First A350 XWB successfully completes first flight
June 14, 2013
Aircraft and its engines perform excellently
The first A350 XWB to fly has landed back at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport France at
14.05 hours local time after successfully completing its first flight that lasted four hours and five minutes (245 minutes).
The aircraft was flown by Peter Chandler, Airbus’ Chief Test Pilot, and Guy Magrin, Project Pilot for the A350 XWB. Accompanying them in the cockpit was Pascal Verneau, the A350 XWB Project Test Flight Engineer. Monitoring the progress of the flight profile were the three flight test engineers: Fernando Alonso, Head of Airbus Flight & Integration Test Centre; Patrick du Ché, Head of Development Flight Tests; and Emanuele Costanzo, lead Flight Test Engineer for the Trent XWB engine.
Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Bregier said: “I congratulate the whole A350 XWB development team for having completed the first flight preparation in a record time. I also wish to thank the first flight crew today for taking this aircraft where it wants to be – in the sky.” He added: “I would also like to extend my gratitude to all our teams in the design offices, at programme and manufacturing level, the ground crews as well as our colleagues in airlines and suppliers and many others who helped define this all-new aircraft. The A350 XWB which has flown today, integrating the latest available technologies, is now entering the final stage of its development. And it is ready. Ready to head towards certification and entry-into-service in the second half of next year.”
For its first flight, the A350 XWB – carrying the registration F-WXWB – took off at around 221 tonnes. During the flight, which took the aircraft around south western France, the crew explored the aircraft’s flight envelope. The aircraft was accompanied by a chase plane to observe and film the various manoeuvres. Its progress was monitored by experts on the ground in real-time via a direct telemetry link. This maiden flight marks the beginning of a rigorous test flight campaign involving five A350s, and around 2,500 flight hours. It will culminate in the aircraft’s certification followed by its entry into airline service in the second half of 2014 with first operator Qatar Airways.
The A350 XWB is the all-new mid-size long range product line comprising three versions and seating between 270 and 350 passengers in spacious three-class layouts. The new family will bring a step change in efficiency compared with existing aircraft in this size category, using 25 per cent less fuel and providing an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions. To date the A350 XWB has already won 613 firm orders from 33 customers worldwide.
Día de los Padres
June 13, 2013
Siempre me ha resultado curioso a lo largo de los años que, aunque tengo muchos amigos, nunca me piden ver Revista Aérea. Tal vez porque la mayoría no lee español. Pensaba que sería agradable que “pretendieran que sabían” y mostraran interés en mi trabajo. Pero por supuesto, tenía a mi papá. Estaba tan orgulloso de su hija única, y revisaba las páginas detenidamente. Y siempre nos elogiaba a todos al ver el producto terminado.
Qué gracioso que en el Día de los Padres ese interés ocupe tan alto sitio en mi lista de recuerdos cuando pienso en él.
Elenita
LATAM Airlines Group reports preliminary monthly statistics for May 2013
June 13, 2013
Santiago, Chile, June 11, 2013– LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and its subsidiaries, (“LATAM Airlines Group” or “the Company”) (NYSE: LFL / IPSA: LAN / Bovespa: LATM11), the leading airline group in Latin America, today reported preliminary monthly traffic statistics for May 2013 compared to May 2012.
System passenger traffic increased 4.4% as capacity declined 0.3%. As a result, the Company’s load factor for the month increased 3.5 points to 79.4%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 53% of the month’s total passenger traffic.
Domestic passenger traffic in LATAM Airlines Group’s Spanish speaking operations (Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia) rose 11.7%, as capacity increased 13.6%. As a consequence, the domestic passenger load factor decreased 1.3 points to 75.3%.
Domestic passenger traffic in Brazil increased 7.5%, as capacity decreased 11.0%. As a consequence, the domestic Brazil passenger load factor increased 13.5 points to 78.4%.
International passenger traffic increased 0.8%, while capacity increased 4.2%. Accordingly, the international passenger load factor for the month decreased 2.8 points to 81.2%. International traffic includes international operations of both LAN and TAM on regional and long haul routes.
