I am often inspired by the real locations and weather I experience when I am on a real work trip. With ForeFlight by my side, it’s fun to test the realism of the sims and how they’re interpreting live weather worldwide. Both X-Plane 12 (XP12) and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (MSFS2020) do a pretty good job of keeping up with it and both have shown continual improvements. It seems each month the message forums are showcasing live weather questions, observations, frustrations, and praise. 

I feel the most accurate live weather award currently goes to MSFS2020 as most of the flights I take, with ForeFlight next to me, are startlingly accurate. The altimeter, visibility, and clouds are really spot on. Locations of rain or snow are pretty accurate too with virga and visual depictions often having me saying “wow.” 

I made my way westward recently from the East Coast to encounter winter spots. The first was a stop into Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (KCLE) using a 787 Dreamliner. KCLE is known for lake-effect snow and this day didn’t disappoint. Snow bands were flowing west to east, and my flight session, down the ILS to an eventual autoland, took me right in the heart of it all.

Various moments from the cockpit view included bursts of snow whooshing past, some varying visibility, and not a lot of turbulence. Even as shown on ForeFlight, the snow showers ended east of the field near the city, allowing for an almost completely visual approach. As I got closer, some definite wind shear jibs and jabs made the wings bounce, something the 787 is famous for with its dampening, flexing wings.

Testing live weather was a success in this scenario. Let’s see the next one. 

I proceeded westward a few hours to the Dakotas and upon reaching there had some very windy weather and snowy bursts to contend with as well. I was using the amazing Learjet 35 I recently featured and it was a blast to feel this one out in surface winds gusting to 40 knots. The Learjet has enough fuel for about 1,500 nm tops, and in this case I traveled about 1,000 miles. I set out for a field in the North Dakota-eastern Montana area for fuel and aircraft change.

The somewhat higher elevations and wide-open areas with some gradual terrain will start making shear. The bumps were noticeable but not yet overly crazy. The wind flow over terrain effect within MSFS is remarkably accurate. 

For the next leg of the adventure, I chose the default Cessna Longitude bizjet, with more range and modern avionics to attempt a “visual” in horrendous weather, surrounded by dangerous terrain. Revelstoke, British Columbia, in Canada is spectacular as it gets, so I went to go check it out.

I vectored myself onto the arrival below the terrain. I would be landing on Runway 30 with the poor weather conditions, so I decided to use the modern technology at hand.

Following the 3D view with an eyesight-enhanced vision system on the Latitude, I could see right through the clouds and snow, down the river in virtual visual conditions. Now, I don’t think pilots with this avionics package do this yet, but I could see someday in the not too distant future the ability to just fly a visual approach in something horrendous.

I was led right down the shoot to the breakout point and runway in real visual conditions at a low altitude I would say was near ILS minimums.

In the real Challenger 300 I fly, similar to the Longitude, the reversers are so effective and rev up to such a high percentage, we don’t even touch the brakes until almost walking speed or something under 40 knots.

MSFS has great icing modeled with effects on performance. It doesn’t always come off cleanly, and sometimes even windows don’t get cleared very rapidly.

Continuing the adventure, I got into an A321neo (LatinVFR available on sim marketplace) for the rest of the journey westward. There is no better, more scenic place than Juneau, Alaska, and an unusual weather event was occurring at the time—clear skies! Alaska in winter is usually terrible with huge rain storms likely along the coast or wet snow blizzards. Apparently a cold snap following some heavy snows was occurring the day I tried this, and the built-in live weather matched the conditions almost to a T.

I have to stop somewhere, because the adventuring available in Alaska is endless. Maybe I’ll do this  again later this winter as there is so much to discover and tinker with. Setting up manual weather to something wild and dangerous is also fun, especially in mountainous regions. Using the variety of GA aircraft available in the sims opens up a whole new avenue of bush flying, where icing dangers are more noteworthy. 

As always, I have to link the “must-haves” as you fly: 

FS Realistic Pro for the best add-on ever made.

Sporty’s Pilot Shop for all the flight controls imaginable and an easy home setup.

ProDeskSim for the coolest affordable add-ons to the Honeycomb throttle quadrant that will leave you drooling. 

The post Testing Live Weather and Winter Wonders Along the Way appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Airbus’ new final assembly line (FAL) is located within the former production plant for its A380 double-deck airliner, known as the Jean-Luc Lagardère building. The company said the new plant reflects its plans to modernize production and meet growing demand for the A321neo, which accounts for almost 65 percent of the order backlog for the A320 family.

