Test results could be key to swinging undecided A320NEO orders

Could new airports to the west of London solve the city's problem?

New technologies focusing on the sense of sight will boost the utility and efficiency of the cockpit within the next few years. From advanced synthetic-vision applications to unique head-up devices and enhanced-technology head-down displays, avionics makers are perfecting a palette of designs in the laboratory and on the flight-test fleet that aircraft makers will likely choose from for their new and upgraded products.

Though more than $1 billion in government-backed loans for FAA NextGen avionics could soon be available, airlines remain cautious about investing in the technologies even as the first milestone—equipping with automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B)—approaches.

An airliner's vertical tail is hardly used in normal flight conditions, its size instead determined by one rare, worst-case scenario: the loss of an engine on takeoff. If the power of the rudder could be increased on demand, then a smaller tail could be fitted across an entire family of aircraft—from the shortest fuselage to the longest—to reduce weight, drag and fuel burn.

For the second time in a year, Airbus is expanding its airframe design and engineering center in Wichita's historic downtown to accommodate the staff it has been hiring to keep up with its A320, A350 and A380 programs.

Avionics makers strive for user-friendly and connected flight decks

Extends commercial franchise from domestic to global