Usglobaljetsacc Discussion Threads

[grupo] 14/6/2005 13:45

LONDON (AFX) - European low cost airline Flybe confirmed it has converted
four of its options for Bombardier Q400 aircraft into firm orders.
This takes the number of firm Flybe orders for this aircraft to 45, Flybe
said. The options exercised today form part of the deal announced earlier in the
year, it added.
In addition to this agreement, Flybe said it and Bombardier will be working
in partnership to promote the Q400 in the UK and across Europe.
vs

[ariane] 13/6/2005 08:41

Giant planes and contracts at Paris show
By Jorn Madslien
BBC News business reporter at the Paris Air Show



The A380 is seen as a flagship both for Airbus and for Europe
The undisputed main attraction at this year's Paris Air Show will be the first flying display to include the largest civilian aircraft ever built.
The Airbus A380 flyover, around lunchtime on Monday, should do much to divert attention from the squabbles surrounding the aircraft's maker:


Deliveries of the A380 super-jumbo have been delayed by at least half a year and many of Airbus' customers are upset as a consequence.
A lengthy political tug-of-war between France and Germany, the main stakeholders in Airbus' parent EADS, has caused severe delays in announcing who will become the company's new chief executive.
A long-running trade row over state support for both Airbus and its US competitor Boeing has raised uncertainty about its future projects.
Despite all this, and although the order book for the A380 has yet to bring the project to a break-even point, Airbus is already considering it a success.

The aircraft maker, which is jointly owned by European aerospace giants EADS (80%) and BAE Systems (20%), is instead firmly focusing on its much smaller A350, a plane that is being designed to compete head-on with Boeing's new flagship - the 787 Dreamliner.

However, due to the transatlantic trade spat, the much anticipated go-ahead to start work on the aircraft is now no longer expected to be announced at Paris.

Airbus has conceded that it may not be announcing a hundred orders for the plane as had been previously hoped.

On a wider level, Airbus' problems are significant.

Some observers point out that whereas Airbus is struggling, Boeing is enjoying considerable success at the moment.

Unless Airbus gets its act together, they say, Boeing could well reclaim the top spot as the world's leading civil aircraft maker within months.

Americans return

Beyond the two giants' battle for market share in the civilian aircraft market, the defence industry is gearing up for combat as well.



This year the Americans are back in force, having stayed away from "Old Europe" when the last Paris show was held in 2003, soon after the war in Iraq.

"People above the rank of colonel are going to be there, unlike two years ago. It's going to be a lot more busy," says Bank of America Securities aerospace analyst Nick Fothergill.

Flanking the generals will be a slew of senior officials representing US defence behemoths like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

In 2003, US defence firms deemed it important to show loyalty to their government at a time of serious political tension over the war in Iraq - with the US clashing hard with France and Germany over its legitimacy.

Shrewd move

Eyeing a sharp rise in demand for their wares, the US arms manufacturers were in no doubt that their loyalty would pay off.


Aircraft and helicopter makers are getting ready to do deals

They were right. In 2003, military spending rose 6% worldwide - double the growth rate seen in 2002 - with the Pentagon accounting for three quarters of the rise, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).

Last year, the growth rate remained strong at 6%, with global military expenditure rising to more than $1 trillion, a level not seen since the Cold War.

The US, with its "war on terror" in Afghanistan and Iraq, accounts for almost half the total, observes Sipri.

"The main explanation for the current level of and trend in world military spending is the spending on military operations abroad by the US, and to a lesser extent, by its coalition partners," the think-tank says.

Joint ventures

After more than two years on the outside, European arms manufacturers are now getting ready to do deals with their American competitors, with a view to recovering lost ground.

"There's a theme of US companies teaming with European companies on aircraft or helicopters and bringing them into the US market," observes Merrill Lynch aerospace analyst Byron Callan.

A recent corruption scandal in the US - which culminated in the cancellation of a $23.5bn US Air Force leasing deal for a Boeing 767-300 refuelling tanker - has left the door ajar for Europe's EADS to get in on the act.

