Friday, May 31, 2013

Cruisin’

Cruisin’:
Cruisin’
F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighters from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., perform an aerial refueling mission with a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 336th Air Refueling Squadron at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., May 14, 2013, off the coast of Northwest Florida. The 33rd FW is a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing that trains Airmen, Marines, Sailors and international partner operators and maintainers of the F-35 Lightning II. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen)
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Fly away

Fly away:
Fly away
A B-52H Stratofortress flies away as another taxis onto the runway during a training exercise May 21, 2013, at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. Air Force Global Strike Command officials routinely conduct training operations and exercises to ensure their forces can perform their mission any time they are called upon. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brittany Y. Auld)
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It's Thomson 787 Friday

It's Thomson 787 Friday: What with the arrival of the first UK Dreamliner - G-TUIA - at Manchester airport this morning here's a nice shot of the jet coming in to land courtesy of AirSpace user Andyxh558. The Thomson Airways 787 touched down at exactly 11am, although radar tracks show a fairly protracted approach taking in Blackburn, a few circuits of Accrington, Huddersfield and Barnsley.
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Andyxh558 on AirSpace

Yakovlev Yak-3UA (F-AZXZ)

Yakovlev Yak-3UA (F-AZXZ):
Aircraft's picture "Yakovlev Yak-3UA" registered F-AZXZ
Yakovlev Yak-3UA - F-AZXZ

Safety Nets Apparently Fail in BA A319 Cowl Door Emergency

Safety Nets Apparently Fail in BA A319 Cowl Door Emergency:

British safety investigators are recommending that Airbus “formally notify” all operators of Airbus A320-family aircraft about the May 24 incident in which all four fan cowl doors detached from a British Airways A319 departing London Heathrow for Oslo with 75 passengers and five crewmembers.
An interim report reveals that two safety nets designed to verify cowls are latched – mechanics’ procedures and pilot procedures – did not work as designed as the aircraft left the gate with its cowls unlatched.
Pilots of BA Flight 762 initially declared an emergency on departure after losing one of three hydraulic systems due to secondary damage caused by the detached doors, two per engine. A fire later erupted on the external portions of the right engine as the crew returned to Heathrow for landing. Pilots landed using the left engine, which continued to perform normally, and ground crews extinguished the fire in the right engine, says the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in the May 31 special bulletin.
Passengers and crew evacuated on escape slides on the runway and there were no injuries. The A319 is powered by two International Aero Engines V2522-A5 turbofans.
The first flight of the day followed scheduled overnight maintenance, which required opening the fan cowl doors on both engines to check the integrated drive generator oil levels, the report states.

Maintenance manuals for the servicing contain instructions regarding latching and closing the doors, and pre-flight walk-around procedures also requires pilots to verify that the cowls are closed and latched, a procedure that requires them to “crouch down so that the latches are visible,” says the AAIB.
Photographs of the aircraft before pushback confirmed that the fan cowl doors for both engines were unlatched.
The departed fan cowl doors damaged the leading edge slats, fuselage skin, overwing fairings, inboard flaps, belly fairings and the left horizontal stabilizer leading edge and lower skin, among other areas. A remnant of the inboard fan cowl that remained attached to the right engine punctured a low pressure fuel pipe, causing the right engine fire to develop during the approach to landing.
“This event has shown that the consequences of fan cowl door detachment are unpredictable and can present a greater risk to flight safety than previously experienced,” the AAIB says.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Dornier 217 J Nachtjäger

Dornier 217 J Nachtjäger:



Currently on offer via Ebay.de seller wasabogoa are these very nice shots of a Dornier 217 J complete with Englandblitz Wappen. (link below)

Given that the FuG 212 Lichtenstein BC antenna array has been dismounted perhaps these machines were deployed by day against USAAF bombers - Dornier night-fighters achieved their last successes during August and October 1943 against 8th AF Flying Fortresses. Note the nose-mounted armament of 4 x MG151/20 cannon and MG17 machine guns




http://www.ebay.de/sch/wasabogoa/m.html?item=290923209134&pt=Militaria&hash=item43bc5fe1ae&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Brazilian KC-137 crashes at Port-au-Prince

Brazilian KC-137 crashes at Port-au-Prince:
A Boeing KC-137E transport plane of the Brazilian Air Force sustained substantial damage in a runway excursion accident at Port-au-Prince Airport (PAP), Haiti. There...

