The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac) has revealed some basic specifications of its C919 narrowbody airliner and some initial orders for the twin jet at the Zhuhai Airshow. It says the C919 will have a length of 38.9m, a wing span of 35.8m and a height of 11.95m, while cabin width will be 3.9m
A Lufthansa A380 was forced to abandon a departure from Frankfurt to Tokyo on November 16 after the pilot noticed problems with the nosewheel steering. The aircraft, with 395 passengers on board, was taxiing before takeoff when the pilot decided to return to the gate. It has been grounded while inspections are completed. The passengers
Two F-35B STOVL test aircraft based at NAS Patuxent River in Maryland have evaluated the type’s close proximity handling qualities. The flights were conducted at 20,000ft and 30,000ft, and the accompanying image shows BF-1 and BF-3 in formation. Interestingly, the image also shows BF-1 sporting what appears to be an unpainted auxiliary inlet door, possibly
Two 787s left stranded at Victorville in California (ZA001) and at Rapid City in South Dakota (ZA005) by the test fleet’s grounding following an on board fire on ZA002 on November 9 have been given dispensation by the US FAA to return to Seattle. Boeing says the return follows initial investigations into the fire which
Taiwanese carrier TransAsia has ordered two Airbus A330-300s and six Airbus A321s. The A330s are the first widebodied airliners ordered by the airline. They will be employed mainly on regional routes while the A321s will be for use between the island and the Chinese mainland.
Perth based Heliwest has won a contract with telecommunications operator Digicell to support the construction of mobile phone towers in Papua New Guinea. Heliwest says its partner company, Helifix, “will provide skills transfer, training of PNG helicopter pilots and join Digicel in opening up opportunities for local employment.” “The installation of communication towers across a
