Pope Benedict XVI departure from his papal duties will gain media attention from around the world, but one fact about him remains little known.
The Pope is a helicopter pilot.
The Pope has a pilot’s license for the papal helicopter and even likes to fly from the Vatican to the papal summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, according to the Catholic News Agency’s “Fun Facts” section. But he does not have a driver’s license and never learned to drive a car.
Boeing has delivered the first 777 airplane at an increased production rate of 8.3 per month, or 100 airplanes a year, the company said.
The plane, a 777 Freighter, was delivered to Korean Air.
In the past 32 months, production rates on the 777 have increased twice. Rates rose from five to seven per month in 2011 before increasing to a record 8.3 per month.
Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita builds the nose section and nacelles of the 777. Its Tulsa plant builds the wing’s leading edges.
Spirit increased increased production on the plane to meet Boeing’s demand.
Through the end of January, Boeing has delivered 1,072 777s. The company has taken orders for 1,451 777s from 66 customers.
An Air Force decision on who will be awarded a light air support contract is now expected sometime next week, Beechcraft spokeswoman Nicole Alexander said.
The company had expected a decision on Friday, but has been told there has been a slight delay.
The contract for 20 aircraft for the Afghan air force is expected to total about $350 million.
There are two bidders. Wichita-based Beechcraft Corp., formerly Hawker Beechcraft, has proposed its AT-6 attack aircraft, a version of its T-6 trainer, for the project. Sierra Nevada Corp., meanwhile, has partnered with Brazil-based Embraer to offer its Super Tucano.
The planes are to provide the Afghan National Army Air Corp. with a fixed-wing strike capability. They are to be delivered over five years.
The effort to secure a contract has taken nearly three years and has been fraught with delays and legal challenges.
The Wichita Aero Club meeting and luncheon planned for today (Friday) at the Doubletree Hotel by Hilton at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport has been canceled due to inclement weather.
Cessna CEO Scott Ernest, the scheduled keynote speaker, will now speak at the April meeting.
Beechcraft Corp., formerly Hawker Beechcraft, is showcasing its military products at the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition this week in Orlando, Fla.
The company, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday, is highlighting its T-6, AT-6 and King Air 350 ER ISR airplanes at the event.
The exposition, which highlights aerospace technology and education, runs Wednesday through Friday.
With Beechcraft’s reorganization, the Air Force can be assured of a financially sound, stable partner, the company said in a statement.
“We know that it is important for our military partners around the world to do business with solid partners,” Russ Bartlett, president of Beechcraft’s defense business, said in a statement. The company is pleased to enter this year’s exposition as a stronger, more agile company, he said.
Investigators will look at the certification process used in the lithium ion battery on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners, the National Safety Transportation Board’s chairman Deborah Hersman told reporters in an update Thursday morning.
The investigation points to one of the battery’s cells as the origin of a fire that broke out on a Japan Airlines’ 787 last month.
The cell showed multiple signs of short circuiting. The cause has not been determined, however, Hersman said.
The NTSB will release an interim factual report within 30 days, Hersman said. A final report, however, will take longer.
The Federal Aviation Administration will make the decision on when the planes can return to flight.
Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners have been grounded since Jan. 16 so investigators could look at battery failures on the airplane.
“We have a lot of issues on the table,” Hersman said. “We have not yet identified the cause of the short circuit.”
Investigators are looking at the battery’s design, the manufacturing process and its cell charging, which involves how each individual cell is charged and how the charges come in, Hersman said.
Evidence points to the battery’s cell 6 as the origin of a fire on board a Japan Airlines flight.
The cell had multiple signs of short circuiting,
bot there cause has not yet been identified, Hersman said.
Hawker Beechcraft Corp. has appointed aviation veteran Ted Farid as vice president of sales for the Asia-Pacific region, which includes North and South Asia and India.
Farid joined the company in 1996 and most recently served as senior vice president for international sales and new business development.
He also has held leadership positions in international sales and marketing at Bombardier Learjet and Cessna Aircraft Co.
Farid holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Northrop Institute of Technology in Inglewood, Calif., and is a private pilot.
Scott Ernest, Cessna Aircraft president and CEO, is the keynote speaker at the Wichita Aero Club’s Feb. 22 luncheon.
Ernest will speak about the business aircraft marketplace.
Ernest joined Cessna in May 2011 after 29 years at General Electric, most recently serving as vice president and general manager of GE Aviation’s global supply chain.
At Cessna, Ernest is responsible for overseeing the company’s new product and service development, strengthening its manufacturing and sourcing operations and intensifying its global expansion efforts.
He holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Akron and a master of science degree in engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
The luncheon will be held at 11:45 a.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport.
For reservations, go to http://www.wichitaaeroclub.org or call 316-681-4491.
The National Business Aviation Association has changed the name of its largest U.S. annual event to the Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, or BACE.
It had formerly been called its “Annual Meeting and Convention.”
“In recent decades, (the event) has grown in size and importance to be much more than just a meeting, and this change reflects that reality,” ED Bolen, NBAA president and CEO, said in a statement. “The change also strengthens the overall brand for NBAA’s shows, underscoring their status as world-class events.”
The first convention was held in 1947 and is now the fifth largest U.S. trade show, according to NBAA.
It draws approximately 25,000 attendees from dozens of countries, more than 1,000 exhibitors and covers more than 1 million square feet of exhibit floor space.
It also features a static display of almost every aircraft type currently in production.