EADS is hoping to link up with Northrop Grumman, with the two jointly providing a replacement for the cancelled order, thus breaking into a market formerly tightly controlled by Boeing.

Such a deal would be good news for the outgoing Airbus chief executive Noel Forgeard and his co-chief at EADS, Tom Enders.

The two men, Mr Enders in particular, hope to oversee a revival of EADS's defence operations.

The Paris Air Show is held at the Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of the French capital. Monday 13 June to Thursday 16 June are reserved for industry officials and journalists.

The show is open for the general public from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 June.

[waldron] 06/6/2005 15:46

(updating with order value details provided by Embraer)
LONDON (AFX) - UK regional airline Flybe confirmed press reports that it has
placed a 950 mln usd order to purchase up to 26 Embraer 195 aircraft -- 14 firm
/ 12 options.
As a result Flybe will become the global launch customer for this member of
the Embraer 170/195 family.
Flybe said it will take delivery of its first 195 in Autumn 2006. These
planes will initially be deployed at Flybe's major bases in Birmingham,
Southampton, Belfast, Exeter, Jersey, Guernsey, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
This order brings Flybe's fleet size to between 59 and 91 aircraft by 2009.
A report in today's Financial Times said the modernisation of Flybe's fleet
is considered a prelude to the group's eventual flotation or a trade sale, which
is expected to happen within the next 18 months.
Separately, Embraer SA said that the total value of the firm contract at
list price is 470 mln usd, with a potential of reaching 870 mln usd if all
options are converted.
[e-mail]
slm/jmp

[maywillow] 05/5/2005 08:57

Embraer branches out into growing microjet sector
By Roger Yu, USA TODAY
Brazilian plane maker Embraer, best known for its small jetliners, is planning a new line of relatively low-cost microjets to be sold to businesses and individuals.

Embraer's "very light" jets are slated to be available in mid-2008 and cost $2.75 million.
Embraer

Embraer spokesman Doug Oliver said Wednesday the company, a major supplier of the 50-seat regional jets that have become a mainstay in commercial aviation, is seeking to diversify its products. He cited "a huge potential for growth" in the market for microjets.

Embraer's planned microjet - also called a very light jet - is slated to be available in mid-2008. The plane will carry up to eight passengers and will have a range of about 1,300 miles. Price: $2.75 million.

Embraer becomes the latest entrant in the nascent market for very light jets - those that carry less than 10,000 pounds. Three U.S. companies - Cessna Aircraft, Eclipse Aviation and Adam Aircraft - are the chief competitors.

None of the microjets has yet been certified to fly, but the market is expected to be one of the fastest-growing segments in aviation as business people look for greater travel flexibility. Microjets are being priced at a fraction of the typical corporate jets now on the market.

A recent forecast by the Federal Aviation Administration said about 4,500 microjets will vie for airspace in the USA by 2016.

Randy Padfield, editor-in-chief of trade publication Aviation International News, said the price of Embraer's very light jet is higher than those of competitors.

"It's going to be an uphill battle for them," said Padfield. "But they have in their favor their track record of building reliable, good airplanes."

The target market, he says, will be executives who seek flexible traveling schedules, avid amateur pilots and new charter services. Development of an on-demand air charter market remains "somewhat of a wild card" in the future of very light jets, Padfield said.

Last month, former software executive Ed Iacobucci unveiled plans for a new flight service to be known as DayJet. Using microjets from Eclipse, DayJet will provide flights between midsize cities for customers who book their future travel needs at the company Web site.

People Express founder Donald Burr and former American Airlines CEO Robert Crandall are launching another on-demand flight service in the Northeast called Pogo.

In addition to a line of very light jets, Embraer announced investing $235 million toward a new line of "light jets" - those that can carry more than 10,000 pounds but are smaller than typical business jets.

