I know darn well that one person is not able to cover everything, but there are lots of topics out there I’m curious about.
    In an effort to expand, I want to ask for your help as A LOT of you have an up-close view of the goings on around the world. What are you seeing out there? How’s G650 & G250 flight test going? What about A350 design? Bombardier CRJ1000 flight test and CSeries and M170 design progress? A380 production stabilizing? What’s the latest on the Comac C919 and ARJ21? What’s up with the RB285 engine? MRJ? Sukhoi Superjet? New programs from Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft? Does the E-195X have a future?
    There are lots of ways to find me

    (Always Confidential):

    E-mail: flightblogger@gmail.com | Google Voice(mail): 417-738-6429

    This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.

    This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.

  • 787 Flight Test Update: Month Two

    FlightBlogger image

    Am I forgetting something? Let me know: Flightblogger (at) gmail (dot) com

    Last we left the pair of flying Dreamliners, they had accumulated just shy of 61 hours since ZA001’s first flight on December 15 and the first two aircraft had just completed initial airworthiness trials on January 15. ZA002 was parked on the Everett flight line for an aqueous wash following a FOD discovery in the fuel tank and ZA001 was beginning two weeks of planned post IAW layup work at Boeing Field. 

    Through February 15, ZA001 has accumulated just shy of 98 hours of flight time on 28 total flights, while ZA002 has flown just shy of 44 hours over 16 flights.

    Both have been airborne simultaneously on five separate days in the last month. Additionally, both were flying at the same time as RC501’s first flight on February 8. ZA001 and ZA002 are pushing forward with more dynamic evaluations of the aircraft and its primary flight control systems as the program moves closer to Type Inspection Authorization.

    Also see – 787 Flight Test Update: Month One

    MUCH MORE BELOW

    This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.

    This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.

  • Boeing supplier begins production of first 747-8I

    7478i-crop.jpgUPDATE: RC501 second flight now targeting Sunday at noon in Everett. Also, read my expanded story on the start of 747-8I production.

    Boeing has confirmed that Vought has begun sub-assembly production of RC001, the first 747-8i.

    The Dallas-based supplier, which is responsible for fabrication for a majority of the aircraft’s fuselage, as well as tail and empennage sub-assemblies, has begun manufacturing floor beams and frames for Boeing’s new passenger jumbo.
    Final assembly for RC001 is expected to begin in May.
    While Boeing does not disclose its BBJ customers, the first production 747-8I is widely believed to be destined for a Middle Eastern head of state.

    Back in Everett, RC501, the first 747-8F, is expected to make its second flight as early as noontime on Saturday from Paine Field for its ferry flight to Moses Lake, Washington.
    Photo Credit Boeing

    This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.

    This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.

  • I think I can see an aircraft factory from here!

    I know, I know, too many Boeing entries, but this was just too good not to share. ISS astronaut Soichi Noguchi just sent tweeted a photo from space as it passed over Everett. Anyone else surprised that he had clear skies?

    You can clearly see the factory, runway 16R/34L, Future of Flight and all of the associated office buildings and hangars around the factory. Talk about long distance airplane spotting. If you look closely, I think you can even see RC501 on the flight line. 

    Now when does the ISS fly over Toulouse?

    Everett-ISS.jpg
    Photo Credit Soichi Noguchi

    This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.

    This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.

  • A cover worth noting: Flight International – 16-22 February

    FI 16-22 Feb 2010.jpg

    This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.

    This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.

  • China, trains, and the strategic machinations of aerospace giants

    In September of 2008, Mitsubishi announced that Boeing would be a technical consulting partner on the development of its new 78-92 seat MRJ. The move by Boeing was an unsurprising, if not unsubtle step, to provide a major technical boost to one its largest strategic supply partners in its bid to build its own indigenous aircraft. The move was a shot across the bow of Embraer and Bombardier whose E-170/190 and CRJ700/900 are the mainstays of the sub-100-seat market. 

    The marketplace for 70 to 100 seat aircraft is getting crowded with the Brazilian and Canadian duopoly rapidly receiving new entrants from Japan, Russia and China. There are very real questions as to whether or not crowded is too crowded. I asked Bombardier vp of sales for Asia-Pacific, Kevin Smith, at the Singapore air show about the prospects for the future:

    Well, you’re right, the market space is getting competitive the more folks that get into it. We enjoy a enjoy 50% market share as new entrants come into it with Sukhoi and Mitsubishi, you know it’s going to take some of that away and basically focusing on their indigenous marketplaces which we have difficulty penetrating because of the tariff implications that prevent us from an economic basis to sell in those regions. So its going to impact the market space, but we’ve been in the business for a great number of years in fact and we understand the challenges going forward.

    The result of Boeing and Mitsubishi’s pressure on Bombardier is most clearly manifested in the development of the CSeries, the 120 to 149-seat PW1000G-powered jetliner. With sales and production of its CRJ700 and CRJ900 rapidly slowing, Bombardier (whether intentional or not) has stepped away from 70-90 seats and focused on 100 to 150 seats with the CRJ1000 and CSeries. Smith ruled out any re-engining on the CRJ700 and CRJ900 and that a geared turbofan is “probably not” suitable for a CRJ and “won’t be down scalable”.

    Boeing’s push against Bombardier forcing them up into the low end of the 737/A320 market is a strategic coup – or is it?
    China, the largest single aircraft market for both narrow and wide-body aircraft in the world, is laying more than 11,000 miles of high speed rail tracks nationwide and is cutting travel times between cities like Guangzhou and Changsha – 280nm apart – from 9 hours to 2 and a half hours. This is significantly undercutting China’s domestic airlines, with China Southern reportedly cutting fares to just $21 on the route. 

    “The high-speed train is invincible on this route,” said Tom Lin, 30, a civil servant in Guangzhou, who opted to travel by rail. “There’s no doubt it’s more convenient for trips to the cities along the line. Airlines can’t compete with trains for the spacious seats.”

    With the emergence of the 78-seat Comac ARJ21-700 being operated indigenously in China, Bombardier’s the prospects for further Chinese market penetration are significantly challenged. Currently only Shandong Airlines and CR Airways operate just a handful of CRJ700 aircraft. So after getting the squeeze from Boeing and Mitsubishi, what does Bombardier do? 

    This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.

    This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.

  • Movie Monday – February 15 – Frontline: Flying Cheap

    The PBS Frontline investigation of Colgan Air – and the US regional airlines – provides a fascinating, and troubling, look inside 52% of the commercial aircraft operations taking place in the US every year. 

    Miles O’Brien references the previous six fatal commercial airline accidents in the United States, here’s background information on all six:
    I’ll let the hour-long program speak for itself, but the broader implications of what has been created here speaks to the larger question of the broken business models that have resulted in a chronically unprofitable industry (at-large). There are the notable exceptions in profitability, but in the aerospace industry continuum of widget making all the way to aircraft operation, the farther you get from flying the airframe the higher the margins. Is re-regulation the answer? I don’t pretend to have the answer, but there clearly the dynamics need to be changed in a very real way.

    This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.

    This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.