17 dead as plane plunges into river in South Sudan

        
        Passengers were travelling from the Juba International Airport to the city of Yirol in Eastern Lakes State on Sunday, September 9 when disaster struck. Local sources in the region confirmed the accident which is believed to only have three survivors 

Several other passengers are still missing from the wreckage which was thoroughly quelled by water after the plane came into contact with the river. An Italian doctor and a bishop were among those who were on board the ill-fated plane. The cause of the crash is yet to be determined. 

Airborne 08.06.18: OSH18 'Near Perfect', Stratos 716, New NASA Crews

“A ‘perfect’ event may be unattainable, but AirVenture 2018 came about as close as one could imagine," said EAA chairman Jack Pelton. The event drew approximately 601,000, nearly two percent above of 2017’s record total. Stratos Aircraft has introduced an update on its VLJ program and introduced the Stratos 716 model. The Stratos 716 is an evolution of the 714 Proof of Concept (PoC) aircraft. "When we introduced the Proof of Concept aircraft last year the marketplace feedback was tremendous," said Stratos CTO, Carsten Sundin. "It was clear that the market is looking for the performance and comfort we were offering, but in a true 6-place aircraft. We have achieved this with the 716." The Stratos 716 has a 31" longer and 3.5" wider cabin than the 714 PoC aircraft introduced at Oshkosh in 2017. The Stratos 716 is a "multi-role" VLJ designed to comfortably seat 6 people to support personal, business and air taxi use. NASA introduced to the world on Friday the first U.S. astronauts who will fly on American-made, commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station – an endeavor that will return astronaut launches to U.S. soil for the first time since the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Airborne 08.06.18 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Monday, August 6th, 2018... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Laura Hutson, Brianne Cross, and Christopher Odom, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers:

Latitude DL150 now certified on Gulfstream G450 & G550

Latitude Technologies has announced that Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Georgia, has finalised STC certification of the Latitude DL150 Satellite Data Unit (SDU) for Gulfstream G450 and G550 series aircraft.

This will support CPDLC/ADS-C/ACARS satellite data link services, the DL150 is a TSO-C159b approved communications link enabling Future Air Navigation Systems (FANS 1/A+).   

Already required for some air corridors, ATCs will continue to limit the busiest and most favorable routes to FANS 1/A-equipped aircraft up to its full 2020 implementation date. DL150-equipped Gulfstream aircraft operators now have an effective option when addressing their long-range data link communication requirements which also includes pole-to-pole global coverage as an added benefit. 

“Our team of engineers, programmers, and developers create quality products that fill a wide range of needs in the aerospace market,” Founder and President Mark Insley commented. “When an aircraft manufacturer places trust in your organisation and products, it is a tremendous vote of confidence.”

Embraer E190-E2 granted certification by ANAC, FAA and EASA

Embraer has announced some final flight tests results confirming the E2 as the most efficient single-aisle aircraft on the market. In fuel consumption, the E190-E2 proved to be 1.3% better than originally expected, a 17.3% improvement compared to the current- generation E190.

The E190-E2 also becomes the most environmentally friendly aircraft in its class, with the lowest levels of external noise and emissions. Flight test results also confirmed the E190-E2 to be better than its original specification in takeoff performance. The aircraft’s range from airports with hot-and-high conditions, such as Denver and Mexico City, increases by 600 nm compared to current-generation aircraft. Its range from airports with short runways, such as London City, also increases by more than 1,000 nm allowing the aircraft to reach destinations like Moscow and cities in the north of Africa.

The E190-E2 will also have the longest maintenance intervals among single-aisle aircraft with 10,000 flight hours for basic checks and no calendar limit for typical utilisation. This means an additional 15 days of aircraft utilisation over ten years compared to current generation E-Jets. Another key gain is with pilot transition training time. Pilots of current-generation E-Jets will need only 2.5 days of training and no full flight simulator to be qualified to fly an E2.

Bose introduces game changing headsets for commercial pilots

In an announcement simultaneously presented at Sun n Fun show in Florida and the Aircraft Interiors show at Hamburg, the American headquartered technology innovator unveiled the Bose ProFlight aviation headset featuring the active noise cancelling that is enjoyed with the A20 headset used by pilots of light aircraft and helicopters.

With more than 30 U.S. design and utility patents, ProFlight Headset features a lightweight and comfortable in-ear configuration, three user-selectable levels of active noise cancellation and a Tap Control for Talk Through communication function that allows pilots to hear anyone on the flight deck that is not connected to the intercom - without removing the headset or an earpiece. It is FAA TSO-C139a and EASA E/TSO-C139a certified, a requirement that is increasingly important for many airlines and corporate flight departments.
“We’ve spent over thirty years researching and developing active noise cancelling technology,” said Matt Ruwe, senior product manager for Bose Aviation and Military headsets. “The ProFlight Aviation Headset is the culmination of that experience and knowledge, and through the application of proprietary Bose technology, provides a real solution to many of the challenges pilots of crewed and turbine powered aircraft face.” 

Bose says the headsets are designed for the lower noise environments and unique needs of pilots who fly in airline flight decks and corporate jet aircraft.
With an on-head weight of only 139 grams (4.9 ounces), it combines a lightweight headband for stability with an ear bud configuration that rests lightly yet securely in the bowl of the ear, allowing the headset to be worn comfortably for hours at a time. It also has a 48-hour battery life.