• READ MORE: Airbus To Deliver 160 Jets, Boost Production In China

The A321neo is the largest variant of the A320 and boasts the best range and performance. The company said the aircraft’s fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions are more than 20 percent less than other models, and its noise footprint is 50 percent smaller when compared with the previous generation of single-aisle airliners.

More than 5,600 A321neos have been ordered by more than 100 customers. worldwide. Pegasus Airlines’ Airbus fleet totals 93 aircraft, including six A320ceos, 46 A320neos, and 41 A321neos. The airline additionally has 68 A321neos on order.

• READ MORE: Airbus Highlights Efforts to Cut Greenhouse Gases

The delivery to Pegasus Airlines marks the beginning of the ramp-up of the Toulouse FAL, which is expected to contribute to the company goal of producing 75 A320 family aircraft per month by 2026. Other Airbus FALs are located in Mobile, Alabama; Hamburg, Germany; and Tianjin, China.

The post Airbus Delivers First Aircraft Built on Its New Assembly Line in Toulouse appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to Juan Carlos Zuazua, CEO of Viva Aerobus, the company has placed an order for 90 A321neo aircraft, bringing its total order of A320 family aircraft to 170.

“These 90 A321neo 240-seater aircraft will allow us to grow and renew our fleet and remain the youngest in Latin America,” said Zuazua. “The technology and operational efficiency of the A321neos will improve our operational reliability, on-time performance, and provide an unmatched passenger experience. Additionally, we expect to drive further cost savings, which will reflect in lower airfares and strengthen one of our most important advantages: having the lowest cost in the Americas. The fuel-efficiency and noise reduction that the A321neo provides will advance our sustainability efforts by delivering immediate, tangible carbon-emission reductions, thus enhancing our position as the most efficient airline in the continent.”

The A321neo is the largest member of Airbus’ A320neo family. According to the company, the combination of new generation engines and Sharklets gives the A321neo “a 50 percent noise reduction and more than a 20 percent fuel savings compared to previous single-aisle generation aircraft.”

Viva Aerobus is a longtime Airbus customer. In 2013, the airline placed an order for 52 A320 family aircraft, which was the largest Airbus order placed by a single airline in Mexico at the time. In 2018, the airline ordered 25 A321neo aircraft. To date, Viva Aerobus operates 74 A320 family aircraft.

According to Airbus, the company has sold more than 1,150 aircraft in Latin America and the Caribbean, representing a market share of nearly 60 percent of in-service passenger aircraft.

The post Viva Aerobus Expands Fleet With Airbus Order appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The report, published Thursday by Aviation Week, suggests Calhoun may be willing to play a high stakes game of chicken with Congress over whether to offer deadline relief for the aircraft formerly known as the 737 Max 10. 

“The [737-10] is a little bit of an all-or-nothing,” Calhoun told Aviation Week. “This is a risk I’m willing to take. If I lose the fight, I lose the fight.”

Boeing did not immediately respond to FLYING’s request for comment.

Calhoun’s comments are just the latest episode in the saga of the Boeing 737 Max Program, which combined elements of an existing aircraft design with new, more fuel efficient LEAP-1B CFM International engines. Without providing pilot training, Boeing included a new maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) in the airplane’s flight controls to compensate for the aerodynamic characteristics of the new engines. Accidents involving 737 Max 8 variants in Ethiopia and Indonesia killed 346 passengers and crew.

Shortly afterward, the airplanes were grounded worldwide for nearly two years until the MCAS could be updated and the airplanes recertified. An agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve a criminal charge related to allegations of conspiring to defraud the FAA resulted in Boeing agreeing to pay more than $2.5 billion in penalties, compensation, and a fund for victims’ families. 

“If you go through the things we’ve been through, the debts that we’ve had to accumulate, our ability to respond, or willingness to see things through even a world without the -10 is not that threatening,” Calhoun told Aviation Week.

Boeing would cancel 737-10 before updating flight crew alerting to meet current rules, as year-end deadline would require for all newly certified air transports, CEO Dave Calhoun tells @aviationweek. “If I lose the fight, I lose the fight.” More ()https://t.co/6HbWcz9S6b

— Sean Broderick (@AvWeekSean) July 7, 2022

“This must be either a desperately incompetent form of bluffing, or he really just wants to destroy the company,” veteran aviation industry analyst Richard Aboulafia told FLYING on Thursday. “I’m not sure what a third explanation would be. I mean, this is a vitally important variant.”

