Boeing 747-8

The Boeing 747-8 is a commercial airliner using the same engine and cockpit technology as that of the 787.
The largest-ever plane, officially announced in 2005, has lengthened fuselage, redesigned wings and improved efficiency. As of 2009, the first 747-8 freighter will be delivered in the 4th quarter of 2010, with the passenger model programmed for 2011.
In January 8, 2010, 108 Boeing 747-8 aircrafts were on order; 32 of the passenger version and 76 of the freighter version. On February 8, 2010, the 747-8 airplane flew for the first time. 

Boeing 747-8 Exterior

 

Boeing named the new airliner the 747-8 because of the technology it will share with that aircraft. Before the official launch of the 747-8, Boeing had plans to develop other variants of existing 747 models under the names 747X (Experimental) and 747-400XQLR (Experimental Quiet Long-Range). These designations were dropped in favor of a "747 Advanced" program, which evolved into the 747-8.
In 2000, Boeing offered the 747X and 747X Stretch derivatives as alternatives to the Airbus A3XX.
This was a more modest proposal than the previous -500X and -600X. It would increase the 747’s wingspan to 229 ft (69.8 m) by adding a segment at the root.
After the 747X program, Boeing continued to study improvements to the 747. The 747-400XQLR (Quiet Long Range) was meant to have an increased range of 7,980 nmi (14,780 km), with better fuel efficiency and reduced noise. Changes studied included raked wingtips similar to those used on the 767-400ER and a sawtooth engine nacelle for noise reduction. Although the 747-400XQLR did not move to production, many of its features were used for the 747 Advanced.
In early 2004, Boeing announced tentative plans for the 747 advanced that were eventually adopted. Similar in nature to the 747-X, the stretched 747 Advanced used technology from the787 to modernize the design and its systems.
The 747-8 is a development of the Boeing 747, which takes advantage of improvements in technology and aerodynamics.

Boeing 747-8 Safety

On July 27 2010, Cargolux announced its desire to buy a minimum of ten 747-8F Freighters.On the launch day itself, Nippon Cargo Airlines ordered eight 747-8Fs. NCA currently operates 13 747 freighters, with six 747-400Fs currently on order."Boeing Launches New 747-8 Family." Boeing press release.   According to Bloomberg, Boeing is staking its position as the dominant maker of the biggest passenger planes on selling Pakistan International Airlines Corp. and other Asian carriers the first of a longer, more fuel-efficient version of its 747-8 model. After introduction, the range of the base 747-8I was boosted to 8,300nm (15,372 km) from 8,000nm. Potential customers Many airlines have shown interest in the new 747-8. However there have been no commitments for the passenger model. Cathay Pacific Airways’ chief operating officer, Tony Tyler, is quoted as saying his airline was "delighted with the 787’s launch because of what it means for the 747". Air New Zealand has also expressed interest, with an executive stating that "if Boeing launches the 747-8, we will probably buy it". Pakistan International Airlines has also shown interest in the 747-8I to replace their eight aging 747-300 aircraft. On April 26, 20010, a report on Economic Daily News stated that China Airlines intended to sign a deal for 10 747-8 Intercontinentals for US $2.5 billion by the end of June. The next day, China Airlines denied having such an intention, stating that they intend to announce whether they will order the A380 or the 747-8 by the end of the year. China Airlines’ intention to operate only three types of aircraft (Boeing 737-800, Airbus A330-300, and Boeing 747-400), however, makes an order for the 747-8 very likely.

Boeing 747-8 Engines

 

Using 787-technology engines the aircraft will be quieter, it will produce lower emissions, and achieve better fuel economy than any competing jetliner.
The 747 Intercontinental will provide nearly equivalent trip costs and 13 percent lower seat-mile costs than the 747-400, plus 26 percent greater cargo volume.
Operating economics will offer a significant improvement over the A380.
The 747-8 is more than 10 percent lighter per seat than the A380 and will consume 11 percent less fuel per passenger than the 555-seat airplane.

