Aviation 10

Verhees Delta 2 lying wing F-PDHZ made
its irst public appearance at the French
amateur RSA Fly-in at Brienne-le-Château,
France, on August 3. Conceived by Belgian
designer Bart Verhees, it is a side-by-side
two-seater developed from his earlier single-
seat Delta which has appeared at several
British Light Aircraft Association rallies.
The Delta 2 has a largely aluminium
airframe and is controlled by very big elevons

and a small rudder. The undercarriage

has an outsized retractable nose wheel, a

small rear wheel and two outriggers and the

engine is a 100hp Rotax 912S, which gives

a cruising speed of 149mph (240km/h).

The Delta 2 is said to have very docile

lying characteristics and will be available to

homebuilders as a kit. Rod Simpson

IN BRIEF

AIR CHINA took delivery of its maiden A350-

900 in Toulouse on August 8. The carrier is the

irst Chinese mainland customer to order and

take ownership of the twin-engine widebody

aircraft, which is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent

XWBs. Its A350-900 features a three-class

cabin layout of 312 seats: 32 business, 24

premium economy and 256 economy. It will

initially operate the new aircraft on its domestic

routes, which will be followed by lights to

international destinations.

A new business jet is to be developed by

Russia’s S7 AIRLINES. Called ‘Victory’,

the project was unveiled during an official

visit by the governor of the Moscow region,

Andrey Vorobyov to the carrier in late August.

According to S7’s general director Vladimir

Obedkov, around 13bn roubles ($190.7m) is

being invested into the new enterprise, which

will be based in Stupino, 62 miles (100km)

south of Moscow. The aircraft is a development

of the Epic Victory ultra-light business jet, the

production rights to which were acquired by S

in 2009. It is expected to be built from carbon

composite materials, have a range of around

1,250 miles (2,000km) and be able to carry four

to ive passengers.

A new-build ATR 72-600, registration EP-

ITK, has been delivered to IRAN AIR. The

European manufacturer had planned to

supply up to 20 turboprops for the Iranian

carrier, but new American economic

sanctions on Tehran have placed future

deliveries in doubt.

Airbus A330-200 SU-GCE has been delivered

to EGYPTAIR CARGO. The aircraft was in

passenger service for the Egyptian airline

from 2004 until spring last year and has been

converted to a freighter coniguration.

EUROWINGS has taken delivery of its last

of 77 former airberlin aircraft. The Airbus

A320 entered service on August 27.

Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes
airline unveiled its newly outitted 737 MAX
8 in São Paulo on August 29. The carrier
also announced plans to ly the fuel-
efficient and longer-range 737 aircraft on
international routes.
“Today is an exciting day for the entire
GOL team, we are happy to welcome the
737 MAX 8. We can further improve our
operational efficiency by lying a young,
modern and safe leet, while also lowering the
cost of air travel and expanding our network
to new international destinations,” said Paulo
Kakinoff, chief executive officer of GOL.
The Brazilian airline took delivery of its
irst 737 MAX 8 this year and has been
improving on board products and services,
such as adding wireless internet to the
Boeing Sky Interior cabin. The airline is
now itting out its second 737 MAX – which
it received in mid-August – with the same
cabin amenities.

As part of its strategic leet renewal

programme, GOL has placed multiple orders

for the 737 MAX, including a new contract

announced at Farnborough in July. In all,

GOL is on track to become the largest MAX

operator in Latin America with a 135-strong

MAX leet. The initial aircraft arriving at GOL

are the MAX 8 variant, which seats up to 186

passengers in the airline’s coniguration.

The jetliners will reduce GOL’s fuel use

and emissions, and can ly further than its

predecessor. With the additional range,

the carrier said it will begin regular service

from Brazil’s capital Brasilia and Fortaleza

to Miami and Orlando. It also plans new

international routes to Quito, the capital of

Ecuador, with the MAX. Thirty of GOL’s new

aircraft will be the larger MAX 10, which will

enable it to comfortably carry more than 30

additional passengers.

Verhees Delta 2 F-PDHZ at Brienne-le-

Chateau on August 3. Rod Simpson

GOL newly outitted 737 MAX 8 being

unveiled in São Paulo on August 29. Boeing

GOL Debuts its 737 MAX

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 7

Verhees Delta 2 Makes

Debut Appearance

Stolen Propliner

Crashes

A propliner registered to Horizon Air

Industries in the USA was apparently

stolen by an airport worker at Seattle-

Tacoma International Airport, Washington

State, on August 10. Bombardier Q400,

N449QX, took off on an unauthorised

light lasting around 70 minutes,

performing loop-the-loop and barrels

rolls before crashing on Ketron Island,

near Steilacoom, Washington, killing the

non-certiicated pilot, identiied locally as

being 24-year-old Richard Russell. The

aircraft was destroyed.

Horizon Air personnel reported that

the individual was employed as a ground

service agent and had access to the

aircraft on the ramp. The Federal Bureau

of Investigation (FBI) is conducting

an enquiry, the indings of which are

expected to be released later this year.