If Boeing fails to receive FAA certification for the new aircraft by the deadline, it would be required to redesign the flight deck to include a new alerting system which would differ from Boeing’s other 737 Max variants—the 737-7, 737-8, and 737-9. Along with additional costs for development and testing, the move would very likely require pilot training to use the new system. 

In 2020, Congress passed legislation giving Boeing two years to obtain FAA type certification unless it follows with new flight-crew alerting system requirements. A more rigorous FAA certification process is one reason why meeting the deadline has become a challenge. 

Technical Advisory Boards

The FAA continues to make moves aimed at strengthening oversight of new aircraft designs. In February, the agency announced it would expand its use of independent technical advisory boards (TAB) in the certification process for commercial airliners, smaller aircraft, helicopters, and drones. TABs were formed for the recertification of the 737 Max and for Boeing’s new 777X widebody airliner which is under development. 

Stiff Competition

The 737-10—the largest variant of the 737 Max family—seats up to 230 passengers and competes with the Airbus A321neo, which entered service with Virgin America in 2017.

• READ MORE: We Flew on Delta Air Lines’ New Airbus A321neo

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, which just began commercial service with A321neos last May, is reportedly close to a deal with Boeing to buy up to 130 737-10 jets, according to The Air Current, quoting unnamed sources. Boeing already has orders for more than 600 737-10s from 18 customers including United Airlines, according to Aviation Week. 

Abandoning the 737-10 might increase resources that could be directed at developing a new clean-sheet Boeing airliner. The 737-10 “is Boeing’s only hope for competing with the A321neo unless they launch a completely new jet,” said Aboulafia, a managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory. Another potential ripple effect of Boeing walking away: The reduced competition for Airbus might trigger a price hike for the A321neo. It will be interesting to observe how Calhoun’s bold strategy might affect the price of Boeing’s stock.

‘Could They Get a Waiver?’

With all the money, jobs, and investments at stake, Calhoun’s apparent willingness to abandon the 737-10 raises pressure on Congress to give Boeing relief from the deadline. “Could they get a waiver? Probably not. But it’s possible,” Aboulafia said. Theoretically, Boeing could present lawmakers with an alternative that allows for a new flight crew alerting system, followed by a retrofit.

The powerful chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), has already said he is against such a move. DeFazio is planning to retire from Congress next year. 

“DeFazio has made it very clear the answer is ‘no,’” said Aboulafia. “Getting past that—the optics aren’t great. The FAA is under the gun. They know that. Congress is kind of under the gun. Everyone’s under the gun.”

Calhoun told Aviation Week that Boeing makes a strong justification for certificating the 737-10 without an enhanced crew-alerting system.

“We’ll make that case to all parties, and I believe the outcome is going to be favorable and that we’re going to have a [737-10] flying out there, regardless of timing,” Calhoun told the online magazine. “I don’t expect [to cancel the program], and I don’t want anybody to think that. It’s just a risk.”

Les Abend, a retired, 34-year veteran pilot with American Airlines, offered a view from the flight deck. 

“The fundamental stretching of the original 1964 design 50 feet longer requires at least the current iteration of the now-infamous MCAS system,” Abend said. “How much further can you stretch an old design and call it the same model airplane? When the flight characteristics created by the stretched airplane have to be compensated for by new technology, isn’t it time for a clean sheet prototype?” 

Abend suggested an outside-the-box alternative, pointing out that the 737-10 is only 12 feet shorter than a Boeing 757-200. “Why not re-establish that fuselage production, add LEAP engines, and update the cockpit? The Boeing 747SP was the shorter, successful variation of the 747.”

He added, “Setting aside the myriad of economic consequences in scrapping certification for the 737-10, perhaps the Max taught us all a simple lesson. Safety first.”

The post Report: Boeing CEO Isn’t Ruling Out Canceling 737-10 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Atlanta-based airline invited FLYING on a ferry flight Wednesday of its first A321neo—a single-aisle twin engine airliner that boasts fuel savings of 20 percent per seat and an extended range of about 500 nm, over conventional A321 models. As Delta adds this new model to its fleet, fuel efficiency has become even more critical in light of spiking jet-A prices, which can take a big bite out of any carrier’s bottom line.  

