In regard to airplanes, a tailwheel aircraft or a taildagger alludes to the position of the landing gear on an airplane. An aircraft with a tailwheel, which can also be identified as a conventional gear, is designed with the aircrafts two main landing gears set towards the front of the airplane’s center of gravity. It can also be set at the front of the aircraft, where a single “tailwheel” is in the back of the airplane to support the airplane’s tail.
The word “conventional” can be difficult to fully understand, although in present times, it is more common to see tricycle gears on light aircraft rather than the tailwheel style. Nonetheless, the word “conventional” (which derived from the detail that most airplanes years ago were designed with a tailwheel gear configuration) suggests that the airplane has been design with a tailwheel rather than a tricycle gear. Aircrafts that are designed with tricycle landing gears, in which the two main landing gear are placed behind the center of gravity while the nose gear supports the nose in the front of the aircraft, is the more common gear seen in light aircraft today.
Tailwheel aircraft are often seen to be more challenging and even more hazardous to fly than airplanes designed with a tricycle landing gear. Due to the position of the center of gravity, which is located at the back of the main gear, ground operations such as landing can be more difficult in a tailwheel airplane. Because the nose sits higher in a tailwheel aircraft than a tricycle gear airplane, the forward visibility of the pilot is lowered during ground operations (ie. landing). It is more difficult to navigate without the ability to see directly in front of you, which is why in most cases, pilots of tailwheel aircrafts will do S-turns during navigation.
“Taildaggers” or “tailwheels” certainly also have benefits. Because of the “nose-high attitude” on the ground, the propellers on the aircraft have more clearance from the ground, which makes them more suitable for grass or dirt runways. These aircrafts are usually designed and configured for slower flights, which allows for easier landings on short runways.
ATR, a Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer and a parent company to Leonardo DRS, a defense contractor, recently announced its rejection of the 100-seat turboprop. Leonardo has been working for several years with airbus on the plan however, the agreement was taking too long so Leonardo opted out. Leonardo will now invest all its resources into its existing ATR 42 and 72 models.
Leonardo was trying to out-do bombardier who recently released the world’s only 90-seat turboprop. Leonardo currently has a detailed plan to restore growth within their helicopter division after it had several difficulties and misfortunes in 2017. Although this partnership did not prove to work out Leonardo states that it is still a step in the right direction to restore the helicopter division.
ATR owns over 75% of the worlds turboprop market and even with its recent order of 42 and 72 models, there is still room for significant growth. The turboprop is ATR’s current focus and they are going to do all they can to make it successful.
The new turboprop was denied because it would need to have an entire new airframe created. Leonardo is not happy about ATR’s decision and has even threatened to take on an entire new partner to get the job done. Leonardo’s enthusiasm is of no surprise as the company has always strived for top manufacturing and financial performance.
For now, Leonardo’s focus is for steady yet sustainable growth over the next few years. Leonardo will be looking for more opportunities to expand their business and to put more focus on bigger projects so that they can start coming out on top.
Honeywell has recently joined forces with Logix Aero, a rental dealership offering custom financing solutions to offer rental auxiliary power units to airbus customers. These units will be rented to individuals whom posses Airbus A330 and A340 Aircrafts. The need for this type of service has been long awaited and customers are highly looking forward to these rental deals as they will provide short and long-term solutions.
These rentals will allow for customers to utilize the units without having a contracted obligation to repair the unit or the unit core. The program also allows customers to use the maintenance service of their choice for the auxiliary power units which will reduce costs for upkeep and repair and will make downtime pass quicker.
Customers will now be able to choose the amount of time they would like to rent, a perk that addresses their operational and business needs. Once the units are no longer needed they will be dissembled from the aircraft and returned to Logix Aero to be rented to the next customer. Unscheduled auxiliary power unit maintenance or failure can lead to flight cancellations and downtime, a financial hit that no airline wants to take.
Although these units won’t solve the problem of a failed auxiliary power units it will allow for a temporary fix so that airlines can continue to fly and ensure customer satisfaction. Honeywell is the world largest Manufacturer of auxiliary power units, many aircrafts ranging from commercial, executive and military platforms. The units are primarily used to power aircrafts during ground operations such as main engine starting, ground operations and aircraft conditioning.
Four engine jets including the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380 put Qantas, Korean Air, and Asian Airlines at the bottom of the airline fuel efficiency ranking of transpacific flights. While Hainan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA) are said to be the most fuel efficient with 36 passenger kilometers per liter of fuel. This claim was made by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) in the white paper in 2016. These low fuel uses are accomplished in very different ways. Hainan Airlines is an extremely advanced fleet with 81% of its available seats were on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. While the All Nippon Airways (ANA) have a higher amount of burning fuel but carried more cargo.
Qantas was at the bottom of the ranking with only 22 passenger kilometers per liter of fuel due to it being the most fuel intensive with very low load capabilities with both cargo and passengers. The average passenger kilometers per liter of fuel within airlines is 31. Even lower than Qantas, was China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and Singapore Airlines with 20 passenger kilometers per liter of fuel.