Cargo traffic rose 1.5% as capacity increased 1.5%. As a consequence, the cargo load factor remained flat in 58.2%. The growth in cargo capacity is a result of increased availability in the belly of passenger aircraft partially offset by reduced freighter operations. The increase in cargo traffic was mainly driven by delayed seasonal demand.
Clovis Martins Joins Vector Aerospace as Sales and Service Manager for Brazil Region
June 12, 2013
Toronto, ON – Vector Aerospace Corporation (Vector – www.vectoraerospace.com), one of the world’s leading independent providers of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, is pleased to announce that Vector Aerospace Engine Services – Atlantic has named Clovis Martins as Sales and Service Manager for Brazil.
“We are excited to make this announcement,” says Jeff Poirier, president of Vector Aerospace Engine Services-Atlantic. “We realize that Brazil’s business culture relies heavily on the development of strong personal relationships and so it is extremely important that we have a local presence in order to invest time in developing those relationships. I fully anticipate that Clovis will meet the needs of our current and future customers in Brazil as he enhances our level of customer service throughout this region.”
Martins has 9 years of experience within the aviation industry. He previously worked at Synerjet, Premier Aviation and Linford Aviation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Airline Management from Anhembi Morumbi University, part of the Laureate international Universities Group.
El helicóptero híbrido X3 de Eurocopter marca un nuevo hito en la historia de la aviación al alcanzar una velocidad excepcional de 255 nudos en vuelo nivelado
June 11, 2013
Marignane, 11 de junio de 2013
La concepción de helicóptero híbrido X3 de Eurocopter ha abierto nuevas fronteras en el mundo de la aviación al alcanzar la velocidad de 255 nudos (472 km/h) en vuelo nivelado el pasado día 7 de junio. Algunos días antes de este vuelo, el X3 había alcanzado una velocidad de 263 nudos en descenso (487 Km/h). Con estos éxitos, el X3 bate el récord no oficial de velocidad de un helicóptero.
Eurocopter ha alcanzado la velocidad histórica de los 255 nudos durante un vuelo del X3 de 40 minutos efectuada en el sur de Francia, cerca de Istres, a una altura de 10.000 pies. Este vuelo es el más reciente hito de toda la serie de logros que ya ha conseguido el X3, el demostrador tecnológico de Eurocopter; un sistema de transporte moderno y rentable de aterrizaje y despegue verticales (VTOL, por sus siglas en inglés) que ofrece la velocidad de las aeronaves propulsadas por turbohélice junto con todas las capacidades de vuelo de un helicóptero.
“No es exagerado decir que volando a gran velocidad el X3 se encuentra en su elemento”, explicó Hervé Jammayrac, piloto de pruebas de Eurocopter. “Mientras volaba a velocidades de 255 y 263 nudos, el X3 ha volado del mismo modo que en el resto de la envolvente de vuelo, demostrado una extraordinaria estabilidad y un nivel de vibraciones realmente bajo, sin haber utilizado el sistema antivibraciones”.
La configuración del X3 dispone de dos motores turboeje RTM 322 que propulsan un sistema de rotor principal de cinco palas, con dos hélices instaladas en las alas fijas de corta envergadura. Con una arquitectura y un diseño de vanguardia, estos motores ofrecen potencia y potencial de crecimiento. La variante RTM 322, que alimenta el X3 se basa en el RTM 322 que propulsa el NH90. Incorpora además un FADEC que responde a las exigencias del demostrador X3.
Se trata de una concepción muy adecuada para misiones que exigen vuelos de larga duración y alta velocidad, al tiempo que mantiene la plena capacidad de ascensión vertical y de vuelo estacionario – y todo ello a costes muy asequibles.
