Tag: first (Page 17 of 30)

First Ever Purpose-Built Regional Freighter Takes Flight

September 16, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

– The ATR 72-600F will provide cargo operators with advantages of the latest generation market-leading regional turboprop

ATR, the world number one regional aircraft manufacturer, today announces the successful first flight of its new purpose-built regional freighter aircraft. The flight took off at 14:00 from its Saint-Martin site and lasted two hours. During the flight, crew onboard performed a number of tests to measure the new aircraft’s flight envelope and flight performance. The first delivery of this aircraft will be to FedEx Express, the world’s largest cargo airline and express transportation company, who placed a firm order for 30 aircraft, plus 20 options, in November 2017. The arrival of this new freighter further cements ATR’s leadership position in the regional freighter market where ATR cargo aircraft already represent a third of the in-service regional freighter fleet.

The brand new straight-from-factory cargo aircraft will offer a number of unique advantages to operators. With a Large Cargo Door included as part of the original design and the same wide cross section as all ATR aircraft, the freighter will be able to accommodate bulk cargo and industry-standard pallets and containers. The aircraft will also provide operators with the very latest avionics suite, which can be continuously upgraded. This effectively futureproofs the -600F’s state-of-the-art cockpit by allowing cargo airlines to take benefit from future innovations, which will further enhance the aircraft’s efficiency.

Airbus Celebrates 5 Years of Production in Mobile, Alabama

September 14, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

In 2015, Mobile, Alabama became home to Airbus’ first US-based commercial aircraft manufacturing facility. Now celebrating five years of production, it has grown from an initial workforce of around 250 staff producing A320 Family aircraft, to 1,000 employees building both the A220 and A320 aircraft families. To date, the factory has delivered more than 180 A320 Family aircraft to eight customers; aircraft which have subsequently flown 60 million passengers 500 million miles.

For Airbus, commercial aircraft production in Mobile signified two things: its position as a truly global aircraft company, and that it was also a truly American manufacturer. With the addition of this brand new US operation to the company’s A320 production network in Europe and Asia, Airbus had strategically augmented its worldwide industrial base in America – the largest single-aisle aircraft market in the world – to be closer to its US-based customers and key supplier partners.

Enter the A220 Family

The journey of Airbus’ investment in Mobile took a major stride in October 2017 when it announced the decision to introduce a second aircraft programme to the site: the A220 Family, entailing a second assembly line to be built adjacent to the original A320 plant – which would also complement the A220’s primary production site in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. The arrival into the US of this newest Single-Aisle Family member was an important testament to the confidence that Airbus had in Mobile, and the confidence in the team there to make it happen. Fast-forward to the present, and the first US-built A220 is already in its final stages of manufacture for Delta Air Lines – which will roll-out in the very near future.

Prior to the introduction of the A220 and expansion of the A320 facilities, the Mobile site sat on 116 acres. Today Airbus has added another 70 acres of real-estate which accommodates: two new final phase/flight-line hangars (four bays); an enlarged delivery centre with four new aircraft parking spaces; a ‘pre-transshipment’ hangar and of course the new ‘flow-line’ final assembly line (FAL) building itself. Notably, the delivery centre will be named after one of the company’s former leaders, Tom Enders. Enders supported and drove the establishment of a new Airbus aircraft factory in the US during his tenure as CEO of Airbus.

Doubling local industrial footprint in five years

When complete, nearly US$1 billion will have been invested in Mobile – to create new state-of-the-art facilities designed and built primarily by local companies. In short, Airbus has doubled its footprint there in just five years – establishing a new manufacturing home for Airbus’ Single-Aisle Family. Moreover, a recent study* concluded that Airbus’ total economic impact throughout the state of Alabama in five years was US$1.2 billion, supporting more than 15,000 jobs through construction and payroll.

Boeing Australia Fires Up Engine on First Loyal Wingman Aircraft

September 14, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Boeing Australia powered up the commercial turbofan engine on the first Loyal Wingman aircraft in September, as part of ground testing and preparations for first flight.