Topspeed=614 mph

That translates into a trip-cost reduction of 21 percent and a seat-mile cost reduction of more than 6 percent, compared to the A380. Both the 747-8 Intercontinental and 747-8 Freighter can use the existing infrastructure and ground equipment at most airports worldwide.
The 747-8 Freighter will be longer than the 747-400F by 5.6 m (18.3 ft) and have a maximum structural payload capability of 140 metric tonnes (154 tons) with a range of 8,130 km (4,390 nmi). Also powered by 787-technology engines, it will achieve the same environmental benefits as the 747-8 Intercontinental.
The 747-8 Freighter will have nearly equivalent trip costs and 16 percent lower ton-mile costs than the 747-400, plus 16 percent more revenue cargo volume than its predecessor. The additional 120 cu m (4,245 cu ft) of volume means the airplane can accommodate four additional main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold pallets. Operating economics of the 747-8 Freighter will be significantly superior to the A380F. The 747-8F’s empty weight is 80 tonnes (88 tons) lighter than the A380F, resulting in a 24 percent lower fuel burn per ton, 21 percent lower trip costs and 23 percent lower ton-mile costs than the A380F.

Space Shuttle Separation Anxiety

On February 18, 1977 the Space Shuttle flew for the first time. It didn’t go into space, and it never left the back of the 747 carrying it. But it was an important step in a program that would take American astronauts to space on a somewhat regular routine.
The first flight of any aircraft is always a bit nerve-wracking. Even after all the modelling and testing, the real thing makes the heart race, blood pressure to rise, and the breath to get short. All of these are classic symptoms of anxiety.
But, she flew. She did alright, too. After four more “captive-inactive” flights, NASA felt comfortable enough to put a crew of two in the Space Shuttle Enterprise for three more flights piggybacked on the 747.
The ALT program was the next step. Beginning in October 1977, the Enterprise was released from the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft between 19,000 and 26,000 feet. The prototype shuttle would then glide back, much like it would during reentry, to the landing facility at Edwards Air Force Base. Making sure the Space Shuttle could land was probably important to NASA.

NASA 747 pilot shares experience carrying the space shuttle

"NASA 747 pilot shares experience carrying the space shuttle
Read the detailed experience of the NASA pilot who flew the 747 carrying the space shuttle ATLANTIS back to the KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. A bit lengthy, but trust me... worth every second reading! You will feel that you were there!!! Very good narrative of what it was like!

