Category Archives: Airbus

Airbus’ Fly Your Ideas competition yields innovative ideas

June 10, 201310:54 a.m.

Airplane cabins powered by body heat, planes running on cow power, or methane gas, and luggage floating on a bed of air are some of the ideas developed by university students in a Fly Your Ideas  competition sponsored by Airbus.

Airbus challenged students to develop “radical eco-efficient ideas” for aviation.

The planemaker selected five finalist teams. Each team will travel to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse to present their ideas to a panel of judges for the prize.

The winning team will be announced at the Paris Air Show next week.

The program aims to “highlight the growth opportunities available to young innovators, who could help change the world and work towards a more sustainable aviation industry,” Airbus said.

Teams that made the finals came from Brazil, Australia, India, Italy and Malaysia.

According to Airbus, the concepts include:

Luggage floating on air. Using the principles of air hockey, the cargo hold is fitted with light sliding sections to let baggage handlers quickly load and unload luggage, allowing passengers to get their bags 30 percent faster.

Planes powered by cow power. A sustainable fuel uses liquified methane held in specially-created supercooled pods located next to the engine. The solution could reduce CO2 emissions by 97 percent.

Shape-shifting materials to reduce noise. An engine modification made from shape-shifting materials can change the airflow through the engines and reduce noise.

Battery-powered hybrid engines. Rechargeable batteries drop into the cargo hold and help power efficient hybrid engines. In a short-haul flight, the solution could save up to 60 percent of fuel.

Human body heat powering aircraft cabins. Heat energy from specially-embedded heat-sensitive material in cabin seats captures energy from passengers and could be used to power onboard electronics. That can reduce energy requirements for the flight.

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus, aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry | Comments

CIT Group orders more Airbus A350-900s

Jan. 3, 201310:33 a.m.

CIT Group has placed an order for 10 Airbus A350-900s, bringing the number of A350s the bank holding company has on order to 15,  Airbus announced Thursday.

The A350 XWB (for Extra Wide Body) is a new mid-size, long-range airliner that will be available in three versions and seat from 270 to 350 passengers.

The first plane is scheduled for entry-into-service in 2014.

Including CIT’s order, Airbus has 572 firm orders for the A350 from 34 customers.

Spirit AeroSystems is a major supplier on the program.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus, aviation industry | Comments Off

Forecast: Germany will need more than 1,000 new airplanes in next 20 years

Sept. 11, 201210:43 a.m.

Germany will need more than 1,000 new passenger planes and freighters valued at $148 billion at today’s list prices over the next 20 years, a new Airbus global market forecast said.

Demand will include 690 single-aisle planes, more than 230 twin-aisle medium to long-range jets and close to 100 very large aircraft, such as the Airbus A380, the forecast said.

The forecast comes as the Berlin Air Show opens at the Berlin ExpoCenter Airport on Tuesday.

Hawker Beechcraft, meanwhile, announced its participation at the Berlin show, which runs through Sunday.

The company will have on display a King Air 250 and Baron G58.

Germany is the largest business aviation market in Europe, Hawker Beechcraft said. About 16 percent of the region’s business airplanes are based in the region.

The country will also be  the biggest market in Europe for passenger aircraft in the next 20 years, according to the Airbus forecast.

Its fleet is expected to nearly double over the next two decades.

Germany’s air travel has grown 45 percent from 2000 to 2011.

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, aviation industry, Boeing | Comments Off

Spirit AeroSystems recognizes 13 suppliers

May 9, 20122:57 p.m.

Spirit AeroSystems recognized 13 companies this week as 2011 Platinum Suppliers for customer satisfaction and performance.

Suppliers were selected for quality, on-time delivery, support and willingness to partner with Spirit for “overall improvement in value.”

They were honored at an event Tuesday.

Three of the suppliers are based in Kansas, including Complexx Machining and Exacta Aerospace in Wichita and Valent Aerostructures in Cottonwood Falls.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus, aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Aviation industry suppliers, Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems | Comments Off

Airbus planning stretched A380 jet

April 30, 201211:21 a.m.

Airbus is planning a stretched version of its mega A380 commercial airplane, the director of the program told an Australian television station.

First deliveries are planned for 2020.

The stretched airplane could carry 100 more passengers than the current A380, which carries from 400 to 600 passengers.

The Airbus A380 director, Richard Carcaillet, told Ten News that the jet is “environmentally more responsible,”  because fewer planes will serve a growing demand for air travel.

“It’s a way to grow without creating more congestion,” Carcaillet told the station.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus | Comments Off

Final assembly of first Airbus A350 XWB begins

April 10, 20125:44 a.m.

Final assembly of the first Airbus A350 WXB is underway at Airbus’ new final assembly line in Toulouse, France, Airbus said.

The company is now joining the long center fuselage with the front fuselage.

The composite center fuselage was designed and built by Wichita-based Spirit AeroSystems’ plant in Kinston, N.C.

It was then shipped to Spirit’s facility in St. Nazaire, France, for assembly and delivery to Airbus. The center fuselage measures 65′ long and 20′ wide and weighs nearly 9,000 pounds.

The first A350 XWB airframe will be used for static structural tests that all new planes undergo as part of the certification process by government authorities. Assembly of the first flyable plane will begin during the summer, Airbus said.