• READ MORE: How Aviation Handled the Fuel Crisis of the ‘70s

At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (KATL), we board Ship 5001—tail number N501DA—mindful of the airline’s goals surrounding sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint. In fact, Delta likes the A321neo so much that it has placed firm orders to purchase 155 of the jets through 2027, including 26 to be delivered this year alone. 

NBD, just tagging along on a ferry flight aboard @Delta Air Lines’ first @Airbus A321neo #avgeek @FlyingMagazine #aviation #airlines pic.twitter.com/jRrK7pSfdv

— Thom Patterson (@thompatterson) May 18, 2022

Joining us on this special non-revenue flight are a handful of people, including journalists and Delta executives escorting Ship 5001 to begin revenue passenger service Friday between Boston Logan airport (KBOS) and San Francisco International (KSFO).

After a smooth takeoff and pleasant cruise segment, Delta’s senior vice president fleet and tech ops supply chain Mahendra Nair sat down with FLYING among the jet’s mostly empty 132 main cabin seats, to explain what makes the A321neo so right for Delta. 

Nice takeoff roll from KATL RWY 26L powered by two brand spankin’ new Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM geared turbofans. @FlyingMagazine #avgeek pic.twitter.com/QZ4EtQWARK

— Thom Patterson (@thompatterson) May 18, 2022

From a pilot training perspective, the airplane offers scalability, says Nair, whose roots extend back to his time with commercial engines and services at GE Aviation. The A321neo allows for large-scale training synergies among pilots already familiar with the other A320 family members in Delta’s fleet, including the A319, A320, and A321. 

With a range of 4,000 nm, Delta will fly the A321neo on domestic transcontinental routes. “This is exactly where we want it to be, where our hub structures are growing,” Nair says. As the A321neos begin taking more transcon routes, Nair says the fleet’s existing Boeing 757s will be moving off those routes, shifting to flights with shorter distances. On similar legs, Boeing’s 757 burns about 3,000 more pounds of fuel than the A321neo, according to pilots.

In addition to the fuel-saving and sustainability aspects of the new airplane, Nair says it will contribute to the simplification of Delta’s fleet. “So we’ll have 600 aircraft in our narrowbody fleets that are just three categories: the A220s, the Boeing 737s, and the A320s—simplifying the categories for us.”

Secret Sauce

The secret sauce of the A321neo, is the “neo.” The acronym stands for “new engine option,” referring to the jet’s two Pratt & Whitney GTF geared turbofans. These powerplants specialize in high fuel efficiency and low noise signatures. Up on the flight deck, Delta pilot Capt. Steve Warrior says pilots would be surprised how quiet the engines are. So quiet, he says, that “you can hear a lot more wind noise. It has a very unique pitch for the throttle setting.”

Each GTF engine contains a sophisticated gearbox that allows the fan and turbine to run at different speeds. Because of this, the engine is shorter and lighter than conventional turbofans while the fan is larger and slower, creating more thrust with less fuel. The slower moving air through the powerplant also makes the engine much quieter. 

This aircraft is the first of 155 A321neos (“neo” aka “new engine option”) that Delta plans to add to its fleet through 2027. #avgeek @FlyingMagazine pic.twitter.com/iFC1FRkiuA

— Thom Patterson (@thompatterson) May 18, 2022

The engines are also certified to burn a 50 percent blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and could eventually be certified to burn 100 percent. SAF burns cleaner than conventional fuel and is made from sustainable feedstocks like used cooking oil. These kinds of engines fit Delta’s plan to replace 10 percent of its fossil-based jet fuel with SAF by the end of 2030.

• READ MORE: Airbus Tests A380 with 100 Percent SAF

Pilot’s Perspective

Warrior, a former U.S. Air Force pilot, has flown a few airliners in his 24 years with Delta, including the Boeing 727, 737, 757, and 767. He’s also a veteran of Delta’s now-retired fleet of McDonnell-Douglas MD-88s, and Airbus’ A320 family. 

When asked about our fuel consumption during this flight, Warrior said roughly 22,290 pounds of fuel were loaded onto the jet before pushing in Atlanta. Factoring in a ground delay during taxiing, the A321neo burned about 13,000 pounds during the flight to Boston. It’s worth noting that by carrying so few passengers and luggage, much less fuel is required for ferry flights compared with typical revenue flights. 