Well, it's been 48 hours since I landed the 747 with the shuttle Atlantis on top and I am still buzzing from the experience. I have to say that my whole mind, body and soul went into the professional mode just before engine start in Mississippi, and stayed there, where it all needed to be, until well after the flight...in fact, I am not sure if it is all back to normal as I type this email. The experience was surreal.
Seeing that "thing" on top of an already overly huge aircraft boggles my mind. The whole mission from takeoff to engine shutdown was unlike anything I had ever done. It was like a dream...someone else's dream.
We took off from Columbus AFB on their 12,000 foot runway, of which I used 11,999 1/2 feet to get the wheels off the ground. We were at 3,500 feet left to go of the runway, throttles full power, nose wheels still hugging the ground, copilot calling out decision speeds, the weight of Atlantis now screaming through my fingers clinched tightly on the controls, tires heating up to their near maximum temperature from the speed and the weight, and not yet at rotation speed, the speed at which I would be pulling on the controls to get the nose to rise. I just could not wait, and I mean I COULD NOT WAIT, and started pulling early. If I had waited until rotation speed, we would not have rotated enough to get airborne by the end of the runway. So I pulled on the controls early and started our rotation to the takeoff attitude. The wheels finally lifted off as we passed over the stripe marking the end of the runway and my next hurdle (physically) was a line of trees 1,000 feet off the departure end of Runway 16. All I knew was we were flying and so I directed the gear to be retracted and the flaps to be moved from Flaps 20 to Flaps 10 as I pulled even harder on the controls. I must say, those trees were beginning to look a lot like those brushes in the drive through car washes so I pulled even harder yet! I think I saw a bird just fold its wings and fall out of a tree as if to say "Oh just take me". Okay, we cleared the trees, duh, but it was way too close for my laundry. As we started to actually climb, at only 100 feet per minute, I smelled something that reminded me of touring the Heineken Brewery in Europe...I said "is that a skunk I smell?" and the veterans of shuttle carrying looked at me and smiled and said "Tires"!
I said "TIRES??? OURS???" They smiled and shook their heads as if to call their Captain an amateur...okay, at that point I was. The tires were so hot you could smell them in the cockpit. My mind could not get over, from this point on, that this was something I had never experienced.
Where's your mom when you REALLY need her?
The flight down to Florida was an eternity. We cruised at 250 knots indicated, giving us about 315 knots of ground speed at 15,000'. The miles didn't click by like I am use to them clicking by in a fighter jet at MACH .94. We were burning fuel at a rate of 40,000 pounds per hour or 130 pounds per mile, or one gallon every length of the fuselage. The vibration in the cockpit was mild, compared to down below and to the rear of the fuselage where it reminded me of that football game I had as a child where you turned it on and the players vibrated around the board. I felt like if I had plastic clips on my boots I could have vibrated to any spot in the fuselage I wanted to go without moving my legs...and the noise was deafening. The 747 flies with its nose 5 degrees up in the air to stay level, and when you bank, it feels like the shuttle is trying to say "hey, let's roll completely over on our back"..not a good thing I kept telling myself. SO I limited my bank angle to 15 degrees and even though a 180 degree course change took a full zip code to complete, it was the safe way to turn this monster.
Airliners and even a flight of two F-16s deviated from their flight plans to catch a glimpse of us along the way. We dodged what was in reality very few clouds and storms, despite what everyone thought, and arrived in Florida with 51,000 pounds of fuel too much to land with. We can't land heavier than 600,000 pounds total weight and so we had to do something with that fuel. I had an idea...let's fly low and slow and show this beast off to all the taxpayers in Florida lucky enough to be outside on that Tuesday afternoon. So at Ormond Beach we let down to 1,000 feet above the ground/water and flew just east of the beach out over the water. Then, once we reached the NASA airspace of the Kennedy Space Center, we cut over to the Banana/Indian Rivers and flew down the middle of them to show the people of Titusville, Port St.Johns and Melbourne just what a 747 with a shuttle on it looked like. We stayed at 1,000 feet and since we were dragging our flaps at "Flaps 5", our speed was down to around 190 to 210 knots. We could see traffic stopping in the middle of roads to take a look. We heard later that a Little League Baseball game stop to look and everyone cheered as we became their 7th inning stretch. Oh say can you see...
After reaching Vero Beach, we turned north to follow the coast line back up to the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). There was not one person laying on the beach...they were all standing and waving! "What a sight" I thought...and figured they were thinking the same thing. All this time I was bugging the engineers, all three of them, to re-compute our fuel and tell me when it was time to land. They kept saying "Not yet Triple, keep showing this thing off" which was not a bad thing to be doing. However, all this time the thought that the landing, the muscling of this 600,000 pound beast, was getting closer and closer to my reality. I was pumped up! We got back to the SLF and were still 10,000 pounds too heavy to land so I said I was going to do a low approach over the SLF going the opposite direction of landing traffic that day. So at 300 feet, we flew down the runway, rocking our wings like a whale rolling on its side to say "hello" to the people looking on! One turn out of traffic and back to the runway to land...still 3,000 pounds over gross weight limit. But the engineers agreed that if the landing were smooth, there would be no problem. "Oh thanks guys, a little extra pressure is just what I needed!" So we landed at 603,000 pounds and very smoothly if I have to say so myself. The landing was so totally controlled and on speed, that it was fun. There were a few surprises that I dealt with, like the 747 falls like a rock with the orbiter on it if you pull the throttles off at the "normal" point in a
landing and secondly, if you thought you could hold the nose off the ground after the mains touch down, think again...IT IS COMING DOWN!!!
So I "flew it down" to the ground and saved what I have seen in videos of a nose slap after landing. Bob's video supports this! :8-)
Then I turned on my phone after coming to a full stop only to find 50 bazillion emails and phone messages from all of you who were so super to be watching and cheering us on! What a treat, I can't thank y'all enough. For those who watched, you wondered why we sat there so long.
Well, the shuttle had very hazardous chemicals on board and we had to be "sniffed" to determine if any had leaked or were leaking. They checked for Monomethylhydrazine (N2H4 for Charlie Hudson) and nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4). Even though we were "clean", it took way too long for them to tow us in to the mate-demate area. Sorry for those who stuck it out and even waited until we exited the jet.
I am sure I will wake up in the middle of the night here soon, screaming and standing straight up dripping wet with sweat from the realization of what had happened. It was a thrill of a lifetime. Again I want to thank everyone for your interest and support. It felt good to bring Atlantis home in one piece after she had worked so hard getting to the Hubble Space Telescope and back.