KG 4 Heinkel He 111 Wintertarnung Ostfront - Ebay Luftwaffe photo find

KG 4 Heinkel He 111 Wintertarnung Ostfront - Ebay Luftwaffe photo find:



KG 4 General Wever (Geschwaderkennung 5 J) He 111 deployed on low-level ground strafing and bombing sorties on the northern sector of the Eastern Front during late 1941. From an album currently available on ebay.de (link below)

On 17 November 1941 Lt. Rudolph was forced to carry out an emergency landing after attacking troop concentrations east of Tichwin (Leningrad sector)

".. we were airborne from Dno at 09h45 in Rotte formation with He 111 5J+DK flown by Leutnant Mueller. We attacked the village at low altitude at 10h53 and observed the detonations of the 12 SD 50 bombs in and among the houses - we could see Russian soldiers running for cover. During our bomb run we came under heavy defensive fire from the north-eastern corner of the village, the first salvoes hitting the starboard engine and the tail fin. The exact number of hits could not be ascertained. The damage to the starboard engine was of some consequence; the spinner and pitch control were shot away and oil and coolant loss considerable. The hits to the tail quickly rendered lateral stability difficult and the aircraft threatened to veer out of control.. We were still some 12 km from German lines and the only way to get home was with carefully manipulation of the throttle controls - applying power until we were at 180 km/h and then easing off the power until we started to lose altitude. We crossed our front lines at a height of 150 metres but could not immediately see a large enough area to risk a belly landing. We continued further westwards until our observer could identify an area free of trees for a crash landing. By now the starboard engine was smoking and the danger of a fire breaking out was considerable - I had been unable to shut it down as I would have been unable to keep the aircraft in the air. We were still travelling at quite high speed when we hit the ground and I was thrown forward and struck my head heavily on the control column, briefly losing consciousness. Fortunately a 20 cm thick blanket of snow cushioned the impact somewhat. The aircraft sustained some 50% damages. The crew fired off signal flares which attracted the attention of our CO Hptm. Boltze who was able to put down nearby and get airborne again with myself, my crew and some of our equipment on board..."

(from Grundelach's Kampfgeschwader General Wever 4)







http://www.ebay.de/itm/org-Luftwaffe-Fliegeralbum-Flugzeuge-Bomber-Winterkrieg-Ostfront-95-Fotos-/121112307422?pt=Militaria&hash=item1c32db26de

North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie. “This photo shows...

North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie. “This photo shows...:

North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie. “This photo shows the XB-70A #1 rolling out after landing, employing drag chutes to slow down. In the photo, the outer wing panels are slightly raised. When the XB-70 was flying at high speed, the panels were lowered to improve stability.”

Kawasaki Type 88 Reconnaissance/Bomber KDA-2 - Aikoku #22

Kawasaki Type 88 Reconnaissance/Bomber KDA-2 - Aikoku #22:

Aikoku #22 "TeiSei" was an Army Type 88 Reconnaissance/Bomber or Kawasaki KDA-2 that was donated by the workers of the Teikoku Seimei Hoken Kabushiki Kaisha (Imperial Life Insurance Co Ltd) on June 19, 1932 during a ceremony in Yoyogi parade grounds.
From March 1932 until May 1933 one KDA-2 model 1 Reconnaissance, five Model 2 Reconnaissance and 19 KDA-2 Light Bombers were donated as Aikoku-ki. The price of one light bomber was 30,000Yen. At that time a bottle of Johnnie Walker whiskey red label was 5.5Yen (3,580Yen or $US20 at today's prices).

The insurance company was founded in 1888 by IJN paymaster Kakara Tameshige with Fukuhara Arinoba and members of of the IJN accounting school who had studied in the UK. In 1936 the company merged with Tokyo Seimei Hoken and in 1947 became Asahi Seimei Hoken (Asahi Mutual Life Insurance) which is now one of the biggest life insurance companies in Japan.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Rosoboronexport offers Su-35 fighters and technology transfer to Brazil outside the framework of a tender

Rosoboronexport offers Su-35 fighters and technology transfer to Brazil outside the framework of a tender:
su-35bm-2
Rosoboronexport wants to deliver Su-35 fighters and Pantsir air defense systems to Brazil outside the framework of a tender, RIA Novosti reports. It was stated by the head of the company’s delegation at SITDEF exhibition held in Lima, Sergey Ladigin.
Russian Su-35 fighter was struck off the shortlist of the Brazilian tender in 2009. The remaining participants are Gripen (Sweden), F-16 (USA) and Rafale (France).
“Despite the fact that Russia lost the tender, we have made an offer to the Brazilian party regarding deliveries of Su-35 fighters and Pantsir air defense systems outside the framework of the tender. Our offer is being considered”, — Ladigin said.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

