In-Flight Course Charting – Delta and Alaska Airlines Say There’s An App For That

In a recent announcement by the FAA it is now clear that the Apple i-Pad is officially an electronic gagdet that is not only for pleasure but also has a clear role in the world of professional aviation. The FAA has recently cleared the way for Executive Jet Management to start using Apple i-Pads for Pre-Flight and In-Flight Course Charting, replacing the age old paper maps that are currently used. There are certainly options when it comes to electronic course charting in the cockpit, but most are too large to be used practically in the confined space of the average cockpit. This is the i-Pads advantage, at the size of a small notebook it takes up a minimal amount of space and provides maximum benefits. If the initial testing with Executive Jet Management goes well the FAA will likely start allowing for the widespread use of the i-Pad among the major commercial airlines.

Meanwhile some major carriers such as Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines are either in the process of considering the use of i-Pads or testing the devices in a small number of flights. Delta is exploring the idea of beginning testing tablets in next year, while Alaska is currently testing the devices on a small number of flights. The major setback when dealing with any electronic device, especially one as relatively new as the i-pad, is the fact they tend to be unreliable which is unacceptable in aviation. Considering the unreliability factor we will likely never see paper maps totally disappear from aviation, they will just be used as a back up in the event the electronic device fails.

The i-Pad and similarly capable tablet computers have been touting their potential usefulness in the business world and this is a clear example of this. As is the case with most electronic gadgets tablets are intended to save time, eliminate redundancy, and save space. These tablets succeed in all three of those categories. The i-Pad and other tablets can perform a variety of tasks other than course charting. Most pilots and airline executives would agree that when you have a device that can perform multiple useful tasks while in-flight, while taking up a small amount of space, there is an added value that far outweighs the cost of the device. With the i-Pad’s ability to get weather information from any source, communicate with company headquarters through e-mail, and now course charting the argument for having one as a part of any cockpit is becoming stronger everyday. The long term reliability of tablets in general remains to be seen. However, these devices will most certainly be more widely used in aviation in the near future, while taking on even more complex tasks.

Does Wi-Fi Have No Bounds? The Skinny On Wi-Fi In The Skies

Ever since Wireless Internet became commonplace throughout the world it was only a matter of time until it penetrated the commercial airline market. Wi-fi access is slowly transitioning from a premium luxury amenity to a necessary service. While it is currently a pay service on available flights, it is only a matter of time before wi-fi becomes free on some airlines and is used as a method to entice customers. In the last few years it has gone from being very rare to find a commercial flight with access to wi-fi, to being fairly routine. One company that is currently providing the equipment and services needed for broadband on commercial flights is Aircell LLC, with their brand “Gogo Inflight Internet”.

With the combined forces of Aircell and Gogo Inflight Internet it will soon be very rare to be on a flight that doesn’t have wi-fi access. This service works based upon using the signal from cell towers on the ground and does not work over open water where there are no towers. Aircell is responsible for the infrastructure in the form of towers on the ground that basically work in reverse of how normal cell towers work, sending the signal skyward instead of towards the ground. Gogo’s equipment on-board the jets pick up the signal and transfer it to the individual customer’s wireless enabled devices. Gogo offers several different packages that all work the same way, you pick which package you want, pay the fee and they send the password to your computer, enabling you to get online. There are currently 1077 aircraft that are using Aircell and Gogo to provide customers with in-flight broadband. Some of the airlines using Gogo are: Air Canada, Air Tran, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier, Virgin America, Delta, United, and US Airways. Providing WI-fi access on intercontinental flights, especially those that travel largely over open water, takes a totally different type of technology than what Aircell provides with Gogo Inflight Internet.

The alternative to using cell towers on the ground for internet access is to look upward towards the satellites rotating around the earth. This is where the company Row 44 comes into play. They are currently able to provide satellite based broadband services to intercontinental and domestic flights. Row 44 is in direct competition with Aircell as they can provide services over land and water. Row 44 can currently be used on Southwest Airlines and they are working to expand their services to additional airlines. Row 44 seems to have the better of the two solutions for providing uninterrupted wi-fi access, yet Aircell/Gogo seem to have better marketing and more airlines using their service. Perhaps we will see a combination of the two in the future, think XM and Sirius Satellite radio.

