French investigation board BEA today released a third report about Air France flight AF447. The Airbus A330-203 registered F-GZCP crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on 31 May 2009. This report current interim report has been made possible by the complete readout of the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), which were recovered at the beginning of May 2011 after several campaigns of sea searches. According to the report the crisis arose after a problem involving blocked pitot tubes (devices that measure a plane’s air speed), which led to the disconnection of the autopilot. The pilots failed to discuss repeated stall warnings and “had received no high altitude training” to deal with the situation. The pilots got conflicting air speed readings and after the stall, responded by pointing the nose upward, rather than downward, to recover. They failed to regain control of the aircraft and no announcement ...

Today Asiana Airlines Cargo flight 991, a Boeing 747-400F (HL7604), crashed into the sea off Jeju, South Korea. The flight was bound from Seoul-Incheon International Airport (ICN) to Shanghai-Pudong International Airport (PVG), China. One hour after take-off the crew reported a fire in the cargo hold and had to divert to Jeju. Both pilots have been killed. Boeing extends its condolences and stands ready to send a team to provide technical support to the investigation at the invitation of the authorities. Sources: aviation-safety.net FAA Photo: (c) Chris Sands via Flickr

Airbus announced that Lufthansa has placed a firm order for 30 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft. The order comprises 25 A320neo and five A321neo aircraft. These will be powered by new-generation Pratt & Whitney PW1100G turbofan engines. The A320neo Family incorporates large “Sharklet” wing tip devices, which together with the new more efficient engines, will deliver up to 15 percent in fuel savings. This will represent some 3,600 tonnes less CO2 per aircraft, per year. In addition, the A320neo will provide a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions and reduced engine noise. Today the Lufthansa Group is Airbus’ biggest operator worldwide with more than 360 Airbus aircraft currently in service. These include: 254 A320 Family; 38 A330s; 65 A340s; and eight A380s. With this latest order for 30 aircraft, the Lufthansa Group has an order backlog which includes 85 A320 Family aircraft, eight A330s, and seven A380s. Source: Airbus

Boeing published an interactive image of a United Boeing 737-900ER (N36444). The image contains 17 gigapixels and was stiched together from 20,000 high-resolution photos to achieve a 360-degree interactive view of the airplane. The so called “Gigaplane” can be explored at http://www.newairplane.com/737/explained/#/Explore Boeing also released this video that views behind the scenes and explains how the image was shot.

American Airlines today announced two new large aircraft orders. The airline signed a firm contract with Airbus to acquire 260 Airbus A320 Family aircraft. The contract calls for flexibility for the airline to take delivery of A319s, A320s and A321s, with 130 featuring Airbus’ New Engine Option (neo). All 260 aircraft will feature large, fuel-saving wingtip devices known as Sharklets. The airline plans to announce its choice of engines to power the aircraft at a later date. Boeing also confirmed an order with American Airlines. The airline has ordered 100 Next-Generation 737s with options for 40 more and in addition 100 Boeing 737s, with options for 60 more, featuring new more fuel-efficient engines – Boeing’s answer to the best-selling Airbus A320neo. Final airplane configuration is pending and needs launch approval by the Boeing board of directors. The airplanes would be powered by CFM International’s LEAP-X engine.

If you’re an active member of the aviation community you’ve probably already heard of the Fantasy of Flight located in Polk City, Florida (between Tampa and Orlando). Their website fantasyofflight.com came to my attention long time ago and I was curious what to expect from this place at a small town in the middle of Lakeland countryside. Recently I made a long planned trip to Cocoa, Titusville and NASA Kennedy Space Center and also made a visit to the Fantasy of Flight. To make a long story short, this place is heaven for any aviation enthusiast! A must-see if you’re in that area! To get there it only takes 40 minutes from Orlando or 1:30 hours from Cocoa or Titusville. Believe me, over the years I’ve seen many aviation museums and vintage aircraft at air shows, but what you can see at Fantasy of Flight will blow your mind! It’s ...

This beautiful golden girl called “FIFI” is our new Photo of the Week. This Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine heavy bomber that was flown primarily by the US in World War II and the Korean War. The Soviet Union produced a reverse-engineered copy as the Tupolev Tu-4. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II. It was the primary aircraft in the American campaign against Japan in the final months of World War II, and carried the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (c) Photographer: Joe Copalman Did you know that your photo could be featured here, too? Just enter the Flightstory Flickr Photo Contest.

