Tag Archives: Boeing

Boeing wants to fly on green diesel

14 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Aircraft, Airlines, Aviation, Business, Environment, Green Diesel, News, Technology, Transport, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Going green: Biofuel research at a Boeing laboratory in Seattle. Boeing photo.

Going green: Biofuel research at a Boeing laboratory in Seattle.

Boeing wants to use green diesel on its airplanes to reduce the environmental footprint.  The American aircraft maker says it has identified green diesel as “a significant new source of sustainable aviation biofuel.”

Green diesel is made from oils and fats and is already used in ground transportation.

It emits at least 50 per cent less carbon dioxide than fossil fuel over its lifecycle, Boeing said Tuesday.

“Boeing researchers performed analysis that found green diesel… to be chemically similar to today’s aviation biofuel. If approved, the fuel could be blended directly with traditional jet fuel,” the company said.

Efforts are already underway to gain regulatory approval for aircraft to fly on green diesel, it said.

“Green diesel approval would be a major breakthrough in the availability of competitively priced, sustainable aviation fuel,” said James Kinder of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Propulsion Systems Division.

“We are collaborating with our industry partners and the aviation community to move this innovative solution forward and reduce the industry’s reliance on fossil fuel.”

Boeing Dreamliner Boeing noted that significant green diesel production capacity already exists in the United States, Europe and Singapore that could supply as much as one per cent of global commercial jet fuel demand.

Boeing, the Federal Aviation Administration, engine manufacturers, green diesel producers and others are now compiling a detailed research report that will be submitted to key stakeholders in the fuel approvals process, the company said.

Images are courtesy of Boeing.

Boeing 787-9 makes international debut

04 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by in Air New Zealand, Aircraft, Airlines, Aviation, Business, Dreamliner, News, Transport, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

The 787-9 Dreamliner test aircraft lands in Auckland. Boeing photo.

The test aircraft lands in Auckland. Boeing photo.

The new version of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has made its international debut.

The 787-9 flew to Auckland, home of launch customer Air New Zealand, this week from the United States as part of a test program.

The aircraft, codenamed ZB002, took off from Seattle at 9:55 a.m. Friday and landed in Auckland 13 hours, 49 minutes later, marking its longest flight since the program began, Boeing said.

The airplane is scheduled to continue on to Alice Springs, Australia, for testing in hot weather, the company said.

The ZB002 is the only 787-9 fitted with elements of the passenger interior.

The 787-9 is 20 feet longer and can seat 40 more passengers than the Dreamliner 787-8, which went into service in October 2011.

Air New ZealandAir New Zealand, which has ordered 10 aircraft, will get its first 787-9 in the middle of this year.

The airline plans to use it on the Auckland-Perth route, starting October.

In all, 26 customers, including Air Canada, have ordered 402 787-9 Dreamliners.

Cathay bolsters Boeing 777X program

20 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in Aircraft, Airlines, Aviation, Business, Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong, News, Transport, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

An artist's impression of a Catahy Pacific 777-X9. Boeing photo.

The Cathay Pacific 777-9X. – Boeing photo.

One of Asia’s biggest airlines has given a major boost to Boeing’s 777X program, ordering 21 aircraft worth more than $7 billion dollars.

Cathay Pacific’s order is for the 777-9X version of the yet to be named aircraft. This version will offer seating for more than 400 passengers, and the airline says the order reflects its future long-haul fleet strategy.

“We think it will be an ideal fit for long-haul destinations in North America and Europe, in particular those routes where we carry high volumes of passengers and cargo each day,” said John Slosar, CEO of the Hong Kong flag carrier.

In addition, the 777-9X promises improved payload range capability and reduced operating costs, he said.

The 777X program was launched at the Dubai Airshow last month where Boeing won orders and commitments for 259 aircraft worth $95 billion.

“The 777X currently stands as the largest product launch in commercial jetliner history by value and is targeted for first delivery in 2020,” Boeing said Friday in announcing the Cathay Pacific deal.