With today’s society being so dependent upon the internet it is only natural that we are seeing broadband access being more readily available in the sky. Whether you are a 20 year old flying to a vacation destination using the internet for entertainment or the 40 year old flying to a business meeting, having internet access in the sky is changing from a luxury amenity to an imperative service. Due to the increased popularity of wi-fi in the sky, prices will come down and perhaps someday be a free service used to entice customers. Hey we can all dream, right?

Boeing B787 – Making the Dreamliner a Reality

With the nightmarish events of September 11th 2001 still reverberating around the world, it took a bold move by the Boeing Company to begin production of its Dreamliner.

By acknowledging airlines’ needs to reduce costs and increase efficiency, Boeing proposed a replacement for its own 767 in 2002. Unlike its heavier cousin, however, the new ’7E7′ (later to be re-named the Boeing 787 Dreamliner) would be a super-efficient, wide-body, twin-engine aircraft capable of carrying up to 300 people from Los Angeles to Bangkok with ease.

Despite significant downturns in the aviation industry, major airlines were soon attracted. Japan’s second-largest airline, All Nippon Airways, was first to be enticed. In April 2004, it ordered 50 examples with an option to buy 50 more. In so doing, it became the largest launch order in Boeing’s illustrious history. Other operators quickly followed, with the company’s order book eventually containing the signatures of 55 more airline executives seeking a total of 846 aircraft. This most successful launch of a new aircraft in Boeing’s history was now worth an estimated $164 billion.

It’s easy to see why. The B787 was being billed as a mid-sized aircraft capable of flying the same range as a Boeing 747 (and at comparable speed) whilst using 20 percent less fuel than a Boeing 767. This was all possible thanks to its state-of-the-art design.

With half of the aircraft’s structure being made up of light-weight composites, the B787 would require far fewer aluminium sheets (Boeing estimates 1,500 fewer) than similar-sized aircraft. This was due to its innovative ‘one-piece’ fuselage which negated the need for up to 50,000 fasteners and the million or so holes that were usually drilled through a Boeing 747.

The facts and figures stacked up. The Dreamliner would be produced in two series: the 787-8; a short range version carrying up to 250 passengers, and the 787-9; the longer-range, 290-passenger carrying version. Both types would extract up to 35 percent less power from their engines thanks in part to the loss of 60 miles of copper wiring contained in most conventional aircraft.

Unlike existing aircraft, however, the Dreamliner wouldn’t be produced by one manufacturer alone. With Boeing taking the lead in design and final assembly, a third of the aircraft’s surfaces and systems would be produced and assembled by a collection of aerospace companies spread across the globe. This worldwide production, however, presented the Dreamliner’s biggest challenge.

With a wing span of 60 metres and its supplier being Japan-based, the transportation of the B787′s wing section to Boeing’s final assembly in Everett, USA, would be a slow and cumbersome process. Fortunately, Boeing had the wherewithal to introduce a much-loved aircraft to the task.

Boeing launched the ‘Dreamlifter’; a modified Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft fitted with a hinged swing tail and boasting a greater cargo volume than any other aeroplane. These unique freighters (four would eventually be purchased by Boeing) had to be converted, certified and in operation by 2007 if the Dreamliner delivery program was to remain on schedule. But while the Dreamlifter operation was enjoying success, the Dreamliner wasn’t.

As planned, its roll-out took place, rather appropriately, on 7/8/07. But the aircraft was far from the finished article and way off its proposed schedule. Thanks to delays in component availability, the first flight, originally due for August 2007, eventually took place on December 15th 2009. As ZA001 (a 747-8) flew its wheels-down, three hour test flight over a crowd of 12,000 people, Boeing finally conceded defeat. The company was forced to revise its first delivery to the fourth quarter of 2010.
Five further test aircraft were subsequently produced and it seemed that the Dreamliner was making headway. But a total loss of electrical power to the second test aircraft on approach to Laredo, Texas, in November 2010, put paid to Boeing’s optimism. Flight tests were temporarily suspended as the company sought to establish the cause.