Biofuel-powered passenger jets take flight

Yesterday marked a huge first step toward the future of aviation as both Lufthansa and Airbus launched the world’s first-ever daily passenger flights using sustainable biofuel.

Yesterday marked a huge first step toward the future of aviation as both Lufthansa and Airbus launched the world’s first-ever daily passenger flights using sustainable biofuel.
Flying four times daily between Hamburg and Frankfurt, the flights use a biofuel blend made up of 50% Hydro-processed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA).The daily Airbus 321 flights will initially continue for six months as part of the ‘Burn Fair’ R&T project to study the long term impact of sustainable biofuels on aircraft performance.
“Lufthansa is the world’s first airline to utilise biofuel in daily flight operations,” said Christoph Franz, Lufthansa CEO. “This is a further consistent step in the sustainability strategy, which Lufthansa has for years been successfully pursuing. We want to secure future sustainable mobility by conducting research and development work today.”

Adhering to standards

The renewable aviation biofuel – provided by Finland-based Neste Oil – along with all of the renewable raw materials used to produce it (NExBTL) comply with the EU’s stringent sustainability criteria and are fully traceable back to their source.
“Fuel quality is a critical issue in aviation. Neste Oil’s NExBTL technology is very well-suited to producing aviation fuel that meets the aviation industry’s toughest quality standard,” says Matti Lievonen, Neste Oil’s President and CEO. “Being a pioneer in this area, we are very proud to co-operate with Airbus and Lufthansa. We believe that renewable aviation fuels have real potential for the future.”

Social responsibility

Airbus is working to make aviation biofuel a reality by working with stakeholders to speed up its commercialization in a socially responsible way. By providing technical expertise and data collected from a series of alternative fuel flights, Airbus has been at the forefront helping obtain today’s 50% biofuel approval.
Airbus has helped set up five value chain projects with airlines, stakeholders and refiners around the world to help speed up the commercialization of aviation biofuels with a target to have one in every continent by 2012.

Delta Airlines Passenger Arrested After Trying to Leave Plane 30,000 Feet Up

LAS VEGAS (CBS Las Vegas) — One man was arrested after attempting to change his travel plans midflight — by leaving the plane through an emergency exit.

Richard Joel Garber, 60, of Atlanta, Ga., was seated on board Delta Airlines Flight 1702 on Oct. 23 when he tried to open one of the cabin doors after the plane had reached cruising altitude, which for commercial flights can be anywhere above 30,000 feet.

“Mr. Garber attempted to open the emergency exit door over the wing while the aircraft was in flight,” FBI Special Agent Patrick Turner told CBS Las Vegas. ”(He) was detained by fellow passengers and the aircraft returned to Las Vegas … without further incident.”

Lorie Dankers, public affairs officer for the Transportation Security Administration in Las Vegas, told CBS Las Vegas that around 1:50 p.m., they were alerted about the disruptive passenger and the pilot’s decision to return the plane to Las Vegas for Garber’s removal.

“The flight continued on to Atlanta (after he was arrested), and landed there safely at 7:05 p.m. ET,” she added.

Garber will face charges of committing a crime aboard an aircraft — specifically, interfering with a flight crew.

According to Turner, Garber was seen in front of the U.S. Federal Magistrate on Oct. 24.

Turner added, “(He) was released on his own recognizance with a condition that he does not travel by air pending a resolution to his case.”

No one was able to comment as to Garber’s motives in trying to exit the plane.

Southwest Airlines pilot holds plane for murder victim’s family

It’s easy to be an airline industry critic in an era of “no waivers, no favors” and fees on top of fees. It’s easy to paint airlines as heartless corporations that treat us like self-loading cargo.

