Have you ever wondered how composite materials, which unlike metal, don’t conduct electricity, can withstand lightning strikes? The answer is that they use a tailored solution of expanded metal, a very thin sheet of lightweight perforated metal that is embedded…
Last week, the Japanese government issued additional take-off and landing slots for international flights from Haneda, Tokyo’s downtown airport (picture). That airport, which is primarily used for domestic service, has recently added an additional runway, opening 20 new slots for…
Airbus, like all OEMs, has had its share of program delays. But its newest aircraft, the A350, seems to be doing well in its testing. While the program ran into some delay earlier, Airbus appears to have worked through the…
[UPDATE – Boeing has communicated with us that the company has made no decision about 777x assembly and they continue to explore all their options] With Japan Air Lines breaking Boeing’s lock on the Japanese market with an order for…
In news that will reverberate in Chicago and Seattle today, Japan Airlines (JAL) signed a purchase agreement for 31 A350 XWBs (18 A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s), plus options for a further 25 aircraft. This is JAL’s first ever order for Airbus…
At the Airbus Innovation Days event yesterday in Toulouse the company revealed its A350-900 MSN001. Innovation Days is Airbus’ name for its pre air show briefing event. There is an old saying in aerospace; “If a plane looks right it…