Aviation News — February 2018

The Bell V-280 Valor made its initial flight

on December 18 last year. Bell Helicopter

said the milestone brought it one step

closer to “creating the next generation of

vertical lift aircraft for the US military”.

The company claims that with twice

the speed and range of conventional

helicopters, the Valor would offer

commanders unmatched operational agility

to self-deploy and perform a multitude of

vertical lift missions.

Restored Boeing C-97G Angel of

Deliverance ‘escaped’ a Brooklyn, New

York, airstrip after 15 years on November 7.

The aircraft had touched down at Floyd

Bennett Field in 2002, since when it has

undergone painstaking restoration, ready

for its return to the air.

Many major hurdles were overcome,

which began with sourcing specialised

tooling and equipment. Bringing the

engines back to life was a particularly

daunting task that also involved installing

224 new spark plugs.

From Floyd Bennett Field, the aircraft,

owned by the Berlin Airlift Historical

Foundation (BAHF), flew to Toms River,

New Jersey to take on fuel and for safety

checks to be carried out. A short flight to

Reading, Pennsylvania, followed, where

Angel of Deliverance will stay at the

Mid-Atlantic Air Museum until after the

attraction’s World War II Weekend at the

beginning of June.

The BAHF, based at Farmingdale, New

Jersey, acquired C-97G N117GA/52-

in 1996 and will operate it as a “flying

museum, and classroom”, to help tell the

story of the Cold War, from the Berlin Airlift

of 1948 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Another challenge for the BAHF is to

secure a permanent, indoor home for the

C-97G and its C-54.

Dassault Terminates Falcon 5X Project

Dassault has ceased development of

the Falcon 5X business jet project. The

company said in a statement that Safran’s

Silvercrest engine had met recurring

technical issues. In the autumn of last

year, it said Safran had experienced issues

with the high-pressure compressor and

told Dassault Aviation that it would cause

further delays, making entry into service in

2020 impossible.

“The delivery of compliant Silvercrest

engines was originally planned for the end

of 2013 in accordance with the Falcon 5X

flight test schedule,” Dassault said.

The aircraft manufacturer is now working

on a new business jet which has a similar

wide cabin layout, but a slightly longer

range of 5,500nm (10,180km). It will

use two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW

engines which also power the Gulfstream

G500 and G600. Rod Simpson

Niki Assets

Bought by IAG

International Airlines Group (IAG) is to buy

the assets of Austrian airline Niki, which

was formerly part of the Air Berlin group, for

€20m (£17.74m) and provide liquidity to Niki

of up to €16.5m (£14.63m).

The transaction, announced on January 2,

is being made by a newly formed subsidiary

of Vueling, which will be incorporated as

an Austrian company and run initially as a

separate operation. The deal is subject to EC

competition approval.

Assets include up to 15 A320 Family aircraft

and, according to IAG, an “attractive slot

portfolio” at various airports, including Vienna,

Düsseldorf, Munich, Palma and Zürich.

Details of branding and route network will

be given at a later date.

Niki ceased operations in mid-December.

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 5

SkyCourier Announced

A computer generated image of the SkyCourier. Textron Aviation

Textron Aviation is developing a new twin

turboprop utility aircraft, the Model 408

SkyCourier. It is a high-wing aircraft, with a

fixed tricycle undercarriage. Launch customer,

Federal Express, which is a major user of

the single-turboprop Cessna Caravan, has

placed an order for 50 aircraft (and a further 50

options) with first deliveries expected in 2020.

The SkyCourier will be offered as a cargo

carrier capable of transporting up to three LD

shipping containers and as a 19-passenger

version. Rod Simpson

C-97G Airborne Again

Back in the air, the C-97G making its first flight since 2002. Butch Moran via BAHF

Lift Off for

Bell V-

Valor

A major milestone has been passed in the

development of the V-280 Valor. Bell Helicopter

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