The International Council on Clean Transportation’s (ICCT’s) aviation program director, Dan Rutherford found that the fuel burn per passenger rises with the size and weight of the aircraft, which is why the 747s and A380s look so bad in this report. Qantas is looking to replace the 747s with the 787-9s that have the twin engine controls. The most recent twin-engine planes with a wider body meet the requirements for a transpacific flight but with much lower fuel burn.
Bombardier Manufacturer is planning a new CSeries Site in Alabama that will serve as a final assembly site. They are taking every step to plan, receive needed approvals, and stay within all the laws. Since their December 27th document being filed with the ITC, International Trade Commission, Bombardier has continued to move towards the construction of their final assembly site. These papers were filed with the ITC after requests for more information on the Alabama Site after a trade dispute investigation. The construction of the Alabama final assembly site will put Bombardier’s United States assembly line in its advanced stages.
This completion will unfortunately be years down the line because there is so much equipment and told required for this final site. The good news is that this CSeries site will create some 400 to 500 jobs. The site in Mobile, Alabama is said to be the identical twin of the Mirabel site.
Another big case the ITC requested further information on was the Boeing merger with Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. Boeing claimed in the ITC paperwork that Embraer’s regional jets do not compare to their Boeing 737s model, but the CSeries do now and always will compete with Boeing. The merger comes easily because Boeing and Embraer have worked together on things in the past.
The ruling from the ITC will come on January 25th and will decide if Bombardier’s sale of the CS100s to Delta Air Lines ended up harming Boeing. If harm is found the CS100s will be subject to import duties set by the US Department of Commerce at a huge 292%. However, is no harm is found, the duties will not be imposed.
Robertson Fuel Systems and StandardAero have received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for their retrofittable crash resistant fuel tank (CRFT) for the Airbus AS350 and EC130 family of light single helicopters. Production deliveries to launch partners Air Methods Corporation (AMC) and WeatherTech Aviation LLC are already ongoing, with additional orders now being taken from operators worldwide. European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification of the CRFT is expected to follow shortly.
The CRFT has been developed by StandardAero and Robertson as a direct replacement for all AS350 models, including the AS350 C, AS350 D/D1, AS350 B/B1/B2/BA/B3 and AS350 B3e (H125), as well as the EC130 B4. The tank’s unique design features a crash resistant fuel bladder, with the same capacity as the legacy fuel cell, and uses several innovations including magnetic field sensor fuel gauging technology and vent system roll-over protection. The CRFT is compliant with the latest FAR Part 27.952 fuel system crash resistance requirements, even when used in combination with a cargo swing.
Public and regulatory focus on enhanced helicopter safety has continued to grow since the CRFT was first unveiled in 2015, and the FAA Reauthorization Act now includes an amendment that requires the FAA to make helicopter owners aware of fuel system retrofits and to urge them to install them.
StandardAero is a global independent provider of services, including engine and airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul, engine component repair, engineering services, interior completions and paint applications. StandardAero serves a diverse array of customers in business and general aviation, airline, military, helicopter, components and energy markets. The company celebrated its 100th year of industry leadership in 2011.
Robertson Fuel Systems, founded in the 1960s, is a pioneer in the development of crashworthy fuel systems in rotorcraft and ground systems. It is owned by HEICO Corporation.
Delta Airlines strikes a bargain when searching for a mode to power their Airbus A321neo aircraft. Coming to terms with Pratt and Whitney, they have agreed to provide not only the PW1100G-JM engine for the A321neo but has also placed Delta Airlines on their list of approved PW1000-series geared turbofan (GTF) overhaul shops. In doing so Delta is presented with a new field of opportunity in aftermarket sales and hopes to, “keep its own MRO costs low while offsetting them with millions of dollars in third-party revenue by in-sourcing work from other airlines.”
Deltas Tech Ops MRO Division will be the one responsible for the aftermarket support. Delta has great resources that will be allocated to a prime support for the Airbus A321neo engines and will also be very useful for Pratt and Whitney’s PW1500Gs. The PW1500 is also used to power Bombardiers C Series aircraft which Delta has placed an order for a new 75 C Series.
Deltas CEO is very confident in their efforts to try and better their company by stating,”
The other thing that was really important for us to obtain from Pratt was the ability to actually execute on that plan with the repair capabilities and having the tools and the technology transfer that we're going to work together on to position Delta as the premier provider and engine repair shop for the geared turbofan across the board."
A slight concern has risen with the allocation of Deltas Atlantas based Tech Ops facility as it is nearby Pratts Columbus, Ga GTF facility located a near 100 miles up the road. MRO Network states that Delta should not be affected due to the volume of their orders in the upcoming years.
Aerospace Exchange is a premier provider of Airbus Aircraft Parts and turbofan engine parts. Having created well rounded relationships with top manufactures in the industry ASAP Aerospace Exchange is the right place for your part needs. Specializing in obsolete and hard to find parts over the years. ASAP is able to provide parts that have been tested and placed under warranty to ensure every order.
