fredag 26. april 2024

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Martin Mars til Pima Air and Space Museum ved Davis-Monthan AFB - AIN

WWII-vintage Martin Mars Flying Boat To Return to U.S.

The massive flying boat will become a display at Arizona's Pima Air and Space Museum

The Philippine Mars, one of five WWII-vintage four-engine flying boats built for the U.S. Navy's long-haul cargo transport needs, would go on to end its career as a fire bomber in Canada. The retired aircraft is expected to be flown to Arizona's Pima Air and Space Museum by the end of the year. © Coulson Aviation

By CURT EPSTEIN • Senior Editor

April 25, 2024

A Martin JRM Mars, the largest flying boat ever produced for the U.S. Navy, will be returning to the U.S. as a museum piece later this year. The massive, four-engine “Philippine Mars”—one of only five JRMs produced—was acquired from its operator Coulson Aviation and will go on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona, which is home to one of the world’s largest collections of historic aircraft.

The Mars entered service at the tail end of World War II and were used to ferry cargo to distant U.S. bases in the Pacific. During the Korean War, they served as medical transports, flying between Hawaii and California carrying dozens of wounded soldiers on each flight. One was lost in 1950 when an engine fire consumed the airplane near Hawaii after the crew successfully evacuated to life rafts.

Decommissioned in 1956, Philippine Mars and her three surviving sisters were to be sold for scrap, but in 1958 a consortium of Canadian timber companies purchased them and their spare parts inventory and converted them into fire bombers based in British Columbia. They were capable of dumping more than 7,000 gallons of water and fire retardant on a blaze at a time. Skimming the surface of the water, the Mars could refill its tanks with 30 tons of water in just 22 seconds through retractable scoops in the hull.

One of the “Big Four” crashed in 1961 during firefighting operations, while another was wrecked the following year by a Pacific typhoon that severely damaged its fuselage. In 2007, the remaining two were bought by Coulson Aviation, which operated them for years as contract fire bombers, but by the mid-2010s the cost of their operation and upkeep began to mount and the company withdrew them from service.

Last month, it was announced that Hawaii Mars would be donated to the British Columbia Aviation Museum in recognition of its decades of firefighting duty and fulfilling a clause in its 2007 purchase calling for it to remain in the province after its retirement.

“This has been an exciting month for both Martin Mars waterbombers,” said Coulson Group CEO Wayne Coulson. “As a fitting tribute to their years of service and years of hard work by many people in BC and the U.S., we are pleased to see both Mars aircraft landing to rest at world-class institutions in 2024.”

Helikopter - Bell med kvartalsrapport - B525 ikke ferdig testet - AIN

Jeg stiller meg totalt uforstående til Equinor som har bestilt en helikoptertype som ikke er ferdig testet. Man burde ha bestilt H175 i stedet. (Red.)

Bell Helicopter Shipments Lag in 1Q2024

Bell delivered 18 commercial helicopters in the first quarter, down from 22 in the same period last year. The breakdown included twelve 505s, four 407s, one 429, and one 412. This represents a slight shift from the first three months of last year, when four 429 helicopters were handed over to customers.

On the defense side, Bell shipped two H-1 helicopters in the quarter but did no V-22 tiltrotors. This contrasts with two V-22s and no H-1s in the same period a year ago.

Despite a slight decline in some commercial and military programs, Bell had revenues of $727 million in the quarter, a $106 million year-over-year increase. Bell's earnings in the first three months were up $20 million from a year ago, to $80 million.

During an earnings call yesterday, parent company Textron chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly provided further insights into the rotorcraft division's financial dynamics. He highlighted an expansion in Bell's margins, crediting a blend of cost management initiatives and the resolution of a lawsuit that temporarily boosted profits.

Meanwhile, Donnelly said the Bell 525 is on track for certification by year-end, progressing through critical flight tests and nearing the completion of required durability and reliability evaluations. “We should wrap up flight testing as we get to mid-year,” he said, adding that deliveries of the 525 are expected to start in late 2025.

US Navy får nytt treningsfly for multiengine fly - DefenseNews

First T-54A trainer jet arrives at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi

By Diana Stancy

Apr 26, 11:02 AM

A T-54A multi-engine aircraft sits on the flight line of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, on April 18. (Anne Owens/U.S. Navy)

The inaugural T-54A multi-engine training system aircraft arrived at Training Air Wing 4 at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, last week — a move that comes as the Navy phases out the T-44C Pegasus aircraft the service commissioned in 1977.

The Navy will use the T-54A to train aviators flying the P-8A Poseidon, E-2D Hawkeye and C-130 Hercules, and it features a pressurized aircraft cockpit with side-by-side seating as well as a jump seat.

“We produce the best multi-engine pilots in the world,” Capt. Michael Albus, Training Air Wing 4 commander, said in a statement. “The T-54A will be the training aircraft to carry that legacy into the future. With its ProLine Fusion avionics suite, combined with increased range, speed, and altitude, the T-54A will ensure that our aviators are well-prepared to operate complex fleet aircraft, and are ready for tomorrow’s challenges in a multi-domain environment.”

FOT-rutene utredes - Regjeringen

FOT-rutene: Vil utrede hvordan flyrutetilbudet kan bli best mulig

Pressemelding | 26.04.2024 | Samferdselsdepartementet

- At folk kan bo og leve gode liv i hele landet, er en viktig prioritet for denne regjeringen. Derfor halverte vi maksprisene på FOT-rutene fra 1. april, i tillegg til å øke setekapasiteten og ta inn to nye ruter i ordningen. Nå arbeider vi med et utredningsoppdrag for å se på hvordan vi kan videreutvikle og optimalisere det regionale flytilbudet i Norge. Vi skal gjennomføre en bred vurdering av hvordan vi best mulig kan legge til rette for et godt flyrutetilbud i hele landet til en overkommelig pris, både for de reisende, men også for staten som kjøper, sier samferdselsminister Jon-Ivar Nygård.

Nyheitsvarsel om: Luftfart