“The ProFlight delivers a combination of noise reduction, communications clarity and comfortable fit. But it also addresses some real and long standing problems professional pilots have had to deal with for years” said Ruwe.

The headset will be available worldwide and sold in the U.S. for $995.95, although pricing may change for other regions. Initial customer deliveries will begin the last week of May, 2018. 
ProFlight will be sold through the European Bose eCommerce websites and select authorized Bose Aviation dealers in the EMEA region. The headsets will be demonstrated in Africa for the first time next week at the Aviation Africa exhibition in Cairo.

MH17 downed by Russian military missile system, say investigators

A Russian military missile was responsible for shooting down flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, an international team of investigators said on Thursday, for the first time pointing the finger directly at Moscow.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014. All 298 people onboard were killed.

In 2016, investigators announced they had evidence that the BUK systeminvolved in the incident had crossed the border into eastern Ukraine from Russia and returned after the plane had been shot down.

At a press conference in The Hague on Thursday, the investigators showed photo and video evidence that they said proved they had identified the specific BUK missile system responsible.

They said they had “legal and convincing evidence which will stand up in a courtroom” that the BUK system involved came from the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in Kursk, in western Russia.

Previously, the investigative website Bellingcat has pointed to involvement of the same brigade using open-source information.

The joint investigation team (JIT) looking into the incident is made up of Dutch prosecutors and police and others from Australia, Malaysia and Ukraine. They showed photos and video of the convoy that carried the missile system over the border from Russia to Ukraine, and a series of distinctive markings and serial numbers which they said had enabled them to trace the exact system used in the attack, and trace it to the 53rd brigade.

He said there was other evidence that would be kept secret until a court hearing began. “We don’t want to tell everything we know because then we are opening our cards to the other side and we do not want to do that.”

The big question will be how a future court will operate, given Russia is likely to continue its policy of stonewalling and denial. Investigators had asked Russian authorities for information about the 53rd brigade but had been ignored, said Westerbeke. If specific Russian military personnel or commanders are indicted, Russia is almost certain to refuse their extradition.

Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said the countries that make up the JIT were now “considering options” about how to proceed. “That a sophisticated weapon belonging to the Russian army was dispatched and used to shoot down a civilian aircraft should be of grave international concern,” she said.

The JIT stopped short of saying it believed the BUK system was deployed as part of a Russian military mission, saying only that they had identified the base from which it came. In a sign that some evidence is still missing, the JIT repeated a call for those with information about the incident to come forward, including information about the 53rd brigade, promising anonymity. 

“The next crucially important step is to identify some members of the military in the 53rd brigade ... who can directly say who was involved in the transfer or operation of the BUK,” said Ukrainian army general Vasyl Hrytsak, a member of the investigation team, in comments to Reuters.

Bellingcat said it would hold a press conference on Friday to present new findings on MH17.

In the weeks before MH17 was shot down, the separatists had shot down a number of Ukrainian military planes over east Ukraine, and intercepted communications between separatist fighters made it clear that they initially believed they had hit another military plane, not a civilian liner.

Russia has repeatedly denied it was militarily active in eastern Ukraine, despite an overwhelming body of evidence to the contrary. In 2014, Russian troops and hardware were introduced at key moments to back pro-Russia separatists fighting against Ukrainian government troops.

After a series of Russian media claims of Ukrainian responsibility were all shown to be false, Moscow appears to have settled on the idea that it was “impossible to tell” which side was responsible. 

This week a group of families of the MH17 victims wrote an open letter to the Russian people before the World Cup begins next month.

“We are painfully aware of the dark irony that the Russian leaders who will profess to welcome the world with open arms are those who are chiefly to blame for shattering our world,” the letter says. “And that it is these same leaders who have persistently sought to hide the truth, and who have evaded responsibility ever since that dreadful day in July 2014.”

Ethiopian marks African aviation history with 100th aircraft in active service

On the planned delivery of the 100th aircraft, Ethiopian Group CEO, Tewolde GebreMariam said: “It is an immense honor for all of us at Ethiopian to reach the milestone of 100 aircraft. This milestone is a continuation of our historical aviation leadership role in Africa and a testimony of the successful implementation of our fast, profitable and sustainable growth plan, Vision 2025.

“Ethiopian was the first to avail jet service in the continent back in 1962, and operated the first African B767 in 1984, the first African B777-200LR in 2010, the first African B787-800 Dreamliner and B777-200 freighter in 2012 and the first African A350 in 2016 and the first African B787-9 aircraft in 2017.

“Ethiopian now operates one of the youngest and most modern 100 aircraft, with an average age of less than 5 years. Fleet modernization and expansion is one of the four critical pillars of our Vision 2025 strategic roadmap, in support of our fast expanding network, which has now reached over 110 international destinations covering 5 continents

“Our new and cutting-edge fleet composed of B787s and A350s offer unparalleled on-board comfort to our customers and offer the best possible connections when traveling within Africa and between the continent and the rest of the world.”

GebreMariam  added: “This 100 fleet milestone, which we have achieved ahead of our Vision 2025 targets, compels us to revise our plans with a view to phase in more aircraft and further expand our network so as to meet the growing travel needs of our continent and support its economic development and integration by facilitating the flow of investment, trade and tourism. We will continue to connect more and more Africans with their fellow citizens of the continent and with their brothers and sisters in the rest of the world to make life better every single day”