ATSB interviews QF32 pilots
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has begun interviewing the two pilots who were flying the Qantas Airbus A380 which experienced an uncontained engine failure on November 10. The ATSB said in an update that the interviews are being conducted in Sydney, and are being assisted by an Airbus A380 test pilot. “The flightcrew interviews
Second 787 makes emergency landing after in-flight fire
Boeing has suspended flying operations of its fleet of 787 test aircraft after the second Dreamliner was forced to make an emergency landing due to an onboard fire. According to various media sources, Dreamliner ZA002 was en route to Yuma, Arizona, from Harlingen, Texas, for extended tests of the aircraft’s nitrogen generation system on November
Singapore Airlines grounds three A380s
Singapore Airlines has been forced to ground three of its A380s over problems with their Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines in relation to the recent uncontained engine failure of a Qantas A380 on November 4. According to reports, Rolls-Royce overnight advised SIA to ground three A380s for “precautionary engine changes” following concerns raised during inspections. The
First F-35C arrives at Pax River
The first F-35C carrier variant arrived at the US Navy’s test facility at NAS Patuxent River near Washington on November 6. The aircraft, designated CF-1, joins four F-35Bs at Pax River, where it will undergo air-to-air refuelling and performance testing by US Navy test pilots. The aircraft flew non-stop from Fort Worth with its F/A-18B
Virgin chasing AFL sponsorship?
Virgin Blue has reportedly put a big offer to the Australian Football League to unseat Qantas as the official carrier of the League from next year. According to the Herald Sun, the AFL’s agreement with Qantas, which started in 2002, is due to expire at the end of this year. In response, Virgin is understood
A400M partners sign agreement
The seven nation Airbus A400M partnership has finally agreed upon a financial package to support the aircraft’s development. The countries – the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium and Turkey – have agreed to pay €3.5bn (A$4.8bn) to continue the A400M’s development, clearing the way ahead for the airlifter. “The A400M is an emblematic
