Formålet med bloggen er å bidra til informasjon om luftfart av alle slag. Også litt om ubåter og forsvarsspørsmål. Nyheter vil du finne her også, en del på engelsk som er det mest brukte luftfartsspråket. Har du selv noe som bør komme ut, så send meg en mail til per.gram@hesbynett.no - Politikk på alle nivåer over hele verden er i kaos. Voldsomme endringer kan finne sted på kort tid, som også kan få innvirkning på forsvarsdisposisjoner. Det må kommenteres.
Og så var det helg! Her fra observatørplass på vei hjem fra jobb på ny flytype, med gode skandinaviske kolleger i førerseter og i kabin
Kurset er ferdig, prøver og eksamener bestått, flyet landet akseptabelt og uten klager eller jordskjelvmeldinger i Oslo, København, Stockholm, Stavanger og Alicante så langt , og etter de neste turene i det obligatoriske utsjekksprogrammet, skolesjekk og basesjekk blir det Airbus "for alle penga".
Godt fornøyd med flytypen, som er betraktelig forskjellig fra Boeingen teknisk, prosedyremessig og i måter å fly på. Mye interessant nylæring for en kvasi-eldrende sjel, med andre ord.
Forøvrig spennende å fly med sidestick igjen, og selv om man har gjort det før føles ikke Airbus-sidestikken (istedetfor "ratt" eller "yoke") helt som F-16-sidestikken.
F-16-stikken er nok designet av texanere som spiser T-bonesteak og brune bønner til frokost før de rir hesten sin til jobb, mens Airbus-stikken muligens er designet av franskmenn som spiser erter med pinsett før de triller el-sykkelen sin med kurv på jobb. Det er forøvrig et kompliment, for sikkerhets skyld. Det gjøres visst slikt i eleverte gastronomiske kretser... Noe differanse i enkelte av programmeringslinjene på fly-by-wire-systemet er det nok også.
En tilvenningssak å fly, som for alle flytyper, med andre ord. Et omfattende simulatorprogram før første "ordentlige" flytur" gjør kanididatene godt forbedt for både normale operasjoner og det meste uforutsette som kan skje
(Som en ren kuriositet viser sertfifikatet i noen måneder fremover gyldighet for "ABC"; både Airbus, Boeing og Cessna.. #kjektåha...)
Sjekk de utrolige dårlige arbeidsforholdene i cockpit i denne videoen tatt på Duxford Air Show i 2014, året før XH558 ble satt på bakken, igjen: https://tinyurl.com/2p8njnhr
Why Vulcan to the Sky and XH558 matter to Doncaster - Steve Liddle
XH558 was the Royal Air Force's last flying Vulcan, retired in 1992 and returned to the air by VTST in 2007. Until her final grounding in 2015, she was seen and enjoyed by millions.
Vulcan Monthly Newsletter
28 January 2022
From 2011
onwards, XH558 operated from Doncaster Sheffield Airport - her former
home base of RAF Finningley. With her massive profile, she helped to
raise awareness of a lightly used but very high potential regional
airport. The long runway was built specifically for Vulcan ops by the RAF
Her beauty was
an incidental benefit of her design, for a global one in which Doncaster
played a part. In October 1962, it is generally considered that nuclear
war was closer than ever before or since. These 4 Vulcans are at
Finningley around this time, ready to launch on QRA.
When the V-Force
was at its most important and entirely shouldering the UK nuclear
deterrent in the 1960s, all Vulcan aircrew trained at Finningley.
Doncaster played a vital role in the safety and security of the UK.
In this 1965 image of Finningley,
Boeing delivered 99 jetliners, 84 of
which were 737 Maxs in the fourth quarter of 2021. [Courtesy: Boeing]
Despite
fourth-quarter and full-year earnings results that saw Boeing (NYSE:BA) register three consecutive years of losses, and
significant production delays with its 787 program, CEO David Calhoun remained
optimistic about his company’s ability to turn things around.
He said
2021 “was a rebuilding year” for the company in a statement Wednesday ahead of the company earnings call. “Across
the enterprise, we remain focused on safety and quality as we deliver for our
customers and invest in our people and in our sustainable future.”
While
Boeing’s $4.29 billion in losses last year appears stark, it is a marked
improvement from the $11.94 billion the company lost in 2020. It also improved
on its year-over-year fourth-quarter loss, with its 2021’s $4.16 billion
improving on the $8.44 billion it lost during the same period in 2020.
Boeing
has found itself the central character to internal and external disruptions
that have upended its early 2010s heyday. The dual 737 Max crashes and a worthy
competitor in Airbus (EURONEXT FR:AIR.FP), piled on with a workforce shortage and enduring
supply-chain issues have put the company on its heels.
But there is hope, says Calhoun, now entering his second year at the
helm.
“We
increased 737 Max production and deliveries, and safely returned the 737 Max to
service in nearly all global markets.”
Elsewhere,
the company says it is being painstaking about the 787 programs so as to not
compromise on safety and quality.
“While
this continues to impact our near-term results, it is the right approach to
building stability and predictability as demand returns for the long term.”
Sales Improving
Across
all business segments, the company registered $14.8 billion in revenue for the
quarter, 3 percent less than it did the same time last year. But for 2021,
Boeing’s revenue increased 7 percent, to $62.3 billion.
The company reported a positive free cash flow of $494 million in the fourth
quarter, on the back of surging demand and deliveries last year of the 737 Max
after regulators lifted bans on the jets.