Embraer's planned light jet will carry up to nine people. Priced at $6.65 million, it is expected to enter service in mid-2009. It will compete with similar planes currently flying, including the ones made by Raytheon and Cessna.

[waldron] 10/3/2005 09:00

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Frill-seekers lured with private jets

Andrew Clark
Thursday March 10, 2005
The Guardian

Germany's national carrier, Lufthansa, is to become the first mainstream airline to offer passengers an aircraft all to themselves by providing private jets to whisk them to 1,000 destinations across Europe.
The carrier yesterday struck a deal with NetJets, an executive jet firm owned by Warren Buffett, for an elite service aimed at rock stars, sports champions and billionaires.

Under the venture, passengers arriving on Lufthansa's long-haul services to Munich will be chauffeured to a waiting private jet, which will fly them to the closest local airport to their destination.

Similarly, travellers beginning their journey in a European city outside Lufthansa's scheduled network will be able to book a jet through the German airline to pick them up from the airport of their choice.

Prices for the Lufthansa service will start at between €5,000 (£3,500) and €9,000 a plane, plus €300 for additional passengers.

Lufthansa's chief executive, Wolfgang Mayrhuber, said: "Business travellers are attaching a growing importance to sovereign command of their time. Many of our customers want maximum flexibility in their travel planning."

Lufthansa's tactic is likely to raise eyebrows in a European market dominated by competition for lower fares, fewer frills and rock-bottom costs. Germany has a vigorous low fares sector with airlines such as Air Berlin, Germanwings and Hapag-Lloyd Express. Lufthansa has a strategy of differentiating itself at the top of the market. In November, it opened a first-class lounge at Frankfurt offering individual rooms and personal assistants for every passenger, plus cordon bleu chefs, bathtubs and beds. Passengers in the lounge get Porsches and Mercedes to take them to the steps of their aircraft.

The new executive jet service will use Cessna Citation private planes with up to seven seats on board. NetJets has a fleet of 61 aircraft, with a European base in Lisbon, and has plans to buy a further 30.

Chris Tarry, of the aviation consultancy CTAIRA, said there was a commercial logic in pursuing time-poor executives in the highest ranks of business: "It's a very, very small segment of the market but clearly, there are some very high-value passengers who will want it."

However, environmentalists questioned whether anybody was important enough to need a private plane to deliver them to their doorstep.

Paul de Zilva, transport campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said private flying would be prohibitively expensive even for the mega-rich if the cost of clearing up pollution was factored into the ticket.

"There are a lot of people around who over-rate their self-importance and use that to justify the damage they do to the environment," said Mr de Zilva. "They should think about using their time more creatively."

[maywillow] 03/3/2005 19:59

Fossett sets solo flight record

US adventurer Steve Fossett has achieved the first solo, non-stop flight around the globe.
Despite a fuel shortage, the 60-year-old pilot landed the Virgin GlobalFlyer plane at Salina airport in Kansas at 1948 GMT.

The millionaire had considered aborting the trip and landing in Hawaii, but he decided to press on because of favourable tail winds.

Mr Fossett said he was "really starting to perk up" as he neared the end.


Click here to see a route map and graphic of the plane
"I'm enjoying the trip but it's a lot of work for one person," he told reporters via a satellite video.

'Let's go for it'

Mr Fossett left Kansas on Tuesday.

On Wednesday there had been speculation the pilot might have to land the aircraft because of an unexplained loss of fuel.


GlobalFlyer on one of its test flights above the Sierra Nevada mountains (Image: Virgin GlobalFlyer)


Enlarge Image


Project manager Paul Moore said wind conditions and the fuel situation had improved between Japan and Hawaii, prompting Mr Fossett to tell mission control: "Let's go for it."

When asked how he felt after his second full day of flying, Mr Fossett told reporters via satellite phone: "It feels like three days."

"I've gotten minimal naps while keeping my eyes on the instruments," he added.

Flight sponsor Richard Branson expressed confidence in Mr Fossett.

