The Superjet 100 will be the first passenger plane built by Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, and will attempt to challenge market leaders Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (EAD.PA) in the regional carrier sector.

The joint venture Superjet International, majority owned by Russia’s Sukhoi (UNAC.RTS), said on Thursday it had agreed to sell the Superjet 100 planes to new group Pearl and would begin deliveries in 2011.

“This agreement with an international leasing company is proof of the quality of this aircraft and further enhances our position in the market,” Superjet Chief Executive Alessandro Franzoni said in a statement.

The deal also includes an option to deliver 15 further aircraft to the same company.

Superjet is 25 percent owned by Italy’s Finmeccanica (SIFI.MI). The company announced 42 other firm orders earlier in the week, part of a glut of commercial plane orders that have dominated this year’s Farnborough Airshow.

In a separate deal, Gazpromavia — the airline owned by Russian state gas monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) — said it had signed a letter of intent to buy 10 Superjet 100s, although it did not give a value.

And Russia’s OAK — the owner of Sukhoi — also said it had signed a deal to sell 50 MC-21 passenger planes to Malaysian firm Crecom.

(Reporting by Rhys Jones and Gleb Stolyarov, Writing by John Bowker, Editing by Ben Berkowitz)

Via: Reuters

The X-51A, a collaboration between the US military and private firms, was dropped from a B-52 bomber off the California coast at about 1700 GMT on Wednesday. A solid rocket booster then accelerated the aircraft to 4.5 times the speed of sound, or Mach 4.5, before its air-breathing engine took over and pushed the craft to about Mach 5. The scramjet engine burned fuel for about 150 of the 211 seconds that the X-51 was airborne before it dove into the ocean as designed.

The flight fell short of its intended goals: 300 seconds of flight time and a speed of Mach 6. At a certain point, the aircraft seemed to decelerate before accelerating again, and engineers are now analysing the flight data to figure out why, says Christina Kelly, spokesperson for Boeing Phantom Works, which designed the vehicle. “But they got 95 per cent of it right,” she says, pointing out that the vehicle successfully released from the B-52 and shot a straight course across the sky (see video).

Click here to view the embedded video.

It may take a couple of months to pinpoint the problem, and then engineers will incorporate any fixes into three other X-51 test vehicles, Kelly says, with the next flight likely to occur later this year.

The $250 million, eight-year project is one of several around the world that use scramjets(supersonic combustion ramjets). These vehicles reach rocket-like speeds but, unlike rockets, do not need to carry oxygen to ignite their fuel supply. Instead, they take oxygen from the atmosphere, using the shape of their bellies to suck in and compress air at supersonic speeds (see Spaceplanes and scramjets: A 50-year history).

The X-51A is the first scramjet to burn regular jet fuel. As The Register reports:

The test is significant aerospace news, as it is the first hypersonic flight by a hydrocarbon-fuelled scramjet as opposed to one running on hydrogen. Hydrogen scramjets have achieved Mach 10, but they are less likely to develop into practical aerospace craft as hydrogen is bulky and difficult to store in large quantities. Any hydrogen-fuelled aircraft, missile etc would be almost entirely fuel tank.

Ultimately, air-breathing engines are likely to be used to power high-speed missiles that could strike anywhere in the world within an hour or less, reports the Los Angeles Times.

They may also be used someday as reusable space planes, though it’s likely they would still need rockets to accelerate them to the speeds needed to escape Earth’s gravity. Some also argue that rockets alone will always be more efficient at space flight, since they can be smaller than air-breathing craft and also climb out of the atmosphere faster, subjecting them to lower stresses and temperatures.

Source: Maggie McKee, space editor

Plane for the plains: With the flick of a switch, the jet transforms into an open-air viewing platform for passengers. At a cool £16m, however, its only for the elite traveller
For a cool £16 million, A-list animal lovers will get the chance to by the ‘safari jet’, which has room for two pilots and eight passengers and crew.
Inside the aircraft, a galley kitchen can deliver gourmet meals to an eight-seat dining area, and large sofas fold out to provide on-board beds.
To top it all off, once passengers have had their fill of the good life and wildlife in any given area, they simply transform the aircraft back into its ‘flying mode’ and jet off to the next destination.

Opulence: As the sun sets on their exotic landing ground, passengers can relax in their spacious living area, complete with comfy sofas, as the crew serves them cool drinks.

Made to order: Further into the aircraft, a dining area and sleeping quarters can be found. Marble flooring and state-of-the-art entertainment systems can also be included.

The 100ft aircraft is being built to order in the UK, and a spokesman for BAE/Design Q says the aircraft will ‘offer a new level of sophistication for the discerning customer’.
With marble floors and quality finishes throughout, the interiors can be modified and designed to suit the individual needs of the owner.
For more remote locations and rougher landing grounds, the jet can be fitted with stronger and bigger tyres, and the fuselage can be strengthened to cope with the extra strain.
These images are an artist’s impression of the finished product, based on BAE designs.

Click here to view the embedded video.

