Category: The aircraft we fly

News and views about the aircraft we fly

FAA Will Review Boeing 787 Design and Production

In light of a series of recent events, the FAA will conduct a comprehensive review of the Boeing 787 critical systems, including the design, manufacture and assembly. The purpose of the review is to validate the work conducted during the certification process and further ensure that the aircraft meets the FAA’s high level of safety.… Continue reading FAA Will Review Boeing 787 Design and Production

United 787 Virtual Tour

A virtual tour of United’s Dreamliner is now available through the United Hub here. The virtual tour provides a detailed look at the aircraft’s unique characteristics through a variety of animated, interactive features. The tour enables viewers to sample the Dreamliner’s United BusinessFirst seats, electrochromatic window shades, six styles of LED cabin lighting and more. The virtual… Continue reading United 787 Virtual Tour

Drone pilots… watch this video to see how they work

Look at this video. These controllers are in Nevada and are each flying a  drone thousands of miles away in the combat zone in Iraq and  Afghanistan . Their left hand is on the throttle controlling the drone’s engine.  Note all the buttons which perform various tasks without removing the hand from the throttle.  The… Continue reading Drone pilots… watch this video to see how they work

United Airlines' First 787 Takes Flight

United Airlines’ first 787 Dreamliner has completed its first production flight as Boeing makes final preparations for delivering it to United at the end of September. The aircraft took off from Boeing’s Paine Field in Everett, Wash., on Sunday. Boeing pilots flew the 787 around the Seattle area for more than three hours as part… Continue reading United Airlines' First 787 Takes Flight

UAVs in civil airspace… is this a good idea?

The US Congress has directed the FAA to make all necessary arrangements to enable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to operate in national airspace by 2015. Not that there are no UAVs outside the war zones already. Customs, low enforcement agencies, emergency response teams and the like are already using those little wonders to help their… Continue reading UAVs in civil airspace… is this a good idea?

Boeing 787 Dreamliner dazzles with innovative details

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner stands apart from the Boeing aircraft that United currently flies. In fact, it’s different from any aircraft you’ve seen. We’d like to take you on a tour of the 787 inside and out, stopping along the way to show you the innovative features that make this a truly remarkable plane –… Continue reading Boeing 787 Dreamliner dazzles with innovative details

Airbus: Uncle Sam, here we come!

The best kept secret in the State of Alabama these days is the Airbus announcement expected to come on Monday, 2 July at 10a local time, that they will open their first aircraft manufacturing plant in Mobile, Alabama. Mobile already hosts the Airbus North America engineering center. Back in the days when Airbus and Boeing… Continue reading Airbus: Uncle Sam, here we come!

Flying cars are not only for 007 any more!

Remember the James Bond movie “The Man with the Golden Gun”? It featured an AMC Matador which could actually fly. The bad guy Scaramanga used it to escape from 007. Now, thanks to a US and a Dutch company we may be on the verge of having flying cars in our garage. With gas prices… Continue reading Flying cars are not only for 007 any more!

How the engines of an IL-14 came out of retirement after 25 years

If you ever have the occasion to fly from Budapest Ferihegy airport Terminal Two, make sure you leave some time to visit the aircraft museum just off the airport loop-road on the right-hand side. Mind you, if you are used to the pristine exhibits of transport museums in Germany or Switzerland, you will need to… Continue reading How the engines of an IL-14 came out of retirement after 25 years