General Aviation Thread

[Ananda]

Commentary: China’s COMAC will not rock Airbus-Boeing boat for now, but it’s a matter of time

The COMAC C919 stole the limelight at the Singapore Airshow and went on a demonstration tour of Southeast Asia, but it will still be a hard sell outside of China for now, says Endau Analytics’ Shukor Yusof.

www.channelnewsasia.com

COMAC seems knew well their logistics support limitations. Thus when they are aiming export, they are aiming near home first. In this case South East Asia. China Inc are also aiming the business model by becoming investors in small start up airlines. They are doing in Indonesia and seems also going to that in Brunai. Those Airlines that will become entry point in the market.

Thus they are not aiming mature big market (they already have that in their domestic), but more to fast growing market. That'll be Global South market, and they begin it with the closest ones. They are not going to East Asia which's mature ones. If they can get enough foot hold in SEA market, I suspect then they go to South and Central Asia. Thus they are know have to build their own supply chains first.

The logistics chains is the ones that determine, in any market and any products, the potential of any new comer going to succeed or break. They have to begin closer to home. That's also what Embrear done with entering North America first, before entering other market. It will take times, but this is the game of gaining momentum.

Still I do agree they move for this time on C939 bit questionable. Building new clean design from scratch is very big endeavor and big investment. Even Boeing and Airbus this last past two decades only giving one each clean design of 787 and A350. Playing with three clean design (C919, C929, and C939), on relatively close time frame, is questionable in my opinion.

For me, I'm more interested on how China going to build their own Aero Industry Ecosystem chains. When they're able to do that, it's ussualy their strength. That's what happens in EV market. Something that even Elon acknowledge that. The talk on Hybrid EV or Hydrogen Aero propulsion in future, can also means some potential for new Player to come out. Like in EV market, Chinese cars manufacturers knows they are having bigger challenges entering combustion engines market. However they see chances when EV market gaining momentum.

So if Hybrid Propulsion do come out faster in Aero Industry, could China capitalize that with their now leading possition in EV industry capabilities? I believe they can.

Note:
Edit toward various typo and grammar error.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore Changi (LHR-SIN) ended up in Bangkok due to extreme turbulence. The 777-300ER started its flight on monday evening.
Somewhere above Thailand the aircraft experienced extreme heavy turbulence and descended around 2000 meters in just minutes, resulting in passengers launched from their seats and hitting the overhead luggage bins and ceilings, to the point they damaged the interior in the aircraft.
This sadly caused that one person passed away and dozens injured, with 31 persons taken to the hospital.

Passagier overleden en tientallen gewonden na hevige turbulentie op Singapore Airlines-vlucht

Eén passagier is overleden en enkele tientallen zijn gewond geraakt tijdens hevige turbulentie op een Singapore Airlines-vlucht van Londen naar Singapore. Het toestel, een Boeing 777-300ER, is uitgeweken naar Bangkok.

www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl

BBC just placed their news article, so here an article in English.

Singapore Airlines: Passengers recall horror onboard flight

One passenger said he heard a woman "screaming in agony" and saw another with a "gash on her head".

www.bbc.com

 

[John Fedup]

Experienced a CAT event and fortunately had my seat belt secured. As a frequent flyer, I have always kept the belt secured. I also avoid the lavatory as most of my flights are under 5 hours….really miss the free beers in the lounges though, a real challenge for me.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Singapore Airlines can expect claims from at least $170.000, but more, in the millions, seems to be possible.
Until now 48 passengers are still in a bad condition in three hospitals in Bangkok, many of them got severe brain- and spine/back bone injuries.

Singapore Airlines kan claims van "acht cijfers" tegemoetzien na turbulentievlucht

Singapore Airlines moet volgens schadedeskundigen vrezen voor forse schadeclaims van passagiers die deze week gewond raakten toen een toestel van de luchtvaartmaatschappij door hevige turbulentie werd getroffen. Vrijdag lagen nog 48 mensen in drie ziekenhuizen in Bangkok.

www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl

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After flying more than three decades and 158 science campaigns, NASA’s DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory made its final flight on 15 May, from Edwards AFB (CA) to Idaho State University in Pocatello (ID), where it will be used to train future aircraft technicians.