"He's a great glider and so if he runs out of fuel before he gets here he will somehow, we hope, make it all the way," the Virgin Atlantic chief told ABC television.

Fuel load

The experimental plane is able to glide up to 320km (200 miles) without fuel.

Checks revealed on Wednesday that the vehicle was missing 1,200kg (2,600lbs) of fuel.

Mission controllers have been at a loss to explain the discrepancy - whether the plane was incorrectly filled on the runway, or if it burnt off too much fuel in the early stages of the flight.

[waldron] 03/3/2005 14:21

Mission Status: Chase plane intercept due 13:30 UTC off US west coast

There were some concerns overnight, still, about fuel from the engineering team. As every hour passed though, they have grown 'more optimistic' about Steve's prospects of making Salina.

Towns and Cities Steve should overfly:

Many of you are asking where you can see the GlobalFlyer. Here's our best estimate of where he will be when - all times are in UTC, which is EST +5 hours, CST +6 hours and PST +8 hours. This is still tentative, and of course subject to Steve's fuel and stamina holding out. Bear in mind that Steve will not descend from 45,000 feet until around 300 miles from Salina - you'll just have to watch out for that unique single condensation trail!

Catalina Island @ 13:21 UTC (in the dark)
Los Angeles, CA (South of) @ 13:36 UTC (in the dark)
Kingman, AZ (North of) @ 14:32 UTC
Farmington, NM @ 15:53 UTC
Garden City, KS @ 17:56 UTC
Salina, KS @ 18:53 UTC (13:53 local time)

[maywillow] 03/3/2005 08:27

Mission Status: Steve says "Let's go for it!"

At 21:30CST (03:30UTC) Steve Fossett relayed by satellite phone to Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer Mission Control Director Kevin Stass "let's go for it". Strong tailwinds across the Pacific from the coast of Japan carried Steve between 100knots -130knots from the coast of Japan to Hawaii, bringing the round-the-world non-stop circumnavigation world record back within his grasp.

Steve Fossett, commented: "I hit the jetstream very well which has put us in a better fuel position. I have every hope of making it to Salina tomorrow."



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It looks like Steve's going to make it after all
Steve Fossett will carry on past Hawaii in a bid to land at Salina tomorrow. The non-stop, non-refuelled around the world record is now back within his sight.

[maywillow] 02/3/2005 21:26

Mission Status: 20:03UTC at Mission Control. Elapsed Journey time: 43 hours 16 minutes. Distance Covered: 13,675 nautical miles.

Steve is travelling at 330 knots at an altitude of 44,900 ft. Steve will cross the Pacific Ocean to at least Hawaii.


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Steve will attempt to cross the Pacific Ocean
Steve has decided to cross the Pacific Ocean. On approach to Hawaii the situation will be re-assessed and Steve will have to decide whether he will make a bid for the record or land in Hawaii.

[maywillow] 02/3/2005 17:42

Mission Status: 17:02UTC at Mission Control. Elapsed Journey time: 40 hours 16minutes.

Steve is tavelling at 347knots at an altitue of 45,000 ft. He is crossinf through Japanese airspace.


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Fuel - a big worry for Steve and the attempt
Following fuel loss in the early hours of the flight, there is some doubt as to whether Steve Fossett will be able to complete his around the world record attempt. He is now in the hands of the winds.

[maywillow] 02/3/2005 12:15

1969: Concorde flies for the first time
The supersonic airliner, Concorde, has made a "faultless" maiden flight.
The Anglo-French plane took off from Toulouse and was in the air for just 27 minutes before the pilot made the decision to land.

The first pilot, Andre Turcat, said on his return to the airport: "Finally the big bird flies, and I can say now that it flies pretty well."

The test flight reached 10,000ft (3,000m), but Concorde's speed never rose above 300mph (480kph). The plane will eventually fly at a speed of 1,300mph (2,080kph).

Mr Turcat, his co-pilot and two engineers taxied to the end of the runway at about 1530GMT. Strong winds meant the test flight was in doubt for much of the day.