Eurocopter prevé todo un abanico de posibles aplicaciones para esta configuración híbrida: operaciones de búsqueda y salvamento a larga distancia (SAR, por sus siglas en inglés), vuelos de patrulla de guardacostas y de vigilancia de fronteras, transporte de pasajeros y vuelos sobre el mar, aparte de servicios de ferry entre ciudades, entre otros. Gracias a la combinación de su alta velocidad de crucero con los despegues y aterrizajes verticales, el X3 también se adapta a misiones militares, tales como operaciones de fuerzas especiales, transporte de tropas, SAR en combate y evacuación sanitaria.
“Basándose en la tecnología empleada en el X3, Eurocopter seguirá fijando los patrones de los futuros helicópteros, ofreciendo a nuestros clientes nuevos niveles de rendimiento en lo que se refiere a velocidad, alcance y capacidades de misión a costes competitivos”, explicó Guillaume Faury, presidente ejecutivo de Eurocopter. “Los extraordinarios logros del X3 son el resultado de la implicación y destreza de nuestros equipos. Por eso, quiero felicitar a todos aquéllos que han participado en el desarrollo de este demostrador”.
El desarrollo del X3 de Eurocopter se ha llevado a cabo con un ritmo acelerado en el marco de un programa basado en la estructura del helicóptero Dauphin de Eurocopter. Para este vuelo excepcional, el demostrador estaba equipado con un carenado de la cabeza del rotor destinado a reducir la resistencia aerodinámica – aprovechando para eso los resultados obtenidos en ensayos efectuados en los años noventa con un Dauphin DGV de alta velocidad como banco de pruebas -, así como con carenados adicionales del tren de aterrizaje. En 1991, el Dauphin DGV permitió a Aerospatiale, empresa predecesora de Eurocopter, batir otro record de velocidad con helicóptero al alcanzar los 200 nudos.
Eliminación de visas para ingreso de ciudadanos chilenos a los EEUU aumentaría número de viajes
June 11, 2013
De concretarse una promesa tantas veces anunciada, los Estados Unidos estaría próximo a eliminar la exigencia de visa para que los ciudadanos chilenos ingresen a dicha nación.-
En opinión de las empresas aéreas y de turismo, tal medida tendría un positivo efecto en el aumento de personas que desearían viajar a dicho país al abaratarse el costo de los viajes, lo que es muy posible incidiera también en el valor de los pasajes. A su vez no se descarta que al aumentar el número de pasajeros, las aerolíneas aumentaran la frecuencia de sus vuelos o emplearan aeronaves de mayor capacidad, abriendo incluso nuevas rutas hacia otros destinos en el país del norte.-
Asimismo, es factible que de adoptarse tal medida por parte del gobierno norteamericano, en reciprocidad el gobierno chileno eliminara el impuesto que hoy en día se cobra al turista estadounidense.
Airbus competition showcases disruptive new ideas for future aviation industry
June 10, 2013
Fly Your Ideas student challenge highlights the importance of innovation
Planes powered by body heat, luggage floating on a bed of air and even aircraft running on cow power (methane gas) – these are just some of the revolutionary ideas, developed by students from universities across the world, that could one day feature on the aircraft of the future.
These disruptive aviation concepts have been created for Fly Your Ideas, a global competition run by Airbus – and supported by UNESCO – designed to inspire new talent and ensure a sustainable future for the industry. The global aircraft manufacturer challenged students to develop radical eco-efficient ideas for aviation with five finalist teams selected by Airbus from a global pool of creative, engineering and design talent.
Each team will now travel to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse to compete for the €30,000 prize and present their future-gazing ideas to a panel of judges. The shortlisted concepts are:
Luggage floating on air – submitted by Team Levar from Brazil
Using the principles of air hockey, the cargo hold is retro-fitted with super-light sliding sections to enable workers to quickly, easily and safely load and unload luggage
Passengers could get their bags 30% faster and can start their holidays sooner
Planes powered by cow power – submitted by Team CLiMA from Australia
A sustainable fuel solution puts liquefied methane to use in specially-created supercooled pods that sit next to the engines
The solution could reduce CO2 emissions by a remarkable 97%
Shape shifting materials that help reduce noise – submitted by Team AVAS from India
A simple engine modification made from special shape-shifting materials can change airflow through the engine and reduce noise pollution
Battery-powered hybrid engines – submitted by Team Flybrid from Italy
Specially-shaped rechargeable batteries drop into the cargo hold, helping to power efficient hybrid engines – only the required number of batteries are loaded dependent on mileage, optimizing the plane’s weight.
