All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 168
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NewsAirbus explores cryogenic superconducting powertrain for electric thrust
Airbus has embarked on a programme to build a powertrain demonstrator showing the potential of cryogenically-cooled superconducting materials to reduce weight and improve the efficiency of power conversion for electric propulsion. Electric propulsion prospects have focused on light and regional aircraft because the power demanded for larger, longer-range types cannot ...
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NewsNorse Atlantic to take batch of 787s from AerCap
Norwegian long-haul start-up carrier Norse Atlantic Airways has signed to lease nine Boeing 787s from Irish-based lessor AerCap. The nine aircraft comprise six 787-9s and three 787-8s – all of which are used, and all of which are fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. AerCap says it will start to ...
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InterviewHow the RAF’s former chief intends to marshal a post-Brexit CAA
While the UK’s decision to leave EASA remains a source of contention, the CAA’s new chair Sir Stephen Hillier is determined that the agency can rise to the challenge and demonstrate its status as a “world-class regulator”.
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NewsGround-test UltraFan demonstrator to be ready by year-end
Rolls-Royce has formally commenced construction of the UltraFan high-bypass engine, with the aim of producing a demonstrator by the end of this year. Work on the first module for the demonstrator, designated UF001, has started at the manufacturer’s facilities in Derby. Its first test run will be carried out using ...
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NewsAn-124 operators to conduct disc inspections after November engine failure
Ukrainian authorities have ordered detailed inspection of the fan discs on Ivchenko-Progress D-18T engines, following the destructive powerplant failure involving an Antonov An-124 last November. The state aviation administration says preliminary investigation results show the fan disc was the “source” of the failure at Novosibirsk, which resulted in multiple system ...
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NewsSwiss A220 engine shutdown traced to leak from unmodified oil cooler
Investigators have determined that a Swiss Airbus A220-100 engine shutdown during climb out of Paris was triggered by a faulty seal leading to a loss of oil pressure. The aircraft (HB-JBC) was en route to Zurich from Paris Charles de Gaulle and climbing through 22,000ft. Swiss investigation authority SUST says ...
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NewsEASA recommends 48-72h post-vaccination pause for aircrew
European safety regulators are advising aircrew to wait at least 48h, and up to 72h for single-crew operations, before engaging in flight-related tasks after being vaccinated against Covid-19. The precautionary measure arises from uncertainty as to whether in-flight conditions at cruise altitudes – including lower air pressure and the hypoxic ...
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In depthHow simulator training could be transformed in EASA update
Europe’s aviation regulator believes pilot instruction and operational safety could be improved by using devices less sophisticated than a full-flight simulator.
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AnalysisCrisis forces Vilnius airport operator to tear up new terminal contract
Crisis conditions in the air transport sector have forced a rethink on the construction of a new terminal at Lithuania’s gateway airport in the capital Vilnius. The airport operator is to re-tender for the work after agreeing with the current construction firm, Mitnija, to scrap the contract as a result ...
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NewsFinnair signals interest in up to 20 of Heart’s ES-19 electric aircraft
Finnair has signed a letter of interest through which it could acquire up to 20 electric-powered regional aircraft under development by Heart Aerospace. The 19-seat aircraft project, the ES-19, was unveiled by the Swedish-based manufacturer in 2019. Heart Aerospace is aiming to put the aircraft into commercial service in 2026. ...
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AnalysisEl Al remains financially burdened after year of heavy losses
El Al remained in a state of balance-sheet insolvency at the end of 2020, with total liabilities exceeding its total assets by $256 million. The airline’s current assets as of 31 December 2020 had fallen to $186 million from the previous end-of-year level of $486 million. But its current liabilities ...
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NewsEl Al unveils full-year losses of more than $530m
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has revealed the extent of the pandemic’s financial damage on the airline, turning in a full-year net loss of $531 million. El Al’s pre-tax loss reached $561 million. The airline’s revenues reached just $623 million for the year to 31 December 2020, a fall of 71%, ...
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NewsMC-21 transferred to northern Russia for natural icing test flights
One of the Irkut MC-21-300 test aircraft has been flown to Arkhangelsk in northern Russia to undergo natural icing certification tests. The aircraft, number 73051, is the same jet that was involved in a runway excursion at Moscow Zhukovsky in January while it was performing simulated single-engine approaches. Arkhangelsk is ...
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NewsPilot strike does not free SAS from compensation obligation: court
Scandinavian carrier SAS has lost a European court judgement over passenger compensation in the event of a strike by airline personnel, after a ruling that valid industrial action does not qualify as extraordinary circumstances. The European Court of Justice ruling contradicts a previous finding by Swedish consumer disputes board ARN ...
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NewsCryogenic tank among features tested for Russian 50-seat proposal
Characteristics of a proposed Russian 50-seat twin-engined turboprop are being refined after a series of windtunnel tests which to explore configurations including a potential external cryogenic fuel tank. The light convertible aircraft – intended to operate with both passenger and freight layouts – has been subjected to a series of ...
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NewsE195-E2 engine software upgrade ordered after A220 failure incidents
Operators of Embraer 195-E2 twinjets have been instructed to upgrade electronic engine-control software following inquiries into rotor disc failures on Airbus A220s. Both aircraft types use Pratt & Whitney geared-fan engines, and the architecture of the PW1900G powerplant on the E195-E2 is similar to that of the A220’s PW1500G. Investigators ...
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NewsAirbus extracts more range from A220-300 with further weight increase
Airbus is to offer a further range increase on the A220-300 towards the middle of this year, with a 1t hike in the twinjet’s maximum take-off weight. It will take the MTOW of the -300, the larger of the A220 variants, to 70.9t from the current 69.9t and will provide ...
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NewsFrance’s Aura Aero unveils 19-seat electric aircraft development plan
French aerospace firm Aura Aero is intending to develop a 19-seat electric-powered regional aircraft, as it looks to certify its two-seat Integral R light single. Aura Aero says the 19-seat project, to address the embryonic low-carbon transport sector, is supported by the Occitanie region. It unveiled the plan as it ...
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NewsSatcom radome vibrations prompt A220 ELT antenna checks
Airbus A220 operators are being instructed to check and replace emergency locator transmitter antennas, after incidents in which vortices from a communications radome generated vibrations resulting in antenna failure. One of the incidents resulted in the antenna separating from the aircraft and striking the vertical fin. Investigations have traced the ...
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NewsZig-zag microrelief on wings could reduce stall risk
Russian researchers are testing a wing surface modification with vortex generators aimed at reducing the risk of airflow separation and stall at high angles of attack. The work is being conducted at Moscow’s Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute and centres on surface microrelief featuring a zig-zag of vortex generators manufactured from polymer ...