The TBM 850 is a single-engine, 4-6-passenger, turboprop-powered aircraft that replaced the TBM 700 in 2006. Power is provided by a single 850-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D engine, flat-rated to 850 shp. The aircraft has a range of 1,585 nm. Through 2012, production totaled 299 aircraft. Production of another 421 is forecast for 2013-22.
The Y-12 series is another family of twin-turboprop aircraft. The Y-12-II is equipped with Western avionics and Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines flat-rated to 620 shp each. The Y-12-IV has winglets, a strengthened undercarriage and redesigned seating for 18-19 passengers. Another Y-12 version is the Y-12E, which is powered by 750-shp PT6A-135 engines. A total of 48 Y-12-II/-IV and Y-12E aircraft are forecast to be produced for the civil market in the coming 10 years. HAI is currently developing the Y-12F, which is substantially different from the earlier Y-12s.
James Hetherington has become Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based director of Middle East operations for Salient Federal Solutions Inc., Fairfax, Va. He was chief of the International Airmen Div. at Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, and had been the U.S. defense secretary's military adviser to the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
The ERJ 135/140/145 family is a series of twin-engine, 37-50-seat regional jets. The initial model was the 50-seat ERJ 145, which first flew in August 1995; deliveries began in late 1996. The next model was the 37-seat ERJ 135, which made its initial flight in July 1998 followed by deliveries in July 1999. The 44-passenger ERJ 140 first flew in June 2000, with initial deliveries in July 2001. All models use variants of the Rolls-Royce AE 3007A series turbofan.
This four-engine, medium/long-range, widebody commercial passenger and cargo transport aircraft first flew as the -300 in 1988 and was awarded certification in December 1992. It is powered by Aviadvigatel PS-90A1 engines rated 35,275 lb. thrust each. The stretched Il-96-400 is powered by uprated PS-90A1 engines. The Il-96-400 passenger version can seat 436 in a single-class configuration, 386 in two classes or 315 in a three-class layout. One Il-96-300 and four Il-96-400s are forecast for production in the 2013-22 period.
The Irkut MS-21 is a twin-turbofan, narrowbody derivative of the defunct Yakovlev Yak-242 airliner. The MS-21 family comprises the 150-seat MS-21-200, 181-seat MS-21-300 and 212-seat MS-21-400. All three are to be available in both basic and extended-range versions; the -200 is also to be available in a long-range variant. Power will be provided by Pratt & Whitney PW1400G or Aviadvigatel PD-14 engines. First flight is planned for 2015, with a service entry target date of 2017. Primary competition is likely to come from the Boeing 737, Airbus A320 and Comac C919.
This pressurized, single-turboprop-powered, corporate/utility transport aircraft first flew in May 1991, and received Swiss and U.S. certification in 1994. It seats nine in its standard layout. Portugal's OGMA assembles green aircraft and manufactures some components. The current PC-12 production version, the PC-12 NG (Next Generation), is powered by the 1,200-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67P. A total of 1,166 PC-12s in all versions were built through 2012. Production of 875 units is expected during the 2013-22 period.
Paul Sinton has become managing director for the Belfast, Northern Ireland-based European Space Propulsion subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne. He was an executive for analysis, test and senior program management with Thales Air Defense, also in Belfast.
Delta Air Lines is breaking ranks with its three major U.S. airline rivals, selecting Microsoft as its electronic flight bag provider over Apple. The airline announced Sept. 30 that it will purchase 11,000 Microsoft Surface 2 tablets for its pilots as part of a move to increase productivity and situational awareness, as well as to cut costs by replacing paper manuals and charts.
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has received the first WTS Navigator Award from Washington-based WTS International, the association for the advancement of women in transportation. He was cited for standing “behind our mission and creating new opportunities for a diverse and inclusive workforce.” He was noted for having set the gender diversity issue in the transportation industry on an accelerated path.
When the NextGen Advisory Committee came out with a prioritized list of NextGen capabilities Sept. 19 to help the FAA decide how best to spend under shrinking budgets, “wake recategorization” made the Tier 1A cut, along with performance-based navigation and multiple-runway operations. Tier 1A is the gold standard of rankings, reserved for capabilities that are “shovel-ready” and provide maximum benefit for minimum money.
Nigerian authorities are investigating the crash of an Associated Aviation Embraer EMB-120 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100-powered twin-turboprop on departure from Lagos, Nigeria, on Oct. 3, killing 16 of the 20 people onboard. Witnesses to the crash told local media the aircraft “was making a lot of noise” when it descended, and pilots appeared to maneuver to avoid a residential area.
A light bulb went off in Dan Miller's head several years ago as he struggled to complete the avionics behind the panel of his company's newest light sport aircraft, the Spirit Grand Edition. Miller, sales manager for World Aircraft Co., based in Paris, Texas, had an idea that was so obvious it seemed silly that no one had thought of it before.
Low-cost operator Norwegian Air Shuttle is expected to return its grounded Boeing 787-8s to service early this month after the manufacturer implemented an aggressive “get-well” campaign to beef up spare-parts provision, maintenance and engineering support. The situation at Norwegian appeared to have come to a head by the end of September, following several weeks of reliability problems in the power distribution system, hydraulics, oxygen system and brakes.
Now that the Air Force has placed the A-10 Thunderbolt II under consideration for cuts in a worst-case budget scenario, a grassroots movement is building to keep the aircraft, flying since 1977, around longer. The A-10 is not one of those programs, like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter or the KC-46A tanker, that the service wants to protect. In fact, a chart from Air Combat Command shows the entire fleet of close-air support aircraft may be divested by 2015.
