Boeing unveiled its first flight test 737 MAX
8 to employees and suppliers on December- The aircraft, N8701Q (c/n 42554) Spirit
of Renton, was rolled out at the company’s
Renton factory wearing a special teal version
of the manufacturer’s livery. It will now
undergo pre-flight preparation before going
to Renton Field for further testing ahead of its
maiden flight in early 2016.
Keith Leverkuhn, Vice President and General
Manager, 737 MAX, said: “Today marks another
in a long series of milestones that our team has
achieved on time, and to plan. With the roll-out
of the new 737 MAX – the first new aeroplane
of Boeing’s second century – our team is
upholding an incredible legacy while taking the
737 to the next level of performance.”
Boeing says the second and third test
aircraft are currently in final assembly, whilethe fourth (and last) is in sub-assembly and
the programme remains on track to deliver
the first production aircraft to launch customer
Southwest Airlines during the third quarter of
2 0 1 7.KAI Unveils its T-X Prototype
South East Expansion Decision Delayed
A long-awaited decision on whether to
build a third runway at Heathrow has been
delayed until the summer by the British
Government.
Prime Minister David Cameron had
previously indicated a final decision
would be made by the end of 2015 after
the Airports Commission, led by Sir
Howard Davies, unanimously backed
Heathrow’s proposal in a 342-page report
issued on July 1. But in a December 10
announcement, the government said
all three shortlisted options – including
expansion at Gatwick – were still under
consideration.
The Airports Commission firmly
supported a third runway at Heathrow,
saying: “a new northwest runway, combined
with a significant package of measures to
address its environmental and community
impacts, presents the strongest case of
the three shortlisted options and offers thegreatest strategic and economic benefits.”
But the House of Commons
Environmental Audit Committee wants
Heathrow to demonstrate it could meet key
environmental conditions on climate change,
air quality and noise before approval is
granted. It believes failure to deal with these
concerns could expose the scheme to legal
challenges.
The latest statement from the Department
for Transport stressed the need for further
environmental work, including testing the
Airports Commission’s air quality analysis.
It added that the location decision for extra
airport capacity would be “subject to further
consideration on environmental impacts and
the best possible mitigation measures”.
Secretary of State for Transport Patrick
McLoughlin said: “The case for aviation
expansion is clear – but it’s vitally important
we get the decision right so that it will
benefit generations to come.“We must develop the best possible
package of measures to mitigate the
impacts on local people. We will continue
work on all the shortlisted locations, so that
the timetable for more capacity set out by
Sir Howard is met.”
Heathrow responded, saying it: “has full
confidence that expansion can be delivered
within environmental limits”.
The government’s announcement has
drawn criticism from various quarters
including the British Chamber of Commerce,
which branded the decision as “gutless”.
Meanwhile, Jim McAuslan, General
Secretary of the British Airline Pilots’
Association (BALPA), commented: “This is
disappointing, but not unexpected news.
We’re pleased that the government has
accepted the case for airport expansion,
but it appears that the politics of the
South East continues to paralyse the final
decision-making.”Korea Aerospace Industries
(KAI) unveiled a prototype of its
development of the T-50 Golden
Eagle, to be offered for the USAF’s
T-X next-generation trainer
competition, during a ceremony at
the company’s Sacheon plant on
December 17.
The aircraft will be proposed for
the requirement in a joint bid with
Lockheed Martin, which provided
technology transfer for the original
T-50 design, and is expected to make
its maiden flight this year, with trials in
the USA following in 2017.
The most noticeable feature externally
on the new variant is a distinctive dorsal
hump. No specific details of the changesin configuration to the aircraft
have been revealed, although last
year Lockheed Martin officials
said it would include an upgraded
cockpit, new embedded systems
to support fifth-generation training
requirements and probably an aerial
refuelling capability.
The USAF plans to purchase
up to 350 aircraft to meet the T-X
requirement, replacing the current
Northrop T-38 Talon fleet. Other
contenders include Alenia Aermacchi
with its M346-based T-100, Boeing
with a clean-sheet design being
developed in collaboration with Saab and
Northrop Grumman, which is also proposing a
new type.http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 5MAX Makes
Debut
Boeing introduced the latest incarnation of its highly successful 737 family when it rolled out
the first of its new generation MAX 8 aircraft at Renton on December 8. BoeingKAI revealed its development of the T-
Golden Eagle it is proposing for the USAF’s
T-X next-generation trainer competition. KAI04-05_headlines.JRDC.indd 5 08/01/2016 09: