Boeing has received a contract to develop a design that modernizes the flight deck and avionics of the U.S. and NATO E-3 Sentry (Boeing 707) Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft fleet. Under the contract, Boeing will integrate new and existing avionics and communications systems; develop a design to install the new equipment; upgrade one aircraft for each AWACS fleet; flight-test the new systems; develop logistics support data; and train flight crews and maintenance personnel. This flight deck upgrade will be the latest enhancement to the AWACS fleets. These enhancements include new computers, displays, advanced battle management tools and an open architecture, enabling rapid software upgrades. “This move from analog systems to a digital flight deck will enable the U.S. and NATO AWACS fleets to meet current and identified future air traffic management requirements for flying in worldwide airspace,” said Jon Hunsberger, AWACS program manager for Boeing. “They also ...

The Boeing 787 Dream Tour will draw to a close with a seventh leg of international trips. On May 23, the airplane ZA003 will depart Boeing Field for Sydney, Australia. Below are the landing dates for each stop during leg seven. May 24 – Sydney, Australia May 29 – Auckland, New Zealand May 31 – Darwin, Australia June 1 – Tashkent, Uzbekistan June 3 – Casablanca, Morocco Upon completion of the tour, ZA003 will go through a scheduled maintenance period and resume its duties in the 787 flight test fleet. While certification of the baseline 787 models has completed, additional testing is being conducted on airline-specific features, product enhancements, and technologies that will be introduced on the next member of the 787 family, the 787-9. Photo: (c) Boeing

Enjoy this helmet cam video and ride with US Navy F/A-18C Hornet East Coast Demo pilot Capt. Michael “STAB” Allen as he performs at the Thunder Over Michigan airshow. The F/A-18 is highly maneuverable, owing to its good thrust to weight ratio, digital fly-by-wire control system, and leading edge extensions (LEX). The LEX allow the Hornet to remain controllable at high angles of attack. Canted vertical stabilizers are another distinguishing design element, one among several other such elements that enable the Hornet’s excellent high angle-of-attack ability include oversized horizontal stabilators, oversized trailing edge flaps that operate as flaperons, large full-length leading edge slats, and flight control computer programming that multiplies the movement of each control surface at low speeds and moves the vertical rudders inboard instead of simply left and right.

Rockwell B-1B Lancer demonstration at 2012 Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Open House & Airshow (McGuire AFB) This Rockwell B-1B Lancer bomber performs a combat takeoff from Runway 24, climbs to about 8,000 feet, and descends to make three passes. You will love the sound of the B-1 during the entire demonstration!

An impressive video of a Boeing 767 ILS Category 3B autoland at Milan (MXP) followed by low visibility taxi.

Have you ever seen a Boeing 747-8F overtaking a MD-11 in-flight? Of course you haven’t! Till now! Both aircraft are crossing the North Atlantic on NAT tracks, 1000′ separated from each other. The Global Supply Systems (British Airways World) Boeing 747-8F was traveling on Flight Level 310 at mach 0.84 only about 10-15kts faster than the Lufthansa Cargo MD11.

Boeing announced today a new winglet design concept for the Boeing 737 MAX. According to Boeing the new winglet will provide MAX customers with up to an additional 1.5 percent fuel-burn improvement, depending on range. “The concept is more efficient than any other wingtip device in the single-aisle market because the effective wing span increase is uniquely balanced between the upper and lower parts of the winglet,” said Michael Teal, chief project engineer, 737 MAX. This winglet design isn’t new, though. In January Airbus already filed a patent for downward-facing winglets, allowing to incorporate a similar winglet design. Maybe we will even see a lawsuit coming. Images: Boeing

Boeing today delivered the first 747-8 Intercontinental to Lufthansa. “Lufthansa and Boeing have a long and proud history of working together to bring new innovations to the airline industry,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We are grateful for Lufthansa’s inspiration and leadership in helping us design a new Queen of the Skies for the 21st Century, and I’m proud of what Boeing employees have accomplished by bringing this great airplane to Lufthansa and the world.” “After working together for many years, we are very pleased to have the newest generation of four-engine aircraft join our fleet,” said Christoph Franz, chairman of the Executive Board and chief executive officer of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Lufthansa employees will conduct airline-specific preparations to get the airplane ready for a May 1 flight to its permanent home base in Frankfurt. Boeing will host a special flyaway celebration with senior executives ...

