Earlier this year, a Norwegian Air Boeing 787 Dreamliner hitched a ride on a powerful jet stream and flew from New York to London in a record-setting five hours and 13 minutes, landing almost an hour ahead of schedule. Record-setting, perhaps, but for a subsonic airliner. In 1976 -- over 40 years ago -- elite passengers were crossing the Atlantic in under three and a half hours, flying at twice the speed of sound in the Anglo-French Concorde.
Those beautiful roses from Ecuador? The fresh lobsters from Canada's Maritimes on your plate, just hours old? How about your new smartphone from Shenzhen? They all enjoyed a flight in a cargo plane, part of the remarkable logistics web that transports goods from destinations around the globe.
It's the middle of the night in the sleepy French town of Lévignac, in the countryside just outside of Toulouse. There are people lined up along the town's main road, waiting for a parade to begin. But there are no marching bands or decorated floats at this 1 a.m. event. Instead, a convoy of six trucks appears, each pulling an enormous trailer carrying a massive component of the world's largest passenger airliner, the Airbus A380.
Sitting in the terminal building waiting to be called for our flight is a regular occurrence for most of us -- but what's really going on out there on the ramp while we're inside staring at our phones? The jet that will carry you to your destination has likely just arrived from somewhere else. When it lands, it'll undergo a turnaround, changing from an arriving to a departing flight.
"This is not an ordinary flight," says veteran Air Canada Captain Dave Butler. "We're going to have some fun today." Air Canada had taken a 787 Dreamliner out of normal operation to be an actual runway model for its new corporate rebrand during a complex two-day photo shoot. The final product is pure glamor, but the meticulous creation is a side of the airline industry few get to see.
The sun is setting on the planet's most recognizable jetliner. The very last Boeing 747 passenger jet was likely delivered in July -- a jumbo for Korean Air Lines -- and on November 7, 2017 United Airlines is retiring its Boeing 747 fleet with a retro-themed farewell flight from San Francisco to Honolulu.
Aircraft manufacturers have produced some magnificent planes throughout aviation's history, and while many have ruled the skies, some have barely left the ground. In fact, there have been a number of fascinating aviation projects that were canceled for political, financial and technical reasons. On some occasions, designers just came up against the inexorable march of technological advancement, having built the wrong plane for the times.
The designers of flight simulators are masters of illusion. Whether it’s a procedures trainer or an “I-can’t-believe-these-visuals,” full-motion helicopter simulator, a session in a sim can stimulate, or even overwhelm the senses.
Bombardier’s Atmosphère cabin interior, which will launch on the CRJ series in 2018, was introduced at the airframer’s Aero Perspective media event in Mirabel, Quebec, today. Other announcements included a new 82-seat configuration for the Q400 turboprop and updates on C Series operations.
Rumors have been circulating of late that Tim Clark, president of Emirates, might be considering the “R”-word – Retirement. Not so, Clark says. “We’re lucky to have a strong management team in place with many potential candidates to take over when I choose to leave. However, for now I’m still here and enjoying what I do.”
