Historic RAF Bases to Close
RAF Scampton and RAF Linton-on-Ouse
are set to close within the next four years.
The announcement was made on July 24.
Linton-on-Ouse, the main base for the
No.1 Flying Training School which uses
the Tucano, will cease being an RAF
station in 2020 and the MoD is “currently
considering other potential defence uses,
ahead of an eventual disposal of the site”.Scampton in Lincolnshire is the current
home of the Red Arrows display team
and work is under way to nd them a new
base. The MOD said it “will work closely
with the local council and potential buyers
to ensure the site’s future use meets the
needs of the local economy, whilst also
exploring ways in which the heritage of
the site, including a museum, can bepreserved”. RAF Scampton dates back
to pre-World War Two and was famously
the base from which 617 Sqn launched its
raid on the Ruhr dams in 1943. The base
is set to close in 2022. RAF Linton-on-
Ouse in North Yorkshire also has a rich
history with it being operational throughout
the war and was an important Bomber
Command station.The rst of ve Airbus BelugaXL aircraft
performed its maiden ight from Toulouse.
The air test by F-WBXL lasted 4hrs 11mins
and took place on July 19.
The crew on board were Captain
Christophe Cail, co-pilot Bernardo Saez-
Benito Hernandez and test- ight engineer
Jean Michel Pin. Meanwhile, monitoringthe aircraft systems and performance in
real-time at the ight-test engineer’s (FTE)
station were Laurent Lapierre and Philippe
Foucault. Christophe Cail commented after
the maiden ight: “The aircraft behaves
really well in ight. It’s impressive how
close the BelugaXL’s performance is to
what we experienced in the ground-based ight simulators. First ights take a lot of
preparation and we are just the tip of the
iceberg, so ‘thank you’ to the entire team.
It’s only together that we can make it y.”
The BelugaXL will now undergo some
750 hours of ight test over ten months to
achieve type certi cation and entry into
service later in 2019. The test programme
was launched in November 2014 to address
Airbus’ transport capacity requirements in
view of the A350 XWB ramp-up and single-
aisle aircraft production rate increases.
The ve aircraft due to enter service
will gradually replace the ve BelugaSTs
currently in operation between 2019 and- The aircraft will operate from 11
sites as European manufacturer’s method
of transporting large aircraft components.
The BelugaXL is based on the A330-
Freighter and is powered by Rolls-Royce
Trent 700 engines.
Airbus BelugaXL F-WBXL during its maiden ight from Toulouse. Airbus/S RamadierBelugaXL AirborneA signi cant step toward modernising the
Indian Air Force’s helicopter eet was taken
recently. This involved the rst ights of
two new types for the air arm − the AH-64E
Apache and CH-47(I) Chinook helicopters.
A total of 22 Apache and 15 Chinooks
helicopters were ordered by India in
September 2015. Deliveries are due to start
next year.Tata Boeing Aerospace will be making all
Apache fuselages for Boeing in a specially
built facility that opened in Hyderabad, India,
in March. It will also produce secondary
structures and vertical spar boxes. It
completed its rst AH-64 fuselage in June,
and the structure was then transported to
Boeing’s manufacturing facility in Mesa,
Arizona, to be integrated into the nalassembly line. Pratyush Kumar, president,
Boeing India, said: “The rst ight of India’s
Apache and Chinook helicopters are
important milestones towards strengthening
Indian armed forces capabilities. Indian
industry partners, such as Dynamatics, are
building large sections of Chinook, and the
Tata Boeing joint venture in Hyderabad is
building the complete fuselage of the Apache.”The rst of India’s new
AH-64E Apache attack
helicopters making its
maiden ight. BoeingInaugural Flights for India’s New Helicopters4
HEADLINES
Aviation News incorporating Jets September 2018