The World of Aviation

The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac) has revealed some basic specifications of its C919 narrowbody airliner and some initial orders for the twin jet at the Zhuhai Airshow. It says the C919 will have a length of 38.9m, a wing span of 35.8m and a height of 11.95m, while cabin width will be 3.9m

Boeing has announced that the Vigilare Network Centric Command and Control System (NC3S) it is delivering to the RAAF has passed its final factory and tactical datalink (TADIL) acceptance tests. The company says the final tests were performed at its Systems Integration Laboratory (SAL) in Brisbane to prepare the system for its integration into the

A Lufthansa A380 was forced to abandon a departure from Frankfurt to Tokyo on November 16 after the pilot noticed problems with the nosewheel steering. The aircraft, with 395 passengers on board, was taxiing before takeoff when the pilot decided to return to the gate. It has been grounded while inspections are completed. The passengers

Two F-35B STOVL test aircraft based at NAS Patuxent River in Maryland have evaluated the type’s close proximity handling qualities. The flights were conducted at 20,000ft and 30,000ft, and the accompanying image shows BF-1 and BF-3 in formation. Interestingly, the image also shows BF-1 sporting what appears to be an unpainted auxiliary inlet door, possibly

Two 787s left stranded at Victorville in California (ZA001) and at Rapid City in South Dakota (ZA005) by the test fleet’s grounding following an on board fire on ZA002 on November 9 have been given dispensation by the US FAA to return to Seattle. Boeing says the return follows initial investigations into the fire which

Boeing has delivered the seventh and final C-17 airlifter to the RAF at a ceremony at the company’s Long Beach plant. “The addition of a seventh C-17 to our fleet is a significant milestone that strengthens our support of operations worldwide, especially in Afghanistan,” said Peter Luff, the UK’s Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and