It is due to this (and Rolls Royce engine availability) that the first delivery of the B787 has been put back until the middle of the first quarter, 2011. Initial versions could also have a reduced range of some 6,900 nautical miles compared to the projected 8,200nm because of overweight issues. Boeing concedes that it may not be able resolve these weight issues until the production of its 21st airframe. This has led some customer airlines to seek discounts or delays in delivery.

Yet despite the many complications associated with the production of a multi-national, brand new aircraft, the Dreamliner is fully expected to be realized as an airliner fit for the modern world.

Airbus A400M – A Problem in the Making

With existing 35 ton capacity military aircraft becoming more obsolete, Airbus is aiming to fill the niche with the A400M. But its development has been beset by problems.

A new type of military transport airlifter was first proposed by a conglomerate of major international aerospace companies in 1982. The project; known as the Future International Military Airlifter (FIMA); started hopefully enough. The new aircraft would fill the gap between the ageing Lockheed C-130 Hercules and the Transall C-160.

Despite the recognized need for a new transporter, progress was sluggish. Governments and corporations failed to agree on key aspects of its development, and Lockheed (a key member of the FIMA group) left to develop its own upgraded version of the C-130.

By 2003, the FIMA project was back on track. A group of eight European nations (under the guise of the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, or OCCAR) had signed an agreement with Airbus for the provision of 212 Airbus-designed A400Ms. Boasting a larger weight and volume, as well as higher speed and flight level than existing military transporters, the A400M looked great on paper.

With a maximum take-off weight of 141,000kgs, the aircraft would be capable of carrying 37,000kgs of payload. Its lighter weight and composite airframe would allow the aircraft to operate over a much longer distance than the C-130 Hercules. This could even be extended by the A400M’s airborne refuelling capability. Ultimately, it was expected that the first flight of the A400M would take place in 2008, with the first delivery in 2009.

Over the next six years, Airbus and OCCAR wrestled with the A400M. Italy withdrew from the project, taking with it its order. South Africa replaced Italy, only to cancel several months later. Then a significant Canadian tender for 17 new transporters was lost by Airbus to Lockheed and its new C-130J Super Hercules.

By this time, Airbus had admitted that the A400M program was losing money. Industry analysts were even suggesting that the final cost could be in the region of 11.2 billion Euros. Airbus needed a boost. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t get one.

Already one year late, the project was further delayed by problems in the manufacturing process. With the aircraft 12 tonnes overweight, the first delivery was postponed until 2012. This delay forced the UK’s Royal Air Force to lease and then purchase six Boeing C-17 Globemasters. Things looked bleaker when the German Luftwaffe asked Lockheed for its C-130J Super Hercules’ technical information.

Good news finally arrived in December 2009 with the announcement that the first A400M airframe (MSN1) had made its maiden test flight. Airbus also reported that it expected three further test aircraft to be complete by 2010. Things were starting to look up.

However, still reeling from its predicted financial losses and continuing decline in orders, Tom Enders, the Airbus CEO, hinted that he would scrap the entire A400M program if funding was not forthcoming. By November 2010, seven European nations had agreed that they would bail the program out with a significant loan. The deal, though, would come at a cost. Both the UK and Germany reduced their orders.

Despite being delayed and over budget, the A400M program continues unabated. Current orders stand at 174 and these are shared between eight countries. Those nations, too, have a vested interest in the success of the A400M project. Each one (through their own aerospace companies like EADS and British Aerospace) is responsible for manufacturing individual components for the aircraft.