How did Ship 5001’s fuel consumption compare with Delta’s conventional A321s? “We were looking at it earlier, and it’s burning about 1,400 pounds per hour less,” he says. Delta says it now has 127 conventional models, what Airbus calls the A321ceo (current engine option), in its fleet. 

Ferry flight mission: accomplished. Delta Air Lines pilots have repositioned Ship 5001 (N501DA) at KBOS to begin regular revenue passenger service between KBOS and KSFO this Friday, May 20 #AvGeek @FlyingMagazine pic.twitter.com/VAXjrlbhBY

— Thom Patterson (@thompatterson) May 18, 2022

Also from a pilot’s perspective, Warrior said the new airplane’s longer range could result in longer hours working on the flight deck. Instead of four- or five-hour narrowbody routes, “now we can easily fly seven hours, which will easily give us the ability to go from Seattle or Los Angeles or San Francisco to Hawaii and still have the necessary divert fuel,” Warrior says. “It basically gives us an opportunity to touch a lot more markets with this airframe at 194 seats than we’ve had—and with a 20 percent fuel reduction. For us, that’s huge.”

Fancy New Domestic First Class

Delta, which has been flying conventional A321s since 2016, chose to unveil the A321neo along with new domestic first-class seating that includes elements of the airline’s international first-class experience. New oversized seat-backs provide more room for a larger, high-definition screen where passengers can enjoy Delta’s next-gen wireless inflight entertainment system, created in-house by Delta’s new startup, Delta Flight Products.

Seating capacity on Airbus 321neo in Delta configuration: 194 seats including 20 FC, 42 Delta Comfort+, 132 main cabin. #Avgeek @FlyingMagazine pic.twitter.com/eC6f6PXCPF

— Thom Patterson (@thompatterson) May 18, 2022

“You’ll see this airplane in any airport with long domestic hauls,” says Delta vice president, brand experience, Mauricio Parise. “Boston, New York, Atlanta, L.A., San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Detroit.” 

Seats by RECARO and the design firm Factorydesign come with winged headrests for more privacy, 25 percent larger tray tables, and three times more storage space for personal items. “We worked very close with the operations team to understand what we call TTL—approved for taxi, takeoff, and landing,” Parise says. “There are spaces for little things, like a water bottle, making sure the right thing is in the right space so you don’t need to move as you take off, for safety reasons.”

Do Lower Fuel Costs Mean Lower Fares?

But where will that savings go? Will Delta pass it on to the consumer? Sort of, says Nair. “The price of airline tickets has probably grown the least over the past 25 to 35 years because airplanes have gotten more efficient with more range and more gauge over time,” Nair says. “So, is it one-for-one? Does it get passed on to the customer? It’s difficult to make that translation, but over time, it does make its way to the customer.”

Cleaner Burning, More Efficient Fleets

But airliners like the A321neo are just the beginning of what’s possible. The International Air Transport Association has outlined a roadmap showing how technological advances in design and propulsion might ideally help the entire industry cut carbon emissions in half by 2050, compared to levels in 2005. IATA’s outline includes advanced turbofan engine designs, but it also proposes the development of small short-haul airliners with fully electric propulsion systems that would enter service by 2035. 

Overall, Delta’s big bet on A321neos and their environmentally friendly and economical innovations aligns well with IATA goals to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across civil aviation by 2050.

The post Flying on Delta’s New Fuel-Saving Airbus A321neo appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The flight followed a series of earlier SAF tests using the company’s A350 and A319neo aircraft.

The A380 flew for three hours from Blagnac Airport in Toulouse with one Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine consuming 27 metric tons of unblended SAF produced by France’s Total Energies in Normandy. Airbus said it plans to make a second 100 percent SAF test flight, from Toulouse to Nice Airport on Tuesday. The second flight is meant to test SAF’s performance during takeoff and landing. 

The company said the SAF produced in Normandy, close to Le Havre, France, “was made from hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), free of aromatics and sulfur, and primarily consisting of used cooking oil, as well as other waste fats.”

Airbus said increasing the use of SAF “remains a key pathway to achieving the industry’s ambition of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.” 

All Airbus aircraft are currently certified to fly with up to a 50 percent blend of SAF mixed with kerosene, the company said, adding that it is working toward certification for 100 percent SAF by the end of this decade.

The post Airbus Tests A380 with 100 Percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel appeared first on FLYING Magazine.