Originally delivered as a DC-8-62 variant to former Italian flag-carrier Alitalia in 1969 as I-DIWK (46082), the aircraft later served with Braniff International (as N801BN), who withdrew it from service in May 1982. It received CFM56-2s with the Quiet Nacelle Corporation and converted to DC-8-72 standard in 1986, when it was delivered to NASA.

NASA plans to replace the DC-8 with a more capable and fuel-efficient Boeing 777-200ER.

NASA DC-8 retired

NASA DC-8 retired After flying more than three decades and 158 science campaigns, NASA’s DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory made its final flight on 15 May, from Edwards AFB (CA) to ...

www.scramble.nl

The 777-200ER is already bought by NASA, it is not a new aircraft, but a 20 years old former Japanese Airlines one. It is now undergoing modifications which are planned to be finished on 30 September 2025.

Modified Boeing 777 To Replace Aging NASA DC-8 Research Aircraft | Aviation Week Network

NASA begins modification of a used 777 as and eventual replacement for its DC-8-72 Earth-science research platform.

aviationweek.com

.

 

[John Fedup]

My first flight in a jet was on a Air Canada DC-8 back in the days where you got a meal on a real plate with metal utensils.

 

[swerve]

Mine was in a Caravelle, operated by a Danish low cost airline called Sterling Airways. It also had a few DC-8s. Went bust 17 years later, in 1993.

The airline had a very poor safety record, but I didn't know that at the time.

 

[Rob c]

That is modern Mine was when I was about six or seven from Blenheim to Wellington with my aunty and sister in a single engine wooden thing, which I think was called a Proctor and made more noise than speed. We landed on the old Rongitia grass airfield. after that it was DC3's for several years

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Yesterday there was a horrible accident at Schiphol (AMS). For unknown reasons a person got into a running engine from a KLM Cityhopper Embrear 190 and didn't survived. The Embrear 190 had Billund as its destination and was ready to depart. Investigation why this happened is ongoing.

Persoon om het leven gekomen in vliegtuigmotor KLM Cityhopper op Schiphol

Een persoon is woensdagmiddag op Schiphol door nog onbekende oorzaak in een draaiende vliegtuigmotor van een passagiersvliegtuig terechtgekomen en overleden, meldt de marechaussee. Het gebeurde tussen 15.00 en 16.00 uur bij een Embraer 190 van KLM Cityhopper.

www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl

And this man taught it was necessary to start to run buttnaked in the aisle and then hit a flight attendant. He is later arrested.

Naakte man slaat cabinemedewerker neer op Virgin Australia-vlucht

Een man heeft maandagavond naakt door het gangpad gerend en vervolgens een cabinemedewerker neergeslagen op een Virgin Australia-vlucht van Perth naar Melbourne. Het vliegtuig, een Boeing 737, is na het incident teruggekeerd naar Perth.

www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl

Update:
The man who died in the KLM Cityhopper Embrear 190 engine on Wednesday, did it on purpose. After the pushback procedure he just climbed into the engine.

Incident met vliegtuigmotor Schiphol was zelfdoding door medewerker

De persoon die woensdagmiddag om het leven kwam op Schiphol in een vliegtuigmotor is een medewerker van een bedrijf op de luchthaven. De marechaussee laat weten dat het om zelfdoding gaat. "Uit onderzoek is gebleken dat hij bewust in de motor is geklommen", aldus de marechaussee.

www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl

 

[At lakes]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

NZ digital media outlet STUFF is reporting that there arel more issues with Boeing this time is quality control issues B787
Its a bit like the plot for a soap opera it goes on and on and on......

 

[John Fedup]

An update on Boeing’s X-66 concept. Envisioned as a fuel efficient plane for the 2030s, it will be interesting to see it in action. Boeing needs a winner.

Boeing updates X-66A progress as details of PW102XG engines emerge

Boeing has disclosed fresh details on the progress of the X-66A truss-braced-wing demonstrator it is developing under a NASA-backed project, including confirmation that the aircraft will be powered by a derivative of the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engine designated the PW102XG.

www.flightglobal.com

 

[At lakes]

Stuff

For once the issues are not Boeings, Airbus has an issue with the PW engines on its A320/321 aircraft. The powdered metal that was used when making the engines has been found to be contaminated which if not rectified could cause cracking sometime in the future.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

NZ digital media outlet STUFF is reporting that there arel more issues with Boeing this time is quality control issues B787
Its a bit like the plot for a soap opera it goes on and on and on......