The aircraft is now undergoing low-speed wind tunnel tests in Britain.

Cathay Pacific has been a major Boeing customer for years. It operates 55 777s and an all-Boeing freighter fleet that includes 13 747-8

The 777X is the newest member of the highly successful 777 family of long-haul airliners.

Boeing expands training in Russia

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in Aircraft, Airlines, Aviation, Business, Technology, Transport

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Pilot training in a 777 full-flight simulator. Boeing photo.

Pilot training in a 777 full-flight simulator. Boeing photo.

Boeing says it will open a new, state-of-the-art aviation training campus in Russia’s emerging high-tech centre in 2015.

The new full-service training facility will be located in the Skolkovo Innovation Center near Moscow, the U.S. aircraft manufacturer said Monday.

Initial capability will include flight, maintenance and specialty training, it said.

“We are bringing Boeing’s flight and maintenance training closer to our Russian customers, giving them the world-class support they need to successfully operate and maintain their fleets,” said Sherry Carbary, vice-president, Boeing Flight Services.

“Airlines in the region will benefit from a technologically advanced training campus staffed by the industry’s best qualified and most experienced pilots and instructors.”

Boeing will partner with the St. Petersburg, Russia-based avionics and flight-simulator manufacturer Transas on the project.Russia2

“We are delighted to become technology partners in this unique project,” said Nikholay Lebedev, president of Transas.

“We strongly appreciate that our flight simulation technologies have become part of this international project, aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of flight crew training in Russia — a sign of confidence in our products that we are proud of.”

Boeing says the new facility will open with four simulator bays, featuring three Next-Generation 737 full-flight simulators and one 777 full-flight simulator.

Two of the simulators will be built by Transas, it said.

Groundbreaking on the new campus is scheduled for spring of 2014, with training beginning in mid-2015.

Boeing has forecast that the Commonwealth of Independent States, including Russia, will require 15,200 additional airline pilots and 18,000 technicians over the next two decades, supporting 1,530 new commercial airplanes by 2032.

Wind-tunnel testing for 777X begins

09 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in Aircraft, Airlines, Aviation, Business, News, Technology

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Wind-tunnel testing will last about five months.

Wind-tunnel testing will last about five months.

Less than a month after its spectacular launch at the Dubai Airshow, the Boeing 777X is undergoing low-speed wind-tunnel testing in Britain.

Testing started last week at a facility in Farnborough, the town northeast of London best known for the world’s premier airshow, Boeing said Monday.

“This is the first major development milestone for the program since we launched the program last month,” said Terry Beezhold, vice-president and chief project engineer of the 777X program.

“Wind-tunnel testing will validate our performance models and generate a vast amount of data that our engineering teams will use to design the airplane in this phase of development.”

The low-speed model currently being tested is a 5.5 per cent scale model of the baseline 777X, measuring 4.22 metres long with a wing span of 3.92 metres, Boeing said.

“Hundreds of sensors are embedded in the model to measure pressure to determine the in-flight loads as well as provide valuable diagnostics of the aerodynamic performance of a given design.”

The testing will last about five months.

“We are on track to complete our top-level design in 2014 and reach firm configuration in 2015,” said Beezhold.

B777XBoeing won orders and commitments for 259 aircraft worth almost $100 billion for the 777X in Dubai last month in what was the largest product launch in commercial jetliner history by dollar value.

They came from Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways.

The 777X is the newest member of the highly successful 777 family of long-haul airliners. It will be built in two versions: the 777-9X that offers seating for more than 400 passengers and the 777-8X, which will seat 350 passengers.

Deliveries are expected to begin in 2020.

Images are courtesy of Boeing.

Benelux gets its 1st Dreamliner

04 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Aircraft, Airlines, Aviation, Business, News, Tourism, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Jetairfly of Belgium is set to become the first airline in Benelux to operate the Boeing 787.

The Dreamliner. Boeing photo.