The all Airbus fleet airline, Sichuan Airlines, which is based in Chengdu, China, has chosen both Airbus Flight Hour Services and Airbus Real Time Health Monitoring Service to supply aircraft components and maintenance assistance. This will allow for the highest service level and operations for the company’s 4 new A350 XWBs. Sichuan Airlines is set to fly the A350 XWBs in the approaching months via its international courses, which includes Chengdu to the United States.
This agreement will supply a better look at the A350 line replaceable units and APU, Airbus aircraft parts that are guaranteed through pool access service along with on site stock at the main base of the customer, and lastly, provide reliability of components as well as maintenance.
In the competitive and fast paced, growing market, Sichuan Airlines has chosen the services of the Airbus FHS and AiRTHM to smoothly enter its A350 XWB fleet into service while also supply great aircraft parts. In the past, the airline company was the launch customer for Airbus FHS in China. The Airbus A330 has been in place since 2009. This new agreement has maintained Sichuan’s belief and confidence in the value of Airbus FHS.
Head of Customer Services at Airbus, Phillippe Mhun, is extremely pleased that Suchuan has trusted their A350 component support and AiRTHM to their company. Airbus endorses the fact that their A350 customers are content with the in class operational performance that is higher than industry averages. Sichuan Airline’s support furthers Airbus’ position in the Chinese market.
As of today, Airbus has secured 848 orders for the A350 XWB from over forty-five customers in different countries. With 287 secured orders for this model from different carriers, Asia-Pacific represents over one-third of the total sales recorded. This new deal between Airbus and Sichuan Airlines has allowed for Airbus FHS to cover over four-hundred aircrafts.
Azerbaijan Airlines, Dubai Airline announced its partnership with Boeing a few weeks ago. The deal includes 787 Dreamliner’s, freighters and 787 landing fear exchange programs. This deal is valued at about 1.9 billion dollars. The Dubai airline will now have a total of seven Dreamliner’s, and will be the first customer to enroll in the 787-landing gear exchange program. The landing gear program is a low-cost solution for overhauled and certified landing gears. The main carrier for this will be the Boeing company. Ordering these larger planes will allow for the Dubai airline to accommodate more passengers, travel to new destinations, and expand the overall operation. Azerbaijan is delighted to join the boing fleet, as this partnership will only create more opportunities for Azerbaijan airlines, opportunities that before were only dreams.
The landing gear program will allow for the airline to spend lost money on repair costs, a huge benefit for the airline and for Boeing. Now the airline can exchange landing gear that is repaired or overhauled, allowing the need to contact repair shops, and setting up appointments to be a thing of the past. This will also keep the overall cost of aircraft maintenance to a minimum and limit the amount of time that an aircraft is on ground do to non-working parts or components. Azerbaijan will now be able to serve over 40 different destinations in over 25 different countries, something its customers are extremely overjoyed about. The 787 Dreamliner is one of the fastest selling aircrafts in Boeing history. Boeing will continue to shell out as many of these aircrafts as possible, as they are some of the best in this class.
In 2010, Thrush Aircraft introduced a new aircraft engine mount designed for the 510 series Thrush. It managed to remove the lead-shot ballast ring and create a mini-storage area due to the 18 inches extension. This changed improved the flight characteristics by moving the CG, but more important it removed just about 300 pounds of “dead” weight.
First version of 510 Thrush did not exceeded the expectations due to technical issues. The incorporation of the four-blade prop and extended motor mount improved the 510C Thrush abilities drastically. Doran Rogers of Cascade Aircraft Conversions realized the combination of improvements vastly improved the performance, therefore he developed a 14-inch extended engine mount and isolated the lead shot ballast ring. Moreover, instead of a four-blade propeller, he installed an experimental three-blade 180” Avia prop.
Joy and Dave Johnston owns and operates Johnston Aircraft Services (JAS) since 1947, previously established by Dave’s father. In 2005, JAS received a 1974 model S2R Thrush and from that moment on, the aircraft experienced a complete change into a 2016 model Thrush with the Cascade extended engine mount and inlet, 108” Avia prop and robust PT6A-41 engine. JAS’s shop rebuilt the aircraft from scratch after disassembling it. They added ultra sound checking of the fuselage, sealing axle ends to prevent corrosion from entering and made improvements as needed.
“Bill, we believe these PT6A-41 and -42 engine takeoffs are by far the best way to go for more power in a Thrush. There is a lot of life left in them at a low purchase price. So low, that when the engine is run out, instead of overhauling it, replace it with another one,” explains Dave.
Aerospace Exchange has a committed and extensive array of aircraft Engine Mounts, turboprop engine and aircraft parts, helping customers as a one-stop shop and main terminus for aircraft product sourcing. ASAP will guarantee that your requirements are addressed in the best prompt and translucent way, all the though proposing worthwhile component solutions. If you are interested in a quote, then quote your requirement here at sales@aerospaceexchange.com or us at call +1-708-387-7800.
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