Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites has selected the Williams-Rolls FJ44-2 to power its twin-turbofan Model 281 High Altitude Platform, a piloted long-endurance aircraft designed to carry 900kg-class payloads to altitudes above 60,000ft (18,000m). A first flight is planned for mid-1998.
Source: Flight International
Cockpit crew representatives have asked Airbus’s leadership to reconsider its exploration of single-pilot operations, citing the recent IT-related air transport disruption as illustrating the risks of over-reliance on technology. Three pilot associations – the US ALPA International, Europe’s ECA, and international federation IFALPA – have written to Airbus chief Guillaume ...
Norwegian investigators have identified a fault in a pitch-trim servo circuit which might explain the unexpected pitch-up of a Sikorsky S-92 just before it fatally crashed during a North Sea search-and-rescue training exercise. This exercise involved locating a radio beacon, after which the crew activated an automatic flight-control system mode ...
Investigators have pointed to a seizure in the inboard bearing of a Scoot Boeing 787-9’s nose gear as a likely reason for detachment of its left-hand nose wheel.