This milestone comes on the heels of Boeing completing the first unmanned Loyal Wingman aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force earlier this year, a major step forward for the unmanned vehicle serving as the foundation for the global Boeing Airpower Teaming System, an artificial intelligence-powered teaming aircraft developed for the global defense market.

“This engine run gets us closer toward flying the first aircraft later this year and was successful thanks to the collaboration and dedication of our team,” said Dr. Shane Arnott, program director of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System. “We’ve been able to select a very light, off-the-shelf jet engine for the unmanned system as a result of the advanced manufacturing technologies applied to the aircraft.”

Ford Announces Goal to Donate 100 Million Masks

September 4, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

– New Documentary Celebrates Workforce Response to Covid-19

https://youtu.be/lYHgV2u1T2Y

DEARBORN, Michigan, Sept. 4, 2020 – Following completion of its 50,000th ventilator to help clinicians treat COVID-19 patients, Ford is pivoting to target production of 100 million masks through 2021 for communities across the U.S. with limited access to personal protective equipment. The company, currently manufacturing 2.5 million medical-grade masks a week for its employees and at-risk communities, is growing the number of mask-making machines by mid- to late-October to increase production and deliver on its goal.

Ford is working with Ford Motor Company Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm, to identify donation recipients across the U.S. through a network of nonprofit and state and local partners. The company is focusing on military veterans, schools, food banks and African American communities, among others.

This announcement comes ahead of a new short documentary by award-winning director Peter Berg (“Friday Night Lights,” “Patriots Day,” “Lone Survivor”) titled “On the Line.” Premiering on YouTube at 2 p.m. EDT today, the documentary focuses on Ford’s Project Apollo, the internal codename for the company’s all-out effort to design and manufacture personal protective equipment, including powered air-purifying respirators, face shields, medical gowns for healthcare workers and first responders, plus ventilators for COVID-19 patients.

Berg’s deep dive into the story features members of Ford’s Project Apollo team – from the engineers who led the project to the UAW team members who volunteered to work at the height of the pandemic.

Last week, Ford Motor Company Fund shipped 10 million face masks to the National Urban League, American Red Cross, Disabled American Veterans and other local organizations to protect against COVID-19.

Ford, in partnership with the UAW, has produced more than 72 million pieces of personal protective equipment to meet the enormous demand. Altogether, this amounts to:

– More than 45 million face masks and 20 million face shields

– 50,000 patient ventilators

– More than 32,000 powered air-purifying respirators in collaboration with 3M

– 1.4 million washable isolation gown

Boeing Delivers SOCOM’s First Next-Gen Chinook Helicopter

September 1, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Boeing [NYSE: BA] is delivering new technologies and performance improvements to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) with the Block II Chinook helicopter. Boeing’s Philadelphia team recently delivered the first MH-47G Block II Chinook to SOCOM on time.

“This delivery marks a major step for the Chinook program,” said Andy Builta, vice president and H-47 program manager. “The new Chinook will give U.S. Special Operations Forces significantly more capability for extremely challenging missions and will enable them to conduct those missions on the future battlefield.”

The company is on contract for 23 more MH-47G Block II Chinooks, having signed a contract with SOCOM in July.

Boeing has more than 4,600 employees in Pennsylvania supporting Chinook, the V-22 Osprey, MH-139A Grey Wolf and a number of services and engineering efforts. Including suppliers and vendors, Boeing’s activities support an estimated 16,000 jobs in Pennsylvania.

SpaceX Launches First South-Bound Rocket From Florida in Decades

August 31, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

This evening, SpaceX launched another rocket from Florida, but this vehicle took a very different kind of path than most flights from the East Coast. Rather than head eastward after launch as most Florida missions do, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket headed south after liftoff, skirting over Florida’s southeast coast and heading over Cuba.

That’s because this mission was headed to what is known as a polar orbit — a path that runs mostly north-to-south over the Earth’s poles. It’s a type of mission you don’t normally see taking place from Florida. In fact, this will be the first time since 1969 that a rocket taking off from Florida heads southward.