* Used inventories hold steady: Available for sale business jet inventories were roughly unchanged in February following declines in each of the prior six months. While available inventories are now 8% below the May peak, they still represent 15% of the installed base, well above the historical average at 12-13%. Young available for sale aircraft (0-10 years old) were also roughly unchanged and remain 17% below the April peak.

* Cycles sequentially lower in February: We estimate business jet cycles (takeoffs & landings) in February were 14% higher from the prior year, an improvement from 11% growth seen in the prior month on an easier y/y comp. However, on a seasonally adjusted sequential basis, cycles declined by 1% this time, the second straight decline following the recent run-up.

* Prefer GD/COL: Our Buy rating on GD reflects an improved defense risk profile and stabilization in our bizjet survey, with particular strength at the high end. Our Neutral rating on TXT reflects concerns over the shape of the recovery at Cessna, given significant oversupply, fractional weakness, and increased competition at the low-mid end (Embraer). Of the suppliers, Buy rated COL is our preferred play on business jets.

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Click to listen to audio: Captain Sully Sullenberger’s Last Flight

WASHINGTON, DC, February 16, 2010 – Today, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced that 2009 worldwide shipments and billings of general aviation airplanes were down in all categories.

Speaking at GAMA’s Annual Industry Review and Market Outlook Briefing, GAMA Chairman, Rob Wilson, president of Honeywell Business and General Aviation, reported that the global economic downturn led to one of the toughest years ever for general aviation manufacturers. “The worldwide economic crisis, which included major constraints on credit, cutbacks in flying hours, and downsizing and divestiture of business jet fleets, forced manufacturers to take difficult steps in 2009,” said Wilson. “General aviation manufacturers had no choice but to cut production and announce painful layoffs and furloughs.”

Wilson pointed out, however, that there are some hopeful signs that the worst of the economic crisis may be over. He added, “The inventory of used aircraft has peaked and is now declining, flying hours are on the rise, and inquiries for new orders are beginning to grow again. 2009 also showed that the fastest-expanding markets were again outside North America, illustrating worldwide recognition of the importance of general aviation to conducting business in a global economy. While these positive factors give us reason for optimism, we know that a full recovery will take time. Our manufacturers continue to plan and invest for future growth and we are confident that our industry will remain a powerful engine for economic recovery and quality job creation around the world.”

Industry billings dipped to $19.5 billion, a 21.4 percent decrease from the 2008 record high of $24.8 billion, but the third highest year ever. 2009 worldwide shipments of general aviation airplanes declined for a second year in a row with a total of 2,276 units delivered, a 42.6 percent decrease over the previous year’s total of 3,967 airplanes.

The piston airplane segment experienced the greatest decline at 54.5 percent. Shipments totaled 965 airplanes in 2009, compared to 2,119 unit airplanes in 2008. The turboprop sector was the most successful in weathering the economic storm, showing a decline of 17.6 percent. In 2009, 441 turboprops were shipped, down from 535 units in 2008. After five years of growth, the business jet sector declined 33.7 percent with 870 airplanes shipped, compared to the previous year’s figure of 1,313 airplanes.

2009 VERSUS 2008 SHIPMENTS OF AIRPLANES MANUFACTURED WORLDWIDE
	2008	2009	CHANGE
Pistons	2,119	965	-54.5%
Turboprops	535	441	-17.6%
Business Jets	1,313	870	-33.7%
Total Shipments	3,967	2,276	-42.6%
Total Billings	$24.8B	$19.5B	-21.4%

ATTACHMENT	SIZE
2009 GAMA Shipment Report.pdf	28.04 KB

NASA has announced that it is working on a personal flying suit that can cruise at 149 miles per hour.

It’s called “Puffin,” and the conceptual project is part one-man stealth plane, part personal jet pack in that it uses a 60 horsepower electric engine to carry a person to nearly 30,000 ft.

The Puffin promises — on paper at least — a self-contained design with proper “cockpit” and helicopter-style blades in a body that’s 12 feet in length and just 300 lbs., empty.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: ZDNET

Price reduced to $2,950,000! See website for full specs and details.

Jerry McMorrow watches his tee shot on the 11th hole Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010, Houston where a Cessna 170 on a flight from Lafayette, La. ran out of fuel and glided on to the grass the previous night. Veteran pilot Brendon Ford says an apparent gauge problem led him to believe he had more fuel than he actually did. He spotted two fairways. He says there was just one person on the site he chose, so he flew over him and landed. No one was injured. The Cessna 170 was expected to be moved from Hermann Park on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Brett Coomer)

HOUSTON, Jan. 26 (UPI) — No one was injured when a small plane with engine trouble made an emergency landing at a Texas golf course, the pilot said.

Brendon Ford said he was flying from Lafayette, La., to Columbus, Texas, Monday when the engine started sputtering only about 40 minutes from his destination, KHOU-TV, Houston, reported Tuesday.

Ford said the fairway of Houston’s Hermann Park Golf Course seemed to be the closest and safest place to put the plane down and he safely landed at about 6 p.m.

“They have a wonderful golf course,” Ford said of Hermann Park. “Very smooth fairways and it’s a nice place to land your plane if you have to land short.”

Source: UPI