Aviation Sourcing Solutions Blog

Automatic direction systems serve a fairly simple purpose— locate, and point, in the direction of an NDB signal. Non-directional beacons (NDBs) are used for anything from Morse code broadcasts to voice interfaced communication to inform pilots about weather conditions. They communicate important information directly to the automatic direction finder (ADF). Simple enough, right? Let’s take a look at how an ADF accomplishes this functionality using two types of antennas: loop and sensing.

One of the most important parts of an aircraft is the actuator or actuating cylinder. Actuating cylinders transform energy in the form of fluid pressure into mechanical force, imparting powered linear motion to some movable object or mechanism.

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft closes out the year with a great deal with China Express Airlines. The Airlines increases their purchase of CRJ900 Jetliners with 10 more jetliners which brings them to a total 38 to service the Chinse Express Airlines. Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has successfully delivered 20 of the CRJ900 jetliners up to date. The value of this purchase will approximately cost the Chinese Airlines 462.6 million US. Dollars.

Aircraft maker Bombardier announced that Latvian carrier airBaltic will be the first client to operate CS300 aircraft when it takes delivery of the plane in the latter part of 2016. The Latvian national airline has 13 firm orders for the CS300 and retains options for seven others.

General Electric Aviation is getting ready to construct two new factories, designed to mass-produce silicon carbide (SiC) materials used to manufacture ceramic matrix composite components (CMCs). The factories will be built on one-hundred acres of land in Huntsville, Alabama, which will also make it the first operation of its kind in the United States. Construction will cost over $200 million for the pair. It will begin sometime in the middle of next year, and is expected to be complete within two years of that. SiC-based power devices are trending upward, and look like they will take over for silicon-based chips that are currently used for numerous applications. With a higher demand for SiCs and CMCs, officials at GE Aviation felt the need to mass-produce them domestically in order to fulfill their requirements.

Mitsubishi Aircraft recently opened a brand new aircraft engineering facility in Seattle, Washington, in hopes of accelerating its Mitsubishi regional jet (MRJ) program. The new facility was named the Seattle Engineering Center (SEC) and will allow Mitsubishi to strengthen its aircraft development capabilities. Its 150 members will include 50 Japanese engineers and 100 from Seattle that will work on analyzing flight-test data to get the new Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) certified and into service with various airlines.

The US Patent and Trademark Office approved an application from Robert Budica, James Herzberg, and Frank Chandler of the Boeing Company for a laser and nuclear driven airplane engine. This is Boeing’s latest idea to stay on top of all the new, efficient ways that airplane makers are powering their products.

In February 2015, TransAsia Flight GE235 plunged into the Keelung River after clipping a bridge and a taxi. Details surrounding the incident are just now being released. According to the Aviation Safety Council, a transcript of the cockpit recording features one of the two pilots declaring “Wow, pulled back the wrong side throttle.” Seconds later, the ATR 72 turboprop plane crashed into the shallow river in Taiwan’s capital of Taipei.

China Aviation Supplies Holdings has placed an order with Airbus for 45 A330 aircrafts, with possible plans in the future for 30 additional A330 aircrafts. This deal was signed during Chinese Prime Minister Li Kequiang’s visit to Toulouse, in which a ceremony was held where reporters and business leaders participated. This order for 45 A330 aircrafts will cost China $11 billion, plus the possibility of an additional 30 aircraft worth about $250 million each. If the second part of this order is fulfilled, totaling in 75 A330 aircraft, the value of this contract is anticipated to increase to $18 billion.

In June 2015, Delta Airlines announced that they plan to sign an agreement with Boeing to buy 40 new 737-900ERs as well as 20 Embraer E190 aircraft. Back in 2011, Delta ordered 100 of these aircraft and the new purchase will increase the carrier’s existing order to 140. They will replace the old narrow-body aircraft scheduled to retire during 2019. This announcement follows the airline’s conclusion of a tentative agreement with its pilots to enhance their compensation and revise the profit-sharing principle from next year.