EBACE 2013: Pilatus finalmente revela seu jato executivo PC-24

EBACE 2013: Pilatus finalmente revela seu jato executivo PC-24:
A Pilatus da suíça revelou ontem (21-5 /10:00hs local) o seu primeiro jato executivo na Airshow em Genebra. O PC-24 já é aguardado há muito, e, finalmente um novo jato executivo de tamanho intermediário (Mid-Size) que pode levar entre 6 e 8 passageiros será construído. E o foco é posicionado diretamente ao Learjet 70, com uma cabine que apresenta uma largura de 1,69 metros em comparação aos 1,56m do Learjet.
Aviação Geral: 22 de maio de 2013
Romain Guillot em Genebra
Clique nas imagens para ampliar

Seu alcance, com quatro passageiros, chega a 3.610km (padrão NBAA IFR.) a proposta do novo jato da Pilatus  será equipa-lo com dois reatores Williams FJ44-4A Internacional indicam um acréscimo £ 3.600 em cada unidade. Os aviônicos para o cockpit consiste de conceito da Pilatus chamado de ACE, acrônimo em inglês para Cabine de Ambiente Avançado. Projetado pela Honeywell disponibiliza quatro displays multifunções com 12 polegadas cada. 
A fabricante enfatizou fortemente suas qualidades em baixa velocidade quando comparado a concorrência com outros jatos executivos, uma distância de decolagem de apenas 820 metros e uma distância de pouso em apenas 770 metros (saltando um obstáculo de 50 pés no final da cabeceira da pista). De acordo com a Pilatus, o novo avião será capaz de atender a mais de 21.000 aeroportos ao redor do mundo e ainda pode operar em pistas não preparadas.
No entanto o desempenho em cruzeiro não foram negligenciados exibindo um teto operacional de 45.000 pés, FL 450, ou 13.716 metros de altitude desempenhando uma velocidade máxima de cruzeiro em 425 KTAS no FL 300. O peso máximo de decolagem será certificado em 8.005kg. O PC-24 também vira com uma porta generosa para entrada de cargas na parte traseira da fuselagem da aeronave fornecendo acesso para o compartimento pressurizado de 2,5 m³. 
A Pilatus já iniciou a produção do primeiro protótipo em sua fábrica em Stans. A unidade deve voar até o final do próximo ano para o inicio da certificação EASA e FAA o que é esperado para o início de 2017. O PC-24 estará disponível para o inicio das vendas a partir da próxima edição do EBACE em 2014. O catálogo exibia um preço de US$ 8,9 milhões de dólares. 
Todas as fotos © Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.
Saiba sobre as aeronaves produzidas pela Pilatus seguindo os links abaixo

OS ‘PC-12’ COMPLETAM 4 MILHÕES DE HORAS VOADAS

FlightSafety International anuncia a homologação do seu simulador para PC 12 NG em nível ‘D’ no Canadá

PILATUS ENTREGA A 1.100ª AERONAVE PC-12

O EXTRAORDINÁRIO PILATUS PC-6 ‘PORTER’

Unknown Concept

Unknown Concept:
This is a future airplane concept.
The design is quite interesting, but only problem is that the soucrce of the concept is unknown.
If you know the source, please tell us.
Unknown Concept Plane
Unknown Concept Plane

Dambusters 70th Anniversary

Dambusters 70th Anniversary:
Today, Thursday May 16th 2013 marks the 70th Anniversary of the raid carried out by 133 airmen in 19 Lancaster bombers from the specifically formed 617 squadron, was an attempt to cripple a major part of the Nazi war economy by carrying out attacks on three dams in the industrial heartland of Germany. Fifty-six of the men did not return from the top-secret mission, which required them to fly the Lancaster bombers at just 60ft above the ground – incredibly low when compared to the 250ft aircraft must fly at nowadays – in the dark across northern Europe.
The planes, armed with scientist Dr Barnes Wallis’ bouncing bombs, flew to the Ruhr Valley either side of midnight on May 16, 1943. The Mohne and Eder dams were breached during the raid and the Sorpe damaged. The Derwent reservoir, in the Hope Valley in Derbyshire, was used for practice runs by the elite crew of 617 Squadron as they prepared for the groundbreaking mission. The pilots practised the dangerous low-flying manoeuvres they needed to perfect in order to drop the new “bouncing bomb”, designed by engineer Barnes Wallis, at the exact height and level necessary for it to skim across the water and explode against German dams. Three dams in the Ruhr valley, Nazi Germany’s industrial heartland, were destroyed in the raid on May 16-17 1943. Tragically, 56 of the 133 airmen who went on the raid did not return.
Today, the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and 617 Squadron recreated history by flying over its twin towers, before continuing on to Chatsworth House to carry out a fly past.
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Today, the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and 617 Squadron recreated history by flying over the twin towers of the Derbyshire reservoir. The flypast, carried out by RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) and 617 Squadron, was one of a number of events taking place around England today to mark the raids 70 years ago.
The Dam raids, named Operation Chastise, now have a legendary status not only because of the skill and innovation needed by the pilots to carry them out; they had to fly at 60ft above the ground – incredibly low when compared with today’s pilots who must fly 250ft above ground – in the large Lancaster aircraft, in the dark and at speed, but also because of the problems it caused Germany at a crucial point during the Second World War.
This was something that 70 years later makes us proud to be British and undoubtedly deserves a mention. I couldn’t get to Derbyshire today to grab some images so instead I have decided to post some from the 80th anniversary of Leeds Bradford Airport. On this day a Lancaster Bomber serial PA474 (the same frame as todays flight) performed several low passes of the airport.
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Thanks for reading…. If you would like to see some more images from this day, I have a set on Flickr here.
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First Boeing P-8I for India

