Etihad buys up big at Farnborough Airshow

Soaring oil prices might be putting the squeeze on margins for airlines around the world, but that hasn't deterred United Arab Emirates national carrier Etihad from splurging more than $20 billion on orders for Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

The order includes a firm contract for the purchase of 20 A320s, 25 A350 XWBs (Xtra Wide-Body) and 10 A380 superjumbos form Airbus along with 35 787-9 Dreamliners and 10 777-300ERs (Extended Range) aircraft from Boeing.

The massive deal could eventually top 40 billion when options and purchase rights for around 100 more aircraft are taken into consideration.

The first days of the show also saw the F-22 Raptor take to the skies above Farnborough along with the remarkably quiet and agile A380 and a host of other spectacular aircraft. Lewis Hamilton, fresh from an appearance at the the Goodwood Festival of Speed, took on a Bombardier Learjet 60XR in his McLaren Mercedes F1 car and won (though this result did seem to be down to the slow flight capabilities of the Learjet and its pilot Capt. Rod Lundy).

ICON A5 amphibious sportsplane completes first test flight

ICON Aircraft has passed a key hurdle in the development of its innovative, amphibious sport plane design by successfully completing its maiden test flight. The full-scale prototype of the composite carbon fiber, two-seater A5 took to the skies at an undisclosed lake location in California on July 9, demonstrating the aircraft’s performance and flying characteristics during take-off, landing, and low-speed maneuvering flight as well as it on-water capabilities. The versatile A5, which has a folding wing design for easy transport and storage as well as retractable landing gear for flying off land and water, is set to undergo a series of test flights throughout the next year with a view to putting the finishing touches on the design and building a pre-production model for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and ASTM compliance. Production is expected to commence in late 2010

Reaper UAV deployed in Iraq

The MQ-9 Reaper, a hunter-killer UAV with long loitering capability, has completed its first operational mission in Iraq. The craft has been used in Afghanistan since 2007, clocking 3,800 hours and attacking 16 targets with 500-pound bombs and Hellfire missiles.

The combination of payload capacity and loiter endurance makes the Reaper highly valuable in Iraq, where it is expected to significantly enhance the strike and close-air-support capabilities of air forces. The long loiter capability will be used to establish a “persistent stare” over targets, while its armaments allow it to be drawn into conflict when necessary.

Lt. Gen. Gary L North, the Combined Force Air Component commander, says: "The Reaper, as a close-air-support asset, expands beyond the concept of persistent stare to one of persistent strike. If the ground commander wants us to strike an enemy target, we can do that with precision weapons from the Reaper at the exact point where the ground commander wants a desired effect. It's an incredibly powerful and flexible capability for the warfighting commander."

The Reaper is fully integrated into existing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance architecture employed by the MQ-1 Predator. U.S. Air Force Central's Combined Air and Space Operations Center will plan and execute Reaper sorties in Iraq based on information forwarded from ground commanders.

Delta fleet to get in-flight WiFi

Delta Airlines is set to introduce broadband Wi-Fi access onboard more than 330 aircraft operating in the continental United States. The company's passengers will be able to surf the web at 35,000 feet from next year at a cost of $9.95 on flights lasting up to three hours and $12.95 on longer trips.

The airline will use Aircell's Gogo service which makes use of a US-wide network of mobile broadband ground-towers. The Aircell system can be installed overnight and is billed as a light, space-efficient and cost-effective inflight Internet solution.

The service will initially be rolled out on Delta’s fleet of 133 MD88/90 aircraft followed by its 200+ Boeing 737, 757 and 767-300 aircraft. The full installation, which will provide Wi-Fi access on more than 1,000 daily flights, should be completed by summer 2009.

MotoPOD RV-10 fits a motorcycle to your plane

August 13, 2008 Now here’s an interesting concept – announced at Airventure 08, the MotoPOD RV-10 cargo pod fits underneath a light aircraft and carries a street-legal motorcycle. It takes three minutes to remove the modified Yamaha XT225 and the whole package including motorcycle is anticipated to be under US$10,000 when it goes on sale later this year. Given most small airports are not located near ground transportation services, and the comprehensive and convenient total trip transport innovation dramatically reduces point-to-point times at an affordable price.

Finnair's future fleet: flying into the 21st century

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To celebrate its 85th anniversary, Finnair has served up a blue-sky vision of what the next 85 years of aviation could hold. Concentrating mainly on potential developments in environmentally friendly technology and lightweight material, the Departure 2093 website lists five aircraft that could grace our sky later this century