The World of Aviation

Boeing, Ethiopian Airlines and Seattle-based Anaesthesia Outreach have delivered nearly nine tonnes of medical supplies to Ethiopia’s largest hospital in what is the first flight under Boeing’s Humanitarian Flight Delivery program. The equipment included several anaesthesia machines, patient monitoring equipment and intensive care beds. The Humanitarian Flight Delivery program is a collaboration between Boeing and

Airbus has begun flight testing its first A321 fitted with fuel-saving ‘Sharklets’.  The aircraft took to the air in Hamburg, joining the ongoing certification program for the new wingtip design. Jetstar Asia will be the first Singapore-based Airbus operator to begin using sharklets on its new A320s.  Qantas claims the devices will save the airline

Boeing has begun building the first 777 at the increased rate of 8.3 per month, the highest production rate ever for a twin-aisle airliner. The production rate represents a 20 per cent increase over the previous seven per month rate, and has been made possible through the employment of additional staff and new equipment such

The CTOL F-35A variant of the Joint Strike Fighter has completed its first weapons release of an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. F-35A AF-1 flown by Maj Matthew Phillips jettisoned the instrumented AIM-120 over the China Lake test range from an internal weapons bay on October 19. It was the second in-flight weapons release in three days for

Wichita-based Hawker Beechcraft plans to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the first quarter of 2013 as a standalone company after a potential deal with Chinese partner Superior Aviation Beijing Co fell through. The two companies failed to agree terms. The future focus for Hawker Beechcraft will remain on high performance single and twin engine

Boeing and Korea’s Samsung have agreed to conduct joint research and development on inflight entertainment and communications systems. The companies will initially start development of lighter weight advanced displays and wireless networking that offer more capabilities for onboard entertainment and air-to-ground communication. The memorandum of understanding is seen as an initial step towards greater cooperation.