There is no doubt that in the current global climate, an aircraft like the A400M with its state-of-the-art technology and versatility would do a fine job. Getting it off the ground, though, has been a problem; and this is ignominious for an aircraft.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner Images

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a twin-engine, mid-sized, wide-body jet airliner developed for long range air travel. The aircraft seats 210 – 330 passengers based on the seat configuration. Boeing has stated that the 787 is the company’s most fuel-efficient airliner and the world’s first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction. Boeing has said the 787 will consume 20% less fuel than the 767, which is almost the same in size. The 787 Dreamliner is a result of collaboration with may other organizations.

Photos of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

By B787-2154.jpg: MilborneOnederivative work: Altair78 (B787-2154.jpg) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By MilborneOne (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By MilborneOne (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By B787-2154.jpg: MilborneOnederivative work: Altair78 (B787-2154.jpg) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion

The largest and heaviest helicopter in the United States military is the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion (Sikorsky S-80E). It was built for the United States Marine Corps by Sikorsky Aircraft.

Sikorsky is currently developing the CH-53K, which will be equipped with 3 – 6,000 shp-class turboshaft engines, new composite rotor blades, and a wider more comfortable cabin.

The helicopter will seat 37 passengers in its normal configuration but has the ability to carry 55 passengers with centerline seats installed. The CH-53E Super Stallion is a shipboard helicopter configured for the lift and movement of cargo and personnel and the external lift of heavy oversized equipment. The CH-53E is the only helicopter capable of lifting some of the new weapon systems in the Marine Corps, including the M-198 Howitzer and the variants of the new Light Armored Vehicle (LAV). This heavy lift helicopter is the largest helicopter in the western world, with a maximum gross weight of 73,500 pounds.

The Sikorsky CH-53E SUPER STALLION is still the largest and most powerful marinized helicopter in the world. The Sikorsky CH-53 is without doubt the most successful and best known heavy transport helicopter of the NATO forces.

Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion Specifications:

Crew: 5: 2 pilots, 1 crew chief/right gunner, 1 left gunner, 1 tail gunner
(combat crew)
Capacity: 37 troops (55 with centerline seats installed)
Payload: internal: 30,000 lb or 13,600 kg (external: 32,000 lb or 14,500 kg)

Length: 99 ft 1/2 in (30.2 m)
Rotor diameter: 79 ft (24 m)
Height: 27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)
Disc area: 4,900 ft² (460 m²)
Empty weight: 33,226 lb (15,071 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 73,500 lb (33,300 kg)
Powerplant: 3× General Electric T64-GE-416(A) turboshaft, 4,380 shp (3,270
kW) each
Rotor systems: 7 blades on main rotor

Maximum speed: 170 knots (196 mph, 315 km/h)
Cruise speed: 150 kt (173 mph, 278 km/h)
Range: 540 nmi (621 mi, 1,000 km)
Ferry range: 990 nmi (1,139 mi, 1,833 km)
Service ceiling: 18,500 ft (5,640 m)
Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (13 m/s)
Armament

Guns:

2× .50 BMG (12.7 x 99 mm) window-mounted XM218 machine guns
1× .50 BMG (12.7 x 99 mm) ramp mounted weapons system, GAU-21 (M3M mounted
machine gun)
Other: Chaff and flare dispensers

The Cessna Citation X: A Premier Business Jet

Reaching a top speed of Mach 0.92, the Cessna Citation X has earned the reputation of being the fastest business jet in history, having flown the equivalent distance of at least four trips to the sun. Known as one of the most fuel-efficient mid-size corporate jets, the aircraft saves up to an hour’s travel time over other business jets on transcontinental U.S. flights. Greater fuel efficiency and less travel time are among the jet’s greatest advantages.

The Cessna Aircraft Company, which is a company of Textron Inc., has a long history of manufacturing business jets. However, the design of the Citation X is new in many ways, as the wing, tail, tail cone and gear are not based on prior aircrafts from the Citation line. Although the Citation X may resemble earlier models in appearance, most of the parts and systems are new. The pressure bulkhead, windshield, diameter of the fuselage, tail light bulb and some cockpit controls are all that remain of previous designs. Major changes to the jet include two Rolls-Royce AE3007C1 engines and fully integrated avionics. The Citation X is the first aircraft manufactured by Cessna to be powered by Rolls-Royce engines.