About 70 percent of the airframe is built from composites, titanium and advanced aluminum alloys.

The A350 XWB family of airplanes includes three passenger versions. In a typical three-class configuration, the A350-800 will have 270 seats, the A350-900 will have 314 seats and the A350-1000 will offer 350 seats.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus, Spirit AeroSystems | Comments Off

Report: Industry insiders say increase in narrowbody jet production is unsustainable

March 20, 201211:00 a.m.

Boeing and Airbus are hiking production of single-aisle commercial jets to unsustainable levels, a report by the Seattle Times said today.

The view is held by many airplane buyers at the International Society of Aircraft Traders’ annual conference held in Phoenix this week, the report said.

But Boeing’s senior vice president of marketing, Mike Bair, told the Seattle Times that the company is confident the market will absorb all the 737s Boeing can produce.

The world just went through the second worst economic downturn in the past century, yet “we motored right through it,” Bair told the Seattle Times. Whatever the next cycle brings, “we’re confident we’ll motor through it” again.

Only a big shock to the world economy could stall the momentum.

“If we go into a real recession, it could be a problem,” Bair said. But the diversity of global demand will sustain the production rates.

Still, Adam Pilarski, an industry analyst with consulting firm Avitas, told those gathered at the conference that the industry is in a bubble, the report said.

The announced production rates of 42 single-aisle jets per month each from Boeing and Airbus by 2014 would mean 5,000 more narrowbody jets built over the next 20 years than the companies’ forecasts say will be needed.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus, aviation industry, Boeing | Comments Off

Spirit AeroSystems delivers first Airbus A350 XWB section to Airbus

Jan. 9, 201210:40 a.m.

Spirit AeroSystems has delivered its first composite center fuselage section to Airbus for the manufacturer’s A350 XWB (extra wide body) program.

The upper and forward lower shell fuselage panels were sent from Spirit’s Kinston, N.C., plant to Spirit’s plant in St. Nazaire, France, for joining before delivery.

The delivery is a milestone toward meeting Spirit’s commitments to Airbus, Dan Wheeler, Spirit vice president and general manager of the Kinston and St. Nazaire business units, said in a statement.

“Our close collaboration with Airbus made this possible,” Wheeler said.

Spirit won a contract in May 2008 to design and build the composite center fuselage section for the plane. The first panels were shipped from North Carolina to Saint Nazaire in October. Spirit also designs and builds the composite front wing spar and fixed leading edge for the aircraft.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus, Spirit AeroSystems | Comments Off

Wichita Aero Club summit to feature industry leaders

Dec. 6, 20117:08 a.m.

The Wichita Aero Club will host its third annual summit at a luncheon Wednesday, an event that brings together Wichita’s aviation leaders for a panel discussion of the industry.

Panel participants include John O’Leary, with Airbus North America Engineering, Ralph Acs, of Bombardier Learjet, Bill Boisture at Hawker Beechcraft, Jeff Turner, with Spirit AeroSystems, and Mark Paolucci, with Cessna Aircraft.

Fred George, senior editor of Business & Commercial Aviation magazine, will moderate.

A video of the program will be posted to the Wichita Aero Club’s website after the discussion.

Organizers expect about 300 attendees, one of the organization’s largest events.

“The On-Air Summit has traditionally been a huge draw, and this year, it appears, will be no exception,” Dave Franson, executive director, said in a statement. “The chance to hear from the leaders of our major aerospace manufacturers, all in one place and at the same time, obviously creates interest.”

The summit will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the Wichita Airport Hilton ballroom. Cost is $30 for members and $40 for nonmembers. The summit is sponsored by Yingling Aviation and Air Capital Insurance of Wichita.

For information or reservations, call 316-641-5962 or go to www.wichitaaeroclub.org.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus, aircraft manufacturers, Beechcraft Corp., Bombardier Learjet, Cessna, general aviation, Spirit AeroSystems | Comments Off

Analyst: Airbus A350 program delay not unexpected

Nov. 11, 201111:30 a.m.

EADS announcement yesterday of a delay on its new Airbus A350 XWB program was expected, Cowen and Co. analyst Cai von Rumohr wrote in an investor report today.

But it sounds like delays on Spirit AeroSystems’ work on the program is abating, he wrote.

On Thursday, EADS announced up to a six-month delay on the A350, saying its  expected entry-into-service now has been moved to the first half of 2014. The company cited a lack of maturity on the program.

EADS has halted delivery of parts to final assembly, which shifts the initial build of the first A350 into 2012, von Rumohr wrote.

The delay allows Airbus facilities and suppliers who are behind in development to reach “a greater level of maturity,” von Rumohr wrote.

EADS didn’t provide details on the problems, but according to a report by Flightblogger, A350 program chief Didier Evrard indicated the program is affected by work on the aircraft’s center fuselage and fixed trailing edge, built by Spirit AeroSystems and GKN, respectively, von Rumohr noted.

Spirit, in a conference call earlier this year, said it was experiencing “schedule compression” from late delivery of final engineering plans from EADS.

Spirit delivered the panels for the upper shell of the center fuselage last month to its Saint-Nazaire, France, facility. The lower shell panels are to ship before the end of the year. Spirit will perform the final assembly on the section in France before delivering it to an Airbus facility nearby.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus, Spirit AeroSystems | Comments Off