And also this week will become a problematic period for Boeing.
Besides again a delay for the return of the Starliner because of leakages and other technical problems...

NASA again delays Starliner undocking, return to Earth – Spaceflight Now

MSN

....we also got an emergency descend of a Boeing 737MAX from Korean Air. Seventeen people got injured, from bleeding noses to intense pain in the ears.

MSN

Korean Air 737 Drops 26000 Feet in 15 Mins Amid Pressurization Issue

13 people were hospitalized after a Korean Air 737 MAX 8 en route to Taichung dropped 27,000 feet in 15 minutes after pressurization problem.

aviationsourcenews.com

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

It seems it is becoming a trend now.
A Boeing 787-9 from Air Europa experienced heavy air turbulence above north-east Brazil on its way from Madrid to Montevideo with 325 passengers. It was that violently that some passengers ended up in the overhead luggage compartments! Thirty people got injured.

Tientallen gewonden door hevige turbulentie op Air Europa-vlucht

Een vlucht van Air Europa die onderweg was van Madrid naar Montevideo, in Uruguay, moest maandag na hevige turbulentie uitwijken naar het vliegveld van Natal, in het noordoosten van Brazilië. Minstens dertig passagiers hadden medische zorg nodig. Zeker tien van hen werden naar het ziekenhuis...

www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl

x.com

x.com

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Major IT outages are hitting industries across the world, with airlines, airports, broadcasters, hospitals and supermarkets affected.

American Airlines says none of its flights are taking off and the problems are due to an issue with Crowdstrike cybersecurity software, also KLM reports that most of its flights are cancelled.

Chaos persists as IT outage could take time to fix, says cybersecurity firm boss

Airports, banking and healthcare were all hit when a Crowdstrike update triggered huge Microsoft outages.

www.bbc.com

'Large-scale' IT outage hits companies worldwide - Tech - The Jakarta Post

A major outage wrought havoc on global computer systems on Friday, grounding flights in the United States, derailing television broadcasts in the UK and impacting telecommunications in Australia.

www.thejakartapost.com

 

[swerve]

Other users are saying the same, it's been tracked to a new release of Crowdstrike cybersecurity.

It's also affecting banks, railways & other businesses.

This is the sort of thing that can kill a company. Because of the scale, losses worldwide could be more than its revenues or value. I expect its shares are crashing.

 

[Redlands18]

I went to the local Woolworths this afternoon and they were having issues with their self-serve tills.

 

[John Fedup]

Other users are saying the same, it's been tracked to a new release of Crowdstrike cybersecurity.

It's also affecting banks, railways & other businesses.

This is the sort of thing that can kill a company. Because of the scale, losses worldwide could be more than its revenues or value. I expect its shares are crashing.

Crowdstrike shares were down 18% about an hour ago.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

In short.
- Boeing will get a new boss, replacing Dave Calhoun and will start on 8 August.
- Boeing made a loss off $1,4 billion in the second quarter.
- Boeing made losses of a total of $1,8 billion in the first halve of this year.
- In the second quarter Boeing delivered 92 aircrafts to the customers, which is 32% less than the second quarter of last year.

Boeing benoemt 'gerespecteerde veteraan binnen de industrie' tot topman

De door technische problemen geplaagde Amerikaanse vliegtuigbouwer Boeing heeft een nieuwe topman benoemd. Robert 'Kelly' Ortberg neemt per 8 augustus het roer over van Dave Calhoun, die eerder dit jaar al zijn vertrek aankondigde in verband met alle problemen bij het bedrijf.

www.luchtvaartnieuws.nl

 

[Ananda]

Explainer | Here are the 4 civilian aircraft behind China’s sky-high aviation ambitions

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China has put two passenger planes in the air and has lofty ambitions for home-grown production.

www.scmp.com

China wants more overseas buyers for C919. Can Southeast Asia help it soar?

Indonesia and Brunei are firmly on China’s radar as it seeks to expand the reach of its C919 and ARJ21 passenger jets.

www.scmp.com

COMAC ambitions for export C919 being speculate by some market analyst will have problem on getting Euro and US certification. Some blame this on Geopolitics, other blame for timing needed.

Personally I tend to see that COMAC will take time in approach the market by making operational base in Asian market first. Thus I agree with SCMP 2nd article that they will approach SEA market, which being consider as one higher growth market. Brunai and Indonesia being single out, as Chinese already invest either directly or through proxy investment arms on local Airlines in the area.