Qantas is currently preparing for the re-entry into service of its first A380 (VH-OQA, MSN 14), the Nancy Bird Walton, following an extensive repair/rebuild programme that addressed damage resulting from the infamous 2010 Rolls-Royce uncontained engine failure. Besides the replacement of the jetliner’s no. 2 engine and pylon the port wing electrical wiring system, flap and fairing components needed to be replaced as well. The programme also included repair of fuselage and skin panels, internal stringers and equipment. Working in close coordination with Qantas since last July, more than 70,000 Airbus engineering man-hours were involved in preparing the jetliner at facilities in Singapore– helping clear the way for the two extensive test flights and subsequent handover back to Qantas at a special ceremony at Changi Airport on Saturday 21 April. Source: Airbus Photo: Qantas

Today, Space shuttle Discovery departed NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the last time with an early-morning takeoff atop NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). The agency’s most-flown shuttle is on its way to Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. The SCA transporting Discovery took off from Kennedy at 7 a.m. EDT, just as the first light dawned at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The ferry flight concluded at 11:05 a.m. when the aircraft touched down at Washington Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Va. The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft took Discovery on one last aerial tour of Florida’s Space Coast. It also flew above the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Vehicle Assembly Building and Kennedy Press Site before making one more pass over the Shuttle Landing Facility on its way out of the area for the final time. Photos http:/i.imgur.com/VUFjX.jpg http:/i.imgur.com ...

Boeing will bring the 787 Dreamliner to seven more cities later in April and May. ZA003 will depart from Seattle on April 21 to the following destinations: April 22– London’s Heathrow Airport April 23 – Manchester Airport April 25 – London’s Gatwick Airport April 27 – London’s Heathrow Airport May 1 – Oslo, Norway May 4 – Taranto, Italy May 7 – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport – Washington, DC May 11 – Dallas, Texas May 14 – St. Louis, Missouri Customers, employees, partners, government officials and other stakeholders will be invited to attend tour events at each location. There are no general public tour opportunities.

Boeing has made a series of design updates to the Boeing 737 MAX to further optimize the performance. Aft body aerodynamic improvements The tail cone will be extended and the section above the elevator thickened to improve steadiness of air flow. This eliminates the need for vortex generators on the tail. These improvements will result in less drag, giving the airplane better performance. Engine installation The new CFM International LEAP-1B engines will be integrated with the wing similar to the aerodynamic lines of the 787 Dreamliner engine with its wing. A new pylon and strut, along with an 8-inch nose gear extension, will maintain similar ground clearance to today’s 737 while accommodating the larger engine fan. The nose gear door design is altered to fit with this revision. Flight control and system updates The flight controls will include fly-by-wire spoilers, which will save weight by replacing a mechanical system. The ...

Wing walking on a Grumman G-164A Super Ag-Cat is our new Photo of the Week! The Grumman G-164 Ag Cat is a single-engine biplane agricultural aircraft, developed by Grumman in the 1950s. The Ag Cat was the first aircraft specifically designed by a major aircraft company for agricultural aviation. (c) Photographer: Matthew Baker (airmanflames) Did you know that your photo could be featured here, too? Just enter the Flightstory Flickr Photo Contest.

A funny tribute video to the best utility helicopter ever built, the legendary Bell UH-1 “Huey” – in service since more than 50 years and still in production (modernized variants).

Final assembly of the first Airbus A350 XWB is now underway. This latest step in the A350 XWB’s progress is achieved as Airbus starts joining the 19.7 metre long centre fuselage with the 21 metre long front fuselage. Unfortunately, this first Airbus A350 XWB airframe will never fly but solely be used for the static structural tests that all new aircraft undergo as part of their certification process. The assembly of the first flying A350 XWB, MSN1, will start during summer. The centre fuselage was delivered to Toulouse on Wednesday 4th April 2012 by Beluga from Airbus in St Nazaire, France. The front fuselage was previously delivered from St Nazaire to the A350 XWB final assembly line on the 23rd December 2011. Delivery and installation of the aft fuselage from Hamburg, Germany will take place in the coming weeks, followed by the wings delivered from Airbus’ wing assembly site in ...

Lockheed Martin celebrated the 4,500th F-16 Fighting Falcon delivery with a ceremony for employees, customers, former executives and elected officials. The F-16 is recognized as the world’s most successful modern-day fighter. Since the F-16’s first production orders in 1975, it has been produced in partnership with five countries and has been selected as the front-line fighter for 26 nations. The 4500th F-16 is an advanced Block 52 aircraft destined for Morocco. “The F-16 is the world standard for evolutionary fighters today, and it will continue to secure the freedom of the United States and its allies in peace and combat for decades to come. This milestone demonstrates that Lockheed Martin has the finest aerospace workforce, and it is our privilege to serve air forces worldwide,” said Larry Lawson, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics business area. The F-16 program has been characterized by unprecedented international cooperation among governments, air ...

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that its Vision Flight Deck entered service on schedule on a Global 5000 jet. The aircraft was delivered to Formula 1 champion Niki Lauda, a longtime Bombardier customer. Bombardier Aerospace and Rockwell Collins are the first to certify synthetic vision imagery on a HUD as part of the Pro Line Fusion® avionics system on the Vision Flight Deck. The Vision Flight Deck for Global jets received EASA certification on February 20, 2012, FAA certification on February 29, 2012, and Transport Canada (TC) certification on June 3, 2011. “I am very excited to be the first to own and fly a Global 5000 jet with the Vision Flight Deck,” said Niki Lauda. “Flying a Global aircraft is an incomparable experience, and I’m convinced that the new flight deck will not only meet but surpass my expectations.” The Vision Flight Deck introduces the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion ...

At the 2012 FIDAE International Air Show, which opened in Chile yesterday, Gustavo Garcia Miranda, Airbus Military’s Vice President of Marketing, provided an update of the A400M program. To date Airbus Military has 5 A400M prototypes in flight, which accomplished more than 1000 flights and more than 3000 flight hours. After its visit at FIDAE, the A400M is going to perform high temperature tests in the high mountains of Bolivia. According to Mr Miranda, the program is going to achieve the certification very soon and they plan to bring the A400M to various customers and air shows throughout the summer. This includes: April: South East Asia Middle East, Algeria 9.-15. July: Farnborough Airshow 2012 11.-16. September: ILA Berlin Air Show 2012

Boeing and Japan Airlines (JAL) celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first two Boeing 787 Dreamliners. JAL is the first airline to take delivery of a 787 powered by General Electric GEnx engines. “JAL will be the first airline to start new routes that have never been flown before by taking full advantage of the efficiencies of this aircraft, starting with Boston service next month and San Diego later this year,” said Yoshiharu Ueki, president of Japan Airlines. “The 787 with GEnx engines has the performance economics that JAL is looking for to ensure route profitability, and also the enhanced in-flight comfort that our customers will be delighted with.” “GE is proud that its GEnx-1B engines will power JAL’s Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner,” said Chuck Nugent, vice president and general manager of the GEnx program at GE Aviation. “The GEnx engine combines advanced technology and material to offer improved fuel efficiency, ...

Boeing this month will begin the fifth segment of the 787 Dream Tour, a worldwide tour featuring the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This leg of the tour will include five cities across South America, Central Asia, Russia and Europe. The March and April schedule includes the following stops: March 26-31: Santiago, Chile to visit LAN Airlines and be on display at the FIDAE Air Show. April 1-2: Shannon, Ireland for a scheduled day of maintenance activities. April 2-3: Baku, Azerbaijan to visit Azerbaijan Airlines. April 3-6: Moscow, Russia to visit airline customers, suppliers and employees from the Boeing Design Center. April 6-11: Istanbul, Turkey to visit customers and suppliers. April 11-13: Madrid, Spain to visit Air Europa, suppliers and Boeing employees. The Dream Tour Boeing 787 is configured with a luxurious business-class cabin, an overhead crew rest compartment and an economy class section.

An AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed in Afghanistan after performing dangerous low-level maneuvers and then lost control. A spokesperson said the video was taken Feb. 6 in the Paktika province in Afghanistan. No one on the ground was injured and the aircrew survived. There was no enemy activity in the area and the US Army is currently investigating the incident. Video:

Airbus posted this nice video about its flagship of the 21st century. The Airbus A380 is setting new standards for comfort and efficiency in service with airline customers around the world. In addition to becoming the jetliner of choice for a growing number of leisure and business travellers, the A380 also is pleasing its operators by increasing passenger traffic. The A380 is the most fuel efficient widebody, offers the lowest cost per seat, has one of the quietest cabin, allows the widest economy class seats, is the quietest widebody aircraft, reduces CO2 emissions and is hugely popular with passengers.