First Boeing P-8I for India:

Boeing
Boeing
The Indian navy’s first of eight Boeing P-8I maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft has touched down at the service’s Rajali naval air station, with more of the 737-based type scheduled to follow during 2013.
“We’re on track to deliver the next two P-8I aircraft later this year,” says Boeing Military Aircraft president Chris Chadwick, who hailed the company’s on-schedule achievement with transferring the first example. Carrying the registration IN321, this had been formally accepted by the Indian navy at its Seattle site in December 2012.
A further development of the P-8A Poseidon created for the US Navy, the Indian derivative has unique features including a belly-mounted radar.
New Delhi signed for its P-8I acquisition in 2009, with the deal worth around $3.9 billion. Once in frontline use, the type will replace its navy’s aged fleet of Tupolev Tu-142s.
Source: Flightglobal

Southwest launches Boeing 737-7 MAX

Southwest launches Boeing 737-7 MAX:

Boeing
Boeing
Southwest Airlines, the U.S. low-cost carrier which launched the original Boeing 737-300, 737-500, 737-700 Next Generation and 737 MAX has become the first customer for the shorter-bodied -7 version of Boeing’s re-engined MAX family.
The announcement brings total MAX orders to 1,315, including the recently confirmed deal with Turkish Airlines for 40 737-8s and 10 737-9s. It also marks the launch of the third variant of the MAX family, which Southwest officially inaugurated with a deal for 150 firm orders plus 150 options in December 2011. Boeing says the airline is converting 30 of these existing orders to the 737-7 version. As part of the deal, announced on May 15, Southwest is also exercising options for five additional 737-800s. With the 737-7 conversions and exercised options for 737-800s, Southwest’s unfilled orders consist of 180 737 MAX aircraft and 137 737-700/800s.
Until today’s announcement the 737-7, which is the smallest of the three variants, was the orphan of the family with no firm orders. The 737-8, in contrast, has taken 1,121 orders—or almost 90% of the announced business—while the stretched 737-9 has taken 164 orders to date. The 737-7 is designed to replace the 737-700 and, because of the lower fuel burn of its CFM Leap-1B engines and other aerodynamic and structural improvements, can fly up to 400 naut. mi. farther than the current model.
Southwest is expected to take its first 737-7 delivery in 2019.
Source: Aviation Week

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Assista um piloto fazendo um pouso de barriga

Assista um piloto fazendo um pouso de barriga:

No último sábado, um piloto da US Airways precisou realizar uma façanha para salvar 33 passageiros de um voo, após falha no trem de pouso Continua...

Rússia oferece ao Brasil aviões de caça Su-35

Rússia oferece ao Brasil aviões de caça Su-35:
A Rosoboronexport (empresa estatal russa de exportação de armamento) ofereceu ao Brasil, fora do âmbito de concorrência internacional, caças Su-35 e sistemas de defesa antiaérea Pantsyr.
Clique nas imagens para ampliar
Aviação Geral: 20 de maio de 2013
A informação foi dada neste domingo, 19, à agência de notícias RIA Novosti, citando Serguei Ladygin, chefe da delegação da Rosoboronexport à exposição de armas em Lima, no Peru. "Apesar do fato de a Rússia ter se retirado da licitação, fizemos paralelamente uma oferta à parte brasileira, de participarmos, fora do contexto da concorrência, com os sistemas Pantsyr e os jatos Su-35. Nossa oferta está sendo examinada", explicou Ladygin.
Serguei Ladygin observou que a Rússia está disposta a transferir toda a tecnologia de produção do caça. "Estamos prontos para transferir 100% de tecnologia do jato Su-35, com os elementos de tecnologia de aeronaves de quinta geração."
Em 2009, a Rússia saiu com seu avião Su-35 da lista da concorrência brasileira, em que permaneceram apenas a Suécia, com o Gripen, os Estados Unidos, com o F-16, e a França, com o Rafale.
As informações são do Diário da Rússia via NOTIMP