But every now and then, you hear a story that turns you into an adoring fan. Like Nancy’s story.
Before I continue, I should mention a few things: Nancy is a faithful reader of this site, and I agreed to use only her first name because of the brutal nature of the crime and the age of the victim. Second, I’m not an emotional, John Boehner-type, but I can’t read her story without getting a little teary.

Antonov-158 to Join Iran Passenger Fleet

Iran will purchase a fleet of the new Ukrainian Antonov-158 passenger planes to modernize its very old passenger fleet of US, European and Russian aircraft. An-158 is a 99-passenger variation of An-148 regional twinjet, with a range of 2,500km.

“Studies have shown that Antonov-158 suits Iran's climatic conditions and has been test-flown in certain parts of the country,” said Manouchehr Manteqi, the Managing director of Iran's Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO).

The safest passenger aircrafts in the world

Only twelve passenger planes around the world can be boasted of zero accidents which haven’t caused the death of any of those on board.

Four planes are of European origin in these top five are Russian or former Soviet, only two are produced American and one is of Canadian provenance.
There are many statistics and much controversy regarding the safest passenger aircraft in the world. If we however consider a single criteria, the one according to which the plane has not been involved in any accident that have killed any of the passengers or crew members, then only twelve types of aircraft can enter the top.
Surprisingly, the U.S. doesn’t dominate the top, but the European and Russian (or ex-Soviet Federation) dose. Given that all these planes can be proud of zero passengers loss in air accidents, I ordered them in a hierarchy by the criteria of number of aircraft produced. Were we have taken into account only planes with a capacity of at least 50 people that have been operated, at least one year, on a passenger schedule.
Such a ranking based on, zero casualties as the single criteria looks like this:

1. Boeing B777 – long haul aircraft, high capacity (between 301 and 550 passengers), in operation since 1994 and produced until now in not less than 923 copies. Many aviation experts say it deserves the title of the safest ever manufactured passenger aircraft.

2. Bombardier CRJ700/900/1000 - warrior despite its name, is a medium capacity aircraft, short haul, produced in Canada since 2001. It can carry between 66 and 104 passengers. So far, 584 such devices have been delivered.
3. Airbus A340 – also a high capacity airplane, used since 1993 and still in production, numbers 375 copies.
4. Boeing B717 – medium haul aircraft produced between 1999 and 2006 in 156 copies, capable of carrying between 100 and 117 passengers.
5. Ilyusin IL86 – medium haul high-capacity aircraft produced in the former USSR (including cooperation with Poland) between 1977 and 1992. There were a total of 106 IL86 machines delivered. Most are now in service. Interesting to note, this aircraft has established in his time, not less than 18 world records. Even more interesting, 12 of which have not yet been overcome.

6. Airbus A318 – Airbus youngest range is a medium-haul aircraft that can carry between 107 and 132 passengers. Produced from 2003 to present in 74 copies, four of them are in the Tarom fleet and operate on a daily international scheduled.
7. Tupolev TU204/214 – medium capacity aircraft, in operation since 1994. Still in production, in 70 copies and counting. Other 100 204 airplanes were ordered by airlines Russian, South American and Asian.

8. Airbus A380 - the biggest airliner in the world can carry between 550 and 843 passengers. It is inn service since 2007, and numbers 69 copies.

9. SAAB 2000 – Swedish plane, only the top propeller absolute safety, no longer produced since 1999. It is the fastest passenger plane with propellers in the world. In total, 64 aircraft were produced. Currently, the largest company operator of SAAB 2000 is Carpatair Timisoara Romanian-Moldovan, 12 such planes are in its fleet.
10. Ilyusin IL96 – long haul high capacity aircraft, can carry up to 486 passengers. It is in service since 1993 and still produced, only 28 copies were made, most are operated by the Russian company Aeroflot. Another 10 machines were ordered and are in the stage of execution. One such plane is currently used by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, for foreign travel.