“Since
the FAA’s approval to return the 737 Max to operations in November 2020, over
300,000 revenue flights have been completed, and the reliability of the 737 Max
fleet remains above 99 percent (as of January 24, 2022),” the company said in
its statement. It is also now producing 26 737 Max’s per month, with plans to
expand to 31 early this year.
787 Delays Hurt
Meanwhile,
the 787 has taken a toll on the company’s balance sheet, with charges mounting
from customers (like American Airlines) amid delays from having to perform rework on the 787
airplanes in inventory. Those production problems have delayed deliveries for
15 months and have cost the manufacturer $3.5 billion in pre-tax charges for
the quarter. Those charges could increase another $2 billion throughout 2023.
On its
earnings call last week, American Airlines said that the loss of the 787 from
its fleet was forcing it to trim its international roster, but that Boeing was
picking up the tab.
Presently,
the company says production has slowed to a creep, but hopes it will soon be
producing as much as five per month in the near future. However, Boeing does
anticipate that delays could extend due to regulatory oversight by the FAA.
On the
earnings call, Calhoun reframed the situation as a “near-term” and said that
once they worked out the wrinkles “we’re going to sell a lot of these 787s for
decades.”
In the
fourth quarter, the company delivered 99 jetliners, 84 of which were 737 Maxs. In all of
2021, Boeing delivered 340 transport category airplanes, up from 157 in 2020.
It also
indicates a backlog of more than 4,200 airplanes valued at $297 billion.
Across
the military and defense operations segment, 14 re-manufactured AH-64 Apache
helicopters were delivered. The newer version of that helicopter also
demonstrated strong demand, with nearly a third of all 2021 deliveries happening
in the fourth quarter.
Six KC-46 tankers were delivered in the fourth quarter, nearly half of the 13
given to customers in all of 2021. However, there was also a charge of $402
million on the KC-46A program for issues with its remote vision system.
It is
worthwhile to pay attention to its growing global services segment, which nearly rivaled jet sales in
revenue. For the quarter, the division improved by as much as 15 percent to 4.2
billion in revenue from the 2020s, and 16.3 billion, for the full 2021, a 3
percent jump from the previous period.
The
company attributes this to an increasing volume of commercial traffic around
the world.
The Culture Question
On the
question of the company’s culture, Calhoun said it’s a high priority.
“That’s
what we work on all day every day,” he said. “Our culture is focused on getting
as close to our work as we possibly can, from the very top of the company,
through the engineering ranks all the way down through all the support
functions that ultimately have to help mechanics on the line.”
Betting on Wisk’s eVTOL, Cora
Finally,
as for the timing of its $450 million investment in
Wisk Aero’s Autonomous
eVTOL, Calhoun said: “This is definitely the right time to put half a billion
dollars into Wisk.”
He
gushed about the Kitty Hawk creators of the startup, calling it a “high
priority.”
“The
world wants autonomy and the world wants electric, and this is going to be our
application of those two technologies and to put it into real service by way of
certification,” Calhoun said.
The
payout schedule for that investment will happen over time and is capped per quarter,
which Calhoun says will not disrupt their present-day business in the near
term.
Even
with a total backlog now valued at $377 billion, the company will have much
work to do to regain investor confidence. Immediately following the call,
Boeing’s share price tumbled 3.4 percent to $197, a stark drop from its
five-year high of $440 back in March 2019.
Incident: Corsair A339
over Atlantic on Jan 18th 2022, captain incapacitated
A Corsair Airbus
A330-900, registration F-HHUG performing flight SS-925 (dep Jan 17th) from Fort
de France (Martinique) to Paris Orly (France), was enroute at FL370 over the
Atlantic Ocean about 150nm westsouthwest of Lajes Azores Islands (Portugal)
when the captain became incapacitated. The first officer took control of the
aircraft, declared Mayday and diverted to Lajes for a safe landing on runway 15
about 30 minutes later.
The aircraft remained
on the ground for about 13 hours, then continued the flight and reached Paris
with a delay of about 13.5 hours.
The French BEA rated
the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation.
Russian fifth-generation stealthy Su-57 jets at
Victory Day Parade in 2020 @UAC
Aside of seeking a second
batch of S-400 Air Defense System (ADS) as well as technology transfer to build
some of its components, Turkey has hinted that a partnership with Russia on
fighter jets and submarines could be on the cards.
President Erdogan's quick
hop to the Russian city of Sochi last week where he met President Vladimir
Putin signals the beginning of a deepening defense partnership far beyond the
purchase of a stand-alone S-400 ADS. “We had the
opportunity to discuss comprehensively what steps to take in the production of
plane engines, what steps to take regarding fighter jets,”he said, adding thatother
measures could include building ships and submarines.
Russia could also be
involved in the construction of Turkey’s second and third nuclear power plants,
Erdoğan told journalists onboard the presidential plane, adding that Putin
suggested developing platforms for space launch platforms.
Turkey seems to have given
up on receiving F-35 jets and is reportedly seeking a refund of $1.4 billion
advance paid from the U.S. "We made a $1.4
billion payment. What will become of that?" Erdogan said. "We did
not—and do not—earn this money easily. Either they will give us our planes or
they will give us the money."
Power Problems
with Turkey’s Fifth-Generation Fighter
Ankara has openly welcomed
participation of foreign countries in its fifth generation jet project. Ismail
Demir, head of Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) told the local media
recently, “The door is open for friendly and allied
countries who want to be part of this project” to build the
stealthy TF-X National Combat Aircraft (MMU).
While SSB has always
maintained that the TF-X fighter jet would be completely indigenous, it is
known that Turkish industry lacks certain critical technologies required to
take this project to fruition.
