Airliner World — September 2017

http://www.airlinerworld.com 19

News Review • International

Boeing has launched its third major

business unit, Boeing Global Services, to

operate alongside its Commercial Airplanes

and Defense, Space & Security divisions.

Combining the key capabilities of the

company’s former Commercial Aviation

Services and Global Services & Support

groups, it will offer customers four key

capability areas: supply chain, engineering

modifications and maintenance, digital

aviation & analytics as well as training &

professional services. The US manufacturer

estimates the potential market for its Global

Services business unit could be worth $2.

trillion over the next decade.

Liebherr-Aerospace has been awarded a

contract to build landing gear components

for the Embraer 175-E2 by Brazilian

manufacturer ELEB. The Swiss firm will

now produce titanium trailing arms and

steel leg struts for the second-generation

E-Jets family, in addition to the flight

control/actuation and nosewheel steering

control modules it already supplies for the

next-generation family.

Airbus A350-1000 prototype, F-WLXV

(c/n 065), has successfully completed hot

weather testing at Al Ain, UAE. The trials,

held between July 4-7, focussed on how

the aircraft and its systems, particularly

those in the passenger cabin, performed

under extreme weather conditions and

temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F).

Airbus said the A350-1000 met all the

set parameters and certification should

be completed by the end of the summer.

First deliveries are due to take place in

the fourth quarter of the year to launch

customer Qatar Airways. (Photo Airbus)

The Siberian Aeronautical Research

Institute has assembled and test flown

the first prototype of an all-composite

derivative of the Antonov An-2 biplane.

According to the manufacturer, the ‘new’

aircraft, currently named the TVS-2DTS,

has a higher airspeed and potentially longer

range than the original 1940s-era utility

transport. The maiden flight, on July 10,

was preceded by ground testing relating

to the aircraft’s structural integrity and its

control systems. Providing flight testing

goes according to plan the Institute plans

to start series production of the composite

aircraft in the Novosibirsk region within the

next two years through a private/public

partnership.

Bombardier Business Aircraft confirmed

flight testing of its Global 7000 business jet

is progressing well and the three prototypes

currently flying have surpassed the 500-

hour milestone. They will be joined shortly at

the company’s test centre in Wichita, Kansas

by two further examples, FTV 4 and FTV5,

and together they will complete the type’s

certification during the second half of 2018.

Boeing Deliveries in brief

New-build Boeing 737-700s are becoming increasingly rare, with most Next-Generation exam-

ples being either -800 or -900ER variants. However, Kunming Airlines is still taking delivery

of the smaller jet, and this aircraft, B-1459 (c/n 61705), was photographed at Boeing Field on

June 16. It was handed over to the Chinese carrier five days later. JOE G WALKER

Boeing delivered the following aircraft during June

737-700 1 Kunming Airlines

737-800 39

9 Air (3), Air China, Air Europa, American Airlines (2), Avia Capital Leasing,

Bank of Communications Leasing, BOC Aviation (2), China Development Bank

Finance, China Eastern Airlines, Donghai Airlines, EgyptAir, GECAS, Hebei Airlines,

Nok Air, Norwegian (3), Okay Airways, Ruili Airlines, Sberbank Leasing, Shandong

Airlines, Southwest Airlines (10), Turkmenistan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines (3)

737-800A 2 US Navy (2)

737 MAX 4 Lion Air (2), Norwegian (2)

737-

900ER^3 Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Okay Airways

767-300F 2 FedEx (2)

777-

300ER^12

Aeroflot, China Eastern Airlines, Emirates (2), GECAS, Kuwait Airways,

Unidentified Customer, United Airlines (5)

787 - 8 3 Air Europa, Ethiopian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines

787-9 9 Air Canada (2), Air China, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines (3), Etihad Airways, Unidentified Customer

Total 75

BelugaXL

Components

Start to Arrive

STELIA AEROSPACE has delivered the

first fully-equipped upper fuselage

section for the BelugaXL programme.

The 26ft x 30ft x 26ft (8m x 9m x

8m) structure, weighing 2.1 tonnes,

was handed over during a ceremony

at the company’s Rochefort facility in

southwestern France on July 6. The

large aerostructure was later taken

to the city’s seaport where it was

loaded onto a barge used to move

A380 components. After arriving at

the Langdon river port near Bordeaux

the fuselage section was transferred

to a road transporter for its final

journey to the Toulouse final

assembly line following the same

route as the A380 components (see

Airliner World, July 2017).

Teams at three STELIA Aerospace

sites – Rochefort, Saint-Nazaire and

Toulouse – have collaborated on the

design, assembly and equipping of

the upper fuselage and cargo door

work package and its associated

mechanisms. After the successful

delivery of the upper fuselage, the

company is now concentrating

on completing the aircraft’s cargo

door – the largest aircraft door ever

manufactured in Europe measuring

1,507sq ft (140m²) – which is due

for delivery in September. STELIA

says the highlight of its two-part

work package was finding an

innovative solution for the complex

opening and closing mechanisms of

the BelugaXL’s huge doors.

GAMECO Aircraft Conversions

AIR TRANSPORT Services Group’s

(ATSG) PEMCO World Air Services

subsidiary has signed an agreement

with Guangzhou Aircraft Engineering

Company (GAMECO) that will see the

Chinese MRO perform Boeing 737-700,

-400 and -300 passenger-to-freighter

conversions for customers in the Asia

Pacific region. This follows the launch

of PEMCO’s 737-700 FlexCombi and full

freighter conversion programmes earlier

this year.

Mike Andrews, PEMCO Director of

Conversion Programs, explained: “With

the continued success of our 737-

and -400 conversions and the launch of

the -700 programme it is imperative that

we expand capacity to meet customer

demand. This new partnership will

benefit our conversion customers and is

another example of our global reach.”

DEVELOPMENT OF Ilyushin's relaunched
Il-114 turboprop appears to be gathering
pace after upgraded aircraft's potential
powerplant was showcased at the MAKS
2017 airshow in mid-July.
The static display at the biennial airshow
at Zhukovsky featured Il-76T flying test
bed, RA-76492 (c/n 0043452549) from
the Gromov Flight Research Institute,
which was equipped with a Klimov TV7-
117ST turboprop engine installed under
its port wing.
The latest variant of the TV7-17 turbine
engine family, the -117ST is rated at
2,650hp and has been designed to
increase fuel efficiency compared with

previous versions, as well as offering

greater range and improved take-off

and landing characteristics.

Ground testing of the new powerplant

started in September 2016, while a

spokesperson for the manufacturer,

United Engine Corporation, revealed

16 prototype engines will be used

during the test and certification process

scheduled for completion in 2019.

No timescale has been announced as

to when production of the Il-114-300 –

officially re-launched last year and

featuring all domestically produced

components – will resume, though

current plans call for the manufacture

of 12-18 examples per month.

(Photo Airteamimages.com/Alex Snow)

Flying Test Bed