Although the company announced plans for the business jet in 1990, production of the Citation X did not begin until 1996. The first delivery of the jet was made to famed golfer, Arnold Palmer, in August of that same year. Just three years later, a total of 100 Citation X jets had been rolled off the production line. In the fall of 2003, Cessna announced planned upgrades to the interior of the jet, and by 2005, 250 of the aircraft had been delivered worldwide.

The Citation X has a speed of about 605 miles per hour with a range of 3,070 nautical miles. Although many of the jets are custom designed to seat eight passengers, the aircraft can seat two crewmembers and up to 12 passengers. The jet is able to fly at an altitude as high as 51,000 feet, which puts it above most weather systems. In August 2007, Citation X aircrafts had logged one million flight hours.

Since the Citation X is one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, the company continues to make improvements to the jet’s avionics. Beginning in 2011, the Honeywell Primus 2000 system will be replaced by the five-panel Honeywell Primus Elite avionics system on new jets coming off the production line.

Citation X aircrafts already in service will be offered the option of upgrading to the Elite platform which features liquid crystal displays, high resolution graphics displays and XM satellite weather in the U.S. and southern Canada. Improved LCD technologies in place of cathode ray tube displays will offer greater reliability and longer service life. In addition, enhanced moving map capability will not only show geographical and political boundaries, but airspace and airways as well. There are plans for Primus Elite to include Honeywell’s SmartView synthetic vision system sometime in the future.

According to Honeywell International, there are about 300 Citation X jets now in service throughout the world which would be eligible for the avionics and cabin systems upgrades. Cessna estimates that the cockpit upgrade alone could come at a price tag of around $585,000 for a jet already in service.

Additional upgrades to the cabin management system will include MP3 player inputs, an improved stereo sound system for the cabin, dual Blu-ray players with a high-definition display monitor, updated Airshow display imagery, and touch-screen control panels. These advances will be standard features in new Citation X’s coming off the production line.

References:

Cessna Aircraft Company: A Major Breakthrough in the Search for More Hours in the Day

Cessna: Aircraft Fast Facts: Citation X

http://www.cessna.com/news/fast-facts.html

Aircraft Maintenance Technology Magazine: Cessna Citation X to Get Honeywell Primus Elite Avionics, Cabin Improvement for 2011

http://www.amtonline.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=11179

Flightglobal: Cessna to Refresh Citation X with New Avionics

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/06/23/343563/cessna-to-refresh-citation-x-with-new-avionics.html

Honeywell: Honeywell Primus Elite Display Selected for Citation X

http://www51.honeywell.com/honeywell/news-events/press-releases-details/6.22.10PrimusEliteCitationX.html

Apaches of the 101st

Lieutenant Colonel William Bryan commanded an AH-64 Apache battalion of the 229th Aviation Regiment, attached to the US Army’s ‘Mist Air Assault Division, during the Gulf War.

“We knew that on G-day, the day the ground war started, the division was going to establish an airhead very deep inside Iraq. So in the week before that my mission was reconnaissance, to check the route into the country, destroy fortifications and clear the zone of enemy forces. The 101st’s sector was 50k wide and 200k deep. On G-day, the division moved along preselected air routes to an operating base 150k into Iraq. We had troops on the ground and the forward base up and running within eight hours.

“When we came across a convoy, I would attack with one of the battalion’s three companies. As the attack progressed I had one company attacking, one about 30k back in a holding area, and one 50k back at the FAARP – the forward area re-arming and refuelling point.

“Companies normally operate in two teams. The light team of two will usually be the first to engage, covered by the heavy team of three or four helicopters. Then the heavy team will take up the fight. In Europe we’re taught to mask, to use the terrain as cover from behind which we launch attacks. In the desert, you couldn’t hide. It should have been extremely dangerous since some of their anti-aircraft missile systems outranged us, but the Iraqis showed little or no desire to fight. They had the equipment but they didn’t have the resolve.