The Dreamliner. Boeing photo.

The carrier, which is part of the British-based leisure travel company TUI Travel PLC, took delivery of the Dreamliner at a ceremony in Seattle on Tuesday. The 787 will start flying this month, replacing the airline’s 767.

Jetair“We are very excited about the Jetairfly Dreamliner entering service as the first and only 787 operated by a Belgian airline,” said Elie Bruyninckx, CEO of TUI Belgium.

Bruyninckx called the aircraft a great asset in the company’s strategy of offering unique holiday experiences to its passengers, especially when they fly between Europe and the Caribbean.

“We are very excited that Jetairfly will be flying the 787 Dreamliner,” said, Todd Nelp, vice- president of European Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The fuel-efficient Dreamliner has features such as larger, electronically-dimmable windows and larger overhead luggage bins.

TUI Travel, which operates six airlines including Thomson Airways, Arkefly, TUI Fly Nordic and Jetairfly, has made a commitment for up to 15 Dreamliners. It now has four in service.

The Dreamliner was launched in 2004. It reached a sales milestone at the Dubai Airshow last month when Boeing received the 1,000th order for the aircraft, from Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi.

Boeing puts the total number of orders at 1,012 from 16 customers.

Boeing 777X takes off with record orders

17 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by in Aircraft, Airlines, Aviation, Travel

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Boeing 777-8X and 777-9X. Boeing photo.

Boeing’s newest aircraft – the 777-8X and 777-9X. Boeing photo.

Boeing made history on the opening day of the Dubai Airshow, announcing record-breaking orders worth almost $100 billion for its new 777X airplanes. The American aircraft maker said Sunday the orders for 259 airplanes represented the largest product launch in commercial jetliner history by dollar value.

Dubai flag carrier Emirates led the way with an order for 150 of the aircraft. Other Gulf airlines followed suit, with Etihad of Abu Dhabi ordering 25 and Qatar Airways 50. Joining them was the German airline Lufthansa with a commitment for 34 aircraft.

“We are proud to partner with each of these esteemed airlines to launch the 777X – the largest and most-efficient twin-engine jetliner in the world,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Ray Conner.

“Its ground-breaking engine technologies and all-new composite wing will deliver unsurpassed value and growth potential to our customers.”

The 777X is the newest member of the highly successful 777 family of long-haul airliners. It will be built in two versions: the 777-9X that offers seating for more than 400 passengers and the 777-8X, which will seat 350 passengers.

Boeing’s European rival, Airbus, also won a major order at the show, again from Emirates for 50 A380s worth $23 billion, boosting the airline’s fleet of the superjumbos to 140.

“The A380 continues to be the flagship of our fleet and after five years in operation it remains highly popular with our passengers,” said Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum.

The AIrbus A380 in Dubai. Airbus photo.

The Airbus A380 in Dubai. Airbus photo.

He added that the latest order will help the airline meet both fleet expansion and fleet replacement needs.

“By strategically placing the A380 at the centre of its business, Emirates is maximizing its leading position with each day of operations,” said Airbus president Fabrice Bregier.

The airshow has attracted some 1,000 exhibitors from around the world. It runs through Nov. 21 and more orders are expected in the next few days.

Boeing set to steal the show in Dubai

16 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by in Airlines

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

As the Dubai Airshow opens on Sunday, all eyes will be on Boeing 777X,  the newest addition to the highly successful 777 family of long-haul aircraft. The American company is widely expected to launch the airplane with a big order from the fast-growing Dubai carrier, Emirates.

Emirates is already the largest customer of Boeing 777s. Boeing photo

Emirates is already the largest customer of Boeing 777s. Boeing photo

The airline has so far refused to comment on any potential deal, but it is already the largest operator of the 777s and the Airbus A380 superjumbos. “The 777X will include new engines, an all-new composite wing and will leverage technologies from the 787 Dreamliner,” Boeing said in a fact sheet posted in May. “The 777X will be the largest and most-efficient twin-engine jet in the world.”