Up until now, most polar launches in the US have taken place from the southern coast of California. That way, the rockets fly over open ocean when they head southward and not over populated land. Rockets that launch from Florida head eastward toward the equator, so that they also fly over mostly open ocean before getting to space.

Click the link below for the full story and video!

https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/30/21407389/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-launch-polar-orbit-cape-canaveral-florida

Bombardier Delivers First Global 7500 Aircraft Equipped with Dual Head-up Display

August 25, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

– One of many pilot-friendly features aboard the Global 7500 aircraft, dual HUD capability allows co-pilot to benefit from Enhanced and Synthetic vision for increased situational awareness

– Flagship Global 7500 aircraft redefines what is possible on a business jet with numerous innovations and the industry’s most advanced flight deck

– The Global 7500 aircraft boasts the longest range and the smoothest ride, and has demonstrated outstanding performance during its first 18 months in service

Bombardier is pleased to announce it has delivered the first Global 7500 aircraft equipped with a dual head-up display (HUD). This first-in-class capability provides additional safety and redundancy to what is already the most advanced and pilot-friendly cockpit in business aviation.

“The delivery of the first Global 7500 aircraft with a dual HUD showcases our outstanding commitment to safety,” said Michel Ouellette, Senior Vice President, Program Management and Engineering, Bombardier Aviation. “This cockpit is designed to put technology and automation at the service of the crew, rather than creating technology that the crew has to manage.”

The sophisticated HUD on the Global 7500 aircraft is equipped with Enhanced and Synthetic vision systems for optimal situational awareness. The second HUD builds on these advantages, with benefits including increased contribution from the co-pilot during HUD-assisted operations, easier switching between pilot flying and pilot monitoring as well as valuable redundancy during low-visibility approaches.

The Global 7500 aircraft is equipped with the latest Bombardier Vision flight deck, featuring unprecedented automation that remains firmly at the service of the crew. Examples include fully automatic fuel transfer and cabin pressurization management, and start-up sequences that are greatly simplified compared to those of other business jets. The unique, automated, self-diagnostic, electronic checklists ensure accuracy and relieve unnecessary manual tasks while providing full visibility to the crew. The Global 7500 aircraft’s proven fly-by-wire system is engineered to maximize safety through a design that combines pilot authority and the industry’s most complete flight envelope protection.

Complementing the safety attributes of the flight deck, the Global 7500 aircraft boasts outstanding low-speed handling characteristics on takeoff and landing, as well as the short-field performance of a light jet.

Ford GT Heritage Edition Celebrate Storied 1966 Daytona Win

August 20, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

2021 Ford GT Heritage Edition inspired by the GT40 MK II’s 1966 Daytona 24 Hour Continental race victory!

– Ford Performance unveils new Ford GT Heritage Edition inspired by the 1966 Daytona 24 Hour Continental, a stylish Frozen White with exposed carbon fiber and Race Red livery that pays homage to the 55th anniversary of the epic race where Ford achieved its first 24-hour endurance win

– Exclusive Ford GT Studio Collection offers even more exclusivity with unique and widely customizable design features in a limited-availability package for only 40 Ford GT supercars slated for production across the 2021 and 2022 model years

– New 2021 Ford GT Heritage Edition and Studio Collection are the pinnacle of Petersen Car Week, which started airing Wednesday on the Petersen Museum’s YouTube channel, which includes highlights include several virtual events featuring 25 hours of original content from manufacturers and enthusiasts, plus automotive lifestyle and auction house activities

The Ford GT is America’s only Le Mans-winning supercar, and taking this pinnacle of Ford Performance even further for 2021, Ford is revealing two new enhancements today – the first-ever Heritage Edition inspired by the original model’s first endurance win at the 1966 Daytona 24 Hour Continental race, plus an all-new Studio Collection package offers even more exclusivity and design enhancements.

