It’s a mystery experts are trying to solve: How an Airbus crew on Air France 447 ended up in a thunderstorm.
An Airbus captain writes about weather and the resources available to airline pilots in a blog by the Atlantic magazine.
“If any good can come of this accident I hope it will lead to a discussion and implementation of better weather resources for the airline industry,” the Captain said in the blog. “I’m proud of what we do and our overall safety record but this is one area where we could make great advances.”
WICHITA– Spirit AeroSystems has amended its existing credit agreement, the company said today.
The amendment extends the maturity of Spirit’s revolving credit facility from June 2010 to June 2012. It also increases its size from $650 million to $729 million through June 2010, before decreasing to $409 million from June 2010 to June 2012.
The increase in credit in the near term reflects an additional $79 million of new commitments from lenders.
Boeing said it has completed the intermediate gauntlet phase of testing on its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Pilots and engineers simulated a variety of scenarios using all of the 787’s systems as if the aircraft were in flight. The systems included power, avionics and flight controls. Tests ranged from standard flights to single and multiple system failures during flight.
“We will continue to take a hard look at the results, make adjustments and finish up our testing so we can get to first flight,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of Boeing’s 787 program, in a statement.
The Airborne Laser, a modified Boeing 747 carrying laser systems to track and destroy ballistic missiles as they are in the early stages of flight, completed another milestone.
For the first time on Saturday, lasers tracked a boosting missile and were able to compensate for atmospheric conditions and remain locked on the target for an extended period of time, Sen. Sam Brownback said in a congratulatory message to the Missile Defense Agency.
The Airborne Laser carries three lasers, a tracking laser, an environmental laser that compensates for atmospheric variables, and a weaponized laser, that work together to track and destroy missiles.
The test was conducted while the modified plane was in flight.
“Especially with North Korea’s recent provocative behavior, ABL’s progress is more important than ever,” Brownback said in a message.
The Airborne Laser is scheduled to undergo a series of tests this summer, culminating into a full system test to shoot down a missile in the fall.
WICHITA–What do Wal-Mart and Hawker Beechcraft have in common? Both are matching competitors’ pricing.
Hawker Beechcraft announced a limited time Price Matching Program on aircraft parts. Customers need to provide a customer service representative with the part number details and proof of the competitor’s price at the time of the order. The program is available through June 20.
The quotes must be for parts in like condition and quantity.
