"World Wide Testing" update soon

Still hoping to get your comments so that the table shows all the great stuff that is happening, so please send them in.

Fly Safe!

md

Sikorsky Adds 3rd S-76D Test Aircraft

They appear to be accelerating the program, with the new addition working on avionics and electrical power distribution testing.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/s-76d-helicopter-program-accelerates-toward-certification-as-third-prototype-joins-flight-test-program-129459698.html

Airbus A400M Passes 2000 Test Hours

With several active test assets, they are currently working all major test phases at once: Performance, Flying Qualities, as well as Systems.  (Hopefully they can work the engine glitches out. soon)  I like the "Grizzly" nickname... big, tough, and can go rabid on you in a heartbeat.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/09/08/361726/a400m-fleet-passes-2000-test-hours-despite-engine-issue.html

Diamond D-Jet Resumes Flight Tests

This is an encouraging development.  The entire VLJ market has taken a major hit because of the economic slowdown.  (It also didn't help when the U.S. President's staff started bashing the entire Bizjet industry without really doing their homework first.)  The economy is still not out of the woods, but it is nice to see some optimism in the industry.  Looks like Diamond is doing general system shakedowns, plus primary and secondary flight controls work.

http://www.aviation.ca/content/view/10254/117/

Life Happens

I've been off-line for a week or so to attend the wedding of a family member.  The next few entries will be "catch-up.  Thanks for checking in!

EAA 1909 Bleriot XI First Flight

This video shows what must have been a very exciting flight, even though it was only seconds long.  There is a LOT of camber on the airplane's wing, generating a lot of downwash at the horizontal tail.  The pilot seems to need nearly full nose-down elevator to get the tail into the air.  As soon as he goes to neutral elevator, the plane jumps off the ground.  In fact, by the time he is 5 feet up he already has what looks like full nose-down controls back in to get the plane to level off.  The longitudinal axis took so much concentration that the lateral almost gets away as he touches a wingtip on landing.  I think I would have kept is short as well.

http://eaaforums.org/showthread.php?353-Photo-Sequence-First-flight-of-EAA%92s-1909-Bleriot-XI-replica

C-17 Sets a New Airdrop Record

The airlifter folks from Edwards continue to push the limits as they prepare to test parachutes for NASA's next generation boosters.  They recently dropped an 85,000 pound load out the back on the way to a final test at 90,000 pounds a few months from now.

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/index/display/avi-wire-news-display/1490605622.html