AirbusSouth Seas Aviation

Airbus deliveries fall to 42 aircraft per month in August 2019

Within the first eight months of the year, Airbus has delivered 66 more commercial aircraft than during the same period in 2018. In the first eight months of 2019, Airbus has delivered 500 commercial aircraft. But with the yearly delivery target set between 880 to 890, the effort seems to fall short of the goal.

To reach its goal, Airbus has four months and 380-390 aircraft to be delivered, which translates to approximately 96 aircraft per month. While in some months this year the company was rather close to the target (with delivery rate of 70+ planes/month and even 81 in May), the setbacks in others but the average rate at 62 aircraft per month.

Two months ago, presenting the first six months results, Airbus addressed delivery challenges, admitting that: “The second half of the year in terms of deliveries and in particular free cash flow continues to be challenging”. And challenging they so far are.

August was the second worst month this year in terms of deliveries. While in July the manufacturer delivered 69 aircraft, the rate fell to only 42 in August. In total, customers took three A220s, five A350XWBs, six A330-900s and 28 A320 Family aircraft.

 

Source: https://bit.ly/2lZiHsg

Image: Shutterstock.com

Embraer KC-390South Seas Aviation

Embraer delivers first KC-390 to the Brazilian Air Force

Embraer delivered the first KC-390 to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) at the military base in Anapolis, in west-central Brazil.

“The incorporation of the KC-390 into the Brazilian air force is a milestone in military aviation,” said Brazilian air force commander, Lieutenant-Brigadier Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermudez in a statement.

The first KC-390 will be operated from Anapolis Air Base by the First Troop Transport. Embraer has already started the training of the FAB personnel. In 2014, the Brazilian Air Force ordered a total of 28 KC-390s with logistic support from the Brazilian manufacturer. It should progressively replace the C-130 Hercules within the FAB.

The KC-390 is a tactical transport and inflight refueling aircraft. Powered by two specially designed Pratt and Whitney V2500-E5 engines, it can carry 26 tons of cargo, including vehicles like two M113 armored personnel carriers, or a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. The biggest aircraft produced in Latin America, it is designed to take off and land on semi-prepared and unpaved airfields.

It has obtained the type certificate from the Brazilian Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) in 2018. In July 2019, Portugal placed a firm order for five KC-390 transport aircraft, becoming the first international customer for the plane. Embraer has also received letters of intent from the Czech Republic (another partner in the program), as well as Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, for a total backlog of 35 aircraft.

 

Source: https://bit.ly/2lzTlkA

Image : Jason Wells

Dorian HurricaneSouth Seas Aviation

Inside the eye of Dorian, the Hurricane Hunters [Video]

Weather services from all around the world have their eyes set on Hurricane Dorian. To predict its trajectory and intensity, a varied array of data is collected in real-time. In the United States, some of those measures are taken by planes. The daring pilots, known as Hurricane Hunters, belong to two units: the U.S. Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, and pilots from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 tropical cyclone with 325 km/h winds, has been dubbed the most powerful storm to ever hit the Bahamas. In order to measure its temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and wind speed, satellites from NASA are not enough. Enter the specialists of the NOAA: aboard their two Lockheed WP-3D Orion (“Kermit” and “Miss Piggy”), they are able to fly directly into the eye of the hurricane for several hours and collect useful data using radiometers and probes, called “dropwindsondes”. To gather high-altitude information, the NOAA can also rely on a Gulfstream IV-SP jet.

On September 1, 2019, the NOAA released footage of the moment when the WP-3D Orion “Kermit reached the eye of Dorian.

 

 

Working in rotation with the NOAA pilots, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the 403rd Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command uses a specialized aircraft, the Lockheed WC-130J “Weatherbird”. This version of Lockheed’s bestseller features a reinforced structure to withstand conditions more extreme than any warzone and a vast array of meteorological equipment.

 

While onboard one of those planes, Jordan Sun recorded eerie footage of the tranquility that reigns inside the eye of the hurricane.

The data collected by those two units, along with the satellite imagery provided by NASA allow the National Hurricane Center to publish a detailed report on Hurricane Dorian every three hours, allowing the decision-makers to anticipate.

 

Source: https://bit.ly/2lUoaR7

Image : NOAA