Sunday, May 19, 2013

LIBIA E IRAN

LIBIA E IRAN:
Por fin un grupo de fotos interesantes que merece la pena publicar y comentar. Mig-25P libio con serial "486". Por la juventud de Gadaffi y Arafat, calculo que la foto es de mediados o finales de los años 70. La persona que camina entre ellos no la tengo identificada. Foto de prensa, libia, supongo.
Espectacular despegue de dos Mig-25P libios en una foto de prensa antigua, probablemente de origen libio. El avión que ya está en el aire parece llevar el serial "509" de sólo tres dígitos, mientras que el que rueda a su derecha lleva el "2204" de cuatro dígitos.
Sujoi Su-24MK libio con serial "37". No recuerdo si esta foto ya la tenia o ya la postee con anterioridad, pero como las fotos de Fencers libios son raras, la incluyo. El personal que posa no parece libio...
Mirage F-1 ex-iraquí aterrizando en una base aérea iraquí tras un vuelo de prueba. Al principio tenía mis dudas sobre la autenticidad de las fotos, pero finalmente creo que si lo son.
Se trata de uno de los ejemplares que en el año 1.991 durante la primera guerra del Golfo desertaron a Iran. Pertenece al lote de los azules y lleva pértiga fija de reabastecimiento en vuelo. Durante la guerra contra Irán, curiosamente estos aviones realizaron misiones antibuque con misiles Exocet contra los superpetroleros que se aventuraban más allá del estrecho de Ormuz. En cambio, aquí lo vemos pilotado por sus -entonces- enemigos. Curioso capricho del destino. ¡La de fotos interesantes que deben permanecer en los archivos iraníes!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Dambusters memorial

Dambusters memorial: With the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters raid - Operation Chastise - here's a couple of pictures to commemorate the event. First up is this shot of an Avro Lancaster from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight taken by AirSpace user Sunshine Band. More details on the history of this particular bomber is here. The second image comes from the UK Ministry of Defence showing the same Lancaster performing a fly-past over Derwent reservoir in the Peak District, a key training location for the raid.
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Sunshine Band (top), Crown Copyright (bottom)

NetJets receives first Phenom 300

NetJets receives first Phenom 300:
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NetJets has taken delivery of its first Embraer Phenom 300 – part of an order signed in 2010 for up to 125 of the seven-seat business jets that will form the backbone of the fractional ownership giant’s light cabin offering.
The aircraft is equipped with NetJets’ new bespoke interior – the Signature Series which features advanced in-flight entertainment and a custom cabin design including specially-selected fabrics and materials along with customised seating, lighting and storage. The Phenom handover also marks the first in-service application of Embraer’s Prodigy Touch flight deck. Based on the Garmin G3000 platform, Prodigy Touch provides enhanced pilot interface and situational awareness. This marks the first in-service application of this advanced avionics system.
Embraer says production of NetJet’s Phenom 300 will be transferred in 2014 from its Gavião Peixoto plant in Brazil to Melbourne, Florida, home to its US assembly and paint facility.
Source: Flightglobal

X-47B under the covers

X-47B under the covers: Great image from Rex here of the Northrop Grumman X-47B on board the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush ahead of its successful maiden carrier flight.
X47B.jpg
Rex Features

F-35A Completes High Angle Of Attack Testing

F-35A Completes High Angle Of Attack Testing: Edwards AFB CA (SPX) May 17, 2013



The latest in a series of Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35A high angle of attack (AOA) testing was recently completed. The testing accomplished high AOA beyond both the positive and negative maximum command limits, including intentionally putting the aircraft out of control in several configurations.

This included initially flying in the stealth clean wing configuration. It was followed by testi

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

Mitsubishi A6M Zero:

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

“An F-14A Tomcat aircraft of Fighter Squadron 154 (VF-154)...

“An F-14A Tomcat aircraft of Fighter Squadron 154 (VF-154)...:

“An F-14A Tomcat aircraft of Fighter Squadron 154 (VF-154) flies near the summit of Mount Fuji during deployment in the far east.”

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet:

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

Grumman F9F-6 Cougar

Grumman F9F-6 Cougar:

Grumman F9F-6 Cougar