Plane Nation

Boeing could reposition its 747-8 Intercontinental to bring the four-engined long-range widebody’s passenger capacity to within 10% of the Airbus A380
’s standard three-class 555-seat capacity. Initial studies of the stretched Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental appear to show the aircraft could seat almost 500
passengers and still make its provisional 14,800km (8,000nm) minimum range target, says the manufacturer. The findings, which are yet to be ratified during
ongoing trade studies, could satisfy the additional payload needs of several potential customers and for the first time put the 747-8 in a similar capacity bracket to
the A380. Boeing 747 sales, marketing and in-service support vice-president Randy Tinseth says rough calculations indicate that with

We think that over the next 20 years air travel will grow an average of
4.9% a year, driven by an annual GDP growth rate of 3.1% – both up
slightly from last year’s forecast. Air cargo will grow at an average of 6.1%
per year. This means that the impacts of liberalization will continue.
Airlines will continue to demand new airplanes so they can continue to
respond to what passengers want: more nonstop, point-to-point flights,
and more frequencies. As a result, I think we’ll see continued
strong commercial airplane demand in the forecast period between now
and 2025 – a $2.6 trillion market for new aircraft.

Problems with section 19 of the fuselage were detected during trial flights in Toulouse, southern France, according to an internal Airbus document, the weekly Der Spiegel reported in its edition which goes on sale Monday. … Airbus said that a fault discovered in the fuselage of its A380 super jumbo in the spring has been long since resolved, saying it was “astonished” at how the issue was “blown up” in a German magazine article.

The A350 XWB (extra wide-body) is Airbus’ response to market demand
for a medium capacity long range wide-body family. Available from 2012,
it will have an entirely new, uncompromised, 21st Century design with a
new and wider fuselage for extra space and passenger comfort. It will
also be extra efficient, extra environmentally friendly and quiet, as it will
feature all the advanced technologies available in the first part of the 21st
century, bringing the A380 experience to a new level. Conceived from
the outset to form a complete family of airliners, three basic passenger
versions are being offered. They include the -800, -900 and the -1000
accommodating between 250

Boeing is studying a 777-style electronic tailstrike protection system for the 747-8, which would enable steeper touchdown and take-off angles and help reduce
noise during critical approach and departure phases. The electronic tailskid trade study forms a key element of Boeing’s attempts to close the gap on
QC1 noise limits at London, and the outcome is largely dependent on windtunnel tests being performed at Qinetiq’s facility at Farnborough in the UK. ©
Mark Wagner / Aviation-images.com Windtunnel tests at Farnborough are a vital element in the tailskid study The tests are to assess low-speed aerodynamic
characteristics to help finalise aircraft lines, design loads and control laws. Tailstrike protection system technology, developed

As reported by Airbus, the new A350XWB model will be 12.5 centimeters
wider than the previous draft and carry 314 passengers. It will also make
extensive use of carbon-fibre composites and fuel-efficient engines.
Airbus intends to begin development in October, and the plane is
expected to enter service by mid 2012.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is overweight and experiencing delays with some suppliers, the company said Sunday, while stressing that the long-range, fuel-efficient
jet remains on budget and on schedule. Rival Airbus, however, announced this weekend that the widely expected redesign of its planned A350 – billed as a
competitor to the 787 – will nearly double the development cost of the plane. Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Alan Mulally, speaking in London on
the eve of the Farnborough Air Show, declined to say where 787 supply problems were occurring or by how much the plane was exceeding its target weight.
“We’re a little over where we want to be at this

FARNBOROUGH, England, July 17, 2006 — Boeing  and its partners have completed construction and will soon begin structural testing of a full-scale 787 Dreamliner composite wing box as part of the certification process of the all-new jetliner.
The test piece measures approximately 17 feet front spar to rear spar and 50 feet from airplane centerline to [...]

Airbus will expand its offering of two new mid-sized planes to three in order to catch up with surging rival Boeing Co., industry sources said on Friday. Worried
that its pair of proposed A350 models aimed at competing with the Boeing 787 due in 2008 will do little to slow sales of Boeing’s larger 777, France-based Airbus
will add a third, larger model. “They are definitely looking at doing three,” one industry source said, adding that the new planes were likely to be named the
A350-800, A350-900 and A350-1,000. There was a chance Airbus could go with the name A370, he added. A second source confirmed the story

Lawsuits Over The Google Party Jet; Arguments Over Bed Sizes On
Board New details out now about the Google Jet we’ve written about
before, the used 767 that Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin
have purchased. Turns out, there are lawsuits filed over the retrofit of the
plane, and with them, news of hammocks hanging from the ceiling and
an apparent fight between the cofounders over bed sizes that Google
CEO Eric Schmidt had to referee. Via Threadwatch, this all comes not
from a Valleywag post but instead the Wall Street Journal. Lawsuits Fly
Over Google Founders’ Big Private Plane is the story (paid sub. required),
complete with a