Aero News Week #1

2017: Safest year in commercial aviation history

The announcement was made by Aviation Safety Network and it reports 2017 as the safest by the number of fatal accidents as well as in number of fatalities – 10 fatal accidents causing 79 fatalities [35 from people on the ground]. Half of the fatal accidents were passenger flights – the other half were cargo.

Even considering military and non-commercial flights, 2017 was the safest in modern aviation history – totalizing 230 fatalities in 24 accidents.

ASN president Harro Ranter stated “since 1997 the average number of airliner accidents has shown a steady and persistent decline, for a great deal thanks to the continuing safety-driven efforts by international organisations such as ICAO, IATA, Flight Safety Foundation and the aviation industry.”

Delta retires last US Airlines Boeing 747 after 48 years of kingdom

Pan Am debuted the jumbo in January 1970.

48 years later the last US airlines “Queen of the skies” – as is known the Boeing 747 – flew to the Arizona´s desert, at the Pinal Airpark Boneyard, putting an end to almost half a century of B747 passenger flights in US Airlines.

The flight also marked the retirement of the senior Delta captain, Paul Gallaher at 64 years old – 18 as a 747 captain and the marriage of flight attendant Holly Rick and pilot Gene Peterson, at 40,000 feet, over Memphis. [usatoday.com]

Gallaher performed a low pass over the runway before the final touchdown.

According to Flightglobal, we still have over 500 jumbos worlwide - 185 flying paying passenger and another 332 hauling cargo, head of states or VIP's.

Startup TWEVO earned 50k € for drone protection project

The SME Instrument European program attributed 50k € to finance the REVOsdr project.

Portuguese startup TWEVO states REVOsdr “is a modem which minimizes the probability of a drone losing control or being hacked, providing extra protection to data”. This equipment also allows a longer wireless connection [in terms of distance and duration].

Events

21 Jan – Portugal’s Aero Club celebrates its 108^th anniversary – completed last 11^th December - in Cascais Cultural Center.

Photograph

This picture was taken at Buenos Aires airport – Ezeiza [IATA: EZE, ICAO: SAEZ], last 15^th December. The Lufthansa’s B747-8 [registered D-ABYR] now completing 3 years is powered by 4x GENx, featuring a twin-annular pre-swirl (TAPS) combustor to reduce NO_x gases, larger carbon fibre fan blades to minimize noise but in a reduced number (from 22 to 18), a composite fan case for further weight reduction, a lighter low pressure turbine (LPT), incorporating 3D aerodynamics design and titanium aluminide blades to stages 6 and 7, reducing engine weight roundly by 400 lbs.

geaviation.com