11. Sukhoi SuperJet SU100 – regional aircraft of medium capacity can carry between 68 and 103 passengers. It is made by the famous producer of military aircraft from Russia since 2007. So far, ten such planes are operating, but no less than 219 SU 100 devices have already been ordered. Six of them, ironically, by an American company.
12. Tupolev TU334 – medium haul aircraft, medium capacity, produced in Russia in only two copies, in 1999. TU334 project was abandoned, but two planes made 12 years fly by, operated by Russian Aviation Company, to be registered without the slightest incident.
Of course, there are many observations made on this safety top. It can be said that Boeing B777 is much safer than other planes of the top, thanks to the higher number of machines in operation. However, zero remains zero, regardless of how it is multiplied.
On the other hand, is definitely the more impressive former Soviet and Russian aircraft that should be better, considering the harsh operating conditions as well as sometimes rough maintenance, they hand planes good there. Overall, you can travel peacefully with any of these planes. No one has yet died on board any of them, as a result of any plane crash.

Passenger Aircraft C-NM5 by Mahindra Aerospace and Indian Govt.

The long over due desire of the Indians to see India manufacture its own Passenger Aircrafts, initiative by CNM5 designed by India and assembled in Australia. It is a small beginning from a Government lab and Mahindra Aerospace a Private Company. CSIR-NAL.

The C-NM5 is a 5-seat all-metal aircraft powered by a Lycoming IO-540 engine, and features non-retractable landing gear and a spacious cabin with large access doors, it said.
“The 45-minute first flight on September 1 2011,  tested basic handling of the aircraft. Subsequent flights have evaluated aircraft stability and control in different flight regimes,” the company said.
With demand steadily increasing for cheap flights between small towns in India, the country is trying to make its own passenger planes. Designed in India and made in Australia, the CNM5 is the first Indian plane jointly developed by CSIR-NAL

It can fly five people or serve as an air ambulance or goods carrier. You could buy one for about two crore. “We can connect our North East.
We can connect Jorhat to Silchar. Silchar to Agarthala. We can go across Brahmaputra. We can go to Andaman Nicobar. We can really make a big difference to the country. Specially to transport light goods, 500-600 kg of material.
And the maintenance cost of this aircraft will not be too much,” said Dr Samir Kumar Brahmachari, Director-General, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR.
Another is the SARAS. Originally designed as a fourteen seat civilian passenger plane, it flew first in 2004 and hundreds of times after that. But a crash in 2009 killed all three crew members and almost grounded the project.
According to Dr Shyam Chetty, Director, National Aerospace Laboratories, NAL, “The committee which investigated the 2009 crash has ruled out any technical defects or shortcomings.
It is just a matter of time before the plane is back in the air.” A new SARAS prototype will be ready late next year and the plane is to start commercial production in 2014. But this time, it will serve the military. The Indian Air Force wants fifteen planes, to train their transport pilots.
Our air force pilots have to use big aircraft for training straight away.
Whereas this will be the first small transport aircraft training that they can use. So, there is an immediate use for them, said Brahmachari.
A separate ninety-seater regional transport aircraft for civilians is currently being designed. It will cost more than seven thousand crore rupees to perfect and is to be made in collaboration with private industry. “We are entering a space which is already crowded, where giants exist. However, India, with 1.2 billion people who would like to move, it is important that we have an indigenous industry. How do we make it fuel efficient, least carbon footprint, how can we make it run on a shorter runway – these are the challenges we are trying to design for,” added Brahmachari.
Chetty believes that one thing India has, which others don’t have to a large extent, is software. All modern aircraft are software intensive. Today, a lot of software for India and abroad, is being developed in the country. It is possible that we will be able to leverage these skills to develop a cost effective aircraft.
But made in India won’t always mean cheap. The SARAS in its civilian avatar cost almost 40 crore per plane when comparable foreign machines cost 12-26 crore. While both China and Indonesia made regional transport jets ten years ago, they guzzled fuel and failed because of rising fuel costs.