“Had the Iraqis been an Armored force we would have made stand-off attacks, but in this case we shot them with 30-mm cannon fire to get them stopped and the people dismounted. Then we fired three Hellfires, which took out the three lead vehicles. From that point on we were able to finish them off with 30mm and 2.75-in rockets.

“We never got into a real tank battle. On the fourth day of the ground war we did do a classic deep attack moving about 300 kilometres towards Basra and intercepting one of the Republican Guard divisions as it attempted to withdraw north. By that time there were so many oil-well fires and vehicles burning that it was almost dark even though it was mid-afternoon. We had to use our FLIR – forward-looking infra-red – sensors to see the targets, and even those were blanked out by smoke at 3000 metres. We called it `V-IeNk’s half-acre’ . You could only see about 300 metres with the naked eye.

Apaches of the 101st sit on the ground deep inside Iraq. The division’s FAARP – the forward area re-arming and refuelling point – is the helicopter force’s forward operating base, from where they would strike at Iraqi Armor up to 100 kilometres ahead of the division’s ground troops.

There has been a lot of controversy about the . We lived with that aircraft through sandstorms, moisture – we had 10 in of rain in January – and extreme heat, yet the aircraft continued to operate with more than 90 per cent serviceabiliy. There was no other platform in the Gulf that could fly so low, or could enagage such an array of targets with pinpoint accuracy, whatever the weather or the time of day or night. It was one of the few pieces of equipment that could move 300 kilometres in a matter of hours, engage a major enemy force and return. Most important, however, it was manned and maintained by highly motivated and proud people. We’ve come a long way in the 20 years since Vietnam, and the calibre of the American soldier is probably the best we’ve ever had. If you take these type of people and give them this type of high technology equipment, you’re practically unbeatable.

Arrival Times Flights Arriving Gatwick Airport

The busiest single-run airport in the world, keeping track of arrival times flights arriving Gatwick airport can seem difficult. But, thanks to a myriad of new information services, it has just gotten a whole lot easier to track arrival times of flights arriving at Gatwick Airport. Here are a few to check out:

• The Gatwick Website. You can find out arrival times flights arriving Gatwick airport as well as other airport information on their website at www.gatwickairport.com.
• Subscribe to their newsletter and get the latest information from Gatwick sent straight to your inbox.
• Register for Flying Messenger, an electronic update that can be sent to whatever handheld devices you use.
• Call for flight times. Although the most tedious of all of the options listed, calling the airport directly and speaking with a customer service representative can supply you with the information you seek.

Whether you want to check on a friend’s arrival, or simply do not want to get stuck waiting at the airport through a long delay, it is important top keep track of arrival times flights arriving Gatwick airport. So, use the services listed above to keep abreast of the latest flight information the airport has to offer.

Largest Airplane Ever

Can you believe that the largest airplane ever measured was more than 275 feet long and featured a wing span of 290 feet? Well, it did! The Russian An-225 Cossnak may be considered the largest airplane ever built, but there are other largest airplane ever facts out there to consider when learning about super-large-scale aircraft. Here are just a few:

• the An-225 Cossnack had a miximum takeoff weight of 1,322,770 pounds!
• The An-124 Condor is the second largest plane to be produced in the world (it too is Russian). It measures 226 feet 8.5 inches, and has a wingspan of 240 feet 5.75 inches.
• The C-5 Galaxy (an American-made plane) ranks third with a length of only 247 feet 10 inches, a wingspan of 222 feet 8.5 inches. It carries a mere 837,000 pounds compared to its Russian counterparts.
• The largest pusher plane in the world is the B-36 Peacemaker, made by Convair – USA. It is 162 feet 1 inch long and features a 230 foot wingspan
• The HK-1 (more commonly known as the H-4) I featured the largest wingspan in aviation history — 320 feet long, with a height of 80 feet, a length of 218 feet, 6 inches.

For aviation specialists, it can be difficult to choose the largest airplane ever built since so many things can be considered in the calculation: the body length; wingspan and of course lift-off capacity.

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