Spontaneous applause

Two previous test flights had to be abandoned because of poor weather conditions.

Concorde sped down the runway and there was a spontaneous burst of applause from watching reporters and cameramen as the wheels lifted off the ground.

The noise from the four Olympus 593 engines, built jointly by the Bristol division of Rolls Royce and the French Snecma organisation, drowned out any noise from the crowd.

Less than half-an-hour later, the aircraft was brought back down to earth using a braking parachute and reverse thrust.

The crew emerged at the top of the steps, led by Mr Turcat, who gave the thumbs up signal with each hand.

The first British test pilot, Brian Trubshaw, who watched today's flight from the news stand, said, "I was terribly impressed by the way the whole flight was conducted. It was most professional and I would like to congratulate Andre on the way he handled this performance."

The British government has so far invested £155m in the project. It is hoped Concorde will begin flying commercially in 1973, when it will cut the flying time between London and New York from seven hours 40 minutes to three hours 25 minutes.

[maywillow] 01/3/2005 07:05

Fossett launches record attempt

The most dangerous part of the flight was take-off
A jet plane piloted by US adventurer Steve Fossett, aiming to make the first solo non-stop flight around the world without refuelling, has taken off.
Virgin GlobalFlyer took to the skies from Salina in Kansas, US, at 0050GMT on Tuesday morning.

The single jet engine aircraft is loaded with more than four times its own weight in fuel for the challenge, which is expected to last 80 hours.

The flight's departure date had been delayed for weeks due to bad weather.

I suppose I am a little bit of a nervous person - perhaps it is justified in this case

Steve Fossett

The route for the circumnavigation bid was changed at the last minute. The jet will now fly over North Africa instead of Europe because winds have shifted south.

Before setting out on the journey, millionaire Mr Fossett, 60, admitted he had little margin for error, with the most dangerous part of the attempt being take-off.

GlobalFlyer had never been tested with a full load of fuel and any unexpected turbulence or technical glitches could have potentially been disastrous.

"Turbulence is worse at the lower altitudes, so I've got to make my climb to the cruising altitude without encountering any significant turbulence," Mr Fossett told the BBC News website before the flight.

Watching as the plane disappeared into the night, British entrepreneur Richard Branson said it was "an emotional moment."

"It was an enormous relief when it actually came off the ground," he said.

It took GlobalFlyer about two hours to get to an initial altitude of 11.8km (39,000ft) before climbing at just 2.4m (eight feet) per minute to reach its cruising altitude of 15km (49,000ft).

Issue of trust

Mr Fossett said he had to place his complete trust in the makers of GlobalFlyer, the Californian company Scaled Composites run by aviation legend Burt Rutan, which was also behind Ansari-X-prize winner SpaceShipOne.

"I suppose I am a little bit of a nervous person - perhaps it is justified in this case," Mr Fossett told a news conference in Salina.

"It is a major endeavour and I am willing to take that risk," Mr Fossett said.


GlobalFlyer on one of its test flights above the Sierra Nevada mountains (Image: Virgin GlobalFlyer)


Enlarge Image


Mr Branson promised the adventurer free flights on Virgin for life if he completed the challenge and lent him his watch, adding: "I want you and it back in one piece."

Mr Fossett has set dozens of world records and world firsts with jet airplanes and gliders, hot air balloons and sailing boats.

The former stock options trader became famous in the mid 1990s when he made an attempt with Mr Branson to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon. He managed the trip solo on his sixth attempt in the summer of 2002.

The 1,522-kg (3,350lbs) single-engine aircraft is carrying nearly 8,636kg (19,000lbs) of fuel in 13 tanks for the 37,260-km (23,000-mile) journey at altitudes as high as 13,000m (45,000 feet).

Its progress around the world is being tracked live on the GlobalFlyer website.

Some of the major cities Mr Fossett expects to pass above along the way are Chicago, Toronto, Karachi, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Los Angeles.