Date: 07/14/2011 07:56pm Location: Boston, MA Aircraft Type: Boeing 767-300 Registration: Unknown Operator: Delta Air Lines Flight: 266 and Aircraft Type: Bombardier CL-600-2D24 Regional Jet CRJ-900ER Registration: N132EV Operator: Atlantic Southwest Airlines (Delta Connection) Flight: 4909 Phase: Taxi Level of Damage: Unknown Injuries & Fatalities: None With its left wingtip, Delta Airlines flight 266 bound from Boston to Amsterdam clipped the vertical stabilizer of Atlantic Southwest Airlines (Delta Connection) flight 4909, a Bombardier CRJ-900ER (N132EV). The collision occured while both planes were taxiiing for departure. Damage to the Bombardier vertical fin has been pretty bad as you can see in the photo below. NTSB is investigating. Source: FAA via Seattlepi

Big news for Airbus! Yesterday the European aircraft manufacturer delivered the 800th Airbus A330. The aircraft is an A330-200 Freighter, received by Aircastle Advisor Ltd for operation by Chinese HNA Group (Hainan Airlines). This is the third A330-200F for its fleet. To date, over 1,140 A330s have been ordered. The A330 family has accumulated nearly 18 million flight hours and over four million landings. The A330 is in service with over 80 operators. Photo Photo: Airbus Source: EADS

Two new exciting logo jets have been spotted recently. Etihad Airways shows its support for English Premier League club Manchester City with a stunning special football livery. One of their Airbus A330-243 (A6-EYE), called Blue Moon Rising, was painted blue with soccer ball pattern, Manchester City logo and a moon on its belly. Since 2009 the Abu Dhabi-based airline is a major sponsor of the club. Australian flag carrier Qantas recently came up with a livery to support the Australian Rugby club Qantas Wallabies. Qantas has been a supporter of rugby for many years and acts as Naming Rights Sponsor of the Wallabies since 2004.

Today a Boeing 727-030 (9Q-COP) operated by Hewa Bora Airways crashed on landing during heavy rain at Kisangani airport (FKI/FZIC), Congo (Democratic Republic). Flight 952 was bound from Kisangani. According to early reports it’s believed that 40 of the 112 people aboard may have survived. The aircraft involved has entered service with Lufthansa on 29 September 1965 and was later operated by Condor, Jet Aviation, Imperial Palace Air and the Government of Benin. It was acquired by Hewa Bora Airways in April 2010. More at english.ruvr.ru: 8.07.2011, 20:59 Photo: EPA Source: Voice of Russia.

Submitted and written by Jose A. Nochea The old man arrived at the run down hanger on the Northwest corner of the airport as dawn broke with the eastern sunrise through the simple and limited skyline of old Miami. As he opened the doors to the office which was barely an area of 100 square feet, he continued to the main part of the hanger where he just wanted to look at the old Lockheed Super Constellation 1049-C aircraft that was to be the start of something special that he hoped would be a top airline one day. In 1962, Captain John Gawron had just retired from Ultra Trans Airlines after a 42 year career with only a 4 year interruption when he flew B-17s during World War 2. That allowed him to learn the industry and save money to do exactly what he was up against at this time ...

Boeing has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force to integrate three major modifications on the B-1B Lancer bomber fleet. The upgrade includes a new Vertical Situation Display Unit for the forward cockpit. The unit is going to replace two monochrome pilot and co-pilot displays with four multi-functional color displays, giving the pilots more situational awareness data in a user-friendly format. The new B-1 Fully Integrated Data Link will give the aft cockpit new digital avionics including a Link 16 data link, which adds line-of-sight capability to the B-1′s existing beyond line-of-sight Joint Range Extension Applications Protocol (JREAP) data link, and integrates the JREAP data onto new, full-color displays with intuitive symbols and moving maps. The new Central Integrated Test System adds a new color display in the aft cockpit and replaces an obsolete computer that continuously monitors the aircraft’s performance. It also is used by ground support ...

Boeing and ANA began validation of their readiness for the 787 Dreamliner’s entry into service. Throughout the week-long validation, ANA pilots, together with Boeing, will fly a 787 on actual airline routes in Japan using airline dispatch and flight rules. The 787 will experience simulated day-to-day airline operations. Maintenance, servicing and flight crew operations will be conducted at five airports in Tokyo, Osaka (Itami and Kansai), Okayama and Hiroshima. ANA’s first scheduled service with the 787 will be either the Haneda-Okayama or Haneda-Hiroshima route when deliveries begin later this year. Photos The Boeing 787 debuted in Asia yesterday with a landing at Haneda Airport, Tokyo. ANA has orderd a total of 55 Dreamliners. Boeing plans to deliver the first 787 to ANA between August and September this year. Source: Boeing Photos: (c) Boeing

If you like historic military planes, you have to watch this great video of the Avro Vulcan XH558 flying display at Waddington International Airshow 2011. The sound of its 4 Rolls-Royce Avon engines are amazing! Whoa! The Avro Vulcan is a delta wing strategic bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1953 until 1984. It was developed by Avro in response to a specification released by the Air Ministry. At the time, both jet engines and delta wings were considered cutting-edge and relatively unexplored; thus, the small-scale Avro 707 was produced to test the principles of the design. In flight, the Vulcan was an agile aircraft for its size.

This beautiful sunset landing at Portland, Oregon (US) is this week’s winner of the Flightstory Flickr photo contest. (c) Photographer: Russell Hill (sabian404) Did you know that your photo could be featured here, too? Just enter the Flightstory Flickr Photo Contest.