“For this Heritage Edition, the Ford Performance team went deeper into the Ford GT’s race history and crafted a limited-edition model that stylistically honors the 55th anniversary of the Daytona 24 Hour endurance race that would eventually lead to our successes at Le Mans,” said Mike Severson, Ford GT program manager. “Plus, for customers who want to highlight the carbon-fiber body and functional cooling ducts that help deliver Le Mans-winning performance, the Ford GT Studio Collection offers another new way GT fans can personalize their supercars.”

The announcement of two new variants of the Ford GT were the highlights at the conclusion of 2020 Petersen Car Week, which started airing Wednesday on the museum’s YouTube channel. The virtual event featured 25 hours of original content from manufacturers and enthusiasts, along with automotive lifestyle and auction house activities.

Click the image below to watch the video!

Airbus Corporate Jets Wins First A321LR Order for Two Aircraft

August 19, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) has won the first A321LR order for two aircraft from Lufthansa Technik, highlighting the market appeal and versatility of the A320neo Family. The aircraft will be multi-role capable and can be equipped for various types of missions, such as troop transport, different MedEvac role setups (medical evacuation) and will be operated by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). Lufthansa Technik has now placed a total order of five Airbus aircraft on behalf of the German Government: three ACJ350-900s and two A321LRs. The A321LRs will be able to fly up to 163 passengers, up to 6 intensive care patients and up to 12 medium care patients, depending on the installed configuration, with a maximum range of 4,200nm/7,800km or 9.5 flight hours.

The A321LR is a member of the A320neo Family with over 7,400 orders by more than 110 customers. It delivers 30 per cent fuel savings and nearly 50 per cent reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation competitor aircraft. With a range of up to 4,000nm (7,400km), with 206 passengers, the A321LR is the unrivalled long-range route opener, featuring true transatlantic capability and premium wide-body comfort in a single-aisle aircraft cabin.

Featuring the most spacious cabins of any business jet, while being similar in size to competing large-cabin aircraft, the ACJ320neo Family also delivers similar operating costs. The ACJ320neo Family can do this because its lower maintenance and training overheads – part of its airliner heritage – deliver a similar total cost when combined with fuel and navigation and landing charges.

Some 12,000 Airbus aircraft are in service worldwide, supported by a globe-spanning network of spares and training centres, giving corporate jet customers unmatched support in the field. Airbus corporate jet customers also benefit from services tailored to their particular needs, such as the “one call handles all” corporate jet customer care centre (C4you), and customised maintenance programmes.

Combined with the inherent reliability that comes from aircraft designed to fly many times a day, the ACJ320neo Family is both dependable and available when customers need it.

Airbus corporate jets are part of the world’s most modern aircraft family, which delivers, as standard, features which either cost more, or are unavailable, in competitors. These features include the protection and simplicity of fly-by-wire controls, the benefits of Category 3B autoland, and time and cost-saving centralised maintenance on all systems.

Around 200 Airbus corporate jets are in service on every continent, including Antarctica, highlighting their versatility in challenging environments.

Warsaw the 25th European City to Return to Emirates Network

August 17, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Emirates will resume passenger flights to Warsaw from 4 September starting with twice-a-week services, and increasing to three-a-week from 7 October.

The resumption of flights to Warsaw will expand Emirates’ current network to 75 cities in September, offering travellers in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific convenient connections via Dubai to the Polish capital.

The airline has been gradually restoring its network connectivity, working closely with international and local authorities to responsibly resume passenger operations to meet travel demand, while always prioritising the health and safety of its customers, crew and communities.

On the Dubai-Warsaw route, Emirates will deploy its spacious, wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offering seats in First, Business and Economy class. Flight EK179 to Warsaw will depart Dubai at 08:10hrs on Fridays and Sundays, and the return flight EK180 will depart Warsaw at 15:00hrs. An additional flight service on Wednesdays, will be added to the route from 7 October.

Customers can book flights on emirates.com or via travel agents.

Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors. Ensuring the safety of travellers, visitors, and the community, COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.

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