In a short-haul flight, this solution could save up to 60% of fuel, which reduces up to 40% of CO2 emissions
Human body heat powering cabins – submitted by Team Embarker from Malaysia
Even a resting human body can be efficient – heat energy from specially-embedded heat-sensitive material in cabin seats captures energy from passengers
This energy could be used for onboard electronics, reducing the energy requirements for the flight
Though the idea that cows could provide the fuel to fly you from London to New York – or that noise reduction could be achieved through shape-shifting engines – may seem far-fetched, the existence of these concepts could be not too far away at all.
Charles Champion, Executive Vice President Engineering at Airbus and Fly Your Ideas Patron, says: “These future-focused and disruptive concepts prove that engineering isn’t just about technical skills – it’s about having an innovative mindset and a creative approach. But for our industry to succeed in making aviation carbon neutral by 2020, we need a constant source of fresh and inventive ideas from the innovators of today and those of tomorrow. Our future solutions are here right now – and through projects like ‘Fly Your Ideas’, we are helping them to become a reality for the future.”
Such innovation may also be under threat from a skills gap that could be hitting the economy hard. It will see high tech companies face a shortfall of 40 million of the skilled workers needed by 2020 and beyond, with aerospace likely to suffer, along with motor and the medical equipment sectors.i
Dr Lidia Brito, Director of the Division of Science Policy and Capacity Building at UNESCO, says: “If we can’t find ways to inspire a generation of engineers with varied skills, this is going to be a principle obstacle for growth in our slowly recovering global economy. A recent UNESCO Engineering Report shows a marked shortage of engineers in many countries. Although the general number of engineering students is increasing worldwide, the proportion who enroll in engineering, as compared to other disciplines, is concernedly dropping. We need hands-on challenges like Fly Your Ideas to motivate young innovators about the potential of engineering in helping to find practical solutions to issues the world may face in the near future.”
Airbus Fly Your Ideas aims to highlight the growth opportunities available to young innovators, who could help change the world and work towards a more sustainable aviation industry, both now and in the future.
In Fly Your Ideas 2013, students not only have an Airbus mentor to support the overall direction of their project but have also been assigned an Airbus expert in their chosen field. It means valuable insight into the opportunities in an industry that today supports over 56 million jobs; 35% of world trade; and US$2.2 trillion in global GDP. The international higher education community can benefit, too, with the potential to identify opportunities for further research and development.
Fly Your Ideas is part of The Future by Airbus, the company’s vision of sustainable air travel in 2050. The winning team will be announced at an award ceremony in Paris on 14thJune.
Se esperan cifras record en transporte aéreo chileno
June 10, 2013
Según lo señalado a la prensa por Enrique Elsaca, gerente general de Lan Airlines, en la aerolínea chilena estiman que el tráfico aéreo nacional e internacional alcanzaría el presente año un record entre 16 y 17 millones de pasajeros. Crecimiento que ha estado impulsado por los vuelos domésticos que a la fecha representan un 56,4% del tráfico aéreo nacional.-
A lo anterior debería agregarse la próxima apertura del nuevo aeródromo de Temuco, que con relación al actual campo aéreo de Maquehue, al contar con las más modernas radioayudas y ayudas terrestres visuales, permitirá operaciones aéreas en condiciones meteorológicas más adversas, tanto de día como de noche, con lo que se podrán ampliar los horarios de funcionamiento, ofreciendo mejores alternativas a los viajeros.
