Evolution Package 2 To Be Delivered By The End Of 2015

A major new Development Contract which will pave the way for continuous capability enhancements of the Eurofighter Typhoon has been signed by Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH and the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA). The package, known as Evolution Package 2, will be delivered by the end of 2015.

Researchers Will Measure Ice Elevation, Mass From C130 Aircraft

For the first time, a NASA airborne campaign will measure changes in the height of the Greenland Ice Sheet and surrounding Arctic sea ice produced by a single season of summer melt. NASA's C-130 research aircraft flew from the Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, VA, to Greenland Wednesday where they will conduct survey flights to collect data that will improve our understanding of seasonal melt and provide baseline measurements for future satellite missions.

Component To Be Installed On An Airbus A321

UTC Aerospace Systems has delivered its 5,000th nacelle system for a V2500 engine manufactured by IAE International Aero Engines AG. The nacelle was delivered from Hamburg, Germany, one of more than a dozen global sites that make up UTC Aerospace Systems' Aerostructures business. The nacelle and engine will be installed on an Airbus A321.

Two S-92A, Two S-76D Aircraft, Multiple Options In The Deal

Macquarie Rotorcraft Leasing, the helicopter operating leasing business of Macquarie Group, has contracted to acquire two S-92A and two S-76D helicopters from Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. along with an unspecified number of options to acquire additional aircraft. The four new helicopters will be configured initially for the oil and gas service markets.

First Sale And Leaseback Transaction With Leading Middle Eastern Carrier Financed By Abu Dhabi National Leasing

International aircraft leasing group Avolon has acquired two A320 aircraft for delivery to Etihad Airways as part of a sale and leaseback transaction, financed by Abu Dhabi National Leasing. The first of the two aircraft has now delivered. The second is scheduled for delivery in December.

Will Support Fire Control Systems For Apache Helicopters

The U.S. Army has awarded a $92.8 million contract to Longbow LLC, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, to provide Life Cycle Contractor Support (LCCS) for Longbow programs on the AH-64D and AH-64E helicopters.

Will Gather Stakeholders To Discuss The Future Of Airports And Their Surroundings

The inaugural Aerotropolis Europe, Middle East and Africa Conference and Exhibition (AEMEA) will take place in Manchester, U.K. July 8-10, 2014. Manchester will be hosting Aerotropolis EMEA 2014 in partnership with Airport City Manchester, as part of the International Festival for Business 2014. The announcement was made during the first ever Aerotropolis Americas Conference and Exhibition (AACE), hosted by Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (KDFW).

First Such Aircraft Available For Charter In The U.S.

Jet Aviation Flight Services is adding its first Airbus ACJ318 registered in the U.S. under a Part 91 operation. The ACJ318, which will be managed by Jet Aviation Flight Services’ West Coast team, will be added to Jet Aviation Flight Services Part 135 air carrier certificate early next year which will make it the first Airbus ACJ318 available for charter in the U.S.

Led Day-To-Day Maintenance For Presidential Helicopter Fleet

Zenith Aviation has named Bryan Shelton as Director, Field Operations.  Shelton recently ended a 20-year career in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) where he retired as Senior Manager, Aviation Maintenance Operations for the Presidential Helicopter Squadron (Executive Division). 

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Also: Defending The Wrights, UAL Fined, Bach Gets 'Puff' Back, Horry SC Hates Aviation, Boeing Tweaks 737MAX, Redbird Migration 2013!

We have good news about the Air Force Thunderbirds flying at airshows. Last week we reported that performances would resume on a very limited basis. Now we are told that two popular, high-visibility programs, the Thunderbirds and Wings of Blue parachute aerial demonstration teams, will return with full seasons. On the Washington front, Deborah A. P. Hersman was officially sworn in last week for a third two-year term as NTSB Chairman. Serving as Chairman since 2009, Hersman was nominated for a third term by President Bara

Excerpts From Jim Campbell's Speech At the 2013 Redbird Migration Flight training Conference

Aviation would seem to be an innovative industry... look at it... cool flying machines everywhere, space-age electronics, and don't get me started on the cool way we pilots get to talk to the ground hogs... and yet this industry is held prisoner to a well-worn phrase and attitude... that of, "that's the way we've always done it."

Klyde Wants To Hit 'Pause'

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Company Investing Nearly $100 Million For Capital Improvements On The Evendale Campus

GE Aviation, in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati Research Institute (UCRI), has created the GE Aviation Research Center at the company’s world headquarters in Evendale, Ohio. The Research Center enables GE Aviation engineers and scientists to collaborate with UCRI faculty members and UC students on the Evendale campus to pursue innovations that have direct application on GE’s future aviation products.

New Blades Will Help Triple The Lift Capability Compared To Existing Super Stallion Helos

Initial phase of testing for the first-ever main and tail rotor blades manufactured for the U.S. Marine Corps' CH-53K heavy lift helicopter program has been successfully completed by Sikorsky. Designed specially to help meet the Marine Corps requirement to lift the aircraft's maximum gross weight of 88,000 pounds, the all-composite blades are the largest and most technologically advanced ever produced by the company.

Boomerang Nebula Structure 'Expanding Rapidly Into Space'

At a cosmologically crisp one degree Kelvin (minus 458 degrees Fahrenheit), the Boomerang nebula is the coldest known object in the universe -- colder, in fact, than the faint afterglow of the Big Bang, the explosive event that created the cosmos. Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile have taken a new look at this object to learn more about its frigid properties and to determine its true shape, which has an eerily ghost-like appearance.

Butler National Corporation Gets STC For Work On 20 Series Airplanes

The FAA has granted an STC to MRO company Butler National Corporation for a stage 3 noise suppression modification device for Learjet 20 series airplanes.

Viking Twin Otter Series 400 Selected Aircraft-Of-Choice For Etihad Airways Equity Partner

Viking Air Limited of Victoria, BC, Canada and Air Seychelles, the national airline of Seychelles, have signed an agreement for three additional Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft to expand the regional carrier’s fleet.

Air-To-Air Missile Test Conducted Off California Coast

The F-35 Lightning II executed its first live-fire launch of a guided air-to-air missile over a military test range off the California coast on Oct. 30.

Absolute Instability When the lapse rate of a column of air is greater than the dry adiabatic lapse rate. The term absolute is used because this applies whether or not the air is dry or saturated.

Aero Linx: The Cargo Airline Association The Cargo Airline Association is the nationwide voice for members of the all-cargo air carrier industry, and others in the air cargo marketplace that depend on these services. Located in Washington, D.C., the Association is responsible for representing the industry before federal and state regulatory bodies, the United States Congress and, when necessary, in the federal and state courts. The Association also acts as a resource tool for its members, publishes periodic newsletters and acts as the educational voice of the industry.

"This successful missile launch marks the first live-fire weapons test and is an initial demonstration of the air-to-air combat capability the F-35 will bring to the U.S. Military and our international partners. This test represents the culmination of many years of careful planning by combined government and contractor teams. It is one test, with many more to come, to ensure operators will receive the combat capability they need to execute their mission and return home safely." Source: Charlie Wagner, weapons team lead for the F-35 Joint Program Office, after the F-35 Lightning II executed its first live-fire launch of a guided air-to-air missile over a military test range off the California coast on Oct. 30.