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Photo of Note: Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, side-by-side

By
Jon Ostrower
 on April 6, 2012 10:11 AM | | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)
Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 XWB
When A350 began assembly yesterday, the released photos from Airbus allowed for the first time a side-by-side comparison between the first two majority composite jetliners. On the left is ZA001 from May 2007, then a largely unfinished 787 and on the right is the A350 static test airframe. Most notably the overall architectural differences between Boeing's monolithic barrel and Airbus's hybrid composite and aluminum-lithium panel design are clearly illustrated with the A350's different material color compared to that of the 787.

A350-SOB-Rib-Isogrid.jpg
Another photo, or rather an excerpt of a photo, that deserves a note is a part of the A350's design that has gone undiscussed by Airbus and previously unseen is the aluminum-lithium side-of-body rib for the aircraft's center wing box. Shaped in an isogrid pattern rather than the spar and stiffener design used on the A380, the A350's rib 1 design is intended to reduce weight and assembly time as it is a single machined part rather than a collect of web, spar caps and stiffeners fastened together. It's a first for an Airbus commercial aircraft.

Photos of Note: Flyaway of the first 747-8 Intercontinental

By
Jon Ostrower
 on February 29, 2012 10:56 AM | | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)



SEATTLE -- Even on its delivery flight, the identity of the first 747-8 Intercontinental was well hidden. Air traffic controllers in the Pacific Northwest knew they were looking at A7-HHE, but as a private business jet, the aircraft's flight plan to Vancouver to clear export customs was blocked on Flightaware. 

Despite the worst-kept-secret nature of the identity of the aircraft's owner, the flyaway of the all-white 747 was matched with a camouflage sky that was designed for discretion. The complete set of 74 photos of the first passenger configured 747 flyaway since 2005 is available below the fold.
Continue reading Photos of Note: Flyaway of the first 747-8 Intercontinental.

Photo of Note: A juxtaposition of transportation safety and professionalism

By
Jon Ostrower
 on January 19, 2012 6:47 PM | | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)
At yesterday's Airbus Training Center event, professionalism and transportation safety kept coming up as a topic of conversation and how it remains the centerpiece for maintaining the integrity of global transit. While it wasn't mentioned explicitly, these were the two pictures that kept coming to mind.

Submitted without further comment.

1459-Concordia.jpg

Photo of Note: First Premium Aerotec A350 section heads for St. Nazaire (Update1)

By
Jon Ostrower
 on November 23, 2011 12:23 PM | | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)
A350-S13-14-Hamburg.jpg
Spotters in Hamburg captured A350 forward fuselage Section 13/14 being loaded into the Beluga SuperTransporter on Monday. The four-panel Section 13/14 is fabricated and assembled by Premium Aerotec in Nordenham, Germany, another wholly-owned EADS subsidiary and sent by boat to Hamburg for equipping. 

UPDATE: Pictured in the photo is MSN1.

Judging by the photograph, the section was being shipped from Hamburg Airport to St. Nazaire where it will be joined with Aerolia's Section 11/12, the A350's nose and flight deck. The fully joined forward fuselage will be reloaded onto the Beluga for shipment to final assembly in Toulouse. 

Airbus will first activate its final assembly line with the A350 static airframe, dubbed 'ES' by the airframer, followed by the first test aircraft MSN1. After being assembled, ES will be tested in the L34 facility in Toulouse.

Airbus said MSN001's Section 13/14 had been handed over to the Hamburg facility on October 20, while Premium Aerotec said its "first A350 XWB fuselage section" made the 12hr boat journey to Hamburg on November 10 - not saying explicitly if that was ES or MSN001. The announcement came the same day the airframer delayed the new majority-composite jet's entry into service to the first half of 2014. It not clear from the photo if this particular Section 13/14 is ES or MSN001.

Photo Credit Helmut

Photos of Note: ANA brings Boeing's 787 into service

By
Jon Ostrower
 on October 27, 2011 2:39 AM | | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)


HONG KONG -- Safe to say my body clock has no clue which way is up at the moment, but before I retire for the night, I wanted to make sure the photos from today's flight were shared. The video blog will follow tomorrow (most likely) but this set of 144 should give you a still sense of what the day was during today's All Nippon's first 787 flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong.

Video of Note: Chasing a 787 on top of the clouds

By
Jon Ostrower
 on October 15, 2011 6:21 PM | | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)

This video, posted yesterday, on YouTube by Clay Lacy Aviation, a major Fixed-Base Operator (FBO) based out of Boeing Field, captured an extended air-to-air photo shoot with ZA002. The nearly five-minute video was shot on the sunny side of the cloudy skies in the Pacific Northwest. Make sure to watch this one at full screen at 1080p resolution. Call it a short Movie Saturday, if you will.

Photo of Note: A final night in Everett

By
Jon Ostrower
 on September 26, 2011 7:29 PM | | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)
787 First Delivery Header

Looking Back

EVERETT -- Airplane Eight, as it was once known, now JA801A, is spending its final night here in Washington before departing at 6:35 AM PT from Paine Field on early Tuesday morning. The photo, which was actually taken last night (when it wasn't raining), captures a lot of Boeing history in the viewfinder. The 747, the aircraft that spawned the Everett factory's three original bays in the late 1960s is seen in its -8 freighter variant readying for a departure from the final assembly line.

Photo Credit Flickr User simpilot459

A cover worth noting: Flight International - 27 September-3 October

By
Jon Ostrower
 on September 23, 2011 10:46 AM | | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)
787 First Delivery Header

Flight International 27 Sept-3 Oct

Photos of Note: A chance air-to-air encounter with a 787

By
Jon Ostrower
 on September 15, 2011 4:31 PM | | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)
During a visit to Seattle several weeks ago, I found myself readying for takeoff from runway 34L at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when I spotted a familiar sight on the horizon. On final approach to Boeing Field was ZA004, returning from a test flight descending south of the city. I grabbed my camera as we began our takeoff roll, watching the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered jet flying lower and lower. As our 757-200 climbed out, we kept pace with the 787 as it flew underneath us right over Interstate 5. Holding down the shutter at six frames per second I figured some of the resulting shots had to be decent. Here's the result.
 

Photo of Note: Introducing JA801A, ANA's first 787

By
Jon Ostrower
 on August 6, 2011 6:19 PM | | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)

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