Two passenger jets collide in USA

The wing of a Delta jet clipped the tail of an aircraft that provides regional air service for the carrier while both planes were on the taxiway and preparing to fly out of Boston on Thursday evening. one person is complaining of neck pain after the crash. There were no other injuries. The incident involved Delta Flight 266 from Boston to Amsterdam which hit the vertical stabilizer of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 4904, also on departure from Boston to Raleigh-Durham, The Associated Press reports All photos: Splash/All Over Press

NASA eyes tomorrow's passenger planes

 

From Northrop Grumman comes another clever acronym, SELECT, for Silent Efficient Low Emissions Commercial Transport. If it looks too much like the run-of-the-mill aircraft of today, not to worry, according to the company, which says the 120-passenger aircraft design would be "revolutionary in its performance, if not in its appearance."
It'll be different, Northrop Grumman says, through the use in its airframe and "ultra high bypass ratio propulsion system" construction of ceramic composites, nanotechnology, and shape memory alloys. Like the GE entry, the SELECT would help alleviate congestion at overcrowded hub airports through its ability to make use of smaller, regional airports--on runways, according to Northrop Grumman, as short as 5,000 feet.

RAF jets escort passenger plane to Stansted Airport after allegedly drunk passenger makes bomb threat

• 

FIGHTER jets escorted a passenger plane into Stansted yesterday after a drunk passenger sparked a mid-air terror alert.
Two RAF Typhoons were scrambled after a British man allegedly threatened to bomb the flight from Abu Dhabi.
The captain of the Etihad Airbus told passengers shortly before midday he was diverting from London Heathrow as a precaution.

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His alert sparked fears of a terrorist attack at the Essex airport, which in 2000 saw a four day siege on a hijacked jet from Afghanistan.
A 37-year-old man was arrested when cops boarded the aircraft after it landed.
Paul Child, who was sitting in front of the suspect, said: “The cabin crew said he had made a bomb threat.”
Essex police added: “The pilot reported a man making threats. The airport has been operating normally.”

Blue abstract background with passenger plane and world map imag

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Airbus Imagines An INVISIBLE Passenger Plane

What will airplanes look like in 2050?
Airbus' vision for the future of flight presents planes that are eco-friendly, self-cleaning, and see-through.
At the Farnborough International Airshow earlier this year, Airbus unveiled the Airbus Concept Plane, an "engineer's dream about what an aircraft could look like in the long term future," explained Charles Champion, executive vice president of engineering.
The company's engineers have imagined a plane that could become invisible with the push of a button.
"The extraordinary design would allow travelers to look down on cities and landscapes thousands of feet below or gaze up at the heavens, giving them the sensation of floating unassisted through the sky," imagines the New York Post.
It would be lighter and slimmer than current planes, with semi-embedded engines, trim wings, and a U-shaped tail designed to "improve environmental performance or 'eco-efficiency,'" according to Airbus.
The plane would also be outfitted with anti-turbulence sensors, "morphing seats made from ecological, self-cleaning materials, which change shape for a snug fit," and cabins that could "transform" into offices, gardens, or bedrooms using holographic projections.
It would be quieter than other aircraft, and, writes Der Spiegel, "If the Airbus engineers have their way, future passengers may contribute to reductions in fuel costs themselves [...] Passengers' body heat would be collected and fed into onboard systems using heat exchangers."

Don't get your hopes up, however: "It's not a real aircraft and all the technologies it features, though feasible, are not likely to come together in the same manner," Champion notes.
Still, Axel Krein, head of research and technology for Airbus, told Der Spiegel, "What emerged were completely realistic visions of flight in the year 2050. Our people are grounded in reality, after all. And most of the necessary technology already exists."
Check out renderings of the Airbus Concept Plane, as well as other "planes of the future," in the slideshow below.

Passengers react to aircraft's smell after bird strike

Photograph: AirSpace user Goose

We acknowledge engine failures, hydraulic problems, and the like can be minor, everyday occurrences that do not require mention. But an exception should be made to last Saturday's jetBlue flight 757 from New York JFK to Aruba.

The A320 experienced a bird strike and safely returned to Kennedy, where passenger comments were, surprisingly, not of the scare mongering kind but rather reflections on today's in-flight service.

As passenger Gina Vicinanza said: "Suddenly the plane smelled like chicken...I thought, 'Wow! They have hot food on this plane.'"

Types of Aircrafts

Private charter jets are typically divided up into size categories light, medium, and heavy. Knowing your approximate passenger count and your travel distance before inquiring about a booking will help the charter company better accommodate your needs.