Building base outside China domestic, will hopefully shown how the Airplane operate outside China. Also brimg COMAC practice on setting up MRO chain and parts network to support their products. Something that Boeing and Airbus practices and invest heavily across the globe for Decades. Something that even Embrear already ahead compare to COMAC.

Firsr article shown how COMAC even with all the challenges, already prepared 4 type of Airliners to compete in:

• Regional Jet (ARJ-21),
• C919 for Mid Range Single Aisle to compete with A320 Neo/737 Max,
• C929 for Mid to Long Range Double Aisle to compete with 787 and A330 Neo
• C939 for Long Range Double Aisle to compete with 777X and A350.

They don't have to directly goes into Developed North America and Euro Market. Building supply network in Asia Pacific and later on other Global South Market, in fact can give them venue for Initial base on goes Globally.

 

[Terran]

Explainer | Here are the 4 civilian aircraft behind China’s sky-high aviation ambitions

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China has put two passenger planes in the air and has lofty ambitions for home-grown production.

www.scmp.com

China wants more overseas buyers for C919. Can Southeast Asia help it soar?

Indonesia and Brunei are firmly on China’s radar as it seeks to expand the reach of its C919 and ARJ21 passenger jets.

www.scmp.com

COMAC ambitions for export C919 being speculate by some market analyst will have problem on getting Euro and US certification. Some blame this on Geopolitics, other blame for timing needed.

Personally I tend to see that COMAC will take time in approach the market by making operational base in Asian market first. Thus I agree with SCMP 2nd article that they will approach SEA market, which being consider as one higher growth market. Brunai and Indonesia being single out, as Chinese already invest either directly or through proxy investment arms on local Airlines in the area.

Building base outside China domestic, will hopefully shown how the Airplane operate outside China. Also brimg COMAC practice on setting up MRO chain and parts network to support their products. Something that Boeing and Airbus practices and invest heavily across the globe for Decades. Something that even Embrear already ahead compare to COMAC.

Firsr article shown how COMAC even with all the challenges, already prepared 4 type of Airliners to compete in:

• Regional Jet (ARJ-21),
• C919 for Mid Range Single Aisle to compete with A320 Neo/737 Max,
• C929 for Mid to Long Range Double Aisle to compete with 787 and A330 Neo
• C939 for Long Range Double Aisle to compete with 777X and A350.

They don't have to directly goes into Developed North America and Euro Market. Building supply network in Asia Pacific and later on other Global South Market, in fact can give them venue for Initial base on goes Globally.

They have ambitions however if you don’t mind a hot take.
ARJ21 is old when new. It’s fine as a regional if you can’t get the latest Embaer.
C919 has potential but it’s got the same primary problem. Both the C919 and ARJ21 were designed with an excess of conservatism. They picked the most proven engines and materials meaning they are heavier and less efficient than AB, Boeing or Embraer equivalent. To get around that they will need a new engine at the very least. Aero Engine corporation of China is said to be working on an engine family the CJ for just this application Cj500 for small jets, Cj1000 for 919. With the latter apparently now actually demonstrating on the wing of a Y20.
Video shows China’s CJ-1000A engine in test flight
The thing that gets me is when I see comments on re-engine for the 919 rather than efficiency it’s often talk about a possible export ban in LEAP that is used as justification. Not exactly a sign of confidence.
This would also complicate export. As I’d the Comac supply chain is not going to fill one with assurance. A Boeing or an Airbus aircraft can land just about anywhere on earth save Russia, the DPRK or Iran maybe Cuba and be assured that someone will be able to get parts and maintenance.
Comac has a long way to go to get that position. That’s as is not considering a Reengine because if they do then they will have to establish a parts and maintenance network for AECC too.

Then we get to the 929 and 939.
929 is said to be in prototype and its size and class is among the most popular widebodys. However it’s iffy that the Developing World market can afford such a class and Comac still seems committed to using UAC for some of its supply chain which seems iffy. Yet imo it has a chance and I expect the CCP to push it hard.
The 939 is in my mind the most questionable. It’s aimed at the new Monarchy of the skies. The largest airliners with the smallest margins and market place. It’s to be launched at a time when we see a potential paradigm shift in commercial aviation. With the potential for new SSTs or hyper efficient aircraft technologies. Neither seems like C939 is catered for. At this point I see the 939 like I see the A380. A program guided by hubris and not the market.