The first A350 XWB for TAM Airlines rolled out of the Airbus paint shop in Toulouse this week, revealing the carrier’s signature red, white and blue livery. The aircraft will continue through the next stages of production, including the installation of engines, completion of cabin furnishing and cockpit fitting, before starting ground and flight tests. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery to TAM Airlines in December. TAM will become the first airline from the Americas to fly the A350 … [Read more...] about TAM Airlines first A350 XWB rolls out of paint shop
Aircraft Manufacturers
Engine fire forces BA 777 to abort take off
A British Airways aircraft engine caught fire in Las Vegas as it was about to take off for London, Gatwick Tuesday night (US west coast time), forcing all 172 passengers and crew to escape down emergency slides as smoke and flames engulfed the aircraft. Several passengers needed hospital treatment for minor injuries after the B777-200's aborted takeoff, with one of those present saying smoke caused people to rush to the front of the plane, sparking scenes of panic. General Electric said … [Read more...] about Engine fire forces BA 777 to abort take off
Airbus begins A330neo production
Airbus’ first A330neo is coming to life one year after the programme was launched, with the first 'cutting of metal' underway at its production facilities in Toulouse and Nantes. Machining of the first engine pylon started during the summer at Airbus’ facility in Saint-Eloi (Toulouse), while Airbus’ Plant in Nantes began production of the first A330neo centre wing box. The first A330neo Centre Wing Box rib 1 produced in Nantes uses an innovative Isogrid design with 330 triangular pockets … [Read more...] about Airbus begins A330neo production
Aeroscraft cargo airship development progresses
Development of the world’s first Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) capable heavy-lift cargo airship is progressing with the project entering the design freeze phase, according to the Aeroscraft Corporation (Aeros). The ML866 (66-ton) Aeroscraft cargo airship, which features independence from external ballast, has completed the engineering scale down prototype ‘Dragon Dream’ phase with Aeros currently developing main component and test articles for the patented buoyancy management system known … [Read more...] about Aeroscraft cargo airship development progresses
Bad weather hampers Indonesia crash recovery
Bad weather on Wednesday hampered efforts to recover the bodies of 54 passengers and crew killed when a plane operated by Indonesian carrier Trigana Air crashed in remote eastern Indonesia. The ATR 42-300 twin-turboprop went down on Sunday during a short flight in bad weather in Papua province, killing everyone on board. Rescuers finally reached the crash site, near the settlement of Oksibil that had been the plane's destination, two days later after initial efforts were hindered by the … [Read more...] about Bad weather hampers Indonesia crash recovery
Airbus’ next gen A350-1000 takes shape
The wings for Airbus’ first A350-1000 have begun the process of assembly at Broughton, UK. The A350-1000 wing has the same span of the A350-900 that is already in service, but 90 per cent of the parts have been modified and the trailing edge has been extended to resize the wing for the additional payload and range. At 32 metres long by six metres wide, the A350 XWB wing is the largest single part made from carbon fibre composite material in use in civil aviation today. They are designed and … [Read more...] about Airbus’ next gen A350-1000 takes shape