Aircraft Type: Turbo Prop

Aircraft Models: King Air 90,
King Air 200,
King Air 350
Capacity: 6-8 passengers
Speed: 220-300 mph
Range: 1,500-2,000 miles

King Air 90

Aircraft Type: Light Jets

Aircraft Models: Beechjet 400,
Citation Bravo Citation, CJ1 Citation, CJ2 Citation, CJ3 Citation Encore Citation II Citation V/Ultra Hawker 400XP Learjet 31A Learjet 35A Learjet 40
Capacity: 5-8 passengers
Speed: 400-460 mph
Range: 1,600-2,000 miles

Beechjet 400

Aircraft Type: Medium Jets

Aircraft Models: Citation Excel/XLS Citation III/VI/VII,
Citation Sovereign Gulfstream G100 Hawker 700 Hawker 800/XP Learjet 45/XR Learjet 55 Learjet 60
Capacity: 6-9 passengers
Speed: 450-560 mph
Range: 2,200-2,800 miles

Citation Sovereign Gulfstream

Aircraft Type: Super Medium Jets

Aircraft Models: Challenger 300,
Citation X Falcon 2000,
Falcon 50 Series Gulfstream G200,
Hawker 1000
Capacity: 7-9 passengers
Speed: 400-525
Range: 3,200-3,600 miles

Aircraft Type: Heavy Jets

Aircraft Models:
Challenger 600,
Challenger 601,
Challenger 604,
Embraer Legacy,
Falcon 900 Series,
Global Express Gulfstream, G550 Gulfstream II,
Gulfstream III,
Gulfstream IV,
Gulfstream V
Capacity: 8-14 passengers
Speed: 500-560 mph
Range: 3,200-7,500 miles

Challenger 600

Is this the future of passenger planes? Airbus unveils plans for 'invisible' jets Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1313645/Airbus-invisible-passenger-plane-plans-unveiled.html#ixzz1bJBGFHEJ

It sounds more like promotional material for a new rollercoaster ride but aircraft manufacturer Airbus's ambitious new dossier on the planes of the future includes a passenger jet with a completely transparent fuselage.

The design would give passengers the sensation of floating in the sky and would allow them to look down on cities and landscapes below or gaze up at the heavens above.

Futuristic: The engines on Airbus's "Concept Plane" are embedded in the plane's fuselage rather than attached to its wings to reduce engine noise

Airbus engineers believe that a plane could be manufactured with a hi-tech ceramic skin, which the captain could send an electrical pulse through at the press of a button. The cabin roof, walls and floor would then become see-through, giving passengers a 360-degree view of their surroundings.

Airbus' head of research and technology, Axel Krein, told German publication Der Spiegel: 'The planes of the future will offer an unparalleled, unobstructed view of the wonders of the five continents - where you will be able see the pyramids or the Eiffel Tower through the transparent floor of the aircraft'.

Scenic route: The 'invisible plane' will give passengers unobstructed views of famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower through its transparent floor

The plans were revealed in the company’s report entitled 'The Future, By Airbus' in which engineers at the European aerospace giant were asked to imagine what flights could be like in 2050.

It includes information about a 'Cryoplane', which would be fuelled by hydrogen, along with streamline engines that are embedded in the plane's fuselage rather than attached to its wings to reduce engine noise.

The streamline engines are shown in a computer-generated image of Airbus’ 'Concept Plane', which features a streamline design framed by curved wings that would reduce fuel consumption significantly.

Blue skies thinking: The Concept Plane's streamline design would reduce fuel consumption significantly

Other ideas in the report include an aircraft skin that can repair itself in the event of cracks using microscopic nano-capsules containing a high-tech adhesive to seal the fissure. The company claims nano-materials could also be used to enable seats to be 'self-cleaning'.

Krein told Der Spiegel: 'In the future each passenger will feel he or she is sitting on a brand new airplane about to take off on its maiden flight.'

Silent flight: A rear view of the Concept Plane's engines which would be embedded in the plane's fuselage

The report also suggests that 'morphing' seats will be able to adjust to the shape of the passenger for a snug fit and that holographic projections could be used in the cabin to create virtual decors.

'We told our engineers to give their imaginations free rein. What emerged were completely realistic visions of flight in the year 2050,' Krein said.

'Our people are grounded in reality, after all. The good news is that the technology that is needed to make this kind of thing work already exists, it’s just not used.'