Boeing 767-2C Makes Maiden Flight

This is the basic airfame of the future USAF KC-46 tanker, although Boeing apparently also hopes to sell it as a commercial freight-hauler.  According to the article at the link below, it is cobbled together from pieces of other Boeing products.  I guess if you sign a fixed-price contract, you do whatever you can to keep costs down.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-completes-first-flight-of-new-freighter-and-tanker-407472/

DOD Flight Testing Facing Fundamental Changes?

First, please let me aplogize for going nearly two months without an update.  Although the hiatus may have given some of you a chance to dig back into earlier posts, it was not a planned interruption.  Sorry, life just got crazy on the home front.  Regarding flight test, many things have happened in the intervening period, to include a couple of first flights.  I will do my best to get you some links for information on the major events.  In the meantime, the article at the link below may be our first peek at DOD thinking regarding future flight test range infrastructure.  What I find interesting is the places that aren't mentioned, like the major west-coast test and training ranges.  Hmmm...

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/air-force/2014/12/23/air-force-range-infrastructure-study-underway/20775823/

UPDATE: SpaceShip2 Lost During Test Flight - Engine Issue?

This one is too close to home for truly objective comments.  Odds are excellent that I would list one or both pilots as a friend.  But at a news conference that just ended, Stu Witt, an administrator at the Mojave Spaceport, said that he witnessed the flight, that a new fuel was being used, and that the anomaly wasn't an event, but the lack of an event, which may point toward an abnormal light of the new engine.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-virgin-galactics-spaceship-anomaly-testing-20141031-story.html

LeapX Engine Flies in Preparation for use on COMAC C919

It's not clear from the article what aircraft the engine was flown on, but it would appear that the CFM engine has at least gotten airborne.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=245594

COMAC's ARJ21 Nearing Certification

The story at the link below is very short, but it has a few good numbers on test progress to date.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-the-arj21-progress-report-404547/

Cessna Citation Latitude Approaches Certification

The article at the link below is mainly marketing, but it does give a bit of status on the test program.  Looks like either the engines (PW306s?) are delivering better performance than expected, or the airframe is more slippery.

http://cessna.txtav.com/en/company-info/newsroom-and-events/cessna-citation-latitude-flight-test-demonstrates-increased-performance

Airbus A350 XWB Formation

Yes... Strutting and Chest Pounding is part of the flight test process. This was late last month.

(Photo: Courtesy Airbus)



http://www.airbus.com/galleries/photo-gallery/dg/idp/40928-airbus-a350xwb-formation-flight-01/?backURL=galleries/photo-gallery/