Orders worth more than $63 billion were placed during the 2011 show, with Airbus winning a big portion of them. This year, all signs are leading to a mega order for Boeing.

Airbus has forecast that the Middle East will need 1,921 commercial aircraft by 2030 while Boeing has estimated the number to be at 2,520.

Flying high in Dubai: The Global Express business jet flies past the iconic Burj Al Arab Hotel. Bombardier photo

Flying high in Dubai: The Global Express flies past the iconic Burj Al Arab Hotel. Bombardier file photo

Canada’s Bombardier Aerospace has set up a special pavilion for its brand new CSeries aircraft, specifically designed for the 100- to 149-seat market segment.“Closely following in the footsteps of the CSeries aircraft’s historic first flight on Sept. 16, invited guests to Bombardier’s unique CSeries pavilion will be able to view the full-scale passenger cabin and cockpit demonstrators of this game-changing aircraft,” the company said this week.

Bombardier has received 177 firm orders for the aircraft, 10 from Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain. Deliveries are expected to begin next fall.

Meanwhile, Bombardier’s static display will feature the wide-body Challenger 605 jet, the large Global 6000, and the Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner.

In all, 150 aircraft, including more than 50 business jets, will be on display at the five-day show at the new Dubai World central airport.

New Dreamliner completes test flight

07 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by in Airlines, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

The only Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fitted with elements of the passenger interior has successfully completed its test flight. Boeing Dreamliner

The test aircraft, known as ZB002, flew from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., to Seattle’s Boeing Field on Thursday afternoon, the company said.

The four-hour, 18-minute flight tested various aspects of airplane performance. Ground tests on the airplane were completed earlier.

It was the second test of the Dreamliner 787-9 after a debut flight in September.

The 787-9 is six metres longer and can seat 40 more passengers than the Dreamliner 787-8, which went into service in October 2011.

Air New ZealandAir New Zealand is the launch customer of the 787-9. It has ordered a total of 10 aircraft.

The airline plans to use the aircraft on the Auckland-Perth route, starting next October.

Twenty-six customers, including Air Canada, have ordered 396 Dreamliner 787-9s.

All photos in this post are courtesy of Boeing.

British woman retraces historic flight

04 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by in Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

A 51-year-old British pilot has taken off on a solo journey to retrace the historic 1928 flight of Lady Mary Heath from South Africa to the United Kingdom.The Flight

Tracey-Curtis Taylor

Tracey-Curtis Taylor

Tracey Curtis-Taylor took off from Cape Town on Nov. 2 in a reconditioned 1942 Boeing Stearman open-cockpit biplane.

With a maximum speed of just 150 kilometres an hour, her aircraft, the Spirit of Artemis, is not expected to arrive at her destination in Goodwood near London before mid-December.

By then she would have flown more than 11,000 kilometres and made 32 stops. Currently commercial flights take about 12 hours, non-stop.

The historic flight fo 1928

The historic flight of 1928

Lady Heath was the first person to fly solo a small open-cockpit aircraft from Cape Town to London. Curtis-Taylor has the luxury of a GPS on board, while Lady Heath had just an atlas. “It’s a little bit bigger and more stable than the one Lady Heath flew but very much in the spirit — all stick and rudder stuff,” Curtis-Taylor said before departure.

The primary trainer for the U.S. Air Force, some 8,500 Stearmans were built during the 1930s and 1940s.

“We hope this journey inspires people along the route to learn more about the remarkable history of aviation and the role Boeing has played in the past,” said Boeing Military Aircraft president Chris Chadwick.

A biography posted on the flight website says Curtis-Taylor was born in Britain and spent her childhood in Canada before moving to New Zealand in her early 20s. She has since settled back in Britain.

The Spirit of Artemis has been fitted with cameras and the aircraft is being followed by a film crew in a chase plane.

The footage will become part of a documentary on the flight planned for release early next year.

All photos in this post are courtesy of Boeing and the flight website.