Embraer pode comprar área de manutenção da TAP, diz jornal
June 6, 2013
O Estado de S.Paulo
QUARTA-FEIRA, 5 DE JUNHO DE 2013
Unidade foi adquirida da Varig em 2005 e gera prejuízo; Portugal avalia venda fatiada da TAP para facilitar privatização
Marina Gazzoni
A Embraer está negociando com o governo português a compra da TAP Manutenção e Engenharia (M&E), uma unidade brasileira que pertence à companhia aérea estatal. A informação é do jornal português Público. A operação concentra os negócios da antiga Varig Engenharia e Manutenção (VEM), adquirida pela TAP em 2005.
A Embraer não comentou a questão. Em entrevista ao jornal português Diário de Notícias, o presidente da Embraer Aviação Comercial, Paulo Souza e Silva, confirmou, ontem, que a empresa está estudando o negócio. “Sim, temos interesse”, disse à imprensa local.
A venda da TAP em fatias é uma das alternativas que está em avaliação pelo governo português para viabilizar a privatização da empresa, disse ao Estado uma fonte próxima à companhia. A unidade de manutenção é deficitária e teria afastado interessados em adquirir a empresa. Em 2012, a TAP M&E gerou perdas de € 50 milhões e fez o grupo fechar com prejuízo de € 42 milhões.
O governo português tentou vender 100% da TAP no ano passado, mas o processo de privatização fracassou. O único interessado foi o grupo brasileiro Synergy, controlador da Avianca, mas sua proposta foi recusada.
Manutenção. A TAP M&E é a maior empresa de manutenção de aeronaves do Brasil e tem como clientes grandes companhias aéreas brasileiras e estrangeiras. Com 2 mil funcionários, a empresa tem um centro de manutenção em Porto Alegre e outro no Rio.
A companhia é a única da América Latina autorizada a fazer a manutenção de jatos da Embraer, além do próprio centro de manutenção da fabricante de aeronaves brasileiras, em São José dos Campos (SP).
A aquisição da unidade da TAP pela Embraer divide especialistas. Para o professor da faculdade de Ciências Aeronáuticas da PUC-RS Enio Dexheimer, o serviço de manutenção pode gerar receitas crescentes com a recuperação das vendas de jatos da Embraer.
Já o consultor Nelson Riet, ex-diretor da Varig, lembra que o negócio é deficitário e perdeu mercado no Brasil. “Empresas como Gol e TAM criaram seus próprios centros de manutenção.Não teriam feito isso se a TAP tivesse investido no negócio.”
A imprensa portuguesa diz que o governo está consciente de que não conseguirá valores altos pelo unidade brasileira da TAP. A intenção de Portugal é pedir à Embraer como contrapartida investimentos em fábricas de aeronaves no País.
Portugal quer investidor do Brasil
● Desde que decidiu privatizar a TAP, em 2011, o governo português tem se aproximado de empresas e do governo brasileiro para negociar o ativo. Todas as empresas aéreas brasileiras foram convidadas a participar do processo de privatização, mas apenas uma se interessou. O grupo Synergy, dono da Avianca, fez uma proposta pela TAP no fim de 2012, mas ela foi recusada por Portugal por falta de garantias.
Atrasos en las salidas de aviones desde Santiago
June 6, 2013
Debido a diversos factores derivados de causas de fuerza mayor, las salidas de aviones desde el aeropuerto Arturo Merino Benítez de Santiago, según la Junta de Aeronáutica Civil, alcanzaron una tasa de puntualidad del 75.6 % durante el primer trimestre del presenta año.-
Razones que avalarían lo señalado, serían de responsabilidad de las líneas aéreas, medidas de seguridad, congestión aeroportuaria y factores meteorológicos que inciden en el arribo a horario de los aviones que aproximan a Santiago y su posterior continuación hacia otros destinos, no obstante que Arturo Merino Benítez cuenta con un ILS categoria 3B en su pista 17L y un ILS categoría 1 en la 17R.-
Para los operadores, los rangos estarían dentro de lo normal y sus índices de cumplimiento con respecto a los itinerarios publicados serían mayores a los señalados por la JAC.
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